Wednesday, March 17, 2010

We Have Flooring!

With some late nights, early mornings, and help from friends (Thank You Rick P and Ken K!) We now have hardwood floors installed on the main level of the house. Yipee!!
When Randy and I picked out the floors, we picked something we would like, not thinking too much about resale. I know they might not be to everyone's taste, but we loved the variations in color. I think it will be beautiful when I get furniture in and pictures on the walls. Though to be honest the thought of unpacking all that stuff just to repack it in a few weeks to move doesn't excite me much.
Cabinets are going to be picked up tomorrow, along with all the trim that I will spend all day outside painting. At least I'll get to be outside, it is supposed to be beautiful!
We also had the kids from De Soto Youth Ministries (the youth group Caleb and Emma participate with) out all day on Tuesday. Even though it was cold outside they raked leaves, mulched, cleaned out flower beds, moved three brush piles to a central location, hauled trash out of the garage and shed to the dumpster, moved old cabinets and even chopped up a tree for us! They worked for several people Monday, Tuesday and today raising money for a Haitian orphanage. Several teens and adults had planned for several months to go to Haiti this week to work at the orphanage but the earthquake made that an impossibility. They have raised almost $11,000 over the last couple of months.
Anyway, we should have things looking good by Monday. Randy will be gone all week to Manhattan, so no big jobs will get done while he is gone. Hopefully everything will be done enough to put the house on the market............

Monday, March 8, 2010

Update on the remodel

Just to give you a quick update on the remodel. We have obviously changed our focus and now we are are calling this our "Flip" HA! I've always thought it would be kind of cool to flip a house, now I'm not so sure. This is hard work! Today I made the obligatory trip to Home Depot, painted doors, pulled up the kitchen linoleum,  ordered the dumpster, and contacted the kids youth group to work on the yard for their work day next week. We are having to choose very carefully what to spend money on and what not to. It's hard to decide what will help us sell vs doing what is unnecessary. The kitchen is where most of our time and money will be. Earlier we planned to take a wall out and rearrange the layout. Now we are putting it back the way it was, just with all new everything!
It's a little bittersweet to do all this work and picture how great it will be when we get done, only to sell it as quickly as possible. This evening I was on the back deck getting rid of trash and I could hear the frogs in the pond on a neighboring property. I have to remind myself of what God has been writing on my heart lately. Let go of my dreams to allow God to accomplish something bigger than I can imagine. I'm trying!
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and HE will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6
This verse was one of the first I memorised walking on campus back in the day. It's been one that has come often to my mind in the last few months.