What a year hey! This time last year we never expected that 2020 was going to turn out the way it had. We had finished the build on the house, the builders were due back to get the driveway done, and I was busy trying to find some kitchen doors after our kitchen company went into administration! This time last year we also found out about Kev’s Mum diagnosis of terminal cancer. It was the start of a terrible year and covid robbed us all of the time together with her, and making the most of the time she had left.
So I thought to start 2021 I would focus on the positives of the year, and a recap of 2020 for us as we need a much more happy 2021
January
The builders came back to finish off the driveway, it was completely waterlogged over the December, so I was hoping it would have dry enough for them to get the job completed.
It went from a mud bath….
To a lovely neat block paved driveway with a lovely area for us to park on
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7JcBzpFxdT/
We also got the lounge plastered which meant I could get painting!
Then Kev sliced his thigh with the Stanley knife whilst fitting the new lounge carpet, it was horrible but he didn’t bleed on the new carpet or wood flooring!!!
So January stopped with the DIY!
February
I started my houseplant journey! Which I am pretty proud of really as I didn’t expect I would keep them alive…..but I have and they make the house feel so much nicer being here and I good achievement of mine that they’re still alive!
We finished the kitchen!!
Finishing the kitchen was such a massive point for us, after the kitchen issues we had and waiting 3 months for kitchen doors, we had the beautiful blue doors installed and I am so pleased we went for something a little different. It’s great to inject some colour into the house and also with my pink accents, it pulls in the rest of the house and allowed me to add more colour to the house.
March – Lockdown hit!
This is when the world went crazy and life changed so much. We didn’t know then just how bad it was going to get and how our lives would change so much.
We had so much time together, but we were keeping safe and keeping others safe. We made rainbows and clapped for the keyworkers every Thursday
April
By April Kev had been Furloughed, he ended up being Furloughed for 15 weeks and we really needed to keep ourselves busy. The kids were homeschooling and keeping up on the school work they’ve been set online, so Kev and I had lots of jobs to do around the house.
We started off by getting the garden back up and going for the summer. Giving us a lovely space to sit outside and get our daily fresh air.
We got our pink and gold lounge finished off so I was able to show you guys the finished room!
We then got Lily’s small bedroom painted in one weekend!
On our local walks, we would see beautiful things like jumping lambs which would make you smile when it was really needed
We got up at 4am with the children to go on a sunrise walk! Something we never would do normally, and I really appreciated this little moment with them.
May – Lockdown Birthday Month!
It was the twins birthday this month and we were in full lockdown. We had such a great day though and they said it was a fantastic lockdown birthday!
I started ‘My Garden This Month’ on the blog, it was a chance for me to document the changes in the garden each month. Our plans and also what we had been doing. The garden became somewhere for us to be outside during lockdown, but safe. We would potter around keeping on top of the jobs and making it a beautiful space to be in.
June – Restrictions started to ease
I painted lots of trellises and the garden became more and more our safe haven. We also were able to see Kevs Mum again after 3 months, and as she lives on her own she came into our support bubble. She was able to come down and stay with us for a week and it was so lovely to spend that time with her. She sat out in our garden, getting some sunshine, fresh air and company.
We were able to start travelling a little more out of the area for exercise and enjoyed finding new places again.
July – Kev kept his job!
Kev escaped the large redundancies at work and was called back to work in July. It was so strange him being back to work after all the time furloughed, but thank goodness for that!
More lovely walks together, this time a sunset walk together.
Started the utility room!
We had started the utility room when Kev was off Furloughed but there was an issue the builders needed to fix. So once we’ve started we had to carry on! We also wanted to get it done as much as possible before Kevs Mums next visit down to stay with us. Give her something else new to see!
It was my boys 16th birthday!
We had a lovely with him, and his Grandparents and a had a yummy BBQ all together. He was so happy to have all 3 of his Grandparents with him on his birthday. It was great fun sitting outside till late with them!
August
I grew this amazing Dahila which blew my mind! I though Dahlias were a pain to grow and look after, but boy if I got rewards like this I was going to grow them…….I’ve ordered more for this year!
