It's All About Perspective

A coat on the banister seems like home already...
This past week I was surprised by the turnout of volunteers. We had a total of six volunteers and the electrician (Paul) who is moving the electrical lines in the kitchen to match the new layouts - more on that later though. The crew of six were Elisha, Ryan, Shana D., Ron V., Debbie R., and a good friend from High school days Kevin B. (he made a guest appearance a couple of weeks ago when Todd was in town). It was nice to have a full table for lunch again. We really tore into the list of to-dos and made great progress.

The group pulled up the cardboard on the first floor and swept the mess so we could really start sanding the woodwork. The group also framed in the door that will conceal the 2nd story furnace in the wash room. They moved all of the carpenters' tools up to the second floor (as it turned out they needed to bring it up to the third so the painters could start on the 2nd - oops). We installed some more plumbing in the kitchen because the plans had been changed by Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Publication - I think it's Kitchen & Bath Ideas.

Lincoln D actually came on Thursday to help fill holes

Elisha preps the 'important' area/Kevin & Debbie pull up cardboard

Debbie moves carpenter tools/Newly cleaned entryway stairs

Ron & Ryan prepare to install the wall/Good concentration by Ryan!

Debbie & Kevin fill holes/So does Elisha

Debbie sands the details/Debbie puts her shoulder into it

Paul moves electrical wires


I said in earlier posts that I'd give you more information when things were more concrete because I still feel a little uneasy talking about it. In no way do I want to seem boastful, but I do want to convey my gratitude. Better Homes and Gardens SIPs have come forward (mainly through the efforts of one person - Jeni W.) and have agreed to remodel a number of different rooms in my house for their numerous different publications. It's the publications you see on the the store rack at home centers, book stores, etc. like Kitchen & Bath Ideas, Storage, Remodel, Etc. As I know more I will share more details, but for now I feel safe in saying that they will be doing my kitchen, Ellie's room, and the master bedroom suite. There are others in the works, but none confirmed enough to really say. I am absolutely dumbfounded by this opportunity as 'these things never happen to me'. In many things, in looking back at this year, I fortunately can no longer say that about anything really. This whole year has been a year of 'I can't believe that this is happening to me.' Yes, it is very true that the circumstances that created this special situation that I'm in were the worst I could ever imagine, I don't think that I would have ever imagined the blessings and great love that has been given to me over the last year either.

With BH&G taking on these rooms I've had the great pleasure of working with Jeni on the planning and initial steps of seeing the makeover come to life and making my home more beautiful than I could ever have imagined. The textures, colors, layout and feel of each room is truly something I hoped it to be when Leslie was 'in charge' of that part of the process. I have said it before that now is the stage where Leslie would be taking over and I would be the support role of painter, plumber, tile guy, 1-2-3 Book reader and she would lead with the vision of what could be. A vision that although I am a creative person, it's not a vision that comes easily to me and I struggle with. Along came Jeni and BH&G and that vision has continued to grow through someone who is as talented and forward thinking as Leslie was. I hope that you all stop in one day in the future (about 3 months or so from now) and see the house that has been carefully turned into a home.

Speaking of carefully turning this into something more than the usual house, the carpenters that have been working in my house for the past four weeks have done an amazing job at turning this house back into something of beauty in the details. I know of few occupations where so much care and precision is taken and is appreciated by everyone who sees it - educated or not to the skills of the craft - you know when you see good craftsmanship in woodwork and you can appreciate it right away. These three guys have poured themselves into making the woodwork in my house every bit as gorgeous as it was when it was first installed almost a century ago. The ability to cope the corners so that they are tight and without gaps, to patch holes in base boards where outlets once were so you can't see them, to scribe all of the window jams to the varying depths because the windows still aren't all exactly the same is truly a thing of beauty. To worry about 1/32 of an inch is something deep down in my soul makes me smile because I know these guys don't do the work because they need to have a job, they do it because they love the work they do and the creation of a beautifully finished product. It's rare to find that these days and how I found them is another story of the Lord taking care of me.

As with most things in this process I 'let my fingers do the walking' right into the Yellow pages. Per usual routine I called no less than 6 carpenters/woodworkers and of course Mike and crew were one of two responders. In going through the initial walk through of the house with Mike I knew he might be a bit 'off' , but it was in a way you want your cabinet maker to be 'unique'. The dude loved to talk about wood, what makes it behave certain ways when you cut it this way and that and how one species is completely different than that one and so on. I felt a good vibe with Mike and I told Jeni that I had found the guy for the first floor that she may also want to use him for the second floor rooms she needed work done in. Amazingly she thought the same 'off-ness' was a good thing and they started rolling four weeks ago and haven't stopped yet. (There is a TON of wood work in the house - they are starting on the third floor this week.) To say that I was right - and that they do great work is an extreme understatement, they are absolutely the best trim guys I've seen in a LONG time - and I notice when I go to other peoples' houses how well the woodwork and painting is done. Truly these guys are a rare breed and I would recommend them to anyone (as soon as they are done with my house).

From the beginning of their work I felt blessed that it seemed like the Lord had once again 'picked' them for me. With so many messages left for so many possible vendors, how did I end up with three of the most talented cabinet makers, and they had time, and they fit my budget, and they are nice guys who don't steal my other tools, and they show up on time and work hard all day? Yes, some of those things seem a bit 'basic' but those who have had to contract out work know that they are all necessary and not always easy to find. I felt the Lord had once again taken care of me in a very personal way when I needed it most. There is no way I could have done the work they have done and gotten it completed anytime before St. Patty's Day, never mind the level of skill at which it has been done. But then the other day when I was talking with Mike I had another thought, maybe it was for them as well. You see Mike has just this week been diagnosed with MS. Although he has suspected for some time, it hasn't ever been confirmed. He was saying that normally his job is in a wood shop where all of the work surfaces are waist high and easy to use and that there's not much physical exertion beyond moving pieces of wood laterally from one bench to another. This job on the other hand has been up, down, crawling on his hands and knees, carrying heavy equipment up and down stair cases, long days of hard work and I haven't seen anything but a huge smile on his face which is always followed by 'we really appreciate the business'. Here is a man in pain - real pain that won't ever go away - and he's thanking me for a job that beats him up physically every day. For someone with MS the longer you can exert yourself, the longer your body will continue to work. Mike knows that and is grateful that he can still do what he does because it's what he loves to do. The work at my house is a blessing to him because honestly, his days of being able to do this are becoming more numbered by the day. Now looking at this I see the Lord isn't just caring for me and using this house just for me, He is using this house for Him, I just open the door and let people in.