Let There Be Light!

And on the 33rd day of the Renovation he said, "Let there be light" ...

and there was light.

It did not come without great trial and tribulation

but after much perseverance (and after replacing a faulty light switch) ...

... there was light!!

And by the time I got home from work, the entire main floor was adorned with updated light fixtures.

All light switches were fully functional and all I had to do was flip a switch ...

... and there was light.

And it was good.

He then rested for a few days, returned to the Renovation Site and said ...

"Let there be blinds!"

The miracles never cease around this Site of Renovation.

On which day will this work of creation be finished? I think we are all ready to rest from all the work which has been done.

Life Beyond the Renovation

Now that our renovations are taking up less real estate in my brain, "life" is catching up with me.

My hair - it is in dire need of a root touch up and trim. I look like an shaggy old dog. This look may pass on a 30 year old. But for a person in their late 50's, who wears their stress on their face? It's gotta go.

Speaking of hair - while glancing at my reflection on a differently lit mirror, I found a lone chin hair which needed to be plucked a week prior. It was so long, I had to measure it. It had time to grow an entire half inch. Oh dear. At least it was grey and didn't stand out TOO badly.

Income tax - I'm usually right on top of income tax at this time of the year. Thankfully I did a preliminary check of my taxes Christmas Eve, otherwise I may be in for the surprise of my life. I have at least three other people's taxes to tend to so I need to get back on top of that.

Prescription - I have a three month prescription which is lovely. Three months go by slowly enough that I can usually feel it in my bones when it needs to be renewed. Not this time. As I shook out my pill for the day, I was rather surprised to find only a few days left. I got on that one yesterday.

Blood donation - I let that one slip. When I ended up with a minor case of shingles days after my last donation, I immediately called the blood donor clinic and they cancelled the appointment I had booked for February. When I received their follow up call to re-book, I was in mid-renovation. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was to commit a Saturday morning to the task. That still needs to be done.

Dumpster pick up - My son had the ingenious idea to rent a dumpster to handle the outgoing decor of our renovation. He estimated we would need it for two weeks. Add a weekend onto his estimate and he was right on the money. All I had to do was to call for pick up. I finally remembered yesterday. It was lovely to come home last night and see the vacant spot where the dumpster took up residence. It served its purpose very well. We filled it to the brim. We were glad to have it but I was more than glad to see it go.

Furnace cleaning - I have finally booked an appointment for a furnace cleaning which signifies "the end of our renovation mess" is complete (at least the dirty, dusty, messy part). The removal of the dumpster along with our pending furnace cleaning eases my mind. We will be living the good life very soon!

Front door - Now that every door on the main floor has been replaced, our old front door must go. I've spent my renovation budget so this is a hard pill to swallow. But I must. This comes with the benefit of asking my Kitchen Reno Guy (and painter and all-round contractor/fixer upper) if he would like to take on the job. He is coming by this week to start the ball rolling.

We still have half a basement worth of excess I must tend to in some fashion. I'm terribly afraid this could end up like "Mom's room" - the room where memories of Mom and all I received as we divvied up the contents of her house were laid to rest. Everything has now been relocated downstairs but I don't want it abandoned and forgotten.

I need to get back to Marie Kondo and deal with the excesses which are now accumulated downstairs.

I'm almost back to where I was January 1st. Starting anew. Rejuvenated and ready to move forward. But ... I now have the added bonus of having one entire floor under control.

This renovation has given me a new starting point. If only it came with grand finale. The list of things yet to do continues to grow. Thankfully my ambition levels have been rekindled. I need to keep the momentum going. If only in a Marie Kondo fashion, where it is not about the renovation but in the downsizing of what we already have.

I am finding great joy in our minimalized main floor. Now to move that energy downstairs ...

It's the Little Things

As our Great Renovation Project of 2019 is winding down to a close, I am truly revelling in all the little things this renovation has brought into our little world.

We are down to the finishing touches which make a big impact as everything becomes one cohesive picture of the vision we had in mind as this project took on a life of its own.

Yesterday was the installation of the lights. All the lighting upstairs is new, complimentary and updated. The living room blinds are on "delay" as we await a sale before ordering them, which gave me a sneak preview as I drove up the driveway at the end of my day.

I saw it. The new light in the living room. It looked pretty great from my limited view (the light wasn't even turned on). I couldn't wait to step into the house and try out all the new lights. They are perfect. They complete the look.

There seems to be an unending list of little things to tie up before we can officially call this renovation project complete, but one by one, everything is coming together and I am hopeful that today will mark the end of the work my son has taken on.

It has been a huge undertaking for my son. From the vision, to the demo, to the work that began behind the scenes as he painted all the new doors and closet doors in his own home before spending his days (and several nights) here. He has never laid laminate before and he took the task of the entire main floor of our home. He has hung all the interior doors and closet doors. He has installed all the baseboard and trim...