We added our pink tiled splashback!
I’m so glad we got a coffee machie for Christmas!!
Kev and I put our Christmas money together and got a bean to cup coffee machine. With the lack of open coffee shops and keeping away from cafes we were still able to have our own Lattes!
September – Starting Secondary School and College
So after not being at school since March, the kids started new schools and colleges. The girls started secondary school and Tyler moved up to college. It was a strange start back for them, with masks, social distancing and staggered start times, but the girls didn’t know anything different from this. Tyler had to get a bus to college which was a new experience for him, but he’s taken it all in his stride and much more independent now.
This was a lovely day for me, we were all out on our bikes together. After back surgery, I’ve struggled to do anything like this, but lockdown had been good for my back and calmed it down. Although my backs very bad again now, and I really hope it wasn’t because of this!
We went and visited Kevs Mum for her birthday, which was a lovely thing for us all, we were a little nervous to do so now the kids were back at school, but I am so glad we did.
October – What a month
We started off the month by sharing our utility room all finished! You guys loved it and I was so pleased we had finished it, it is such a useful room.
We all went to visit Kev’s Mum for a day trip, but when we arrived she was very poorly and it was all a bit of a shock. She sadly passed away that day with Kev by her side and we were just so grateful of the circumstances that occurred that day that it meant we were there for her. This is the positive thing I am taken from this. Goodbye Nana
November
We focused on our little family the weeks afterwards, although we had so much to get done to sort things out, it was very stressful. We got out for little walks together and tried to take time out and enjoy the little moments.
December
December came around so quickly and we got quite a lot of the admin side of things done and completed with for the estate, so it was time for us to kick back and enjoy the run up to Christmas. Although we couldn’t do a lot of the normal things we would do, we did go and get our first real Christmas tree from a Christmas tree farm!
It was so much fun and just what we all needed!
So heres to 2021, I know it’s not starting out like a normal new year and we’ve just entered another lockdown so I am going to try and focus on the postive things. But it’s OK to feel rubbish at times too. Lets not put anymore pressure on ourselves to behave in a certain way.
14 Comments
I am so sorry to hear about your MIL. 2020 has been a difficult year for so many, for so many different reasons but I do think that what you have had to cope with in addition is so unfair. You have achieved so much in your home it is beautiful and your garden. I hope 2021 is kinder to you, wishing you all the best x
Ah thank you very much, I am looking forward to some nicer things happening in 2021…..we can hope!
2020 was not up to the mark, but you have found your positive place. You have done such an amazing job out there. Thanks for sharing your ideas with the wonderful pictures.
Thank you very much, we needed something to keep us focused!
Some amazing memories here. Just goes to show things sometimes aren’t as bad when you look back at them!
Got to keep positive haven’t we!
I adore this reflection on your year. The year hasn’t been easy for most, but this is so positive. I’m so impressed with the extent of your DIY skills though – I wish I could tile (although, I’ve never tried). Your kitchen is beautiful and even though you couldn’t do the normal things, it looks like you had a beautiful Christmas.
Thank you very much. Yes we love a bit of DIY and it was brilliant during lockdown to be able to tick these jobs off. Give the tiling a go!!!
The extension looks fabulous, I am bet you were glad of the extra space for lockdown. Thank goodness your husband was furloughed, at least you had some income coming in, we were genuinely worried at one point.
The house and garden look fab.
I am so sorry to hear about Nana but glad you managed to say your goodbyes
Thank you very much, it’s been so hard for so many people in so many different ways
It’a great you’ve been able to find so much positive from 2020. The fact everyone is healthy has been the main positive for us.
Yes that is the most important one isn’t it
Firstly I am so very sorry for your loss, it must have been a very difficult time for you all.
Secondly, I LOVE your home! I always read your posts with delight, You have done such an amazing job! It has been a difficult year for us all but this is a lovely way to look back x
Yes it was a hard year to lose someone, like so many have done in 2020. Thank you so much for your lovely words on my home, means a lot!