Home Goals 2025 mid-year report

Posted on July 7, 2025 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

I introduced this year’s home goals by saying, “I am really, really excited by the projects I have planned.” Mid-way through the year, I am still excited about these projects. I’m also really, really excited by how much progress I’ve made.

What a year it’s been so far!

Coop

The coop is finished. The birds are in residence. It is awesome. I love having birds again. Seeing them walking around makes me happy. I am so proud of the coop and how well everything has worked out. I will likely continue to make tweaks depending on what the birds need (like repairing the turkeys’ door after they take it apart–again), but I am comfortable saying that for now, this project is done.

My office

Another project that’s done? My office. Transforming, decorating and organizing this space was fun, and I love having my own working, writing, crafting, sewing, creating, whatevering space.

Ellie’s playroom

A dedicated play, crafting, creating space for Ellie is still on the list for this year. She’s been collecting paint chips in anticipation. Can you guess what her current favourite colours are? This room will likely be our fall project.

Main bathroom

The bathroom renovation is well underway, and what a transformation. I’ve been able to do a lot of the work myself, which feels really good. My vision for the design and function of this space is turning out beautifully. I am really happy. More updates to come.

2025 is a big year. I don’t think I’ve had this many projects on the go since early days (perhaps years) or moving to the farm. It’s been tiring, fulfilling, challenging. But mostly it’s been fun. I love working on the house and the property, making it ours and making it beautiful.

I hope I can keep up the momentum for the rest of the year.

Have you tackled any project around your house so far this year? What’s on your list for the rest of 2025?Anyone else having a big house year? What’s exciting you about your house right now?

Home Goals 2025

Posted on January 20, 2025 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

I am really, really excited by the projects I have planned for this year. This year will bring a lot of new and big things for us and the farm. They’re all centred around how we live, how we use the house and what we want for our lives here.

Here is what I’m hoping to accomplish in 2025.

Coop

Source: Feathered Acres

Having birds has been a goal since Matt and I were thinking of buying a farm. I made really good progress on the coop last year (updates are coming), and I’m aiming to finish it soon so we’re ready to welcome some new feathered friends this spring.

My office

Source: Ampersand Living

Following our big cleanout last year, Matt’s office is ready to become my office. I am excited to have my own space for working, writing, crafting, sewing, whatevering. This will be the first project of the year. (In fact, it might already be underway.)

Ellie’s playroom

Sources: Lush Home & Young House Love

A dedicated play, crafting, creating space for Ellie is the second step in the game of dominoes that is our whole home reorganization. After I move into my new office (and remove all of my things from Ellie’s old bedroom), setting up this room just for Ellie is next on the list.

Main bathroom

Source: Heidi Caillier

Yes. We are finally redoing our main bathroom. This will be a large project, and I’m hoping to do a good amount of it myself.

After last year’s reset, this year’s goals are big steps forward. I’m hoping we can stay on track and keep up the momentum for 2025.

What’s exciting you about your house right now? Do you have any home goals for this year? Anyone else have big plans for 2025?

Consolidating kid’s craft supplies

Posted on April 15, 2024 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

It was the scissors that did it. They tipped the balance from crowded into chaos. To be fair, it’s a whole carousel of scissors. And the living room has been maxed out for a while.

The journey to move Ellie’s play zone out of the living room and into her old bedroom has begun. While I had a vision of it being a one and done undertaking, I’ve come to terms with this being a more gradual process.

We started with the crafts.

Ellie is a prolific and varied crafter. Paper, fabric, stickers, glue, beads, wool, she loves it all. We’ve managed the crafting process and supplies with a small table in the corner of the living room and storage in the coffee table and sideboard. For a while it’s been a tight squeeze.

Then Matt’s aunt arrived for Easter lunch with an assortment of provisions, including a carousel of scissors (she knows what our girl likes). This, just weeks after Ellie’s birthday where she received rolls of colouring sheets, cases of beads, and sacks of needle felting, meant we were overrun with craft stuff.

I had the idea to shuffle some things around. As I said in my home goals post at the start of this year, this shuffle becomes like a row of dominoes. I reorganized and relocated some of Matt’s things. That freed up a cabinet and a bookshelf in the basement. More of Matt’s things moved into the cabinet and the bookshelf came upstairs.

After a quick coat of paint, the bookshelf moved into the playroom and became craft supply central. The first item to move in? The carousel of scissors.

While we were stocking the bookshelf, we made a few other changes to the room. (Though we obviously did not clean the mirror.)

Her little table and chairs moved from the living room to the new (soon-to-be) playroom. I also used my knock-off DIY Eames hang-it-all to arrange a little dress-up area for her with all of her costumes and a bin for accessories such as hats, crowns, scarves, Minnie Mouse hands, or an inflated pink dolphin wearing a fluourescent green legwarmer (???).

This is just the start (and it’s definitely not Pinterest-perfect), but now Ellie has most of her craft supplies in one spot, clearly visible and easily accessible.

Anyone else have a crafty house? How do you handle craft supplies? Who else feels like home tweaks are like dominoes?

Child’s art display in the playroom

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

I am someone who loves bulletin boards. I fill them with inspirational pictures and sayings, family photos, reminders, notes, calendars–anything and everything.

When Matt and I moved into our first house, one of the bedrooms had a built in desk with upper shelves. I took a roll of cork and pasted it to the wall between the two shelves. When I switched jobs, I covered the utilitarian grey bulletin board in my new office with pretty floral fabric. In Ellie’s room, when it used to be my office, I built a custom tall, narrow cork board (and again covered it in pretty floral fabric) for the weird niche that’s just inside the door.

I had the idea to add a cork board to Ellie’s new basement play area awhile ago. There was a big blank wall above the shelves that was perfect for some art. Or lots of art.

Cork board art display in our toddler's playroom

Our girl loves drawing and painting and making. And when I started putting her creations up on the fridge, she was thrilled. It was so touching to see how proud she was to have her art on display.

I wanted to give her a designated spot to hang her pictures, and adding a bulletin board to her play zone was the perfect solution.

Cork board art display in our toddler's playroom

But I wanted a large bulletin board and every where I looked they were expen$ive.

I finally decided that I spend very, very little on art. I spent very little setting up her play area. I had been thinking about a bulletin board for a few months. Ellie’s art collection is only going to grow.

I could afford to splurge on the bulletin board.

So I found the most affordable source I could and ordered it.

It fills the wall perfectly (I chose a 6 foot by 4 foot board), and it’s a fun addition to her play room.

Cork board art display in our toddler's playroom

I feel like this cork board is an example of how I like to think beyond pictures when it comes to art and wall decor.

Elsewhere in the basement we have our oversize wood scrabble tiles, DIY posters, photo collages of Matt (hung at Ellie’s height), and even some enamel basins in the laundry room. Wall art is all about adding interest to your space and there are so many ways to do that beyond pictures. A bulletin board may not seem artsy, but it soon will be filled with art. And it will be a meaningful, personal display for Ellie’s play area.