Life Keeps Moving...

I'm amazed at how quickly time passes.  It seems like it was just yesterday that I was giving a house update, but it turns out that was almost a month ago now...phew.  Time flies!
Anyhoo, the house is coming along just fine! The carpet is in, and boy am I SO grateful. Being able to sink my toes into the soft new fibers is so refreshing! I still have a few things here and there that I want to add to the rooms that are done, but for now, I'm going to close my wallet to home improvements. We still need to paint the main living/dining/kitchen area, but I think I have enough paint left over to make this happen. I just need the motivation to get the supplies out.  I hate the cleaning up part, so I usually procrastinate until I can't stand it any longer.

The mister and I want to take the kids on a summer vacation in June, so we are saving our pennies for something cheap, but fun.  We are pretty good at maximizing our dollar on road trips, so we are in the planning stages right now.  Thinking either a trip to the Pacific Northwest or the western part of the Gulf of Mexico.  Not sure yet..

or

As I sit here typing this morning, I can believe how much I am learning about myself through this part of my journey. 

Now that I am knee deep in my forties, I am seeing things a bit differently. God is definitely opening my eyes to things I didn't realize I needed to see. Things that I thought were uber important in my twenties and thirties (money, possessions, impressing the Jones') are just not that critical. I can only imagine my friends in their fifties, sixties and seventies thinking "wait until you get to your fifties, sixties and seventies!" ;)  Oh the joy of aging. I'm so grateful to be able to embrace the idea that it's not the "things" in life that are important, but the relationships and memories that you create along the way.

This reminds me of when I was in my early thirties and reading the bible cover to cover for the first time. Mind you--it took me well over a year or two to do this! But, I remember one day when I had finished my daily reading and I sat in my brown cushy chair that Quinn has so graciously taken over.  

Wow.  What's changed?  Not a whole heck of a lot.  The people from early biblical times had problems.  And so do I. The funny thing is, the problems (both theirs and mine) are really not that important. As I reflect on this Good Friday and thank my Savior for the greatest sacrifice He gave for little ol' me to be able to enjoy life, I can't help but pray these words, "Lord, open my eyes to this life. Allow me to appreciate it in in all of it's Glory.  Help me to not take things so seriously, and the appreciate the bad and the good.  Because without the bad, the good would be quite as good!"

I pray you have a blessed day and you remember to embrace each moment for all it has to offer. Afterall, they do go by so quickly!

House Update

We have been slowing transforming this place in our home.  If you would have asked me a few weeks ago how I felt about this place, I'm sure I would have grumbled something negative about it. I didn't really have a good attitude about moving, as I'm sure you already know!

But ask me now, and I can honestly say this place is starting to feel more and more like home.

As of today, we have painted the main level/master bath, our bedroom room, the kids bedrooms, the upper level hall and the loft.  It's slowly taking shape, and its defintely beginning to feel more like us. While I would love to have unlimited funds to transform this place, I am not wanting to take a loan to do any of the work, so slow and steady is how it will have to be for now.

Here are a few pictures. They aren't the best, but a hint of what we've done!

While I am enjoying the wood ceiling in the living/dining area and the wood floors just need a little TLC, most of the orangy wood trim is slowing leaving this joint! And it is bringing much joy to my heart! I am toying with leaving the banisters in their natural state though. I'm not sure how I feel about them, yet.  I kind of like how it ties the ceiling and the floor together, but I also like the idea of lightening it up a bit. We shall see. One thing that I know for sure is that I loathe the doors and floor trim. I came up with a solution for the doors that won't break the bank, but those transformations will have to wait until the weather is a bit more stable. Tons of sanding, priming and painting involved!

As for the floor trim, we are working on caulking and painting as we move through each room, and boy does that ever feel good.

I've have had some "issues" with the carpet in this house since day one, and the relief of knowing it will be replaced in just 12 days makes me SO happy! Most people don't care for carpet because of the dirt it collects, but I like the warmth and the cushion it provides on my feet. And knowing that the dirt is my dirt provides me with much relief. Counting down until I can walk on my floors barefoot!

