Last year, I participated in a "goals for my home" linky. I'm not sure if anyone is hosting a similar link party this year, but I thought it would be fun to look back over last year's goals, compare to actual progress made, and decide on some new goals for moving forward in 2012. The year brought a lot of changes.
We started the year in tiny temporary digs in the city, while we renovated our recently purchased beach house. Things were going pretty smoothly, but behind schedule, for the first few months. Then things got crazy.
Our daughter, whose husband was being deployed to Afghanistan, was expecting a baby. She was supposed to move into the beach house with us a few weeks after the baby's arrival.
She and her husband were going to have a few lovely weeks together with the baby before he deployed.
Well, life never quite works out quite as you plan, does it? Our son-in-law's deployment date was moved forward, and instead of deploying in August, he deployed in late spring. Our son-in-law did not want his expectant wife living alone in her final weeks of pregnancy, so she came to us a few months earlier than planned.
To put this in "remodel perspective", our house was up on cribbing going into March, and we needed to be expectant momma ready in June! Our main goal for our home in 2011 was to create a comfortable and welcoming place for guests. Who knew that it would also be our trial by fire?
We really needed to bring the remodel to a stopping point. Fast. Unfortunately, we had one delay after another about this time! One general contractor was having health problems, our framer had a death in the family, our GC's regular tile setter passed away and was replaced by the "tile setter who texted all day", our drywaller had a fall on the job, our GC had a fall on the job, and our electrician's granddaughter had a tragic accident. Each one of these things increased the timeline on our project by weeks.
The clock was ticking. My daughter arrived in town, and the house was not ready. We moved her into a hotel suite. In our resort town. In high season. Sigh....
After more than a week in the hotel, our guest wing was finished, so we moved in. We still had no master bathroom, though, as the "tile setter who texted all day" was having a hard time setting tile while holding his phone...
And then there was the kitchen. Our cabinets were supposed to have arrived the week my daughter arrived, at the latest. Alas, they did not. The local company we ordered our cabinets through used our deposit check to pay off other invoices, instead of using it to order my cabinets from the cabinet maker! After much buck passing, one employee was fired, and my project was even further behind.....
We eventually got our cabinets, and sink, and countertops. I actually forgot I had a new kitchen sink a couple of times, and carried the dishes into the bathroom to wash them :)
We also eventually got the most amazing granddaughter! I was feeling like a bit of a failure at my 2011 Goals for my Home, until I remembered that my goals were all about hospitality. And I realized that 2011 has only been about hospitality -- starting with preparing the home for our daughter and granddaughter.
Of course, when a new baby arrives, so do visitors! After the baby's late July arrival, we had lots of visitors. Both of the baby's uncles made the trip, one bringing a girl to "meet the parents".
My mother-in-law came and stayed for a couple of weeks. It was lovely to have her, and she was a great sport about using a cardboard box for an end table! (most of our stuff was still in storage!)
A dear friend came out from Colorado, and she didn't care one bit about the cardboard box, either! We had work colleagues out for the weekend, and we boiled crabs on our deck, and made a "table" from a door and two sawhorses. The dinner was fantastic, and the company was even better! Our guests did not mind at all that we were surrounded by tools and paint cans, and using step ladders and buckets for chairs. They felt welcomed and relaxed, and loved the view of crashing surf from their various perches!
Other colleagues came out for a clam dig. They were unconcerned that the exterior painting never was finished before the rains started. In fact, they had lived their whole lives in city apartments, and had never been in a house the size of ours. They thought it was amazing and wonderful, and did not mind at all that they had to use TV trays for end tables (our stuff was *still* in storage)!
The house didn't look anything like I had envisioned it. It still doesn't, but it will....
....in time....
....for now, I think my new goal is to slow down, simplify, and enjoy. I want to especially enjoy these precious last weeks snuggling that grandbaby -- and watching our beautiful daughter, blossoming into motherhood. She is an amazing mother. My son-in-law will be back before we know it, and I'm guessing he's going to want his wife and baby to join him.... Funny (and wonderful) how that works....
