I'm sad. I so wish I hadn't looked at the thread with pics of people's homes.

[FO4UR]

Boy, I feel better! My kitchen is a tiny box that is constantly filthy. In all reality, we will never have a "nice" home as long as I SAHM. I choose to be with my children, and so I thank God for my messy kids and the ability to SAHM even while I'm searching for counter space to place my casserole, crunching corn flakes between my toes and shouting "on the carpet" everytime I have to open the oven (b/c the oven door takes up the entire floor space and if my kids come running to me at that moment someone WILL get burned):tongue_smilie::lol:

[linders]

Dearest Colleen,

 

I sympathize...we are financially comfortable, but through inertia and the desire to avoid debt we stay in a little old house where I use my DSs artwork to cover the white melanine kitchen cabinets (no beautiful cherry here!) Those of us with such homes (and I'm sure there are many) don't bother to post pics.

 

And I must tell you, every time I buy our OV milk (a gallon every 2 days), I imagine your farm and this blissful pastoral setting where the cows low contentedly, bluebirds flutter, bees buzz...you get the idea. Much more lovely than my view of our neighbor's deck.

 

Do be heartened by all the responses here!

[LisaNY]

Precious, just precious.

 

Yes! Precious, indeed! :001_smile:

[Sharon in SC]

Hello everyone. What a joy to read your pleasant responses! I, too, admit major jealousy after scrolling through the pictures of kitchens. I repent. I used to live in a big ol' house, with a gigantic kitchen that I re-did (mostly) myself. I papered and painted and polished and scrubbed for 7 years, and finally had it absolutely perfect. New countertops, appliances, tile, flooring, it was a dream to me. Then my dh lost his job and after 4 months he found a new one...far, far away from my home. We moved from a 3,000 sq ft house into one not quite 1,600. I had to give away furniture, books, crafts that had been purchased for 'that spot in the old house that it was perfect for'. I had to give up my perfect kitchen for one that appeared to have been built for a couple who never cooked at home. Tiny doesn't come close. I have about 3 feet of counter top, total. No pantry. Old appliances, ugly wallpaper, just turn around to touch all 4 walls. So, for the 2 years we have been living here, I have been discouraged about what I left behind. I began slowly purging ugly stuff and painting and papering and cleaning and decorating and...complaining. My dh is a wise man, and would not buy beyond our means. So he is willing to commute an hour to work and I am learning to be content with my tiny kitchen. So, after admiring all the beautiful pictures, I went into my tiny kitchen that never seems to get clean because I resent it...and I started to clean and polish the old sink and rearrange the little counter to allow more working space. I shined the oven and reorganized the fridge. I moved things around to give the appearance of more breathing room. I organized my spices and cleaned my cabinets. I fluffed the curtains. I moved country crafts on the walls. I made it mine for the first time. I stood in my tiny kitchen this morning and said *thank you* that I have what I have. I am truly a blessed woman to have, not a tiny kitchen any more, but a cozy, precious one, that now belongs to me. I looked out my window and saw a beautiful forest, and flowers blooming and wrapping themselves on the deck railing. I watched the hummingbirds fuss over the feeder hanging outside my window. I saw the tiny butcher block 'island' table...a mere 2 ft. square that you have to squeeze past to get to the sink...sitting in the middle of the room, that my dh hauled a long way home so that I could have a 'country red' workspace to make bread on. I saw the cookbooks collected over 25 years all in a row, sitting in my little cabinet. I just *saw* so much. I have so much. This is my home, my little cottage in the woods, that I share with my family who loves me. So for tonight's supper I made fresh bread and roasted chicken and made a wonderful vegetable mix of fresh vegetables and herbs from my 'garden on the deck' and a crispy Italian salad and fresh peach cobbler. It's all about perspective. Thank you all for helping me to regain mine. Many blessings~

Ginger :001_smile:

 

Oh, my. I am so incredibly moved by this post.

[Sahamamama]

What is so odd is that I read people on this board all the time talking about their tight finances, but one would certainly never know it from their homes.