The other thing that we did this past weekend was finally get our vents cleaned out. When I called to schedule it in January, the earliest they could come was February 23rd. We've had a ton snow here this last month, so they had to postpone until March 7th. While I did some research about whether or not we needed to do this, the feeling in the back of my head knowing the vents are cleaner provides a little peace of mind.  Hey, you do what you gotta do, right! (In case you were wondering, the EPA couldn't provide proof one way or another if it is necessary. But I'm sure glad we did it.  The stuff they sucked out of those vents was pretty nasty!)

The one thing I know for sure is that God has us here for a reason. I have learned so much about myself in the past 2 months. I am grateful for the struggles, and I am thankful for the joyful moments. I keep reminding myself that this is just a house, and it is the people in the house that makes it a home. My faith provides me the strength to get through each and everyday, and I'm reminded everyday how lucky I am to have Craig and the kids on this journey with me.

Until next time...

Seasons

My love for seasons has changed over the years.

For the longest time, I was a winter lover. I was all about snow. Turtlenecks and sweaters. Boots. Hot cocoa. Fires. Hunkering down.

As of late, I like summer better. Blooming flowers. Green grass. Shade trees. Sandals. Pedicures. Warmth. Evenings around the firepit.

But the season I am truly learning to love is the season of Lent. The time of year where I anticipate the arrival of Easter.  For me this is a time of growing in my walk with Christ. I've been reading daily from the guide my church offers. I'm enjoying the devotions that they've included to help me dive a little deeper into my understanding of the Word. This morning, I was moved by a video link about prayer I came across. It's a part of a Lenten series found here.

I'm intriqued by the way they suggest to end each day.

I am inspired to tryout the breathing technique of inhaling and saying 'Abba' then exhaling and saying 'I belong to You'. This simple act of putting the focus on my Creator and giving Him first place in my life brings such a sense of peace. A sense of knowing that I can all embrace all that life had has to offer.  The joys and the trials. The pure of act of being grateful for things that are frustrating or discouraging puts a new perspective on living life to its fullest.

This journey is my own. But I am grateful to share it with each of you. I am moved by how the Lord provides wisdom. Grateful for His patience with me. Endeared by His everlasting love even when the choices I've made aren't in alignment with His will.  I will continue my walk knowing that I have opportunities to grow and learn. Stretch and ponder. Accept and embrace.

I am so grateful for this season.

Seeing What I Need to See

The weather here has been very snowy.  I think I've only seen the sun three times since last weekend. Very unusual for where I live.  It's almost enough to bring about a sour mood.  I feel like I've been living in a state of sourness for many months now. I have not dealt well with the change that my life has gone through. But yesterday, when I sat at the table to listen to my daughter share how her day went, and was exposed to her sourness for the second day in a row, I felt like God was opening my eyes to what He needed me to see.  My own sourness has taken it's toll on not only myself, but now it is rubbing off on my family.

So this morning, as I sit here at my computer because we have our third two hour delay this week, I have decided to embrace happiness again. I told my daughter she needed to get an attitude adjustment, but in reality it is me that needs the adjustment.

Today I plan on embracing the positives.

Having extra time to do the laundry.
Being able to take care of my banking needs this morning and not after work.
Spending extra time in my daily readings.
Having an extra hour to get paperwork done at school.
Eating a warm breakfast.
Sharing my morning with my children without having to rush to get ready.

So many things to be thankful for.  Grateful for.  Appreciative of.  So many silver linings as one of my dearest friends always says.

Today I choose happiness.

Looking for Joy

During the past several months I have been a little out of sorts.  I haven't been my normal joyous self. I realize that there are sometimes hills to climb on this life journey, but it's just as important to remember that even in the middle of the day to day gunk there are joys to be had. 

