Tag Archives: home goals 2026

Loft reading nook in the playroom

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Welcome to cozy corner. As I shared in my last post about the playroom makeover, we decided to build a loft reading area. Ellie loves snuggling down in a nest of pillows and blankets. She loves a fort. And she loves to read. The loft ticks all of those boxes.

The loft is 4 feet by 4 feet and 42 inches high. It is tucked into the corner between the window and the toy shelves. I built it by screwing two 2x4s into the wall and putting a plywood shelf on top. Two legs support the outer curve.

Once we had the structure complete, it was time to dress it up. Ellie picked all of the fabrics and I love how they coordinate with each other and the walls.

On top, there is a large cushion with the softest furry pink cover. The cushion is secured to the platform with large velcro patches, so it won’t slide. Then we added the requisite pillows and blankets. Ellie sewed the sparkly ones. The purple furry ones were from her previous play space in the basement.

We tucked a small shelf along one side to hold a book, drink, notepad, pens.

Under the platform, I had planned to have an open play area or fort. From the start, Ellie wanted to have curtains and make it another cozy spot. The curtains are very simple. I gathered two panels and sewed velcro along the top. The hook side of the velcro I stapled to the edge of the plywood. To hang the curtains I simply attached the two sides of velcro.

Inside, there are more cushions and pillows. Ellie decorated the walls and ceiling with glow in the dark stars and butterflies. Another shelf (that my Dad and I built for my childhood room) holds a fun lamp that Matt’s Dad bought for her. It changes colours–perfectly coordinated with the playroom–and is controlled by remote. She loves it.

The final touch is the canopy. I bought sheer ready made curtains at Ikea and hung them from a rod of pex tubing. The pipe is lightweight and flexible, so it’s perfect for making the smooth curve that I wanted. The rod hangs from three hooks screwed into the ceiling.

Ellie spends lot of time in cozy corner. I enjoy climbing up with her too. It’s such a comfortable nook.

Were you a snuggly, cozy kid? Anyone else know kids who love forts? What would your ideal cozy corner include?

The year of the garden begins

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Ten years ago, I was digging deep (literally) in a garden blitz. We were still at the “establishing the garden” phase and I had a long list of things I wanted to do.

I feel like I’m in a similar situation a decade later.

The garden is established in terms of the infrastructure. We have fencing, a gate, perimeter beds, trellises, a waterline, perennial crops like raspberries, blackberries, grapes, asparagus and rhubarb.

However, after years of neglect, it’s hard to find the beds, never mind the plants. Oh there are plants. They’re just the weedy kind of plants, not the eatey kind of plants.

My mission this year is to reclaim the garden.

Ten years ago, I challenged Sarah in Illinois (remember when Sarah used to write for the blog?) to a garden DIY duel. Sarah, who is still an avid gardener, also had a long to-do list, and we kept each other motivated through our six week challenge.

This year, I have another partner, Ellie. Ellie is very keen to have a nice garden and grow some of her own plants. Her motivation and work ethic may not be up to Sarah’s level, but she is enthused, which makes this a fun project to do together.

Work is underway. I’ve been popping over to the garden whenever I can find a few minutes, and I’ve found the rhubarb (spindly, but much happier since I cleared the weeds around it) and asparagus (also weed choked, but lots of sturdy stalks are shooting up).

I’m planning to give it some more dedicated attention over the rest of the month. Here’s what I’m hoping to do.

Edge the garden – I’ve been slowly working my way around the outside, raking leaves, cutting back grass and weeds. I’m more than halfway around.

Remove trees – We’ve gone beyond weeds to have actual trees sprouted in the garden. Some I can dig out. Others are tangled in the fence and grapes and will require some special extraction.

Prune raspberries – I’m not sure whether I missed one year or two of pruning. Removing old canes will give more room for new canes–and berries–to grow. I’ve made it down one side of one row, so a quarter of our berry patch is done.

Prune grapes (?) – I’ve never been sure what to do to take care of our grapes. I’m not even sure how many canes we have right now or how healthy they are. This task will take some untangling–physically and mentally.