 

:iagree: We live in an old, small 2-bedroom house (approx. 700 square feet) with five people, in a not-so-great neighborhood near the city. I agree that sometimes people's complaints on here seem a bit ridiculous (to me) when I check out their blogs and see photos of what appear to be mansions (to me), all beautifully decorated and landscaped and in nice, quiet suburban towns. The whiners....

 

But then, it's all in a person's perspective on thankfulness, Colleen. For example, I envy you and your family because you get to live in a country setting, you get to be producers and not only consumers, you get to work with/around your husband (I assume this is a good thing?), and you have five healthy sons (I am assuming this, too -- I have also "spied" on you at your blog, and I love the pictures of your family).

 

Well, one solution to all this "envying" is to simply practice thankfulness. Thank the Lord for what you do have. Also, I stop looking. I just have to have a limit on how much I'll feed my mind with images of other people's lives. God has a plan and purpose for YOUR life, and another one for MINE. He is loving us both, not comparing us, and He is providing for our needs.

 

Hugs to you in your part of the world. :grouphug:

[Elaine]

I agree that sometimes people's complaints on here seem a bit ridiculous (to me) when I check out their blogs and see photos of what appear to be mansions (to me), all beautifully decorated and landscaped and in nice, quiet suburban towns. The whiners....

 

 

 

Hmmm, this bothered me a bit. When we purchased our home we had absolutely no way of knowing that our financial situation would take a turn. I hardly live in a mansion but yes, I do have a nice home in a lovely neighborhood. I'm sorry if that bothers you.

 

I take issue with what you said simply because I posted recently about financial woes. Life is hard and it sometimes deals unexpected blows.

 

 

I hardly consider myself a whiner. I think that wording is a little harsh.

[*anj*]

I haven't even yet begun to wade through the 105 posts between your original one and this one, Colleen. But I want you to rest assured that I understand what you're saying. We have some nice things, don't get me wrong. And our house is nothing to be ashamed of. But it needs work, there are repairs that we need to make, mostly cosmetic, but they still need to be done. It's hard for me to visit my friends and know that most of them have much more beautiful homes than I do. At this point we are really working toward a goal that doesn't include making our home more beautiful. If we work our plan we should be ready to start doing some of those things in about a year, but until then I sit here looking at the walls covered with old wallpaper, the kitchen floor that needs to be replaced, and the carpet that needs to be taken up so that the hardwood floors underneath can be finished.

 

Ho hum.

[Elaine]

I haven't even yet begun to wade through the 105 posts between your original one and this one, Colleen. But I want you to rest assured that I understand what you're saying. We have some nice things, don't get me wrong. And our house is nothing to be ashamed of. But it needs work, there are repairs that we need to make, mostly cosmetic, but they still need to be done. It's hard for me to visit my friends and know that most of them have much more beautiful homes than I do. At this point we are really working toward a goal that doesn't include making our home more beautiful. If we work our plan we should be ready to start doing some of those things in about a year, but until then I sit here looking at the walls covered with old wallpaper, the kitchen floor that needs to be replaced, and the carpet that needs to be taken up so that the hardwood floors underneath can be finished.

 

Ho hum.

 

Your home is beautiful because of the love and friendship that is found inside its four walls. :001_smile:

[*anj*]

I have about 3 feet of counter top, total. No pantry. Old appliances, ugly wallpaper, just turn around to touch all 4 walls.

 

So, after admiring all the beautiful pictures, I went into my tiny kitchen that never seems to get clean because I resent it...and I started to clean and polish the old sink and rearrange the little counter to allow more working space. I shined the oven and reorganized the fridge. I moved things around to give the appearance of more breathing room. I organized my spices and cleaned my cabinets. I fluffed the curtains. I moved country crafts on the walls. I made it mine for the first time.

 

Thanks for saying this. You've challenged me. I really could do more with this space if I put more into it. When you said that it never seems to get clean because you resent it, wow, that's me. I feel so frustrated that it isn't exactly what I want it to be that it's hard to rally around making it better at all. Does that make any sense?