Things like:

• Realizing I saved my husband 2-3 hours of labor and hundreds of dollars in dresser costs by spending just under a hundred bucks adding to our existing closet organization system.  I was able to consolodate all of our clothing items into one of our two master closets, leaving the option of moving the laundry upstairs and creating a guest 1/2 bath at some point in the future! Woohoo!
• Going to the dentist today to fix a tooth  that has been causing some problems for the past 3 months.
• Sitting with my dogs on chilly nights sharing their body heat to keep me warm.
• Learning that we have enough cash on hand to pay for our son's braces on Thursday, so that we won't have a monthly payment.  That's worth celebrating a bazillion times over!  Yeah for "Cash is King" mentality!
• Having sunny 50 degree days in the middle of February.  Oh how I love not having to bundle up or drive on icy roads!

There are so many things to bring joy to my heart. I just have to be on the lookout for them or else they may pass by without my even realizing it.

I challenge you to find a little joy today.

In the Quiet

For the past few months I have been suffering from sleep issues.  It's usually between the four and five o'clock hours that my eyes pop open. I find it difficult to turn off my brain, so I just get up.  I'm not sure why I can't sleep past 6 o'clock. Ever. But I know that while my family sleeps soundly in their beds, I am up. Thinking. Praying. Perusing.

Quietly I awake and walk on tip toes, so as not to wake the dogs. Four o'clock is a bit early to have to deal with having to let them in and out of the house at least 2-3 times. That's the routine they've established for themselves when they wake up. And, of course, I give them everything their little hearts desire. Don't judge. They're spoiled. I admit it!

Quietly, I climb the stairs to the office area in the loft.

Quietly, I sit down and begin spewing words on the page to get them off my mind. This blog of mine has come to be something of a counselor for me. I've toyed with the thought of actually going to a real live person to help me get beyond my anger of what occured during the past few months, but fear and other financial commitments seem to have gotten the best of me.  I've been before and it helped so much, but the timing this time around just doesn't quite seem right. God continues to be faithful. Each day He puts someone in my life that helps me to get beyond the anger, and I know the healing process has begun.  The tears have subsided.  It's been over a week that one has fallen from these eyes. For this I am so grateful. Don't get me wrong. I don't mind a good cry every now and again. But every day for weeks on end is not my idea of a good time.

Today, I sit in the quiet and I am filled with so much gratitude.  Slowly.  VERY Slowly.  This house is becoming a home.  I'm learning to live with the parts I hate most.  The ginormous bathroom with 4 doors, aging toilet, and giant window in the shower is beginning to grow on me.

Here's the before.

And here's where we are today.

We've spent a lot of Mann hours regrouting, scrubbing, replacing outdated fixtures and decorating this room this month.  We still have to refinish the cabinets and complete the door transformations, but I am thrilled with how it's starting to come together.

In the meantime, I am so grateful for a clean shower, a toilet that functions properly and floors that are finally clean enough to walk on barefoot!

One of the best things about this reno was putting this idea to the test.  I think you can agree that this $5 tool did wonders to my nasty bathroom floor!

I decided to take the plunge and redo the doors and trim in this house after seeing post on Pinterest. 

One down.  3 more to go.  In this room that is!

My handy Mann replaced the faucets, door handles and light fixtures with ORB because I'm a fan of the warmth this color brings to a room.  Not to mention it hides the grunge!  He even surprised me with a new toilet handle after a toilet repair didn't turn out exactly how he had intended. 

I saw these and knew instantly that the oak cabinet above the toilet needed to be replaced.

I wasn't able to find a towel rack that I loved, so I headed over to World Market to pick up a few hooks and attached them to some leftover wood from making the floating shelves.

Here'a a snapshot of the shelves and towel rack together.  Adding the caramel color has really warmed this space up.  And the touch of green here and there has been fun, too!

Looking forward to figuring out what to do with the vanity cabinet this weekend.  Trying to decide if we should paint it or sand it and refinish is with stain to match the floating shelves.  They are pretty close in color, but the shelves have less orange and more brown which I prefer.  I went with dark cabinetry and flooring in the last house and learned that I'm not a huge fan.  The trend factor won out, but after having to keep it clean the past three years, I realized I just don't care for the darker wood tones. I'm really enjoying the lighter browns and barn grey tones, so I'm going with those colors this time around.

Until next time...