Little Boxes

Remember the 1962 song written by Melvina Reynolds, "Little Boxes"? That's what today's kitchen remodeling picture reminded me of -

"Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky,
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same."

Melvina was writing about the conformity of the American "establishment" when she wrote this song. When I was looking at the new wall, I was thinking about the symmetry of the 2 x 4's. Each section of the kitchen remodel is unique and presents its own challenges. This most recently tackled wall is no different.

The rooms and walls in older houses are not exactly square and plumb. The years of settling of the foundation and the weight of walls, roofs and weather can cause a house to change from its original perfection. Clintonville homes are known for their handcrafted walls, ceilings and room additions. At sometime since 1948 our kitchen has had additional space added to it. That addition is posing some challenges for the walls and (in a later post I'm sure I'll be talking about the ceiling!)

I'm thankful for the years of experience Larry has working on Clintonville homes. Their idiosyncrasies have become his passion and at times his frustration, but, he has always come out the winner. And, he won with this wall as well. Boards, wires, electrical boxes and insulation complete the "behind the scenes" work. Once the cement board is applied, no one will see the challenges of the now straight and plumb wall (except for maybe in Larry's mind's-eye.)

The Month In Review

It's seems like things are going slowly until you take the time to review what's really happened - here's a pictorial review and quick summary of the past few weeks:

Drywall and plaster removed from west walls; electric wires going to "nowhere" removed; soffet added to west wall(for glass cabinets); gas line moved from west wall to north wall; art show courtesy of granddaughter; confused dog (where's my food going to be tomorrow?); air holes to the outside walls patched with foam (warmer now); rerouting of the cold air-return and heat registers; wiring added for microwave; other wires rerouted.

It's the attention to detail that happens now before there is no chance to turn back. Thanks Larry for being so thorough during this stage of the process. You rock!

Twisting and Turning

The photo attached here may not look like much to you, but believe me, it represents a full day of hard work. Much of the time the pipes and wires below the floor boards represent much more work than meets the eye. It's like a cut or scrape that you get that hurts like heck, but should really look worse than it does. Know what I'm talking about?

With our new kitchen drawings, Larry knew that he would need to move the gas line for the stove and the furnace pipes that allowed the cold air-return to work properly. A full day of cutting metal, bending pipe and boring holes in joists would be necessary to create the end result.

Reconfiguring any room in a house creates opportunities for change. Some change is expected and others, not so much. There can be surprises at every turn. One thing is for sure - you'd better think ahead before cutting, bending and scraping, because once it's done, you may not have a chance for a 'do over'.

Our lives at times are much like the details not far below the surface of our kitchen floor boards. Our stomachs twist and turn as we deal with difficult friends, jobs or family members. To keep from giving into their madness, we reconfigure our boundaries, letting them know that we can't give in or the other things that plug into our lives will not work properly. Psalm 56:5 says, "All day long they twist my words; they are always plotting to harm me."

Some days are just tough and the only way we can survive is to rip into the floorboards of our lives and reconfigure the way we've been doing things. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same things in the same way and expecting new results. My kitchen is not going to change until we ripped up some floor boards and reconfigured some pipes and duct work.

What about you? Are there some emotions beneath your surface that need some twisting and turning? I know it hurts like heck, but maybe the result of your changed life will be as beautiful as the end result of the kitchen I'm expecting!

Thanksgiving 'Round the Ole Card Table

What does one do when one has a torn-out kitchen during the holiday? One adapts, and adapt we did! This year we didn't invite folks over for a big spread. This year, no children or grandchildren at our festivities (just wait until next year when the kitchen is finished and I put the guilt trip on everyone to be at the table). In the meantime, put a table cloth on the card table, pull up some chairs and dig in!

Many of us have the tendency to wait until everything is perfect. You know how it goes: "We'll have Sam and Julie over when we get our new furniture" or "next year when our outdoor BBQ is finished, we'll have a party", and my favorite, "we'll start entertaining when everything in our house is perfect". STOP!!!! Life is never perfect and our houses are never perfect, and God knows, our lives and families are never perfect.

