January felt like one of those blink-and-you-miss-it months for us — it flew by. Is it really already February? Before our behind-the-scenes book work erases the month from memory, we like to pause and recap what we actually accomplished (and collect the links in one convenient spot). We also sprinkled in a few never-before-seen moments for fun. As usual, we were all over the place, but much of our energy went into the kitchen, building a mini kitchen for Clara, and tackling a backlog of projects in the playroom as part of our self-styled “Dude, Get On That Already” challenge. Let’s stroll down memory lane with a few yearbook-style superlatives.
Future Top Chef: Clara — she spends so much time at the play kitchen we made her for Christmas that she practically lives there. Her culinary specialty seems to be toy animals, which also receive frequent pretend baths in the sink.
Most Gifted: Us — we recapped holiday gifts that ranged from earrings to art supplies and little treasures that made the season feel extra special.
Most Secretive: The lady-bloggers (including Sherry) who participated in a Secret Santa. January was reveal month, and it was fun to finally share the identities and stories behind the gifts.
Most Likely To Be In The Dark: Clara, thanks to her new blackout curtains. They aren’t fully finished yet, but they’ve already given us longer naps and calmer photo-shoot windows — a real lifesaver when we’re trying to squeeze in book shots.
Most Artistic: Our living-room wall, which got a subtle refresh when we switched mat colors to a softer linen tone. We also pulled back the curtain on the ottoman’s story, because why not overshare a little?
Class Stud: A stool we revamped for a feature in Do It Yourself magazine — a little paint, new fabric, and some nail-head trim gave it fresh character.
Most Re-Arranged: Clara’s room, which went through its third layout in a single year. Reconfiguring furniture meant for a differently shaped, smaller room is a constant puzzle — and apparently we love puzzles.
Best Couple: The curtain panels in the living room. We added new sheer panels to join the printed ones, giving the window treatment more presence and depth.
Book Worm: Our family yearbooks. The big photobook that captures our 2011 highlights arrived in January, and Clara already asks to “look at pictures” — melt-your-heart moment.
Most Faux-Real: The antlers we spray-painted white and hung in the kitchen as part of our “use it or lose it” challenge, where we decide whether to keep, donate, or list items we’ve been holding onto.
Best Tour Guide: Burger, who showed readers around his “room” when we installed a new light fixture in the master closet. He clearly takes his supervisory duties seriously.
Least Upright: That would be me, striking odd poses to photograph the closet chandelier while Burger looked on approvingly.
Most Dramatic: Our cabinets, which finally got a long-awaited paint makeover and completely changed the kitchen’s feel.
Most Tedious: Installing penny tile on the kitchen floor and walls. It was a patient, meticulous process that we documented over three posts — from cutting the tile to planning and executing the layout, and finally the finishing steps. Worth every minute: we still find ourselves running a hand over the surface when we pass by.
Most Annoying: Me, for getting a certain earworm stuck in a lot of heads after a playful grout-related post. Oops — guilty as charged.
Most Swiss Cheese-esque: The kitchen ceiling after an electrician visit left a surprising number of holes to patch and repair.
Most Well-Rounded: The new globe pendant lights we hung over the kitchen peninsula, which bring both scale and style to the space.
Little Miss Perfect Award: Not Sherry. She was honest about imperfect, everyday life in a candid post that reminded us why we love her authenticity.
Mr. Mom: Me — I wrote about my insecurities as a work-at-home dad and received a wave of supportive comments that made me feel a lot better about the title.
Cheapest: A Jenn-Air range hood we scored on Craigslist for sixty bucks. A small victory, but always satisfying to find a great deal.
Most Supported: That same vent hood, which we mounted and later covered as part of finishing the kitchen updates.
Most Commented: Our post about dealing with criticism, which sparked a major conversation and drew over a thousand comments in a single weekend — clearly a topic that resonates.
Most Chaotic: Our house, as kitchen renovations and book photo shoots collided into one hectic but productive blur. One out of three weeks of intense shooting is complete, and we’ve shot over 35 projects with before, progress, and after images. Teamwork for the win.
Biggest Chicken: Jarvis, the oversized ceramic rooster who got a fresh coat of aubergine spray paint and now stands proudly as a quirky accent.
Most Dated: Our page of monthly roundups, which we finally organized so all of 2011’s projects are easy to find. More updates to add, but progress counts.
What about you — what did you accomplish in January? Do you ever make a list of wins to look back on? Share a few highlights in the comments. It’s nice to pause, celebrate what’s done, and remember that progress is something to appreciate, not just another checkbox on the to-do list.