 

We're not do-it-yourselfers. If we were, we could've done more around here without spending a ton of money. But when we look at the ugly wallpaper we see bumps underneath it. And those bumps make us think that the sheetrock is crumbly. And crumbly sheetrock means that it's no longer a "slap some paint on them thar walls" kind of job, you know?

 

Still, there is more that could be done?

Any makeover artists out there who want to decorate my house on a shoestring?

[mcconnellboys]

Oh, Colleen, and I envy you your wonderful farm, so there's always something else to want, isn't there? And five strong sons! How wonderful! And you're a runner, too - that's great! Cabinets ain't all that....

[*anj*]

Your home is beautiful because of the love and friendship that is found inside its four walls. :001_smile:

Don't start making me cry, Laney!

Ooops, too late. :crying:

[sarah in tenn]

I thank God for Organic milk and organic farmers.

It is a sacrifice and a service to farm and to provide for those of us that cannot raise our food.

It is a thankless job in which you do not get to hear from the many families that drink from your labor.

 

I know that does not help with your kitchen desires, but those are my thoughts on it.

 

sarah

[Sharon in SC]

[quote name=Sahamamama;363202 God has a plan and purpose for YOUR life' date=' and another one for MINE. He is loving us both, not comparing us, and He is providing for our needs.

 

 

I suspect that if we were all honest, we'd have to confess sentiment at least remotely similar to Colleen's when she started this post. I have a *beautiful* to me kitchen that dh has painstakingly created for our family. Yet, when I viewed some of the other kitchens that were pictured on the other thread, I had to catch myself from coveting the 9 ft ceilings and bigger spaces. In the course of that process, I was reminded of this: "When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves....they are not wise."

 

It is so true that we need to purposefully, at times, focus on the things *we* are blessed with and remember that, as you said here, God has a distinct plan and purpose for every last one of us! :)

[*anj*]

Colleen,

Your cabinets are eerily similar to mine! Even the metal handles are similar. Yikes!!

[gardenschooler]

So, after admiring all the beautiful pictures, I went into my tiny kitchen that never seems to get clean because I resent it...and I started to clean and polish the old sink and rearrange the little counter to allow more working space. I shined the oven and reorganized the fridge. I moved things around to give the appearance of more breathing room. I organized my spices and cleaned my cabinets. I fluffed the curtains. I moved country crafts on the walls. I made it mine for the first time. I stood in my tiny kitchen this morning and said *thank you* that I have what I have. I am truly a blessed woman to have, not a tiny kitchen any more, but a cozy, precious one, that now belongs to me.

 

I looked out my window and saw a beautiful forest, and flowers blooming and wrapping themselves on the deck railing. I watched the hummingbirds fuss over the feeder hanging outside my window.

 

I have so much. This is my home, my little cottage in the woods, that I share with my family who loves me.

 

Beautiful post. Thank you for this.

[Amy in Orlando]

Anj, Are you near a Home Depot or a Lowe's? They offer free classes on just about any remodeling stuff. If the walls under your wallpaper are that bad, what about beaded board? (Here's a link http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://nassaucabinets.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/5Off_white_Bead_Board.103143149_std.jpg&imgrefurl=http://nassaucabinets.com/door_styles&h=986&w=800&sz=38&hl=en&start=48&um=1&tbnid=6ZOtM0Nu6p_sUM:&tbnh=149&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbeaded%2Bboard%26start%3D36%26ndsp%3D18%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dcom.google:en-US:official%26sa%3DN) You can buy it in sheets and it's pretty easy to cut and put up. This is what we did in our main bathroom because the drywall was beyond smoothing. I love it.

 

Cabinets can be painted and door handles changed - it's learning process, but you have to start somewhere. And ... it's just paint. It's relatively cheap and easily changed.

[Sharon in SC]

Yet, when I viewed some of the other kitchens that were pictured on the other thread, I had to catch myself from coveting the 9 ft ceilings and bigger spaces. In the course of that process, I was reminded of this: "When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves....they are not wise."

