We had a nice change of pace recently, a quick weekend trip to visit family in Oregon. It was wonderful to step away from the noise, dust, and general remodeling chaos that is our current situation! It is only temporary, I find myself using that word a lot, and will most likely continue to do so! We had several celebrations while we were there; Greg and I both grew up in Forest Grove, a small town about 25 miles West of Portland. Our siblings went to school together, our parents went to school together, and our Grandparents were in the same Garden Club! To say we have a lot of extended family in that area, would definitely be an understatement! We did manage several get together’s in the short time we were there. It was a really good break. What wasn’t a good break, however, was Greg’s Mom breaking her hip! She tripped and fell on a paver. She had surgery and is on the mend, adjusting to a much slower pace, and all that goes along with that. Greg helped his Dad install a handrail for her shower, and in general, we tried to make life a bit better inside and outside their house. Thankful that in time, she should be fine.

Construction here at the clubhouse is moving along, slower than we would like, but it is what it is. Greg works a lot of hours at his job, our contractor is trying to juggle all the jobs he has going on, along with all the sub-contractors, and ordering of materials, etc., so schedules seem to get shuffled and adjustments must be made. I don’t like it, but it’s all part of remodeling/construction! It will all be worth it, it will all be worth it… We do have the footings in place so the cement can be poured for the garage/bedroom addition, that should be happening tomorrow, we ordered all the tile, flooring, fixtures, for the Master bath!

I finished sanding, staining, and painting all the baseboards (unless there are a couple rogue ones hiding out somewhere!). I did get a lesson, or five, in applying coatings. I tend to go with a much more relaxed, vintage, shabby chic sort of look, while the Hubs is a perfectionist, has tons of experience, and prefers the more “perfect” look. God has a sense of humor for sure, why else would opposites attract? I will say I am thankful for his expertise, and I find when we do things his way, they tend to last a lot longer. I could argue though that I may not want things to last a long time, it’s more fun to change things up! I digress. We also have new windows on order! Actually, just windows that have the seal broken. We did get a quote for all other windows, we plan to replace those down the road a bit. We also installed a temporary (there’s that word again) mailbox. We plan on building a permanent one out of the stone they took off the back of the house but are right now focused on finishing up the Master bath.

Once that is finished, and it has been a project and a half, we can get to some of the more fun things; pressure washing the outside of the house, replacing the siding near the dormers, painting the inside, and getting the rest of our furniture in place. We did discover that we can raise the ceiling in what is now the utility room, about two feet! The utility room will actually be part of the new kitchen/mud room/pantry.  I am planning a project this week, something I can actually start, and finish, within a few days! I like closure, with remodeling there is not a lot of that, there is but there is a big gap in between! About 30 plus years ago, Greg made me a beautiful bread box made from 100-year-old Douglas Fir from Oregon. The quality is superb, but the finish is dated. I plan on painting it white with a French motif, and someday using it in our new kitchen. The current kitchen is small, not much counter space, and has warped cabinets, counters, and backsplash. Not complaining though, I am so thankful for our ‘Diamond In The Rough’ ~ as I sit here typing, I look out the window and see the most gorgeous view, surrounded by beautiful oak trees, a lake in the distance and my new friend Charlotte in the window.

More on her later. Thanks for listening to me as I chronicle our remodeling adventure! I love to write, it helps me to process the process, and relieve the stress of unfinished projects, sheetrock dust, and mostly power tools lol. This whole blogging thing is new to me and I’m pretty sure I’m not doing it the right way, but I am willing to learn, if I can just remember! Now to see if I can attach some pictures!