An update:

After our garage sale this past weekend, we were finally able to get into the dining room which is something we really hadn't been able to do since we moved in. When we were unpacking, we set aside everything that we no longer used, needed, or wanted -- all the stuff from college, past apartments, things that had been handed down to us, and other miscellaneous items that somehow found their way into our hands. I had been planning to have a garage sale to clear it all out since last spring but things kept preventing me (a huge belly, a newborn, cold weather, etc.) and I just never felt like I had the energy to tackle it until now. But it finally happened. All that stuff is finally gone. And we finally reclaimed our dining room.

Here's what it looked like when we moved in. A whole lot of wood paneling and a whole lot of gross. It stayed this way for a while. And we made it work, although I tried hard not to notice.

And then it only got worse. You can see the start of the accumulation of stuff. After a while, we finally picked a date for the garage sale and got ready but as with most things, it had to get even worse before it could get better. My parents decided to throw some of their stuff into our garage sale and as it got closer to the date of the sale, you couldn't even see this room. It was completely packed with stuff. There was even overflow into our living room.

But then the garage sale happened and our lives improved infinitely. It all got cleared away and we are finally able to enjoy our dining room.

So much better! My mom helped me paint the wood paneling although I'm not sure how much of a help I was since I was super pregnant when we did it. And the few boxes stacked on the left are getting picked up for donation this week. This room is no where close to being done yet but it's already come such a long way and I am very pleased with the progress.

Here's what we're still planning for this space:

1. Clean brick on fireplace
2. Paint mantel
3. Remove ceiling fan and replace with large pendant light
4. Remove other light fixtures
5. Paint paneling
6. Paint trim
7. Add chair railing?
8. Replace laminate wood flooring with hardwood
9. Build built-ins on both sides of fireplace
10. Add sconces above built-ins
11. Find art for above fireplace
12. Build wall with wide doorway to space?
13. Window treatments
14. Find rug
15. Upgrade furniture (farmhouse table + buffet + chairs)