Repair trellises – The berry canes have flopped over their wires, and I suspect some wire will need to be tightened. The squash trellis is still standing, but needs some repairs. The tomato trellises are in the garden, but I’m not sure whether they’ll be usable after so many years of neglect.

Establish planting beds and pathways – I’ve built some beds and some paths over the years. Everything is overgrown with weeds, so it’s hard to tell what can be reclaimed and what need to be completely rebuilt.

Plant – Ellie was gifted many seeds for her birthday. She carefully scheduled what need to be planted when and has a thriving collection of seedlings. We also have numerous crops that will be seeded directly into the garden.

According to Ellie’s calendar, the last weekend of May is garden weekend. So we have this month to get things in shape.

The nature of gardening is that it’s a process. Each day, week, season, year builds on the one before. So this year is about progress. The garden won’t be perfect, but I’m hoping we can actually have more of a garden this year.

Even with so much neglect, we’re not starting at zero. Everything we’re doing this year builds on what we did ten years ago, and all the years since. I’m glad to be back to this part of the farm.

Are you doing any gardening at your house? Are you a vegetable or flower gardener? Who else has a part of their property or house that has been neglected?

In case of my death

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One of my goals for this year is to prepare for the worst. An item that’s been on my list for a long time is to make copies of all my important documents.

Reading about fires and floods, documentation is always something that people discuss. As well, having been through Matt’s death, I know exactly how much paperwork is involved and how helpful it is for my executor to have it all in one place.

I know why I should do this. But it’s overwhelming to think about getting it all together.

Then last year, I saw an article about a “death binder” in our community paper. The author wrote, “a death binder is a comprehensive collection of documents and information that can help your loved ones manage your affairs in the event of your passing.”

He listed all of the items a death binder should include: personal and financial information like your social insurance number and bank account details, as well as important contacts, passwords, pet care instructions, messages for loved ones and more.

It was a clear, simple list. It felt doable.

Even better, it was divided into seven different sections. So I came up with the plan of doing one section a month. I also invited my Mom to do it with me.

January was for personal information. February was financial. In March we did properties and assets. Now we’re working on accounts and passwords. May will be funeral and burial wishes, June letters and messages, July any other considerations.

I’m making hard copies as well as digital copies of everything. I’ll keep one set for myself and give another to my executor.

Working through it piece by piece feels manageable, and I’m glad to finally be making progress on this important task.

Does anyone else have a death binder? What information do you think is most important to pass on?

Playroom progress

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Last post I shared plans for Ellie’s playroom makeover. Today, I’m back with an update. Thanks to March Break, we’ve made really good progress.

The biggest milestone is paint. Look at these walls. Ellie couldn’t decide what colour she wanted. Then she spotted a pink, purple and blue cloud-like shoebox and said, “If I could paint the walls like that, that’s what I want.” We took a look for wallpaper, sought advice from staff at a couple of paint stores, searched for tutorials online, collected lots of paint chips, tested some samples and then went for it. She loves the result.

We also started building a cozy corner. High on the priority list for this room is a reading nook. Ellie loves an oversized chair, so we considered a few options and then decided to build a loft nook. This way, she still has a lot of floor space for other activities. The platform is in place and next up is cushions (and a taller ladder).

On the topic of cushions, while she was off for March Break we also went fabric shopping. Ellie picked out a bunch of beautiful fabrics that all coordinated really well with the walls and with each other. We’ve recovered the desk chair already. Other fabrics are going to make curtains and a cushion for the cozy corner and cover a large bulletin board that we’ll hang over her desk.

We’ve already started putting the room back together a little bit. Shelves and bins are set up in her closet, and we’ve loaded them up with crafts and dolls (note the welcome message on the mirror). The desk is in place, curtains are hung, and we reorganized her main craft shelf. The dress-up zone is back with hooks and a big basket of outfits. Matt’s nephew helped me carry in some bookshelves that we had stashed in the barn, so I’ll be redoing those to give Ellie more storage. Some pillows and blankets have been added to the cozy corner and we’ve already snuggled in with a few chapters of her current book.