None of these tasks are as simple as they sound. The tweeking, the caulking, the patching, the "making it work", the touch ups, the clean up, the endless amount of painting, reassembling closets, moving the heavy furniture back upstairs ... not to mention fielding my thoughts and concerns along the way. I must admit the "sweat equity" I added to the project has consisted mostly of emptying, dusting and refilling the main floor of our home.

Yesterday, I was given a job. My son suggested I replace the old registers with the new ones. Sounds simple, but I still needed the help of my son as we have a few ducts which have been tampered with, thus creating a too small opening for the standard sized register.

It's just another one of those little things.

As I wandered through our home flicking on our new lights and appreciating the refreshed new look and the mere fact that the light switch did its job (changing lights in our home is yet another thing that was a bigger job than it should have been due to some creative wiring of a previous light installation), I found Jet savoring the moment as well ...

He was cozied up, enjoying laying on our new register. The cats are loving rediscovering our home as things evolve on a daily basis. In fact, Jet enjoyed hopping onto the boxes of the new light fixtures. He is intent on leaving his scent on everything coming into our renewed home.

I just smiled when I noticed Jet atop the new heat register. He likes "new" too. Then again, he may simply be cold. This cold snap has invaded our home and is reminding me that our insulation is in dire need of upgrading.

It's just another one of those "little things" to add to the cost of home ownership. Those little things sure add up in a hurry.

The Sock Story

A little story I remember with a smile is a time when Mom was undergoing some medical testing. Mom often had little stories about how good the medical staff was and this particular time, the lab technologist complimented Mom on her socks.

Mom had a pretty cool wardrobe. She often received compliments about her shoes, her bright red coat (both gifts from my sister) and Mom often retold these stories of her encounters with people she didn't know, yet they made her day by noticing these small things.

This particular time, we were pretty concerned about the underlying cause of Mom's symptoms. Mom never much liked talking about her health so this compliment about her socks when her feet had absolutely nothing to do with the test at hand pleased Mom. And once again, the overall gist of the story is how NICE the medical staff were.

The story of Mom's cool socks was a moment of lightness during a time of worry. It sidetracked our thoughts and it simply brought a smile to our face and lit up the moment.

Mom had a more up to date wardrobe at the age of 85, than I ever have. These compliments Mom received probably brought up a conversation where I said, "No one would ever notice my socks. All my socks are black". A flip comment I would have completely forgotten if I hadn't received a surprise gift from Mom shortly thereafter. A package of brightly colored "cool socks".

I wear black socks for a reason. With feet the size of mine, I do not want any undue attention drawn towards them. While I loved Mom's gift, the back story and everything that came with those socks ... I knew I would never wear most of them. I kept the whole package of socks for a while, then picked out the one pair I could envision myself wearing. Black striped sparkly socks. I gave away the rest of the never been worn brightly colored socks.

I didn't wear them often. They were pretty flashy, after all. Besides, they made me think of Mom's sock story and I didn't want to wear them out.

Socks don't last long in my world. Even though I didn't wear these socks a lot, I knew they were wearing thin. So I pushed them to the back of my drawer and wore them even less.

Then came the day I should have done laundry but we didn't have any water. It brought my sock supply to an all time low. I needed a fresh clean pair of socks to go with my pj's after I showered last night (doesn't everyone want their socks to match their pajamas?). I've been thinking of Mom a lot and thought it was fitting that I should wear the socks she gave me on such an occasion.

I thought I could feel the floor beneath my feet. Sure enough, the socks were thread bare. But I wanted to wear them for as long as I could. And I did.

This is my sock at today's end. It has a mate that looks almost identical. I do believe this is the last time these socks will be able to be worn....

They are just a simple pair of socks. But I can still see the expression on Mom's face when she spoke of her sock story and gave me the gift of socks worthy of someone taking notice. Letting go of my sparkly socks is just another reason to think of Mom and bring her into the moment with me.

I've never been so sorry to let a holey pair of socks go. It's the little things that matter the most. It's the littlest of things that have the potential to make the biggest difference...

To Wash Clothes or Not to Wash Clothes ...

I woke up this morning knowing I should wash clothes. I should wash sheets as well, but I knew that was going to wait one more day.

I really didn't feel like doing laundry but I was trying to "should" myself into the task made so easy by all of our modern appliances and easy access to water, power and everything one needs to do the job.

First job of the day was tending to our cats. I went to fill their water dish. We didn't have water. Hmmm ...

We have been doing a lot of renovating but water has not been part of the work involved. I knew we had water when I went to bed so I was assured that renovations were most likely not a contributing factor.

Surely it was just the downstairs bathroom, right? Wrong. We simply have no water.

I just called the City and there is indeed, a water main break in our area. They are trying to get us on water but there were no guarantees.

What was my immediate reaction? Relief. The decision to my dilemma "to wash clothes or not to wash clothes" was taken right out of my hands.

