 I did manage to get to the beach in the last weeks with my gal pals for some much-needed R&R And almost three months to the day, I am baaaaack. Talk about taking the summer off! For those of you who have been wondering, yes, I am still around and breathing, and much -- MUCHO -- has happened since my last post. It seems more like three weeks than three months since that post and, in referencing my last comment on that long ago day, I have indeed been trying to make my own happiness. I have been working, problem-solving, taking care of tiny humans while mama and daddy gather worms for their little beaks, and trying to keep it together as we struggle to maintain some sort of a peaceful existance -- you know, the kind where your sanity is in tact, and all your ducks are in a row? Ha! Is that even possible? But it's been hard. So, spoiler alert, don't read this post till you've got a minute. I think it might be a long one. As our projected date of releasing our 1892 Georgian Cottage into the real estate market neared, it seemed as if there was more to do than ever. How can a project keep demanding more and more of you when you have so little left to give? If you know the answer to that, please advise. At the end of July we turned in our notice, packed up our two-bedroom apartment, and moved into #our1892adventure. Yep, it's not only our adventure now, but apparently our home as well. We have taken up residence in our Georgian Cottage and have settled into some sort of rhythm of normalcy for however long we might be here. We continue to work at finishing up all that small but treacherous detail work that only a house this old can demand...like adding trim to literally every wall, floor, door, window, and opening where there was none before, painting and re-painting, repairing and stabilizing a run-down shed in the backyard, closing up every little hole where critters might feel invited in, and addressing some re-zoning issues -- to name just a few. The critter saga is a whole other story for a whole other day. Why is it that we continuously have to deal with critters trying to get in or take up residence on our land that we paid our hard-earned money for? It is a constant battle if I ever knew one. But the positive side to moving into a place where you've designed new bathrooms and included other conveniences where there were none before is seeing if your improvements are practical and will really work for the next buyer. That has been a good thing, and we have been able to tweak a few things to make them more user-friendly. I have been fighting for time to even photograph the house so that I can share with you some final results. But -- finally -- I am doing it today. I never for a million years thought I would ever move into this house. My vision was to finish, stage it, put it on the market and sit back and wait for closing day. But as with so many things in life, it just didn't go that way. I've had to readjust my thinking from "How can I make this picture perfect?" to "How can I make this work for us to live here?" We have definitely pared down from our last house which was around 2700 square feet with hub's office included. We have a work space that we share now and, let me tell you, it will test your patience to the max sometimes. I am a person who relishes a good bit of "quietness" in my life...and the hubs? His idea of a good work environment is talking to a client on speaker phone (very loudly I might add), with the blue tooth blaring Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress. If the dishwasher and washing machine (which are in close proximity to our office space) are on, no worries! It's enough to drive even the most stable person straight down the road of no return! A common sound is the smack of the power hammer putting in a nail somewhere and then, when you least expect it, the air compressor kicks in and scares the wits out of you. Sometimes I think there are folks out there who are afraid of quietness. If you are one of them, I DO NOT understand you. Are you afraid of your thoughts? The boogey man who might be lurking? That you might hear God speak loud and clear? Please don't be offended by my thoughts on that; just trying to better understand (again, another subject for another time). One last thing...it doesn't bother the hubs one iota if there are tools covering the floor and dust on literally everything. If that's the case, well, he's just more in his element. But if you know me at all you know that I try really hard to be positive and look at the bright side of things. Like how far we've come in the time we've had. I read about renovations of old houses taking years to finish. Add to that the fact that you're doing most of the work yourself and it makes sense. I even read about one old house that took 16 years to finish (it was a much larger two-story house, but still...). When we started this project, we were thinking nine months, maybe a year, but alas we're still here staring at another fall and possibly a winter. Even though this house is still in transition and not officially on the market, IT IS FOR SALE, so if you're out there looking for a true rare gem, private message me and let's talk. Another blessing I try not to ever forget is the mere fact that we have a roof over our heads. Granted, it's not the roof I was counting on at this point, but having a roof over your head is always something for which to be thankful. We've lived in the majority of the houses we've renovated (like moved six times in less than 10 years), so what made me think this would be any different? Wishful thinking, I suppose. But I still have breath in my lungs and a marriage that is still (mostly) in tact, wonderful children and grandchildren, and life is overall good. In referencing the title to this post, I must admit to feeling a bit crazy at times -- no, not a bit crazy but off-the-rails totally nuts. I wake up most mornings wondering where I am and how I ended up getting here and doing what I do at this stage in my life. But I am a firm believer that everything in our lives makes up the greater sum of who we become -- good and bad and, if we'll be honest with ourselves, it's the hard times that truly mold us. I definitely would not call this a bad time in my life, but a challenging one for sure. It's what we do with those challenges that shape us. They don't have to define us, but (whether we like it or not) they definitely contribute to who we are. Hardships can break us beyond return, or they can make us stronger for the journey ahead. We have the choice to decide which road we'll travel. Anyhoo, I think I've finally realized that being a little crazy at various and sundry times just comes with the territory. Dang. Dreams are often most profound when they seem the most crazy. - Sigmund Freud Some "befores" and "afters" for you...
 Yes, we truly are!
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