A Peek Inside My Dream Home Book

Happy Monday and Happy Halloween! While my social media feeds were flooded on Saturday night with adult party pictures and awesome couples’ costumes, Jamie and I were simply doing cartwheels around the house that both girls were passed out by 7:19 p.m.

We enjoyed a quiet night in together and a generally relaxing weekend all-around. We traded some of the community Halloween festivities we planned to attend for a couple days of laying low, and it was glorious.

Tonight will be the night of Piglet Hadley one last time as we circle our neighboring streets before calling it a night and closing out October. The entire month of November is shaping up to be a party, and we are ready ready ready!

Shifting gears entirely, on to the purpose of today’s post. 🙂 I’d love to flip through my Dream Home book with you, as well as revisit the concept of it and explain how I use it.

I first introduced my Dream Home book in this post two years ago right after we moved into our home. The book itself is a bit more beat up these days, but it’s still just as functional and purposeful.

Our house didn’t necessarily need to be flipped or undergo any massive renovations, but the majority of the house was in desperate need of refreshing. I began to feel overwhelmed shortly after we closed on the house because there were so many things I wanted to do; I knew I needed a system to keep track of my visions and dreams as well as a place to prioritize projects.

I grabbed a spare journal I’d purchased that summer from Scarlet & Gold, scribbled “dream home” on the cover, and wrote down each room at the top of a page. From there I started making lists of what I needed to buy or do that would transform each room into what I dreamed for it to look like if money and time were no object.

This gave me a starting place for prioritizing projects because I could see what each would cost and plan for how long it would take. I was also able to keep my eyes peeled for money-saving deals on items I wanted for each room. For example, you’ll notice in the picture below that I would love to add a pair of mirrored nightstands one day. The kind that I want carry a hefty price tag, so until we find a pair that are the style we like for a price we can’t turn down, we’re totally content with our current nightstand. I can’t reiterate the “dream” part of this book enough. 🙂

Throughout the last couple years I’ve frequently added to this book as my visions have narrowed for each room. It’s incredibly gratifying to cross an item off and see each room slowly but surely begin taking shape of what I dreamed it would someday look like. In the picture below, I actually had to create a new page for our living room. Since this is the room where we do the most “life” together, I’m always prioritizing it and dreaming of ways to make it more attractive, comfortable, and functional. I had so much written (and then successfully crossed off – wahoo!) that I had to begin a new page.

I haven’t counted, but I’m pretty sure I have around 15 pages. I even have pages for our basement stairwell and upstairs hallway that include improvements like light fixtures, simple decor ideas, etc. Those are definitely the lowest priority areas of the house, but if we ever find a deal on the perfect fixture, we’d snag it!

I’ve had a few people ask me why I’ve worked so hard on our home when we’re guaranteed to move within a few short years. When I was first asked this question 18ish months ago, I didn’t have a response. I thought it was a legitimate question, so I began thinking a lot about it. What was/is my motivation for spending time and money on our Kansas home?

Time has helped me zero in on what motivates me to fix up this home, and I have a few reasons.

1. We want to quickly increase the value as much as we can with as little money as we can so that we can make money on this house in the end.
2. I learn by doing, and I’ve really enjoying learning how to care for a home. I screw up a lot of my projects (a lot) simply because “house stuff” doesn’t come natural to me, but I always feel empowered when I figure out how to correct my mistakes.
3. Even though we move around every few years, Jamie and I both enjoy when our home feels like a comfortable retreat and a place we want to be. I firmly believe that you can create a home that you love wherever you are and whatever house you live in as long as you make it your own and fill it with things (and people!) that you love.

Let’s chat!

Would love to hear your thoughts! How do you prioritize house projects? Would creating a book like this work for you?