Don't miss out on the Kodak moments, work with what you have. Stop using your messes as an excuse for not doing something for your family or others. Show some transparency and vulnerability. You might just make a friend in the process and find out that others have messes in their lives too! I'm not saying stop trying for perfection, but what I am saying is don't miss out on precious moments while you're on the road to creating something better.

Did we celebrate the "perfect" Thanksgiving? Well, maybe it didn't have all of the bells and whistles that Martha Stewart adds to her celebrations, but it was pretty darn close to as perfect a day as you can get!

P.S. For those of you following this blog, life is about to get crazier as deer season wraps up and construction continues.

Damaged!

Most of us take life too seriously - I know that most days I do. Sometimes we just need a child's perspective to keep us centered and focused.

In walks Braxtyn. "So, what do you think of our kitchen since last time you were here?" I asked. Thoughtfully with her finger on the side of her cheek she replies, "Well, it, it looks damaged!" A child's commentary on our kitchen renovation!

It wasn't much later that our granddaughter found the damaged kitchen to be her personal, private playground. Armed with a purple, red and black sharpies, she transformed the damaged walls of our kitchen into a vast canvas. I reminded her that you must have special permission to write on walls, and today I was granting that special permission.

How often do you grant yourself special permission to rethink the damaged days of your life? Is it possible that if you armed yourself with some colorful ideas you could turn the too serious days into something new and innovative? Don't get stuck looking at things in the same old way. Give yourself special permission to create something new from something that's been damaged.

How Much Do You Really Need?

I've begun to adapt to our "missing" kitchen. It's amazing to me how little you can get along with when it's taken away or torn out. As of today, I still have my sink, dishwasher and stove built in. However, Larry informs me not to get too used to it because soon I'll be washing dishes in the slop sink, and cooking in the basement.

Today has me thinking about the blessings we have in America. Even if we are struggling to get by each day because of the current economy, we still have so much more than the rest of the world. We have water, running water - many countries struggle to have one well in their villages. We have electricity - most of the world still uses kerosene and firesides to produce the light they need after dark. We have gas to cook with - most of the women around the world still use cook stoves and open fires to cook their meals. Yes, we are blessed.

I'm thankful to live in a place where I can work and bring in a good income. I'm thankful to live in a community that is safe and beautiful. I'm thankful for the warmth and food produced in my house. Today, I'm even thankful for a disorganized way of cooking and cleaning. Today I am content to live with what is available to me.

What about you?

Swept Away

Are there days when you want to sweep life under the rug? Many days life becomes too overwhelming. Maybe it's the kids getting on your nerves or your job isn't going as planned. Maybe your house is disorganized and you don't know where to start to put things back in order. Or maybe, you are trying to pick up the pieces of a broken relationship.

Brooms, like the one featured in the picture here, have a rich history. Flat brooms made of broom corn were first crafted by the Shakers during the 19th century. Baseball fans bring brooms to the World Series to taunt the losing team. The military often tied brooms to the front of their tanks, ships or jeeps showing that they had swept away the enemy. And, of course we can't forget the place brooms have in witchcraft and Halloween celebrations.

Brooms and sweepers have been essential in the daily clean-up of our kitchen demolition. Without them our house would be covered with a haze of dust and small chunks of tile, wood, drywall and insulation.

Daily clean-up is also essential in our hearts and minds. If we don't sweep away the hurt of yesterday, we'll be covered in a haze of disappointment and grudges. As we continue to tear down the kitchen and clean away the debrie, it becomes a constant reminder that sweeping away daily unmet expectations keeps me from becoming Peanut's character, Pig-Pen, a revolving, dust storm of hurt and regret.

Don't sweep your unmet expectations and hurts under the rug. Bring them into the light, sweep them into the dustpan and trash them forever. It's really where they've belonged all along.