Flippin' Out!

Well, you may or may not be wondering where I've been and what I've been up to. This poor, little blog has been a tad neglected lately, as other things in my life have required more of my attention and concentration. A while ago, I alluded to you that I was working on a special project involving a client of a very personal nature: me. Well, after spending a hectic weekend finishing up the project, I will share a few photos. This project involved renovating and refreshing a little, humble house that had been long neglected and violated by some very unworthy owners. Our hope is that new, caring owners will come along and settle in and respect it, as every older house deserves. Each and every corner was scrubbed of its filth, repaired, painted, refinished and restyled (of course!) by the splintered, weathered hands of my hard-working handyman and his loyal wife...me!!
Here are some before and afters of the downstairs living area:




My hard-working husband built an entirely new kitchen himself which included new custom cabinets, countertop, flooring, lighting, and backsplash, and more.

Kitchen sink area before:

during:

After:
Stove area, during:

After:

From Kitchen into foyer, before: After:


Kitchen into laundry area, before:

During:

After:

Mudroom before:

Mudroom, after:

Laundry area before (which wasn't actually a laundry area at all):


During:

After:



Stairway, before:



After:



What do you think?
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More to come later!

This post is linked to  this great round-up:


http://bethcrabtreehunter.blogspot.com/2009/11/wahoo-its-finally-here-and-i-happen-to.html

Cleaning the Cobwebs from my mind...

I had the best day.
I know I am about to paint myself as a veritable lunatic, but my happy day was all about cleaning. Cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. My fridge is suddenly empty after ridding it of all its spoils. I surprised my muscles by lugging and pushing beds over carpet to vacuum up long-lost popcorn seeds, cat hair, and foil wrappers from tiny Easter eggs. I did endless loads of laundry, washing all of our winter coats and mittens to pack up nicely for next winter. Speaking of winter, our cold weather wardrobes were finally purged, and tossed unceremoniously into plastic storage bins. I soon realized I have a pretty empty closet that requires a bit of shopping to add spring colour.
As I rotated load after freshly laundered load on my clothes line, I felt my mind actually clear of the kind of stress one can control. Because it's not just about having a clean house or "getting things done". It's about controlling the things we can in this crazy world. We can't control what's going on outside our own insular worlds, but we can take care of our families, ourselves, and create a home that makes us feel safe, warm and calm when we are tucked within. And that is where my satisfaction came from today. I cleared the cobwebs as I cleaned, both in my home and in my mind. Worries were pushed aside as I scrubbed, heaved furniture, and hung out clothes. My mind worked through what problems it could as I laboured, and the physical work quieted the rest.

And then I hung out with my family.
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photo credits:
second and third photo: Toast.uk