Happy new year Dana & family ! Thanks for posting my kitchen creation in my barn (in France !) and thanks for sharing your renovations and family life. Take care !

Congratulations on all you achieved this year! I just want to thank you for your post about your approach to working out – it influenced me so much! The way you described exercise, not as something one commits to and then either succeeds or fails at, but as something you do when you can, for your own sake, completely altered the way I view my health. Instead of exercise being something I thought I should do (but never ever did), I came to think of it as something I wanted in my life. So, I followed your lead and started doing Pilates in my living room. Five months later I’m still working out at least 3 times each week and so very happy that I took it up. Thanks for being my inspiration!

You accomplished so much this past year and yet you show that the process takes time complete with mistakes and redos. I am still in love with your kitchen space and work area.

Dana, what an amazing post! I’m inspired to start a blog so I can look back at the year and see all that I have accomplished as well.

One question for you, Since you posted about John and Sherry’s show house, do you, being a blogger, have any thoughts about Young House Love? For me personally, it was like a bad breakup. We’ve all been giving the opportunity to watch John, Sherry and the kids grow and evolve over the years, and now it’s over… gasp! Have you ever thought about stepping away from House Tweaking?

You are my go to blog to start off my morning with my cup of coffee. You inspire and motivate me and when I look at my home I think, “what would Dana suggest?” This somehow allows me to see my space objectively. You keep things real, life, family and decor in the mix. Thanks for sharing, you make an imprint more than you think.

my burning question for you is this. do your cat’s claws scratch up your leather couch? we just got a leather couch and randomly my cat hating husband said we should just go ahead and get a cat. wha?! we decided that maybe the claws would be the death of the couch and didn’t get one. wait, maybe he planned that ;)

Dana, you continue to be one of my favorite bloggers! I admire how you blend function and style so seamlessly into your home. I’m looking forward to see the new and improved main bathroom. I bet it seems like such a luxury now! You did leave out one of my favorite posts -the zucchini pie. I believe we still have 4 more bags of zucchini pie filling left in the freezer!

I had my second baby (a little girl, named Ingrid) five weeks ago. I just bought Tracy Anderson’s post pregnancy workout DVD, per your recommendation. Hoping I have as good of results as you had. Thanks for the tip!

Happy New Year, Dana!!! Cheers to more renovation projects in 2015…: )
Leah
(Looking forward to the bathroom reveal!)

Happy New Year. When you do the bathroom reveal, the house it seems is finished, renovation wise, I know a house is never finished as things get tweaked, what is next? And what will your blog content be?

Speaking of moving forward that is….

Great recap of the year. I love that you adopted a kitten. Your house looks amazing and I think it suits your family well.

Those little beater houses are the best to work on, really, and I love the decisions that you have made with yours. It’s a gift to the neighborhood just as your blog is a gift to me. Thank you Dana and Steve for sharing so much.

hello,
i’m sitting here in the PNW but across a little bit of water and wanting to just reach out and let you know how very much i enjoy visiting your little space in blogland! … please keep it coming!

I love your stacking gold bands! Can you share where they are from?

I’m so glad that you are back from your holiday break! I love your blog so much. I wanted to let you know how much I look forward to reading it everyday.

What a year! Love that you had a great break and that you are now baaaack!

jbhat

Where did you get the wooden pot holder on your outside entry way? I LOVE it!

It looks like it’s been a huge year for you! How did you choose the “right” white for your walls? I’m having trouble deciding between the 1000’s of options available.
Cheers,
Jo

Yay! Awesome recap. I’ve loved following your posts, and I want your whole house…and maybe the kitten too. :)

I’m glad to hear that you had a nice time off. I’m so jealous you got to make out with John & Sherry’s show house. :)

In the main living space we used Benjamin Moore tapestry beige which is a very light gray slash warm white slash tan. The trim and other white walls in the house are Benjamin Moore white dove. I tried sampling truer, purer whites but they looked too cold in our natural light. (We’re in the midwest and the light here tends to be cooler.) At least for this house, whites with warmer undertones work best. But oh how I love bright white spaces!

I sourced the planter here…

https://www.housetweaking.com/2014/04/24/my-front-entry-part-i/

Hope that helps!

Thanks Beth :)

At first I didn’t know what bands you were referring to! I’m guessing you mean the rings in the bikini photo?? I bought them at the Arlington Flea while visiting my sister last year. They are brass and were $5 each! I bought three to represent each kiddo. The stack is my version of a mother’s ring I guess.

Thank you Helen!

Thank you for reading.

More of what inspires me I guess! I love being able to share my projects and others’ too.

Oh yes, the sneaky zucchini pie ;)

We really lucked out in the cat department. Cheetah has been so good about scratching only her post / cardboard lounger. I try to keep her claws trimmed, too. She hasn’t damaged the sofa at all.

M’wah!

Personally, I try to never judge anyone for doing what’s best for him / her / their family. As much as I enjoyed their blog and miss it now, I’m completely supportive of their decision. I’m just happy I got to follow along for as long as I did. And I’m so looking forward to their book release next year!

