House Reno :: {Week 1}

I'm not sure we can call it a complete week but we are! We are ready to start new! 

Let me catch you up! 

1. we sold our house in 6 days

2. we couldn't find a place to buy/move into to and we weren't really willing to "settle"

3.  we found a 1925 fixer upper on 7 acres on the Muskegon River (river frontage)

4.  we moved out of our house last Sunday so that we didn't have to move in the middle of the week and so we could get it cleaned up for the new homeowners

5.  we stayed in our friends guest house for the days in between having to be out of our house and moving into the old/new house. 

whew! 

We said "good bye" to our house on Wednesday.  This was a terribly hard thing to do.  I begged my husband to come home and help me but he just couldn't.  It felt as if I was glued to the floor.  I literally couldn't walk out the front door.  I was soaked in tears and felt paralyzed.  I was explaining to the boys one...more...time that we were not going to be coming back to this house.  Zak, my super soft and tender heart-ed son, started crying as well.  We don't look super happy but we wanted to "document" our last day there..as tough as it was.

To spare my own tears again ;) I won't go into detail WHY this was hard.  So let's move on!

We stayed in a little old farm house on the "Winell Ranch" for the remainder of the week until we could close on the "river shack" on Thursday morning.  We got possession of the house that afternoon.  I grabbed my husband his favorite beer and a fish grilling pan and welcomed him home.  He is incredibly excited to be at the "river shack".  I can honestly say it's his dream! So that makes every fight, every drop of sweat, every tear and blood to come worth it! 

We "moved in" Thursday night and we had dear dear friends who came and helped clean and unpack a little.  We slept our first night in our new/old house.  Exhausted but motivated to renovate! 

Call me crazy but I think I had way too high of expectations of how this renovation would go.  I will admit right now...I am naive and did not expect many bumps...that was shot down to the ground on day one!

We woke up and Benjamen needed a bath right away.  He went to the bathroom and I started running the bath.  Within minutes the toilet and the sink in the bathroom started backing up and our bathroom was flooded.  

Rise and Shine! huh? This is still a problem we are working on.  Someone somewhere didn't do their job and we found out the hard way...BUT we are finding the joy in the fact that this happened on the first day there...not six months down the road.  

Here are some of the instagram posts from this week...

"Different view this morning.  Because I am too blessed to be stressed...I will be thankful and filled with joy! Thankful that we have a house on the river, crappy as I may think it is, it's what God gave us and I will be grateful! For a warm heating blanket, for my husbands work now being 5 minutes away, for friends who helped us move! Let the 1925 house renovations begin! Buying paint today! and shopping for wood floors! Thankful for these "sweet williams" flowers from a sweet friend!"

"My favorite fall flower.  Thanks friend for the housewarming gift!"

"Waking up in a place I cannot yet call home (because I haven't made it home) and having one thing after another go wrong.  Leaks, drain fields, peeing in the car (ben), more unexpected money spent, and backing into a tree.  I can honestly say I am physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally drained...so this "mug" therapy is helping me tonight! Thankful it's a new day tomorrow and His mercies are new everyday!"

"Little house warming gift from a sweet aunt and neighbor (because 7 miles away up here is still a neighbor).  Grateful for a good night sleep and a new day!"

"Little sister helping me make this a home!"

This week was hard.  Not only are we renovating a home but we are renovating our lives and finding our weaknesses, struggles and how to love each other through our impatience, irritability and obstacles in our way.  How to rid ourselves of ungodliness as we tear into a home.  Thankful for his promises this week...that His mercies are new every morning.  That although it was hard to leave my home...it's temporary...God is still good and my home in Him is eternal.  No matter how hard this move will be for us...HIS power is made PERFECT in our weakness.  That I can love my family unconditionally because He loves me and I am so incredibly undeserving of it.  Makes the troubles of renovating a house seem small...

You are my portion, Lord;
    I have promised to obey your words.
58 I have sought your face with all my heart;
    be gracious to me according to your promise.
59 I have considered my ways
    and have turned my steps to your statutes.
60 I will hasten and not delay
    to obey your commands.

Because of our big/small troubles we will have to renovate the bathroom first.  You can kind of get a glimpse of it in the picture above.  It is long and narrow but I have big plans for it ;)

Here is our check list:

-  rip up flooring

-  get rid of sink and toilet

-  tile shower and replace fixtures in shower

-  replace vanity and mirrors and sink

-  tile floor and replace toilet

-  take off closet door, re-do shelving and make it organized open shelving

-  curtains

- install shelving behind toilet

-  decor

I wouldn't mind taking a vote...

What is your opinion on the bathroom vanities...

something like this?

Keep in mind we are going for a farm house look with lots of character...(I am not a modern decor' fan)...

a trough style sink ... so we would just take the top of the vanity off here and add a trough style sink with two faucets.  

or something like this....

or two of these...

and the wall colors will be this by Sherwin Williams...

This will be the only bathroom for now so it needs to suite the entire family so unfortunately pedestal sinks are out.  But let me know your opinion please! I will gladly take suggestions! Just so you can see it all this is our color palette for the entire house...

 

Raising my coffee mug and toasting coffee to a new week!