Renovations

In February of 2012, the opportunity arose for my family to move into an old family house on the old family farm.

Many precious memories were associated with this home and we were leery of making changes. However, the wiring was dangerous and had to be updated. This required pulling off paneling. We were optimistic that we would wire it up and slap on some sheet rock, already mentally arranging our furniture in the new home.

Removing wall panels, of course, reveals everything else that is need of repair and we found ourselves removing not just walls, but ceilings and floors, as well. While there were many unpleasant discoveries, there were some treasures hiding, as well.

For instance, it was unpleasant to realize that the extent of the insulation in the house consisted of a bit of fluff and wasp nests in the attic...

But it was pleasant to discover fascinating newspaper insulation around the walls.

The newspapers throughout the house dated from 1934 to 1945.

Unfortunately, these crumbled with any attempt to remove them intact, so we weren't able to keep them.

Big, gaping hole in the ceiling. Not one of the lovelier surprises.

An intact wood floor. Definitely one of the loveliest surprises.

 We were sad to realize that we aren't naturals with sheet rock. Chris put a lot of work into mastering this new skill. Chris put a lot of work into a lot of things, actually. He's an incredible guy. 

We originally hoped to settle in to start school last fall. We had a setback last summer when freak flooding took out our bridge. Have you heard the phrase, "Lord willing and the creek don't rise"? The Lord was not willing and the creek did rise. It rose with enough violence to wash out the cement bridge. It was a month before we could get our van across it.

His timing is perfect though, right?

We're two and a half years into this endeavor and are planning to move within the next few weeks. It is not nearly as finished as we originally thought it would be when we finally moved in, but we're very ready to be there and willing to do whatever it takes.

We went from a beautiful home full of memories, to a messy adventure full of possibilities, to...just a mess. At the moment, it's a bit discouraging. In 2012, we were daydreaming about possibilities. In 2012, I had really great hair.

Now, 2015 is nearing. The possibilities don't seem as vivid in my mind at the moment. I think exhaustion does that to one's vision. It also makes you do strange things, like hack off all your hair. I can't make the hair grow and I can't make the house hurry and finish. I can learn to be content in all things.

While it isn't the way I would have mapped it out, God has taught us quite a bit, not the least of which is the fact that everything truly is in His hands and there isn't much point in fighting it.


I'll share the updated pictures of what the house looks like very soon. It calls for before and after shots, which I've never done before. I'm excited to learn how though!