Well, readers. Football season is upon us. And if you know me, the only football I care about is college football. University of Georgia football, to be exact. So, that’s why we all know I’m crazy to participate in the Fall 2023 One Room Challenge. (If you want to be crazy with me, you can register here.)

If you don’t know this about me, every Saturday from now until the SEC Championship on December 2 is reserved for football. My husband cooks delicious ribs, we set up an additional TV (and this year, a projector!) to spend all day watching football.

It’s why you can’t make plans with me on a Saturday until after football season (unless we have an early game and your event is later in the evening or vice versa). In the Frels household, we take our football very seriously. I bleed red and black (Go Dawgs!) and my husband bleeds red and white (On Wisconsin!).

My passion for Georgia football is one of the biggest reasons my husband wanted to marry me. Don’t believe me? Just ask him. But I digress…

The lesson

Back to what I was saying about being crazy to participate in the ORC during the fall. My first time participating in the One Room Challenge was back in the fall of 2021. I decided that I was going to redo our great room. The previous owners had a love for all things tan, beige, and let’s face it, boring. Everything in this house, with the exception of the primary bedroom, was tan, beige, or some semblance of the two. So, I decided I’d tackle the room we spent the most time in.

Well, in typical Emily fashion, I completely procrastinated the first two weeks. (The ORC lasts eight weeks, by the way.) And of course, it was football season, so it was hard to get work done on Saturdays without taking time out to watch the games. 

I told myself I’d never sign up again for the Fall ORC, and last year, I didn’t! I enjoyed football season while cheering on my instafriends as they created beautiful spaces. And if we’re being honest, I think I was overwhelmed by the fact that I didn’t even come close to finishing my Spring 2022 ORC room (i.e., my Harry Potter office), and I didn’t have the confidence to get it done. So, I happily sat out and watched my beloved Georgia Bulldawgs win their back-to-back national championship run instead.

Lesson not learned

But this year, I’m really itching to get more done around the house, especially since my Spring 2023 ORC room (i.e., my Harry Potter office that I started in 2022) is nearing completion, and I’m hosting Thanksgiving for my family. They’re making the trek all the way from Georgia, and five of the seven family members visiting have never seen our home. It’s true what they say about hosting an event…it really kicks your butt into gear!

So, friends, I have registered for the Fall ORC, and I’ll be busy getting my project completed, among many other things in this house. And while signing up for the ORC during football season probably makes me a glutton for punishment, this girl likes to stay busy when she can. This oughta do it.

Follow along

I ran a poll on Instagram last week to see if my IG community could guess what room I’d be working on. 40% of them guessed correctly! Any guesses as to what room I’ll be making over? Let me know! Soon, I’ll reveal the room I’m going to transform, along with a mood board.

Be sure to follow along on Instagram, because I’m going to be asking y’all for your opinions on some design direction I just can’t seem to nail down. I’ll also do my best to keep everyone updated via the blog, so hit that subscribe button to stay in the know!

Oh, and one other thing: GO DAWGS!