01/16/2026
What did I do back in 2016?
I invested in my family. Started with a foundation repair on our family home, that left a few holes in key places, like the one under our front door. After that hole was filled with fresh (unmatched) concrete, I put down some travertine tile and this fancy medallion we found at the home center.
Then, the tiles the previous owner covered the laminate countertops with, just before they sold us the house, started to pop off. So, we renovated the kitchen, pulling everything down to bare cabinets and floors, and even taking out a few of those cabinets. Then lots of cleaning, scrubbing and prepping for fresh paint, new tile backsplash, a porcelain farmhouse sink, new countertops and a fresh wrap around wainscoting on the small bar.
And if that wasn't enough, as soon as we made our first meal in that new kitchen, the soap dish and a few tiles popped off the wall in our master bath. So, yet again, the tools came out and I got to work, ripping out old tile and fixtures, then laying down new tile and fixtures in that tiny bathroom.
So, yeah, that's how I spent most of 2016. 2017 was it's own story, it started with a hernia surgery, but I'll save that for next years trend.