 

It is so true that we need to purposefully, at times, focus on the things *we* are blessed with and remember that, as you said here, God has a distinct plan and purpose for every last one of us! :)

 

You know, we humans, in our flesh, are crazy creatures at times. I was fixing my coffee this morning thinking about this thread and had to giggle at myself. I remembered sharing that I found myself coveting the 9 ft ceilings and *bigger* spaces in other kitchens. What is one of the key things I've shared that I *enjoy* about my kitchen? The compactness of it (and how I can do all that I want to do with minimal travel)! :tongue_smilie: Just slap me. Bigger kitchen? Psshhh. Who needs it?! :D

 

Blessings to every last one of you in the kitchen in which you're planted, dear ladies!!!

[Lizzie in Ma]

Of my kitchen! Trust me, it will make you appreciate yours!

Not that I am not grateful for a kitchen at all, I am , I truly am but I miss the kitchen in the home I grew up in so much. It was a real, old, farmhouse kitchen where everyone always seemed to gather.

I have a very very small galley style kitchen with antique (not in a good way) mix and match cabinets that no one can reach anyway, a bookshelf to put pantry items on (what a waste, I NEED the shelf!) and one vicious cabinet that everyone has almost put an eye out on!

 

Did I mention my bathroom? All in the interest of making you feel better, I will give you a visual on it. Walk into my bedroom, take a right at the bookshelf holding dh's clothing. Stop and peek in. Yes, that "closet" is a shower we can't use because we have no closet space or storage. The lumber, yeah, well, Mike is going to build a closet any day now, in his spare time, for the last 2 years.

There is a huge garbage can next to the toilet that, if you sit on it, bangs your knees into the wall. Oh, and the kids are afraid of it and will not go in there after dark.

 

See? Feeling better aren't you?

I do know how you feel, I keep strictly away from the H&G channel, any magazine with the word "living" in it and threads like the one that bummed you out. I like feeling content and happy and grateful and I do not want to covet or envy or wish for anything I don't have and I know me, looking at it will make me feel that way.

 

Blessings to you today

Lizzie

[titianmom]

Hello everyone. What a joy to read your pleasant responses! I, too, admit major jealousy after scrolling through the pictures of kitchens. I repent. I used to live in a big ol' house, with a gigantic kitchen that I re-did (mostly) myself. I papered and painted and polished and scrubbed for 7 years, and finally had it absolutely perfect. New countertops, appliances, tile, flooring, it was a dream to me. Then my dh lost his job and after 4 months he found a new one...far, far away from my home. We moved from a 3,000 sq ft house into one not quite 1,600. I had to give away furniture, books, crafts that had been purchased for 'that spot in the old house that it was perfect for'. I had to give up my perfect kitchen for one that appeared to have been built for a couple who never cooked at home. Tiny doesn't come close. I have about 3 feet of counter top, total. No pantry. Old appliances, ugly wallpaper, just turn around to touch all 4 walls. So, for the 2 years we have been living here, I have been discouraged about what I left behind. I began slowly purging ugly stuff and painting and papering and cleaning and decorating and...complaining. My dh is a wise man, and would not buy beyond our means. So he is willing to commute an hour to work and I am learning to be content with my tiny kitchen. So, after admiring all the beautiful pictures, I went into my tiny kitchen that never seems to get clean because I resent it...and I started to clean and polish the old sink and rearrange the little counter to allow more working space. I shined the oven and reorganized the fridge. I moved things around to give the appearance of more breathing room. I organized my spices and cleaned my cabinets. I fluffed the curtains. I moved country crafts on the walls. I made it mine for the first time. I stood in my tiny kitchen this morning and said *thank you* that I have what I have. I am truly a blessed woman to have, not a tiny kitchen any more, but a cozy, precious one, that now belongs to me. I looked out my window and saw a beautiful forest, and flowers blooming and wrapping themselves on the deck railing. I watched the hummingbirds fuss over the feeder hanging outside my window. I saw the tiny butcher block 'island' table...a mere 2 ft. square that you have to squeeze past to get to the sink...sitting in the middle of the room, that my dh hauled a long way home so that I could have a 'country red' workspace to make bread on. I saw the cookbooks collected over 25 years all in a row, sitting in my little cabinet. I just *saw* so much. I have so much. This is my home, my little cottage in the woods, that I share with my family who loves me. So for tonight's supper I made fresh bread and roasted chicken and made a wonderful vegetable mix of fresh vegetables and herbs from my 'garden on the deck' and a crispy Italian salad and fresh peach cobbler. It's all about perspective. Thank you all for helping me to regain mine. Many blessings~