This is turning out to be a really fun project. Everything is designed for Ellie and what she likes and what she does. We’re really enjoying working on it together and seeing it come to life.

See more of the playroom makeover on my Instagram stories.

What is your must-have for a playroom? Would you go for pink, purple and blue walls? Who else loves a cozy reading nook?

Playroom makeover plans

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Imagine you are a creative young child. Your mind is brimming with ideas for drawings, stories and crafts. You’re inspired by everything you encounter and want to try so many things.

Now imagine the perfect space to fulfill all of that imagination and creation.

That is my goal in making an amazing play space for Ellie.

This project has been on my wishlist for awhile, and we’re finally making it happen.

The space we’re using is Ellie’s old nursery. This room has gone through a few different phases.

When we first moved in, it held boxes that we hadn’t unpacked… for about five years. Then it became my office. Then Ellie’s nursery. Then a shared office-sewing-creating-playing space for both her and me… but with no real functional or decorative changes.

Now it’s time to make it Ellie’s own room again.

The first step was a bit of construction. Some readers may recall that there was a pocket door between this room and my bedroom. It was helpful when this room was Ellie’s nursery, but not necessary any longer. So I wanted to fill in the doorway. Normally this would be straight forward, but I decided to make it more complicated. Beside the pocket door and behind the door to my bedroom, the wall bumped out by about one foot. If I was going to wall-in the doorway, I might as well straighten the rest of the wall at the same time. (The floorplan below might help to clarify my description.)

I removed the little bump out. This involved stripping the drywall, taking out the old studs, relocating some electrical, framing the new wall and hanging new drywall.

I finally finished the drywall on the weekend, so we are now ready to officially begin the playroom makeover.

First up is paint, and Ellie has picked such a fun design–pink, purple and blue water colour tie dye. We have plans for a little loft in one corner, which will serve as a cozy reading nook on top and a secret fort below. My DIY knock-off Eames hang-it-alls will return for a dress-up zone. Matt’s desk will remain to give her a good crafting and creating spot. And we’ll be adding lots of storage for all of her toys and supplies.

We’re both really excited by this project and are enjoying working on it together. I’m sure we’ll be even more excited with the result.

You can check out some of my playroom ideas on Pinterest. Or follow along with renovation updates on Instagram.

Home Goals 2026

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Last year was a big year for home projects. This year is a little smaller in some ways. The list is shorter, but what I’m hoping to accomplish still feels big. Read on for all the details of what’s on my list for home goals 2026.

Ellie’s playroom

Sources: Wallmur & Designer Affair

My first goal is Ellie’s playroom, a carry over from last year. Our girl is so creative and I really want to give her a special space for whatever she wants to do. This will be the first project of the year. (In fact, it might already be underway.)

Garden(s)

A beautiful country vegetable garden from Country Living

Source: This photos is several years old, but it’s still a beautiful inspiration shot for me. It was originally from Country Living, but the link is not active. It is of Pamela Page’s garden.

Forget the year of the horse. 2026 is the year of the garden(s). The vegetable and flower gardens have received very little attention for the past several years. I’m hoping to change that this year. My main priority will be the vegetable garden, but if I have enough time and energy, I’d like to give the flower gardens some attention too.

Prepare for the worst

Preparing for the worst was on my list in 2022. I’ve taken some steps, but I’d like to do more. Some of the things on my mind are involved like working on a back-up power solution. Others are simple like running a fire drill. Some are tedious like making sure I have copies of important documents. This is an ongoing undertaking, and putting it on my list will hopefully motivate me to give it more attention.

That’s it. That’s the 2026 list. Three things.

Of course, other things will come up through the year. Ellie’s playroom will likely make some dominoes for the living room and my bedroom. We should have time to handle them.

Last year was productive and busy and fun. Taking things a little slower this year can also be productive and fun, but maybe a bit less busy.

What projects are on your list for 2026? Are you focusing inside or outside this year?