There will be plenty of time to fuss over the house later. For now, we've discovered our guests are coming to see us. They don't care if we are using cardboard boxes and TV trays as end tables, they are coming to visit us -- the view and the salt air is a bonus. A warm, comfortable bed, a great meal, and good company -- what more is there, really?
Our daughter, whose husband was being deployed to Afghanistan, was expecting a baby. She was supposed to move into the beach house with us a few weeks after the baby's arrival.
Momma's Hands Etsy Shop
She and her husband were going to have a few lovely weeks together with the baby before he deployed.
Well, life never quite works out quite as you plan, does it? Our son-in-law's deployment date was moved forward, and instead of deploying in August, he deployed in late spring. Our son-in-law did not want his expectant wife living alone in her final weeks of pregnancy, so she came to us a few months earlier than planned.
To put this in "remodel perspective", our house was up on cribbing going into March, and we needed to be expectant momma ready in June! Our main goal for our home in 2011 was to create a comfortable and welcoming place for guests. Who knew that it would also be our trial by fire?
This montage was created last spring to show progress of the project as it related to our original concept.
We really needed to bring the remodel to a stopping point. Fast. Unfortunately, we had one delay after another about this time! One general contractor was having health problems, our framer had a death in the family, our GC's regular tile setter passed away and was replaced by the "tile setter who texted all day", our drywaller had a fall on the job, our GC had a fall on the job, and our electrician's granddaughter had a tragic accident. Each one of these things increased the timeline on our project by weeks.
The clock was ticking. My daughter arrived in town, and the house was not ready. We moved her into a hotel suite. In our resort town. In high season. Sigh....
After more than a week in the hotel, our guest wing was finished, so we moved in. We still had no master bathroom, though, as the "tile setter who texted all day" was having a hard time setting tile while holding his phone...
And then there was the kitchen. Our cabinets were supposed to have arrived the week my daughter arrived, at the latest. Alas, they did not. The local company we ordered our cabinets through used our deposit check to pay off other invoices, instead of using it to order my cabinets from the cabinet maker! After much buck passing, one employee was fired, and my project was even further behind.....
We eventually got our cabinets, and sink, and countertops. I actually forgot I had a new kitchen sink a couple of times, and carried the dishes into the bathroom to wash them :)
We also eventually got the most amazing granddaughter! I was feeling like a bit of a failure at my 2011 Goals for my Home, until I remembered that my goals were all about hospitality. And I realized that 2011 has only been about hospitality -- starting with preparing the home for our daughter and granddaughter.
Of course, when a new baby arrives, so do visitors! After the baby's late July arrival, we had lots of visitors. Both of the baby's uncles made the trip, one bringing a girl to "meet the parents".
My mother-in-law came and stayed for a couple of weeks. It was lovely to have her, and she was a great sport about using a cardboard box for an end table! (most of our stuff was still in storage!)
Other colleagues came out for a clam dig. They were unconcerned that the exterior painting never was finished before the rains started. In fact, they had lived their whole lives in city apartments, and had never been in a house the size of ours. They thought it was amazing and wonderful, and did not mind at all that they had to use TV trays for end tables (our stuff was *still* in storage)!
The house didn't look anything like I had envisioned it. It still doesn't, but it will....
....for now, I think my new goal is to slow down, simplify, and enjoy. I want to especially enjoy these precious last weeks snuggling that grandbaby -- and watching our beautiful daughter, blossoming into motherhood. She is an amazing mother. My son-in-law will be back before we know it, and I'm guessing he's going to want his wife and baby to join him.... Funny (and wonderful) how that works....
There will be plenty of time to fuss over the house later. For now, we've discovered our guests are coming to see us. They don't care if we are using cardboard boxes and TV trays as end tables, they are coming to visit us -- the view and the salt air is a bonus. A warm, comfortable bed, a great meal, and good company -- what more is there, really?
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