I don't have to do laundry this morning. For that, I am grateful.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Our Great Renovation of 2019 is winding down to a close. The "after" pictures will be ready for the taking soon enough but before that happens, I want to just sit still and focus on a few of my favorite things.

Our renovated kitchen:

This is where our project began and it is only fitting, that it is the first to be almost complete. Our "came with the original house" cupboards have been updated, painted and adorned with new hinges and handles to bring them into the 21st century. 

Our older almond colored fridge and stove have been replaced with new-to-us white appliances. The black dishwasher is part of the original decor, still works and goes well with the new color scheme. It stays.

The counter tops, back splash and kitchen sink/taps however? All new. All have been long awaited items I have wished for, for decades. The under the counter and over the sink lighting however? These were bonuses to me. Little add ons I didn't know I wanted but now that they are here, I can't imagine our kitchen without them.

The over-the-stove microwave was my Kitchen Reno Guy's suggestion and it was like he read my mind. I have always wished for this. How did he know? He had a perfectly good used microwave on hand, a cast off from someone else's renovations and it looks like it was made for this spot.

My Reno Guy suggested we lengthen the cupboard between the stove and the fridge, to match the other side (and also to cover the side of the microwave which would not have been covered by the previous one-shelf-shorter cabinet). Doesn't it look like it was always there?!

Our cupboard doors have new latches, so we don't need child locks on the cabinetry to keep the cats out of the cupboards. This feature is easily a tie for first place on a few of my favorite things.

Our kitchen table continues to find a new spot every day, as it has never moved off the main floor throughout the renovation project. It is Mom's table and chairs and I think it is only fitting that they have been a part of the process every step of the way.

The kitchen is the only room which has this door treatment. I could have easily been swayed to continue this style throughout the house but I'm glad we didn't. Because ...

... I absolutely love these baseboards and most especially the rounded corner moulding. "This" was what I came home to last night - almost completed baseboards with the corner mouldings all in place. The rounded corners were something I KNEW I wanted. I had a painter or two, who tried talking me out of this added feature and cost but I was adamant. Our new rounded corners are quite likely my all time favorite part of the entire renovation.

I'm also lovin' our new interior doors. Note the black knobs and hinges and how cohesive this look is, to our updated kitchen. The doors close perfectly, sit where you leave them (we had a door or two that automatically wanted to close itself before) and the door handles? Honestly, I feel like I'm in a five star hotel when I turn these door knobs. They aren't your run of the mill standard door knobs. They feel good to the touch.

Our living room showcases "all that has been done". The flooring (which was the catalyst for all that followed), new paint, cable outlets with plug ins right beside them, for a future TV (so there are no unsightly wires showing), check out all the new electrical outlets (perhaps my second favorite thing!) and the baseboards. 

The living room is the room my son had "a vision" of what he wanted the end result to look like. I can't wait for its finishing touches to complete its look. I have a feeling this room will be the pièce de ré·sis·tance after all is said and done. 

We still have lighting, registers/cold air registers, door stops and blinds to purchase and install. We (and I use the term "we" very lightly - it is more like "he" - my Second Son who has been an integral part of each step of this renovation project) are in the home stretch now!

Perhaps my most favorite thing of all? The feeling that Mom would have given this her nod of approval. How I wish she could bear witness to all that has transpired around here lately. I have felt her within me, our home and the decisions that have been made every step of the way. She would have looked forward to her weekly letter with pictures and updates. I can feel Dad's presence within my son, his capability and willingness to take on such an onerous task. His attention to detail, his ideas and his perseverance are traits I can back track to Dad and see the way they have trickled down the family tree to my brother and beyond.

So many of my favorite things are wrapped up within this renovation project. Many of them which are beyond what the eye can see. But even to the naked eye, things are looking pretty good around here. I am grateful. So grateful...

I Get to Stay Here!!!

I was living in my nightmare last night. It was so real. So very real ...

Flash to the scene where I asked if I could have access to our new home so I could take pictures of the inside of the house. I wanted to have a firm idea what the layout was, so I could plan our move.

We walked into the house and it was wrong. It was so very wrong. I didn't like the layout, the location and it was in dire need of updating, fixing and there was nothing I really liked about it. I looked at the massive floor plan and knew there would be a lot of empty spaces. I wondered if my son's idea for our existing living room would work in this monstrosity. 

I was so upset. I couldn't believe I had sold our existing home right after renovating it. I bemoaned the fact that we had just renovated. And now we would be moving into ... this?

The existing owner just shrugged his shoulders and said we could just do it all over again. I was sobbing as I replied, "But the money is all gone. I spent all the money. I will never be able to do this again ..."

I cried so very hard. My heart was aching. What had I done? What was I thinking? What now? The money was gone. There was no turning back ...

Then I woke up.

I was so elated to wake up to my own little life, in my own bed, in our HOME, which we get to keep. "I get to stay here!!!" were the words I scrawled on a piece of paper while I was still living the nightmare.

I get to stay.