I have stepped away from House*Tweaking – albeit on a smaller scale. I’ve found that taking regular breaks (like the one on our vacation and then again for the holidays) keeps me inspired and prevents me from getting too burnt out. I owe it to my family to step away from the computer every once in a while.

Good for you! On hard days when I’m not 100% into it I remind myself that I’ve never regretted a workout.

Thanks for sharing all the way from France!

Welcome back and happy new year! I must say, I love following your blog- I admire your decorating style and your writing style. It’s like getting updates from a stylish, cool friend. Thanks for doing what you do.

hey, you could build a brick oven in your backyard! do it! that would be cool.

I’ve been enjoying your blog and admiring your lovely home-in-the-making for a few years now! And I agree that your post on quitting your day job was one of your best. :) I would love to see more lifestyle posts from you, and of course, always look forward to the house-related material too. Thank you for sharing your life with us!

Alison, I was wondering the same.
I do miss the excitement of the house remodel, but I love learning more about Dana’s style as she explores different types of projects.

Soooooo this post is basically a testament to why you’re my hero. Thanks for being such an inspiration, and I wish I could by you a cup of coffee next time you come down to Rosemary Beach!

Happy New Year! You accomplished a whole lot this year and I have loved following along. You truly inspire me and can’t wait to see what you’ll come up with this year. I also tried your workout routing for a while and really liked it but then, life happened, and I just stopped working out. After seeing that picture of you in a bikini (W O W) i’m determined to start again!

I read quite a few blogs and yours has remained my favourite since I stumbled across it about 4 years ago! Love your style and your house transformation has been amazing!

You know you’ve been following a blog for a long time when you randomly think to yourself, “hmm..I haven’t read a Dana post in a while!” :) I am happy to hear that you enjoyed your winter break with the family and I am happy you are back! I love all of your posts – family, home, etc. And, Cheetah is one of the prettiest cats I have ever seen! Thank you for creating such a wonderful place on the internet to come to! :)

Love your blog. I’m curious which posts are your most read or pinned!!?

So happy to hear you enjoyed a holiday break with your family! I love reading your blog and look forward to hearing about your adventures in 2015!

Totally beautiful year! I love the blog and basically wish you styled my whole life!

And Cheetah (+ your kids)!! Your instagram shots always make me smile. I may be especially partial as the cat mother of two gorgeous brown tabbies who could be her big brothers. :)

Love your ikea kitchen posts and your frequent use of secondhand things. Keeping things useful is a great way to reduce consumerism.

Looking forward to seeing what the new year brings.

Hi Dana! I love your blog and look forward to reading it every day! I also love your bikini! I’m in the market for a new one and would love to know where you found yours if you are comfortable to share.

Happy New Year!

SUCH a great year Dana! So much inspiration and so many beautiful spaces. One of my highlights is being able legitimately pretend we’re besties now! Cant wait for 2015!!

Victoria’s Secret… I felt a little ridiculous ordering it but I love it!

Great question! I should take a closer look and post about it. I see the reclaimed wood headboard from our previous house everywhere. The funny thing is many of the posts I’ve written that I thought would be a total flop (i.e., What I (Don’t) Miss About Working Outside the House) were actually well-received and seemed to strike a chord with those in similar situations. And then sometimes the posts I’m really excited about catch a lot of flak. I never know!

I may just drive down there for the cup of coffee!

I was just wondering if you still like your juicer (Omega 8004 Nutrition System Juicer) and your blender (Professional Ninja)? I’m in the market for both. I really want a blender that will make kale and greens smooth and I’ve heard so many great things about juicing… I want to start.

Thanks!

Hi Dana,

I have read and been inspired by your blog for years. I am attempting to start my own as a hobby. I would love for you to check it out. http://psquaredlouise.blogspot.com

I LOVED your post! Just spent a week contemplating where I am at and where I have come from, both personally, and also in my work and home lives as well! It is one thing to think about new goals and find faults needing some attention, but it is so much more inspiring to look back and be proud of what you have accomplished! Great post! Happy New Year!

Welcome to the crazy world of blogging!

We still have and love both! No problems with either! And we use them on a very regular basis. We juice ~5 times per week and I use the blender for all sorts of things, usually once a week.

Pretty sure I’ve pinned that head board :)

[…] A Look Back at 2014 (from House Tweaking) While this article from House Tweaking may not be about setting new resolutions, it is a great reminder that we all have made a lot of […]

I have to say you guys did an amazing job with both exterior and interior projects. Oh, and I love the metal roof you put on the home! We’ve been thinking about doing the same to our home. Is there anything about it you don’t love?

When we get a heavy snow, it melts and slides off in sheets. We installed small snow cleats above the front door and garage but they aren’t effective. We’re worried about damage to the gutters when heavy snow slides off. We finally ordered and received a snow rail that will line the perimeter of the entire roof but will have to wait for warmer weather to install it. Other than that, we LOVE the roof.

[…] A Look Back at 2014 (from House Tweaking) While this article from House Tweaking may not be about setting new resolutions, it is a great reminder that we all have made a lot of […]