You didn't really think I was going to do twenty-six posts straight and not slip in a few about our recent renovations, did you? After all, for better or worse, this has been a major portion of our life for the last four months or so.
Whenever things get too difficult or we feel unable to do something, we just have to slip in "we're renovating" into our conversation, and people immediately sympathise. It's been an excuse for not practicing the flute as often as I ought, for not losing weight, for being unable to concentrate, for preparing the same meal night after night, for a garden that is overgrown and a lawn that is all chewed up like a war zone, for not being able to find anything, and a host of other things.
But the worst of it is over and now we can sit back and look with delight at the changes that have taken place. And delighted we are. In fact it's hard to say what delights us most: is it to be rid of the dropped ceilings and warren of rooms that are now replaced with a well-proportioned bedroom with high ceilings that our sons have claimed as "their" bedroom when they next come home? Is it a laundry that is once again inside and has a tub that large items can be placed in and a floor that doesn't slope all over the place? Is it just having our back entrance tidied up and room allocated for our chest freezer? Or is it the new French doors that invite one to sit at the dining table and enjoy the view beyond? Or perhaps it's the new kitchen that has us so delighted?
It's all of the above but especially the last two. They have changed the way we use the space and have exceeded our dreams that we had for this area. Now we're looking forward to realising other dreams - we're already experienced the dream of one family dinner in our new dining space - and that of baking with some very precious granddaughters in my new kitchen must be the next dream to be fulfilled.
But as with all things, nothing is perfect. There have been a few disappointments along the way and a few things that will probably grate on DH long after they've ceased to be an issue for me (such as that light switch that doesn't quite fit between the door frame and the kitchen cupboards). But, the latest disappointment - and let me emphasise that is is only a minor disappointment - is to do with the lights in my kitchen. Several weeks ago, Son#1 began installing the lights in the kitchen. We were thrilled with what he'd done and had no reason to suspect that it would not remain so. Apart from waiting for the electricians to finish wiring up (and yes we're still waiting) there were just the shades to go up when they arrived.
But we've discovered a problem. The shades don't go on our pendant fittings. There's nothing to hold them in place. It seems that they are the wrong shades - or the wrong fittings, depending how you look at it. DH and Son#1 tend toward the view that the shades are wrong and have to be replaced whereas I tend toward the other view that it's the fittings that are wrong and need to be replaced. There are several reasons for this.
I love the shades as they are. The colour, the shape and the price all suit me. The so-called correct shades may not be the same shade of blue (and you all know how much I love blue), are a different shape, and cost three times as much! I also seem to have lost the receipt for the shades that we currently hold in our possession which means I may not be able to return them.
Son#1 apparently told DH that he was sent the wrong fittings, so I'm struggling to understand why we can't just change the fittings - unless it's going to mean new holes in my new ceiling which I obviously don't want. But it would be worth a try first ... wouldn't it? ... before I buy new shades that I'm not so delighted with.
Sigh. Just when I think it's all coming together and that nothing else can go wrong (there's a reason we still don't have our range hood up but that's another story of disappointment and wrong parts), something does go wrong. I'm sure there's a reason for it ... but right now I can't see it. On the other hand, there's enough that's gone right to fill us with delight and give us reason to keep on dreaming.
Whenever things get too difficult or we feel unable to do something, we just have to slip in "we're renovating" into our conversation, and people immediately sympathise. It's been an excuse for not practicing the flute as often as I ought, for not losing weight, for being unable to concentrate, for preparing the same meal night after night, for a garden that is overgrown and a lawn that is all chewed up like a war zone, for not being able to find anything, and a host of other things.
But the worst of it is over and now we can sit back and look with delight at the changes that have taken place. And delighted we are. In fact it's hard to say what delights us most: is it to be rid of the dropped ceilings and warren of rooms that are now replaced with a well-proportioned bedroom with high ceilings that our sons have claimed as "their" bedroom when they next come home? Is it a laundry that is once again inside and has a tub that large items can be placed in and a floor that doesn't slope all over the place? Is it just having our back entrance tidied up and room allocated for our chest freezer? Or is it the new French doors that invite one to sit at the dining table and enjoy the view beyond? Or perhaps it's the new kitchen that has us so delighted?
It's all of the above but especially the last two. They have changed the way we use the space and have exceeded our dreams that we had for this area. Now we're looking forward to realising other dreams - we're already experienced the dream of one family dinner in our new dining space - and that of baking with some very precious granddaughters in my new kitchen must be the next dream to be fulfilled.
But as with all things, nothing is perfect. There have been a few disappointments along the way and a few things that will probably grate on DH long after they've ceased to be an issue for me (such as that light switch that doesn't quite fit between the door frame and the kitchen cupboards). But, the latest disappointment - and let me emphasise that is is only a minor disappointment - is to do with the lights in my kitchen. Several weeks ago, Son#1 began installing the lights in the kitchen. We were thrilled with what he'd done and had no reason to suspect that it would not remain so. Apart from waiting for the electricians to finish wiring up (and yes we're still waiting) there were just the shades to go up when they arrived.
But we've discovered a problem. The shades don't go on our pendant fittings. There's nothing to hold them in place. It seems that they are the wrong shades - or the wrong fittings, depending how you look at it. DH and Son#1 tend toward the view that the shades are wrong and have to be replaced whereas I tend toward the other view that it's the fittings that are wrong and need to be replaced. There are several reasons for this.
I love the shades as they are. The colour, the shape and the price all suit me. The so-called correct shades may not be the same shade of blue (and you all know how much I love blue), are a different shape, and cost three times as much! I also seem to have lost the receipt for the shades that we currently hold in our possession which means I may not be able to return them.
Son#1 apparently told DH that he was sent the wrong fittings, so I'm struggling to understand why we can't just change the fittings - unless it's going to mean new holes in my new ceiling which I obviously don't want. But it would be worth a try first ... wouldn't it? ... before I buy new shades that I'm not so delighted with.
Sigh. Just when I think it's all coming together and that nothing else can go wrong (there's a reason we still don't have our range hood up but that's another story of disappointment and wrong parts), something does go wrong. I'm sure there's a reason for it ... but right now I can't see it. On the other hand, there's enough that's gone right to fill us with delight and give us reason to keep on dreaming.
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Son #2