Ginger :001_smile:

 

I appreciated this. It really is all on how you view things, ;)

 

Kim

(it's that "learning to be content in all things" thing that Paul talked about...I'm still working on it. :tongue_smilie:)

[Pensguys]

Colleen, I totally understand. I get caught up in comparing my house to those I know in real life and it REALLY gets me down. I haven't looked at the pictures you mentioned, but I did see the pictures on your blog of your house. I would love to have your picture window. You have a cute little house, but I can understand where you are coming from.

 

You don't know HOW I stress when I know people are coming over here to pick up their child from a playdate with my kids or to pick up my child to go with them! Oh, how I stress. For the longest time I wouldn't invite a few of my closest friends over. One of them finally convinced me that they are coming to see ME, not my house. It is very hard though when we're sort of "stuck" too. No money to fix it up because we're paying off some debt and just plain living. I guess we could give up cable and our cell phones and the DVR and some meals out, but those things are important to us right now.

 

:grouphug:

[Scuff]

and shouting "on the carpet" everytime I have to open the oven (b/c the oven door takes up the entire floor space and if my kids come running to me at that moment someone WILL get burned):tongue_smilie::lol:

 

Yup! I mentioned already that our kitchen is a hallway. The oven door almost touches the cabinets. So the kids know they must not be anywhere near me when I open it. And if they need to go potty (the bathroom is on the other side of the door) They are banned to the bathroom until I tell them they can get out. lol

[*anj*]

Anj, Are you near a Home Depot or a Lowe's? They offer free classes on just about any remodeling stuff. If the walls under your wallpaper are that bad, what about beaded board? (Here's a link http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://nassaucabinets.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/5Off_white_Bead_Board.103143149_std.jpg&imgrefurl=http://nassaucabinets.com/door_styles&h=986&w=800&sz=38&hl=en&start=48&um=1&tbnid=6ZOtM0Nu6p_sUM:&tbnh=149&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbeaded%2Bboard%26start%3D36%26ndsp%3D18%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dcom.google:en-US:official%26sa%3DN) You can buy it in sheets and it's pretty easy to cut and put up. This is what we did in our main bathroom because the drywall was beyond smoothing. I love it.

 

Cabinets can be painted and door handles changed - it's learning process, but you have to start somewhere. And ... it's just paint. It's relatively cheap and easily changed.

 

Amy,

I somehow missed this last night. That's a good idea, and one I hadn't considered. I bought some beaded board to put in my powder room when we redid it a few years ago and it's still sitting in the garage. But that would be a good option for this kitchen. And yes, we are relatively close to both of those stores, so that's another good idea.

Thanks!:001_smile:

[*anj*]

You know, we humans, in our flesh, are crazy creatures at times. I was fixing my coffee this morning thinking about this thread and had to giggle at myself.

 

I've been coveting a coffee maker every morning when I make my coffee. How ridiculous is that? I am lusting after a coffee maker!

[*anj*]

 

Blessings to you today

Lizzie

 

Hey Lizzie,

I took a look at your blog and smiled. I used to work at the Six Flags Park formerly known as Riverside! I worked there for the last two summers of high school. I lived in CT, but as you know, it's just down the road from there. There were times that I actually walked to work.

Fun times!

