From finishing the Hacienda Hideaway to welcoming our baby boy, 2023 has been a milestone year full of personal growth, renovation highs + lows, and sleep deprivation.
Before jumping into the new year, I like to reflect on how far we’ve come over the last 12 months, and set goals for the new year. This year, I’m recapping the highlights from each month in 2023 (both project + personal). Keep reading til the end for some exciting news!
Jump to:
January
Shared plans + progress for the Hacienda ensuite bedroom + bathroom, and guest bathroom. Wrote a guide to choosing window treatments.
February
Took the family to St. Thomas for a friend’s wedding. Reviewed the top greige paint colors. Revealed our budget ensuite bedroom. Started on Esme’s big girl room.
March
Rounded up the best faux spring stems. Revealed the ensuite bathroom. Revealed the guest bathroom and DIY vanity. Shared my favorite free vintage art sources. Took a family babymoon in Key West.
April
Posted a fun faux oil painting tutorial. Welcomed baby Luca Grey.
May
Built an Anthro coffee table dupe. Revealed Esmé’s big girl room.
June
Made DIY fluted cement planters and rounded up the best outdoor shrubs.
July
Renovated the Hacienda back porch with DIY window grids. Gave the front doors a rustic makeover. Took our first family of 4 trip to Utah.
August
Built an entry console table and large arched mirror. Revealed the Hacienda living room. Rounded up the most realistic fall stems. Celebrated Esmé’s 4th birthday and a Disneyworld trip.
September
Rounded up the best large arched mirrors and picture lights. Revealed the Hacienda backyard and dining room.
October
Reviewed the top white paint colors. Launched the Holiday Shop.
November
Revealed the Hacienda laundry room. Shared Christmas tree decorating trends. Made DIY decoupage and alcohol ink ornaments. Parents moved to North Carolina. Hosted family for Thanksgiving.
December
Shared our Holiday Home Tour. Revealed the Hacienda primary bedroom and bunk room. Posted the final Hacienda Home Tour. Watched Esmé in her first ballet performance opening for the nutcracker (a personal highlight).
What’s coming in 2024?
I know I’ve said this every year, but we are actually finally finishing our own laundry room, ASAP. It has looked like this all year, and we’re both so ready to be done!
We’ll be working on it all month long, and hopefully revealing it by February.
On the personal side, we plan to travel more this year—family trips to Europe, Alaska, North Carolina are on the list. After a year of working long hours and at home with a newborn, we are itching to explore and take the kids on adventures.
And in other exciting news… a few months ago, we purchased another house! Meet our newest project:
We haven’t done any work on it yet, but this will be another investment property and future vacation rental. If you didn’t want the Hacienda Hideaway content to end, you’re in luck, because there’s a whole lot more coming in 2024!
We are ready and excited to tackle this next chapter, armed with new skills and lessons learned from our last renovation. Stay tuned for a full house tour and our design plans soon. I hope you’ll enjoy following along on this new journey with us! Cheers to a fresh start,
Pam says
Happy New Year to you and your precious family and congratulations of the completion of the Hideaway! It’s a beauty just like everything else y’all do. Love everything about it. Can’t wait to see what you do on the new project.
Anna says
I love following fellow Floridians! You are inspiring! Most of all, I appreciate that the things you recommend are affordable and attainable by the average person. Thank you. Have a great New Year!
Jenna Sue says
So glad you’re here, Anna!
Shannon says
Congrats on an amazing year. Your projects are so inspirational! Looking forward to seeing what’s next.
Jenna Sue says
Thank you Shannon! We can’t wait to get started!
Janet says
Happy New Year to your sweet family! I wish I had your motivation. Always love all that you two do and I’ll look forward to following along on your new project. The big question is, what do you call the new house?
Jenna Sue says
Thank you Janet! Still mulling that one over… any suggestions? 😉
Talia Berg says
Hii, please can you share about what you look for in an investment property? Also where are these properties located? Love following your work for inspiration! Thanks 🙏🏼
Jane says
Lessons learned?! I feel like you guys flawlessly nail it. Every. Single. Time. 😊
Jenna Sue says
Aw that is so kind of you to say, Jane! It’s not a walk in the park and there’s definitely a lot of challenges behind the pretty finished photos 😉
Teri says
Where do you get your energy?! Two children, another big project AND travel?! Can’t wait to see/read your adventures.
Jenna Sue says
Caffeine this year mostly, haha! But it also helps to enjoy what we’re doing and we’re highly motivated to achieve our goals! ♡
Michele M. says
Great year/recap. Have loved every post.
Glad you plan on travelling a bit and enjoying your life – and as excited as I am for your next project, um, how is it you said you plan on living a little? LOL. So much for being done for a millisecond.
BUT you both do it as a living, so it makes sense. But please DO rest. Live. Enjoy those babies.
Happy New Year, JS.
Jenna Sue says
Thanks Michele! We are lucky to love what we do, so it’s hard to stay away from it for tooooo long 😉
SH says
Hope you catch a breather between renos. Interesting new project; is an attached garage a first for you?
Jenna Sue says
We had some nice downtime over the holidays but the laundry room renovation continues this weekend, yay! Only our house and the Riverside Retreat have no attached garage, but the others do 🙂
Hirsche Alix says
Hooray for the completion of the hideaway. I loved the journey and glad there will be another home to follow. Time to travel sounds amazing! You worked so hard last year you deserve it! Happy New Year, so excited to see your new projects. I love them all so much. I feel like you e helped me discover my style and I’m so grateful for that.
Jenna Sue says
Thank you, Alix! I appreciate the kind words. Excited for more balance this year!
Kendra says
Can’t wait to see progress on the new place. What state are you located in? All your properties look to be somewhere warm!
Jenna Sue says
Thanks Kendra! They’re all in the Tampa Bay, Florida area 🌞
Karen says
Whew!!!
Thats a great before pic of the laundry room!
We lived in the Charlotte NC area for six years and loved NC. Try to visit Bald Head Island in the Wilmington area. So happy more travel less work.
Jenna Sue says
We’re really looking forward to exploring more of NC, it’s beautiful there! And especially excited to fix up our eyesore of a laundry room 😀