Boo.

Last week we carved pumpkins, baked seeds, and bought candy. That’s the extent of my Halloween prep, unless you count accidentally making murder candles.

I’m excited for winter, snow, maybe some skiing, but before the holiday season starts, I need to get some odds and ends done. While I’m planning to attack a few large-scale projects this winter, I have a bunch of smaller scale project goals for November too, so I made myself a modest little list. Of course, I thought October list was pretty modest too, but then I ended up building a new shiplap wall and staying up until 2AM trying to catch up on Parenthood episodes to free up space on the DVR (great 3rd season so far), neither of which I consider ordinary feats. The dining room floor was repaired from scratches caused by the wooden chair legs, but I didn’t get around to making the much-needed key rack for me and Pete. At least now that the basement workspace is clean, I can hunker down and getting busy without spending half of my day searching for the Liquid Nails.

Up next:

1. Investigate beneath that kitchen floor.

I’ve been vying to update the laminate floor in the kitchen since I moved in. It’s faux-hardwood, which is better than a lot of options, and in good shape, so I really don’t have too much reason to complain, but it doesn’t match the rest of the hardwoods on the first level and stands out as a bit mis-matchy.

Before I can really get planning to replace it with something else (tile? wood? bamboo? cork?) I need to figure out what’s beneath it. (EEK, how cool would it be to find that the original hardwoods are hidden under there and just need a simple refinishing?). Soon, I should know and can proceed accordingly.

2. Make the dog a more durable bed.

I never expected the first bed that I made for Cody to last exceptionally long. It was a temporary fix to see how the chompin’ dog could handle a “big boy bed”. Good news is, he loved it. No chewing issues, only snuggly-dog-lovin’ every day and night. The bad news is that between expected dog dirt and wear, and having carried it up and down the stairs daily (so that he could sleep on it while we worked during the day in the living room or dining room and also at night), it was pretty much dissected after just 3-months.

Good news is that it was f-r-e-e, so I don’t feel so bad investing in materials to make a new one for the dude. Time to get on that.

3. My pillows are naked…

I bought a bunch of 18″x18″ decor-intended down pillows from IKEA once, and over the years I’ve made various different pillow cases for them, but right now they’re naked. And I could really use a few more pillows on the couch while I watch TV, so it’s time to make (or buy, maybe) new covers for them.

4. …And my feet are cold.

I’m hoping that I can find some area rug deals around Black Friday; two years ago is when I scored a great deal from West Elm on my Pebble Rug in a post-Thanksgiving blowout, so here’s to hoping I find an equally exciting bargain this year. We’re in the market for a carpet for the office. Something bright and fun. If you spot something that’s a must-have, do share. Gracias.

5. Organize my photos.

I’m one of those people who still prints photos (I’ve been a dedicated use of Snapfish for over a decade!), and not too long ago, my parents delivered a few boxes of photos and memory books that were left at their house, and now I just need a good way to sort these memories and keep them safe. They’ve been sitting on a shelf. Not orderly.

How about you? Big or little, what are you trying to cross off your list before the holiday season consumes your free time?