Oh Em Gee

As I enter week nine of It’s A Process, I find myself wondering if I even remember what it was like to live “normally” in my home. What was it like to be able to walk barefoot, get water from the kitchen faucet, feed the dogs in the kitchen and have a living room that wasn’t stuffed full to the brim with everything but what belonged in the living room? And I wonder what it will be like to not have a constant flow of guys in my house from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday, some weekends included. What will it be like to not have a “little” project to work on in the house between the time I get home from work and the time the guys come back the next day? Most importantly, what will it be like to have my home finished once and for all?

There is a light at the end of the tunnel that seemed to get longer and longer as each day passed. The backsplash is going up in the kitchen, the spare bedroom is having its walls refreshed and floors laid, and my built-in tv stand is in the beginning stages.

Soon-to-be TV center

Kitchen backsplash

Refreshing the spare room

The guys estimate that they will be done this coming Friday. I have learned to automatically add a week on to any estimate given so, if all goes according to plan and the process comes together, I’ll have a finished house by the end of the last day of week ten. (By the way, that sentence is made up entirely of phrases I’ve heard over and over again throughout It’s A Process) Of course, the “finished” just means that there is no more major work to do. There will still be touch-ups needed – like adding a screen door, getting the outlets and light switches updated and covered, paint and caulk removed from the floors and tub, and other things that can’t be done now for the plethora of “stuff” in the way.

So even as I anticipate the completion of It’s A Process and dream about how comfy it will be to have my house back, I wonder. Will I constantly search for the imperfections, the things not done “just so,” a miss-match of colors, or a regret about a particular choice? Will I constantly second-guess all the time, money, and inconvenience spent and find myself not happy with what I’ve done? Man, I hope not. I am incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity to fix up my home. I certainly hope I avoid becoming a Negative Nellie, nitpicking all the wondrous things away, and take in the amazing new life that has been bestowed on my humble, 117 year-old-house. I never believed I’d be to a point where I could refurbish my house and yet, here I am. I am going to take it in, relish it, and be grateful.

I am human, tho. So let’s be real – I’ll be even more grateful when it’s 100% finished. Just sayin’…