House Project {Week 22}

This week was certainly a mixed bag.  With Monday morning came the arrival of a fall schedule...back to school.  :(  Did summer even happen??  

We also knew that with a week's worth of work, we could get to a good "stopping" point, ie another bedroom completed and the kitchen up and running.  In case you've never had to try it out, a home's kitchen is a KEY part in keeping things running smoothly.  :)

Essentially we accomplished both things, just in time to host family for our annual Lobster Fest Saturday night and Sunday.  We didn't do a bit of work on Sunday and it felt incredible....and really unnatural.

 This is R's room on the 2nd floor.  I carefully took off each tiny shred of wallpaper and washed the paste off the walls.  Then Shaun skim-coated and patched problem areas and after a few coats, it was ready to prime.

Shaun's brothers helped him lay the floor and it was done in no time!

Done!  And on Saturday R moved all his stuff in.

 The kitchen ceiling was completed and it looks incredible.  Shaun is very particular and it really pays off in the finished product.

 Our special-order cabinets arrived so he got those right into place.  There seems to be mixed reviews about them, but we love them.  I've learned from Pinterest that its all the rage to have mis-matched cabinets and countertops right now, so we're going with it!

There is so much paint in this house, Shaun and I were happy to get some contrasting wood in.

 There are also mixed reviews about the "peninsula" and how much it cuts down on the walkway.  However, we tried it out this weekend with 30 people here and it proved to be very useful counter space.  I also think its not the worst thing to discourage some kitchen traffic, particularly 30 minutes before the food is served.  :)

Obviously there is still much to be done in there, but the big, dusty messes are a thing of the past so I've begun filling up the spaces with our belongings.  In other words, if I need a pan, I don't go to the old house or the basement to dig through boxes, I just open up the cabinet where its stored.  Nice!

 The extra third floor room served as a guest room over the weekend.  Cannot wait to tackle some of those books!

 Our bedroom is not completed, but we have clothes in our dressers and I have books on my nightstand!  I go to bed every night so, so grateful for this space to call our own.

 R and Shaun replaced these two top windows, or a window and a board, more accurately.

 My aunt made beautiful arrangements from my very own yard.

 Speaking of the yard, it was a perfect place for the kids to be running around in.

 And the porch was good for sitting and eating.

Shaun and I both love to host, to hear people loving and laughing within the walls of our home and this weekend was another good test that it can stand up to 30 or more people enjoying each other's company.

We felt so very blessed and also so very grateful to have made it this far.  It has been anything but easy and there is still much work to be done, but we are here...in a house that has working bathrooms, a functioning kitchen and enough bedrooms to house our little family plus the extras God sends our way. Life is good.

We are continuing to work on the house, but not at a frantic pace.  The things that have been put on the back burner for far too long are finally getting some attention, such as our rental property and my business and work and Shaun's ministry with Lights Up, just to name a few.