In the beginning.....

My first blog.....how do I start?  Well, I am the mom of four, wife of 1 and a complete hot mess!  I am the most unorganized person you will probably ever meet, HOWEVER I dream of organization and it is that brass ring I am still reaching for.  But, on the other hand, I am very creative!  And I just long for the kind of home where I can show that side of me.   My husband and I purchased a home in my small southern Indiana hometown about 15 years ago, with big aspirations and a microscopic budget..... basicly it has been a total bust!  We have finally learned we have great ideas but not the means or know-how.  Finally, last year I convinced my husband it was time to hire-out!  We found a carpenter that was willing to work for us on the side and we got started.

I should start by saying our house is over 100 years old.  It is a mismatch of many styles, nothing is square, everything we have tried has ended up being 10x a bigger job than what we thought.  We kind of gave up a few years ago and with three boys, life and wear and tear it had gotten to the point where I couldn't take it anymore!

So, last June, we got started.  Here is a bit about our journey so far..................

My first complaint:  The smallest master bedroom in history!  This room barely held our queen bed and a dresser.  Pictured below, it also only had one closet (mine), my poor husband had a closet in the laundry room.  So, first goal:  take out a wall in our computer room and a small bedroom next to it and create one large bedroom, the old bedroom will become part of our living room.

 Here is how it went:

 Next complaint:  My kitchen.  Last summer we refaced cabinets, bought and installed new countertops, and bought new stainless appliances.  It helped but it was still very confined and did not have adequate storage.  So, once again, down came a wall.  This wall opened the kitchen up  to a small hallway that led to the stairs.  We also made the hall closet into a nice, big pantry.  Here's how that went:

Good-bye wall!

The floor is being replaced with dark hard wood.

The old stairs...soon carpet will come off and hard wood will be added!

Then, the two bathrooms.  They were so outdated and well, disgusting!  So, new floors, new paint, new sink, new tub/shower, and new toilets.  Big difference.

Boys bathroom in process!

So, that is how the whole thing started....and now 7 months later and it is a week before Thanksgiving and we STILL ARE NOT DONE!  They finished painting today and now the final check list next week which includes:  one more new door, more trim, light fixtures, and a few odds and ends.  And Phase I will be complete.  

As soon as I am able to do so pictures will be posted!  I am so worn out over this whole project.  I never imagined it would take this long....let's face it, people build entire houses in 7 months, but like I sad we were this carpenters "side job".  I do believe it will be worth my wait.  But right now....I just want to pull my hair out.  I am ready to clean and organize!  Yes, I said organize...I have been collecting so many ideas to help with the overall organization of this family and home.  I can't wait to get started!  Not to mention it is time to get the Christmas decorations out....