Puuuuush!

New gas logs...wish I could park my derrière in front of these and take a wee nap

This will probably be my last post about our house renovation until the final completion date and it's on the market. I must admit...I AM TIRED! As much as I love the renovation process and even now am dreaming about the next project, I simply cannot wait to be finished with this one! I've metaphorically referred to it as birthing a baby and I am definitely in the throes of labor right now! I know I am in transition and the head is crowning, but I'm tired and I'm grumpy and I'm in pain (as in joint, most every muscle, and the weary-mind kind).

Sometimes I think people who pull away from the status quo, don't work normal jobs, and make their own hours are a crazy lot indeed. The thought of working a 9-5 day, drawing a regular paycheck, taking scheduled paid days off and just general predictability sounds so good to me at times. I feel this most when we work late into the evening trying to correct a problem or when the hubs schedules an appointment to look at a property at 9:00 a.m. two hours away, after I get in at 1:00 a.m. the night before (yes, he really did that!). Doesn't he know I need my sleep? I also entertain a more predictable vocation when I must focus on less-than-pleasant jobs like cleaning yuck out of corners with my fingernail (glove-covered, of course) or, as I did over the weekend, touching up paint. Ha! As soon as I finished one area, I'd see another one needing some love. The painting contractor we hired on this job left many iffy (aka unfinished) spots, ugh! But we all agree that we hired him entirely too early and made his work more complicated by doing so. He probably was a trooper to not throw down his paint brush and yell as he went out the door, "Call me when this place is ready to be painted," cursing us under his breath. But he was much too nice of a guy to do that. He had to take down shelving, wipe off layers of dust from years of neglect, and work around walls that were half finished. Truth be known, he probably wouldn't even want to work for us again. But we try really hard to be nice to work for, at least I can say that! We tend to make a special effort to treat our sub-contractors like family, but that too can come back and bite you in the rear! I completely admire professional painters because painting is super-messy and super-tiring work. But back to the "normal" jobs...I think of all the jobs I've had that were predictable, had that regular paycheck, and droned along day in and day out and I remember...I am so glad for what I do! As much as I fall into the occasional pity-party, I love my work and only wish I had found my true calling earlier in life. What's the old saying, Better late than never?

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In the above image, you can see a mess. But I see progress. I took this picture from across the great room as I took a much-needed break in my trusty lawn chair, eating Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies. I see the beautiful hardwoods (albeit very dusty) under it all. I see a newly remodeled fireplace and clean paint and trim and gorgeous lighting. But what I am really looking at here? The white, tidy trim that was finished (pretty much, less caulking) over the weekend. You have to be able to see the end result in your mind, as I have been doing for months now. As much as the average person would see a mess if they walked into this space, I see from whence we've come! Whether it's base, quarter-round, crown, or something custom, the wood trim is the finishing touch. It's like the final coat of nail polish. It's the cherry on top of the whipped cream. It's the icing on the cake. You get the gist.

It's no secret that sometimes problems come up, specific jobs take waaay longer than you've planned for or even anticipated, and the overall job comes to a screeching halt, until that particular problem is solved. This image shows two entirely brilliant men working on crown molding and, let me tell you (and they will admit it), it was whipping their butts! My brother-in-law is a master woodworker and when something having to do with wood stumps him, it's rare indeed. The hubs is his right-hand man, and is looking on, adding his two-cents-worth. Somehow they eventually come to a meeting of the minds, and two hours and one trip to Home Depot later, they got their groove back. He and my sis live out of town, so working with them on the project is always a weekend affair. We usually get lots done, but some weekends we feel as though we've been trudging through thick mud. But somehow the project gets moved forward a bit, and the fnish line comes a little clearer into view. I know from past experience you can have every single "big" project behind you, but the last few weeks you get down and dirty in the details...molding, paint touch-up, cleaning cracks and corners and crevices, yard work, putting on cabinet hardware and the like. The devil truly is (and I've said it a million times, right?) in the details. It's the details that put the finishing touch on all the big stuff, making the job complete and polished and crazy beautiful. Maybe it's God that's in the details!

So my advice to you? If you're thinking about renovating houses, don't! Put it out of your mind and never go there again. Think of it as an evil temptation, one that will take you down roads you never meant to travel.

But if you, like me, are looking for a challenge (and don't mind the occasional exhausted and aching body and the feeling of sometimes trudging through the mire) and you're looking for the exhilaration of a beautiful house finished out with your heart and soul, GO FOR IT!! I can promise you this...it'll be the adventure of a lifetime!

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Appliances finally going in...

"The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand."
                                -Vince Lombardi