Why DIY bloggers make me crazy

I love to DIY as much as the next girl. Maybe even more. I love to paint, refinish, improve. However, all these DIY blogs do nothing to inspire me. I read them and then I end up feeling like a failure as a wife and a homeowner. Like I am not doing enough. But then I remind myself of what I do. I work full time, I'm a school counselor. We bought our house last year while I was finishing my master's degree. We have done a ton of improvements over the past year. I should be proud of what we have done. Instead, while I am reading these DIY blogs over lunch, I feel like my house does not measure up. I have to quit comparing myself and be proud of what we've done.

So, some pictures... Oh hell, my iPad won't let me upload pictures to blogger. Sigh. So, instead a project list.

Entryway
-Rip out skanky old vinyl flooring (I like to call it linoleum because that's what we called it when I was a kid)
-Put in shiny new peel and stick vinyl tiles
-Do a happy dance that the first thing you are greeted with upon entry to our house is not curling up linoleum with holes in it.  Classy.
-Find a skinny bench to store shoes under so I can hide the shoes I like to kick off when I come in the door though (Not too skinny of a bench though, I have big feet)
-Paint over terrible crackle finish 
-Paint weird white trim brown
-Paint front door 
-Paint closet & laundry room door 
-Paint ugly barnwood door frame 

 Kitchen
-Rip out skanky old vinyl flooring.  It's covered with paint and has holes in it.  So attractive!
-Replace sub floor by dishwasher that is soft from the great pre-dishwasher installation leak of 2011.  Ug.
-Beg best friend's boyfriend to install pretty new wood laminate floor
-Bake best friend & BF's BF butterscotch brownies in appreciation for new floor installation
-Try to convince someone that building a seat under bay window for better kitchen seating is a great idea and that they want to help me build it
-Paint trim
- Paint walls 
- Paint cabinets 
-Repaint ceiling fan fixture and overhead kitchen light 
- Install new backsplash 
- Build exposed shelves on end of cabinet 
- Replace ugly pink Formica countertop 
-Replace brown cast iron sink with a shiny new sink 

 Living Room
-Find art
-Hide light sconce cords (yes, there are cords for our light sconces, it's tacky and I can't help it)
-Paint fireplace mantle
-Paint built-ins by fireplace
- Replace movie theater light sconces with normal ones 
- Rewire overhead light in a safe way 
- Paint walls 
-Paint other ugly barnwood door frame 
- Hang pretty curtains
- Buy new couch and chair

 Master Bedroom
-Find a bed frame and start sleeping like a grown up.  We are too old for our bed to sit on the floor
-Get organized, that room is a disaster!
-Learn to put away my clothes.  Geez.
-Paint
- Install double closet rods and built in shoe rack 
- Hang pretty curtains 

Master Bath
-Find real curtains to replace blinds
-Buy bathroom rugs that actually match the bathroom
-Paint walls 
- Repaint built in cabinets
- Hang art 

Basement
-Finish painting bar
-Paint door (inside and out)
-Think about refinishing trim on stairs
-Desperately wish for a good way to paint the top half of the walls in the stairway
- Paint walls 
- Paint bar (most of it anyway) 
- Knock out weird shelf in the bar and put in a mini fridge 
- Hang art 
- Buy fancy new TV
- Make curtains out of sheets because I am cheap and it requires no sewing 

Outside
-Paint outside of house -- shutters, trim, siding
-Power wash house (that should probably come before the painting)
-Power wash deck
-Stain deck
-Paint and install trim around sliding glass doors
-Demo front side walk
- Trim shrubs 
-Plant flowers (and actually kept them alive!)
- Buy pavers to replace front sidewalk X Put in pavers to expand downstairs patio 
- Desperately wish to rip out shrubs
- Pick shutter color 
- Repaint garage doors (it's so fancy now!)