We interrupt this blog post….

…for an important message.

I know.

I’m a jerk and I left you hanging.
Did I finish? Did I not finish?
WHERE is Week 8 – The Reveal!!!????

Short answer: Well, actually, it’s on Instagram.

I had to put the Week 8 reveal on my Instagram account because I could knock out an IG post MUCH faster than writing an entire blog post. What? You don’t follow my Instagram account!? Well it contains all the answers, with 1000% less wordiness.

Am I “absolutely thrilled with the outcome”?

Actually, meh. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a huge improvement over the original. I DID FINISH what I set out to do, but like everything I do, it needs tweaking. More about that in the missing post. BTW, at the Week 8 deadline the dining room was accessorized with whatever I could find in the house. I had intended to reward my efforts with an accessories shopping trip, however a local driving ban at the time necessitated shopping in-home. Phooey!

The actual blog post for Week 8 is two-thirds complete and safely stashed on my computer.

But, in addition to the IG post, here’s a picture from the holidays:

Litany of excuses: The blog post is missing because my brother and I had a huge fight and when he knocked me down, I broke my necklace then landed on the dog dish and broke that, too (Oh, wait, that’s someone else’s story.)

Week 8 occurred the week before Thanksgiving. We were in the midst of a major snowstorm here in Buffalo (around three feet fell where I live), Mr and sons were on a road trip, my dad had an emergency, and I had to put everything back together in time to host our family for Thanksgiving (let alone wash all the laundry that had been neglected while pursuing the One Room Challenge.

So what about the next week, and the weeks after that?

Christmas, Kemosabe. I was already a week behind schedule for decking my halls, and there just hasn’t been time to finish the post with updated pictures that don’t include all the Christmas decorations. So…for now, the Instagram update will have to suffice.

I think that’s one of the things that make me a terrible blogger. I’ve debated deleting this site more times than I can count for just the kind of scenario above. Not following through drives me crazy, but to make a good…a truly good blog post takes me a week.

And why are you even reading this when you could be following a GOOD blogger?!

Who would I refer you to? Well, ironically, that happens to be the theme of the January “Where Blogger’s Live” post. “What Bloggers Do Bloggers Follow?” (Notice that I am keeping my commitment to the group topic instead of finishing the Week 8 post…that has to be worth a point on somebody’s scale.)

And NOW, back to our regularly scheduled program: What Bloggers do I Follow? Well, the WBL ground rules were to not to include each other. So that leaves me with four blogs I read regularly.

The first is Addicted 2 Decorating . Kristi is probably the first home DIY blogger I ever followed. She loves color, is handier than hell, tackles huge projects, sometimes gets sidetracked, but keeps plugging. Her outcomes are astounding. She’s been renovating her 1950’s ranch, including taking many of the rooms down to the studs and rebuilding them. While her decorating style is different from mine, she offers complete instructions for everything she does–from simple decor crafts to rewiring–and it’s always very helpful, useful knowledge.

One of her early posts offered instructions on how to start a blog, which is how “DustandDoghair” was born.

Next up, designer Laurel Bern’s Laurel Home. Laurel is queen of “The Rules.” She has a VERY dry sense of humor, knows her stuff, and pulls ZERO punches about what she does and doesn’t like. I’ve learned a lot about Traditional decor from her posts and the beautiful rooms she features, which are absolutely aspirational, though beyond any budget price point I will ever contemplate. But she offers a lot of knowledge and has even kindly answered a question or two from this reader. Some of the rooms featured are a little “too” for me, but I greatly appreciate so many things she’s explained in her posts.

The Art of Doing Stuff, by the hilarious Karen Bertelsen, is a favorite. She covers everything from food, to raising chickens, to growing your own loofah, to burlyman projects..and a few topics I would consider unthinkable. Wow, the woman is absolutely fearless with her topics. If you appreciate indelicate humor, she has some posts you’ll love. And if you don’t, well you should skip those, lest you feel faint.

And finally, my much funnier soul sister, VickiAnn at MyCrappyHouse. Is it the fact that–like someone else we know–VickiAnn mysteriously disappears for several months at a time? No, but I do greatly appreciate that about her, haha. I LOVE her writing style and her sense of humor. She is clever, innovative, and a talented DIYer…but that’s not the main reason I read her posts. She could write about how to pick up cat poop, and I would race to her blog to read it. I can’t believe she isn’t wildly famous yet. Her most recent DIY? Her Roaring 20’s wedding. Amazing.

But really… it almost doesn’t seem fair that I can’t mention the next six blogs, helmed by the nicest women on the internet. They are each something special in their own way, and they have some favorites to share with you as well, so please check out:

Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Bettye at Fashion Schlub
Leslie at Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After
Sally at Within a World of My Own  
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style