UncategorizedOur Current State of Things March 18, 2013Happy Monday! I hope you all had a glorious weekend. Ours was filled with work, but the weather was so beautiful and we enjoyed a bit of time lounging in our backyard with the pup. Thanks for all of your sweet comments and encouragement on the kitchen series last week! So many of you said you can’t wait to see it all come together and I’m with you. I have it all in my head and absolutely can’t wait to start actually putting things together. Today, I wanted to share our current state of things around the house (and in our hearts). I last posted about the progress of the renovation here. Most of the progress has been on the kitchen because it really needs the most work before we get to the next step in our process: sheet rock. Once the kitchen is up to speed, we’re having a sheet rock guy come in to spruce up all of the sheet rock in the main room. So the rest of the house is just waiting patiently for it to get its’ turn while we’ve been pouring our TLC into the future kitchen. The kitchen has now been fully wired and insulation has been put up on the walls. Over the weekend, Chris and I started laying the hardwood floor in here. The floor will continue on from the living room and the stain will match. We used red oak that matches the floor that’s currently there, just unfinished. So, there’s progress being made in this room. The floors are making it really start to feel like a room instead of an unfinished basement or garage. We’re just a bit ready for things to keep on moving. For example, the view from the kitchen (of the living room) currently looks like this: Craziness. We’ve purchased a shed that will become Chris’ workshop for the backyard, but once it’s delivered, we’ll move all of this out there and it’ll be a storage unit for a while. For now, it’s just stressful to look at it. But this is all part of the adventure, right? I will say that I’m starting to understand why a lot of people said we were so brave to live here while we did all of this. We knew that it wouldn’t be easy, but it really was our only option financially and with Gracie. We went in knowing we would probably never do it again, but for now, it’s our journey. And there have been great days where we sit out in the backyard and eat dinner while watching Gracie play that we are absolutely loving life right now, exactly where we’re at. There are days where we have an awesome renovation idea that we get so excited about and we love this opportunity that God has given us to totally fix up a house. And then there are the days like two weeks ago when the heat went out and it was freezing that I wanted to cry. And then there are the days like last Friday when all of the electricity in the house went out except for one circuit that I did cry. And when Chris told me it wouldn’t be fixed for a week, I cried a little more. We had some rough moments this weekend where I cried and questioned why in the world we took something like this on…because the lights didn’t work and how in the world does one live without working light switches? I kept thinking everyone was right – all of this was just too much. And then we went to the store, loaded up on camping lights and extension cords, came home and “wired” up our house so that we could somewhat survive with functional lights. And the weekend passed, and guess what happened??? We survived. Yesterday, I was reflecting over the weekend and realizing how spoiled and entitled I often am. Yes, we’re without a washer and dryer. And we’re without normal electricity. And everything is dusty and dirty and cleaning doesn’t help because it’s dirty again in five minutes. But there are people every day in this country and others that live without those things and worse. And we’re not even deprived or in unfortunate circumstances. We are living in these conditions because we are fixing up our dream cottage. I’m getting to do exciting, frivolous things that I’ve dreamed about for a while like designing an entire kitchen. And I’m whining. God’s given me this exciting blessing that I’ve dreamed and dreamed about and I’m crying because the road to get there is a little tough. It hit me yesterday how messed up that is. I want everything in life to be easy and as soon as the road becomes the least bit difficult, I think, well this must not have been God’s plan. Well, I’m finding His plans are often through difficult roads because that’s how we are refined. That’s how we grow. Just like up until now in my life… I’ve never questioned what it would feel like to flip on a light in a dark house and it not work. They’ve always worked. We’ve always had electricity turned on. I’ve never worried about needing clean clothes because there was always a washer and dryer a room or two away waiting to clean it for me. And I’m thankful that I’ve never had to go without. God has always provided. But, I’m realizing how dependent I am on so many things and how much I take for granted because it’s always been there. We still have so much, but these few luxuries that we’re missing (not long ago I would’ve considered them necessities, but we’re living without them) have thrown me for a tailspin. I know that when our home is finished and all of the frivolous things (that are still good and really fun) are in place like throw pillows, chandeliers, flowers, etc., I will appreciate it all the more because we went through this tough phase. I’m just hoping in the meantime, to still enjoy this process and be content in the now. I find myself so looking forward to our finished home because of these hardships and I don’t want to miss the process of putting that home together! I’m preaching this to myself every day. I’m also hoping that this adjustment of my priorities and how I classify things will stay. As someone who loves decorating with every fiber of my being, I consider those things I mentioned above (throw pillows, chandeliers, flowers, pretty things) to be necessities in my home. Now, I love them and they make my heart very, very happy, but necessities they are not. Even electricity, the basics, we can survive without. I hope I don’t have to survive without them much longer 🙂 but I also hope I keep things a bit more in check because of this experience.
Julia says March 18, 2013 at 5:09 pm What a great post this is. I’m so enjoying reading your adventures in home remodeling, and I too think you’re brave, but I love the perspective you’ve given here. I know this is an eye opening experience in more ways than one! Reply
Lindsay says March 19, 2013 at 8:50 am Thank you, Julia! I always laugh when people say I’m brave to do this. Not because I don’t think it’s hard. I’ve just never, ever considered myself brave. When people say that, I’m like, “Wow, maybe I am getting an ounce of bravery. Yay!” Reply
Jennifer Dudley says March 18, 2013 at 6:52 pm It will all be worth it, PROMISE!!! You can and WILL get through this, AND your making MEMORIES with hubby and sweet Gracie! Hugs to you!!! Reply
Lindsay says March 19, 2013 at 8:50 am Thanks Jennifer! You’re always so encouraging – makes my heart happy 🙂 Reply
Jessica says March 21, 2013 at 6:56 pm We can’t wait to see what you and your talented hubby do to this place! We LOVE that y’all are now our neighbors! Reply
Lindsay says March 22, 2013 at 7:43 am Thank you, Jessica! We are so happy to be here 🙂 Can’t wait to watch y’all’s new little one grow up 🙂 Reply