What's in a name

Mandy has nearly completed my blogs facelift so I thought I would tell you why I made the change.
It has now been five years since we first began the renovation of our home.
For me, it seems even longer than that!

I found this amazing picture while pinning today and it made me think about our  own home...

via

The decay is evident but there is something eerily beautiful about it. You have to look beyond the current state of things to see the beauty...the life of this house.

We have taken a house that has been in my family for 3 generations ...
And transformed it into Our Home.
And let me say... we are getting close to completion! Really close!
Prior to this renovation, our home was always referred to as Nana and Gramps.
Even though we have owned it for 15 years...
This is how everyone thought of it.
It was in need of severe changes...there was a lot of deterioration.  some things needed to be addressed immediately!

this is the original house sitting on a limestone then brick foundation.

Over the course of  5 years...twice Bill has told me to go outside until a wall was supported. Remember, this house is over 100 years old! And many people have remodeled. Beams were cut that were load bearing.
Walls were removed and then not stabilized.

The first years were consumed with rewiring of the entire house, new plumbing, heating and air ductwork to the upstairs. New furnace and ground work for central air (the condenser will be added this next Spring.) There is a new water heater, water softener (required in this area).
Insulation was installed where none ever existed and all but one window was replaced.  That's a whole lot of windows and doors!
AND DEMOLITION!

Believe it or not...this is my utility room! The bucket sink now sits where the commode is in this picture...Hard to imagine!

Whew!
 I can't even tell you how much demolition!

This is taken from our old kitchen, looking through the wall into our old living room...now kitchen/dining room

Would you a like to see a  few before and afters?
Creating these collages have really helped Bill and I see just how much we have accomplished.

Some things are even further along than these pictures show but I haven't taken any pictures in some areas for awhile...it's on my to do list!

The first 3 pictures are taken from almost the exact same spot!

The laundry room/utility room.
Sometimes things are just drawn and then created!

In some areas..there aren't any before picture available because the room didn't exist!
The hall is one such area! (It was part of our old kitchen/dining nook)
 But this gives you some idea!

This is taken from almost the same place too...See the door in 2?  it's just to the right in the other 2

This area is even further along and I will share it soon!

The upstairs bath was actually a little closet!

And the closet/Master bedroom...was once our kitchen and part of the back porch! The only thing that remained in  the same  place...was the door to the closet!
It once was the entrance to to back porch!

So much has transpired here at home...But just as much has taken place in our lives!
Along this path that we were on...We changed.

We grew even closer.
We discovered what was truly important.
Our Relationship with the Lord and each other.

Don't get me wrong...I want this to be finished more than I care to think about...but I have learned to enjoy the journey.
I have reclaimed my life.

I have discovered how to find my joy in the little things.

So what's in a name?
My new outlook on life!

I have reclaimed the joy that I thought I would never again  truly know.
I rediscovered that it's the simple things that my children now share are so much apart of who they are as adults.



It's not the surroundings...it's the ones that surround you...
with Love!
Until next time...