I could tell you stories about how much we're loving our new house. We've all decided it's our favorite of all the houses we've lived in, even though there is MUCH work to be done to really make it feel like home. (A task I've been given by my wonderful husband who does not want to be saddled with such things.)
I've accepted the task because I don't want to see what he'd do with the place without my input either. It's good when we agree.
We ARE loving the house... and the two fish we inherited in the pond out back.
Ethan and Sophia named them "Oscar" and "Molly" and Sam said "If there's another one in there I'm gonna name it Spongebob."
I could tell you all about how wonderful it is to be through the hard part (because it is) and how excited I am to dive in to the painting and updating and making a home here (because I am...)
About how fun it is to explore a new place even when you discover your shower faucet is broken and the power in your bathroom goes off for an inexplicable (and so far, unfixable) reason.
I could tell you all these wonderful things about the new house, and they'd be true...but they'd only be half-true. Because then I'd stumble upon the reality of what I'm dealing with right now...
This is the room we call "The Green Room." It has green carpet and another hue of (non-matching) green curtains with a deep khaki colored paint. It's the room that makes us sneeze because even though Stanley Steemer came out to clean our carpets (which I paid them to do) they most certainly did no such thing.
(Yes, they are coming back. I was beyond upset.) The Green Room has no furniture. And by that I mean, we have no furniture for the Green Room. None. Not even a chair.
And this is our dining room. Do you like what we've done with the place? It's the box collection room. We don't really NEED a dining room, but should we keep it? What else will we do with it? In the past, I would've turned it into an office like I did in our other Rockford house...but I have an office...so...?
And have I mentioned if I run into ONE MORE BOX or hit my head on one more light...well, I'll be mad, that's what.
This is the "front room." I'm thinking I want to turn it into a sort of "study". No TV. Computer (maybe) for the kids. Lots and lots of books. But here's the kicker. This is the only room our ONE piece of furniture (the sectional) will fit in.
It's also the only room I don't want it in.
The kitchen is coming along swimmingly...
I think this is a good look, don't you?
(We did change out all the hardware last night. Those monster black drawer pulls were KILLING me.)
This is the reality. And it does overwhelm me. I'm not a "one room at a time" kind of girl. Last time we did this, I wasn't working and I wasn't on deadline so it wasn't a big deal to take every single day in June to paint, pick out appliances, shop for flooring and whatever else we had to do. This time, I am working, on deadline AND my next book comes out August 1st.
Did I mention in my last post what a whiner I am? I'm a whiner.
But...in spite of the craziness surrounding me (there is much)...I still got to enjoy this last night:
The sun sets out back over the corn field, and I have to tell you...it does my little Midwestern heart GOOD. It fills me up and reminds me not to lose the calm I've been searching for. The peace we so desperately need...I'm convinced that's something you can grab onto, but you have to still your mind to do it.
So today, instead of letting it overwhelm me...I'm setting my mind on the good...because there is much to be thankful for...
and the rest will work itself out.