--a

[titianmom]

I think a lot of this is natural in a way. I realize we shouldn't covet other people's things, but we ladies often see our homes as a reflection of ourselves and it bothers us when things aren't what they should be.

 

I get frazzled over mess sometimes and go through the house fussing "I want my house back! Pick this mess up!" :001_huh: (Espression on kids/husband's face)

 

But things can fry you when you're in your house most of the day and it isn't as it should be. I even have trouble sleeping when there's chaos everywhere. I insist on cleaning the house before a trip, just so that I don't have to see disaster when I get home all tired out, etc.

 

We can't take it all with us when we go, and I hear the next house is a real mansion :hurray: :party::thumbup:

:)

 

Remember, this is just the dressing room. The play hasn't even started, yet.

 

Kim

 

 

Colleen, I totally understand. I get caught up in comparing my house to those I know in real life and it REALLY gets me down. I haven't looked at the pictures you mentioned, but I did see the pictures on your blog of your house. I would love to have your picture window. You have a cute little house, but I can understand where you are coming from.

 

You don't know HOW I stress when I know people are coming over here to pick up their child from a playdate with my kids or to pick up my child to go with them! Oh, how I stress. For the longest time I wouldn't invite a few of my closest friends over. One of them finally convinced me that they are coming to see ME, not my house. It is very hard though when we're sort of "stuck" too. No money to fix it up because we're paying off some debt and just plain living. I guess we could give up cable and our cell phones and the DVR and some meals out, but those things are important to us right now.

 

:grouphug:

[Colleen]

Your kind words are an encouragement to me.

 

I thank God for Organic milk and organic farmers.

It is a sacrifice and a service to farm and to provide for those of us that cannot raise our food.

It is a thankless job in which you do not get to hear from the many families that drink from your labor.

 

I know that does not help with your kitchen desires, but those are my thoughts on it.

 

sarah

[Colleen]

All the homeschool "stuff?" I'm just wondering because, like you, our kitchen table has also served as a school table, and I have no storage around my kitchen table, so I am always have to haul things in and out. Do you have books and papers in the china cabinet? Or the cubboards?

 

In the cupboards, yes; it's not a big deal to take out what we need. You'd be surprised, too, at how little homeschooling materials I have given the number of children here. I've never had a strong desire for a school room, but if I did have one, I'd likely use cupboards there, too. I don't like having everything visible on shelves; just feels like clutter to me.

[Colleen]

I so appreciate your honesty; thanks for posting. I value all the contributions people have made to this conversation.:)

[Colleen]

And I must tell you, every time I buy our OV milk (a gallon every 2 days), I imagine your farm and this blissful pastoral setting where the cows low contentedly, bluebirds flutter, bees buzz...you get the idea. Much more lovely than my view of our neighbor's deck. Do be heartened by all the responses here!

 

I am heartened, truly. Thanks for posting ~ and thanks for supporting your local Organic Valley farmers.:)

[Guest kacifl]

If times get bad, I think that we'll have enough money to keep it warm in the winter and cool the summer. More cool, than warm... we're in Fl.

I am one of the few out there in the world who likes lower ceilings. I don't like them over 9-10 feet. I love my cozy house.... just wish it was in Georgia so I could be close to my daughter! K

[frogpond1]

I've felt that envy before. It isn't worth it though. Reality is there are a whole lot of us who have dilapidated kitchens. I wish you could see mine. Melamine and pressboard make terrible cabinets. I didn't look at the beautiful kitchen photos, but even the most beautiful kitchen will be dated and decaying in another 15 years. Go pick or buy a beautiful bouquet of flowers and enjoy them. They'll give you much more pleasure than a beautiful kitchen.

[Guest kacifl]

All of my cozy memories are sitting in warm, warn-out kitchens. I don't have memories of someone's super remodeled, dazzler. This also pertains to kitchens of my friends. Interesting...

 

Also, here in Florida, if your kitchen looks brand new it may be because the family eats out. When house hunting I've had realtors actually say to us that certain kitchens were rarely or never used!

