With 2 kids not feeling good, I had to spend the day at home instead of going to church. That’s a lot of time to search through old blog posts and remember all that we’ve gone through as a family and as a church. A lot of time spent in reflection and thankfully not in cleaning up barf! That was yesterday!!

I have come to realize that I have been in a perpetual state of renovations ever since I can remember. Everyone in my life over the last 4 years knows this to be true of my present but what many of them don’t realize… is that it was very much a part of my childhood as well. The joys of being raised by a Designer!!

It’s funny because I remembered a vow I made in my early 20’s…. I would never ever live in an unfinished house! EV-ER! hahaha!! Oh the irony of that isn’t even a bit funny. I joke to my mom often that I have married my father! My hubby is “enjoying the journey” of dragging out a renovation for as long as humanly possible, much like my father. I love you Daddio!!

We moved into this house at the end of August 2005, a week after our 4th child had been born in fact. Back then I understood that the reno’s couldn’t begin right away – my hubby had “Walking Pneumonia” (from renovating our church building & me going into labour in the middle of it) so we were ordered by the Doctors to take a break. Out to BC to see my family we went. When we got home, hubby’s mom died in his arms in this house (we built it for both families to live in together). But then months went by and months turned into years…

I found an old post about hubby finishing off the kitchen area, back in the summer of 2007, he finally laid the flooring. My beautiful dark espresso brown Torlys Cork floor! LOOK AT THAT SHINE!! I have to admit, it wasn’t the great choice of colours for a high traffic area (it shows every foot print) but I did the same thing in the last house when I chose the colour of the hardwood in the living room, why I don’t learn – I will never know. The thing I love about my cork floor, besides being “Green”, is it is so soft to stand on, my feet don’t hurt after standing at the sink for hours on end. Another great thing… my kitchen, which is in the basement of this house (Dad has the main kitchen on the main floor), is soooo wonderfully warm! I couldn’t imagine how cold ceramic tile would have been?!

So slowly goes this home reno thing. I have to admit, he had a lot of work on his hands, click the link to another post to see what the basement looked like shortly after he started in 2006.

The carpet arrived for our basement living room space and for our kids bedrooms, stairs and hall in March 2008. That was a moment to rejoice!!
The floors in our bedroom & closet were laid in June 2009! I was happy to no longer see particle board!

Still left on the list, it’s just minor things now:
*Half the basement is still unpainted & not trimmed
*The younger two boys’ room needs carpet on their lower level, paint & trim
*The laundry room needs paint
*Our bedroom bathroom needs flooring, trim & paint
*More trim is needed in the upstairs hall, landing & bathroom
*Office needs paint, flooring and trim

Am I forgetting anything?

In my hubby’s defense… I am the slowest decision making – home decorator on this planet and I have made him repaint walls over because I didn’t like my choice, 7 times over in fact…

I think we’re almost there. I hope we’re almost there!

We’ll be in this house for 5 years as of this August. Just in time to re-decorate!! “They” say to do it every 5 years so that your house doesn’t get too outdated for when you go to sell….. I think I just heard my hubby pass out, better go get the smelling salts!