my biggest project yet - being a homeowner

So my husband and I have been kicking the idea around for years regarding purchasing our own home. We have been renting since being married, but finally felt settled enough in one area to commit (though I have to admit that I have occasional visions of running away to foreign countries). When we decided to look for a home we ended up picking one specific neighborhood in our area. Some of our most important features were that it would be within walking distance of where we currently lived, so that we could have walking access to a large park, green way, library, our favorite local frozen yogurt, movie theater, restaurants, etc and biking distance to even more. Initially we also wanted something low maintenance for our first home and move in ready....
Well that bubble didn't last long. We found one house that we felt was move in ready, but it was at the upper end of our price range and they didn't want to budge on the price. As we looked around this neighborhood of 70's and 80's ranch style homes we started to realize that while some people had attempted to update the home, we often didn't like their choices. Not that ours will be that much better, but at least they will be ours right! Isn't that the whole point of home ownership. So, we ended up falling for what we collectively called Granny's house. Here my husband always likes to add the tag line - 'smells like moth balls.'  Though fortunately those moved out with her furniture etc.  But why waste words when these pictures pre-purchase are worth so much more! Disclaimer - this is NOT my furniture nor my decor!

Needless to say Young House Love and Apartment Therapy, among many others are becoming my best friends as we DIY our space into being more livable and enjoyable to look at. I am sure there will be many posts to come regarding this topic and I am going to try and take it room by room so that it doesn't get disjointed and disorganized.

Some of the things on my list include:
complete kitchen renovation
a lot of painting
ladder pot rack (thanks granny for leaving one in the shed)
reupholstered stools for the kitchen bar (granny again)
window seating for dining room table from kitchen cabinets and a mispurchase
painting my own Granny's hutch
painting an electric fireplace left here
crashing some of the bathrooms to update
ridding the house of all vinyl, laminate, and carpet
limewashing the outside
redoing the trim and painting the exterior to match and appear more cohesive
redoing the landscaping in the spring, including raised bed gardening and maybe some blackberry bushes?