My WORD for 2017

If you've read & followed this blog since the beginning of last year, you will remember that I chose the word STEWARDSHIP as my focus for the year.  If you aren't familiar with that post, check the Stewardship post here.

This year I have chosen PRESENT as my word.  In a time where we have phones, facebook, internet and every sort of thing to distract us from being present with whom is right in front of us, it's really takes an awareness that there is a problem. It takes a deep conviction to want to be the change.  I am hoping to go against the norm and choose to deny myself all the ways of escaping life or checking out, and just simplify my life.  I want to make the most of each day by trying to do less, but focus on a few things and do them well.  I especially want to be PRESENT 100% with whomever I am physically with at the moment.  I want to live in today, rather than live in the near future when "I finish" this or that project or achieve that goal.  The goal for today, is TODAY- do it well- be wholehearted.  

I have recognized this desire since I chose my word of Stewardship last year.  One of my goals was to be a steward of the TIME that I had with my children.  To be intentional about the opportunity I have at home with them, and choose to invest in them rather than bide the days away and wish for bedtime, so I could then have "me time" to do whatever I wanted.  So this year is a focused extension from last year's WORD.  

I want to grow to become a mother who values and cherishes the days that I have with my children.  I want to talk with them.  Play with them.  Teach them.  What good fruit comes of escaping life by living through the excitement of the internet or adventures of other people's lives?  What kind of investment is that in my children?  I want to focus less on the "projects" that I want to accomplish and more on doing simple things each day, and doing them well.  I want to be content and grateful with what I have, rather than thinking about the material things I would like to have or even acting upon those impulses and buying them.  I want to give away that which we no longer use or need, so that less truly is more, and we fully enjoy that which we have- rather than adding to the stockpile of material possessions we already have, gathering a layer of dust because of lack of use, or just plain being forgotten.  At the end of each day, I want to look at what there was to be grateful for in "today" and then BE GRATEFUL.  And for all the ways that I missed the mark today, I want to wake up tomorrow to a NEW DAY.  I want to be the change I wish to see.  In every place I find myself surrounded by people looking down at their smart phones, I want to be present.  Rather than be disappointed by what I see, I want to be the change.  I want to influence more people to put down their "escapes" to truly be present in this moment.

I am quite confident that this simple yet guiding word will result in a powerful trend towards being here and now.  And maybe, just maybe, some people will join me along the way.  And together we will learn the JOY and POWER of being transformed by BEING PRESENT.

At Last! Progress on the Dining Room Renovation

Since last winter when we installed, stained and sealed oak hardwood floors, the dining room has been in a state of useable- unfinished.  Technically the dining room renovation began in the Fall of 2015 when we removed the wood stove.  Remember this?  Everything about this corner just made me cringe!  Though it's a process that is taking us the slow and steady route, I know we will be so grateful when it is all done.  It's so easy to forget what "was" the original dining room, because we get used to each stage and forget a few steps before we arrived at each current state.  Growing further removed from the original dining room- and I sure am grateful!

This is a photo after we had installed/ finished our hardwoods in January 2016.  

In the Fall of 2016, we were in our "unfinished" usable state.  And then on a warm day in October the mess began with demo- of the drywall and insulation.  Due to a few factors, it was worth it for us to replace the drywall.  We covered up the hole where the wood stove exited and saved ourselves repair of where the "rocks" were randomly stuck on the upper walls (for decoration?)

 A few weeks later the Laird installed new insulation and drywall- and that made a huge difference in not only the brightness of the room, but the overall "more finished" appearance.  We also installed a cool semi-flush chicken wire light fixture that fits our theme quite well.  More details photos to come as the room comes together.  I painted the pine panelling around the window with a stain block primer.  Eventually we will be building in floor to ceiling bookcases on both sides of the large window, with a window seat- storage bench between.  

Indoor projects in the month of January is becoming a tradition.  We picked back up with steady work towards completion, and are seeing everything come together quite beautifully.

A couple weekends ago, we primed the new drywall.  Primer made everything look AMAZING!  We've never seen so much white in this corner (remember the awful dark wood stove?!).  It makes the room a bit brighter, which helps with such short ceilings.  

 

Always nice to have a little helper for painting!  Last weekend we revisited "Board & Batten" installation.  We loved how much it improved our stair well, with such little cost and work- we've planned to continue the B&B around the dining room when the time came.  And that time came!  Because our house is anything but level/ normal due the the age (built 1890 & lots of settling of the foundation), we had to measure & level every single board. This involved back and forth to the saw, to make things fit just right.

The Laird did an amazing job!  I painted the upper wall in a light grey color.  We still have to paint the B&B and the pine paneling around the large window.  But this is where we're at right now.  We will be adding a "picture shelf" to the top rail.  There is still quite a bit left to do, but we are making progress that is encouraging.  It sounds like it will be some time before we take on the task of the built in book cases & window seat.  But for now, I am beyond encouraged to be realizing our finished dining room.  It's been a very slow process, and I have to admit that each winter is has discouraged me to see our limited progress.  But I have realized that you don't really remember the unfinished once it's done, and all the work, steps, time it took to get there- you simply just enjoy what it is.  And it's nice to know that very soon we will be able to finally unpack all of our books, photos & "jungle room" artifacts and call this our dining room.