On the Homefront

 The rehab on my house is coming along nicely.

Ceilings have been replaced or painted as the case may be, both of the upstairs bedroom walls  have been white washed and all of the carpet on the second level has been torn out.

Paneling in the TV room was removed and we found a ton of damage to these old 1910 plaster/lath walls. We also found 4 or 5 layers of old hand stamped wallpaper under those panels. We tried to remove some of the layers to see what was underneath. I felt like an archeologist peeling back that old paper. You could almost see each decade in the prints that had been chosen. 

We took pictures before we covered it up.

So new paneling was put up and we tried to white wash it but it didn't take.

Deb and I spent 7 hours scraping the paint back off.

The good news is that the TV room looks just as good without the white wash on the walls.

The new flooring going in the TV room doesn't match as well anymore but whatever.

Deb, Kate and I have been going with a lot of Plan B's. 

It's easier than fretting about Plan A not working.

When it comes to old houses you gotta roll with the punches and work with what ya got.

The only rooms that aren't being rehabbed are my bedroom and the bathroom.

These two rooms have become my sanctuaries lately. I sleep, eat and relax on my bed and I still have a working bathroom so I can take my Epsom salt baths after the construction guys leave.

Everything else is complete chaos. The furniture is gone, closets are emptied and the contents of my entire kitchen are in boxes in the sitting room. Kate is wonderful at keeping me on this planet.

You know what really helps me?  When I work along side them; painting, scraping, hauling boxes.

The work is hard and sweaty and dirty but the days go by in a flash!

And the feeling of accomplishment, of a job well done, sits right in my soul.

The depression is lifting. I'm no longer eating or sleeping the day away.

I've unclenched my hands, and my anxiety is quiet.

I still don't feel Art or Jesus around me yet. but that's okay.

Maybe they're busy elsewhere. Lord knows this World is burning down around us.

There are plenty of small fires to keep them both occupied for decades.

In the mean time I'll keep rehabbing this old house and I'll trust the wait.

Love, Lolly