New Year, New Who? 2022 Review

It's 2023 y'all! If you're reading this, you made it and I'm so happy you're here. Life was doing its thing in 2022 with the ups and downs of events from personal to professional and everywhere in between. I personally have come through several defining points that pushed me to grow. As I'm renovating my home, I'm becoming more confident in my building and repairing skills, and the growth is showing in my work. I'm also defining my personal design style through trial and error, painting and repainting, and most of all, editing! Editing is important for me in several ways. I tend to be more "free-spirited" in my design and even in the way I do work. As I do more projects, especially outside of my home, the need to be more efficient and straightforward is needed. Either way, I'm loving the journey.

If I was to break down the most dynamic projects that challenged me last year, it would be reframing the termite-damaged window, refinishing an original door, building a coffee table, and moving (and changing) an outlet. Each of these projects added new skills to my "toolbox" of learning and personal growth.

The coffee table went from an inspirational photo of a table outside of my budget to an entirely unique piece with so much detail and it really defines the space in my living room. Plus, it has storage, so, to me, it couldn't get any better! The termite-damaged window frame was just as it sounds. I had to take the wall apart, demo the damaged wood, add the replacement wood, and install a new window. It took a full day, but I was determined to have it done before nightfall, and I did it. Refinishing the door was a test of patience. The door had several layers of paint and grooves all over that made stripping extremely difficult. At one point, I used surgical-like tools to dig paint out of tiny crevices. And finally, I challenged myself to move an outlet to hide wires behind the tv. With that, I was able to incorporate a USB-C outlet from TopGreener. I have their outlets throughout my home already and I'm an affiliate for them, so this was an extra special upgrade.

To finish off the year, I did a completely unexpected project, and it was at my best friend's house! This project was so gratifying and reinforced my love for this work. I don't know who was more excited, my friend, or me. She trusted me with her house and the results were beautiful.

For the month of January, I'm taking a step back from doing heavy work to appreciate what I've done. For almost 3 years, my couch sat in storage,

and finally, I'm typing this while resting on that same couch. I deserve this time to appreciate all the hard work. While I don't have any specific quotes or words for the year, I have a goal to treat myself better in 2023. Health and wellness in all aspects, I'm taking care of myself and investing in myself more than I have in the past few years. Here's to positive growth in 2023. Happy New Year!

With love, Teresa