[Lizzie in Ma]

Hey Lizzie,

I took a look at your blog and smiled. I used to work at the Six Flags Park formerly known as Riverside! I worked there for the last two summers of high school. I lived in CT, but as you know, it's just down the road from there. There were times that I actually walked to work.

Fun times!

--a

 

Cool! I still can't believe my little one went on the Man of Steel!

What a cool place to work, especially if you like to people watch. :001_smile:

[*anj*]

Cool! I still can't believe my little one went on the Man of Steel!

What a cool place to work, especially if you like to people watch. :001_smile:

 

That is pretty impressive indeed!

Yeah, it was a cool and interesting place to work, though very different from the megapark that it is now. It was a family run business back then. I definitely learned some life lessons there. And yes, there were many interesting people to watch, especially on race car night. Do they still have racing there?

[RegularMom]

Queen Zarga,

 

No worries. I actually know what you mean. There are things that I love that most people would toss.

 

If you like, when we remodel, I'll save you my old kitchen counters. You can have 'em... free of charge. :)

[Colleen]

I meant to reply to you but as I am often wont to do, I only thought my post and never got around to typing it up.:D I so identify with what you're saying about not having the werewithal to make improvements. In my case, the underlying issue is that there really are major structural problems with our house. All the cosmetic stuff in the world won't change the screwed up foundation and so on. And every project seems to start a domino-effect; just starting one thing, I'll end up bogged down in a whole bunch of things, kwim?

 

We're not do-it-yourselfers. If we were, we could've done more around here without spending a ton of money. But when we look at the ugly wallpaper we see bumps underneath it. And those bumps make us think that the sheetrock is crumbly. And crumbly sheetrock means that it's no longer a "slap some paint on them thar walls" kind of job, you know?

 

Yep, I know! We aren't DIYers, either. (I'd never even seen that acronym, btw, until Dy took it on here. I had to ask what it meant!) Hans is not a home project guy, and anyway he spends every day doing it himself out in the barn. I am not creative, not great with remodel type projects. And anything I've done to improve the appearance of this house has required a lot of work. I've spent countless hours removing layer upon layer upon layer of wallpaper and discovered newspaper and crumbly sheetrock underneath it all. Nothing is straight-forward here.

 

Any-hoo, just wanted you to know I understand. Oh, and I had to smile when you said our cupboards are eerily similar. Mine were custom made in the early 60s by a guy here in town. We went to church with him for ten years or so until he passed away just recently. Very kind man, very talented, but he made exactly ONE style of cupboard, and he installed them in many a home in this area. I've seen these same cabinets and hinges and handles throughout town ~ including at our church.:tongue_smilie:

[muffinmom]

OK, if I can figure it out, I will add my photos to the other thread and then maybe you will feel better! I have hardly any counter space!

 

 

Yeah...I have about 2 feet of counter space (1920s house). I've been known to beat cake batter while sitting on the floor. Or I take it to other rooms. And then when people come over for dinner and want to hang out in the kitchen--ack! I can hardly turn around in it myself. But it's been this way since we moved in nearly 12 years ago, so I'm sort of used to it. Maybe one day we'll redo it, but there aren't many options for making it more spacious because of the footprint of the house. We could make it cuter, but I'd probably still have only 2 feet of counter space!!

[*anj*]

All the cosmetic stuff in the world won't change the screwed up foundation and so on. And every project seems to start a domino-effect; just starting one thing, I'll end up bogged down in a whole bunch of things, kwim?

 

Yes, I do know. That's how it happened with our powder room. I just wanted to paint it, but the walls were covered in this ugly pink vinyl wallpaper. So I started peeling it off. By the time it was all peeled off it became clear that there had been a good amount of water damage and that the sheetrock needed to be replaced. And why only one wall? Oh, and the floor too, because it was garbage. And then our friend came to help and he ended up gutting the bathroom. And then he hung the sheetrock, but had to leave before the sanding part, so dh got saddled with it and I'm not sure that he's forgiven me for that yet.

It was a fiasco.

The bathroom is pretty cute now, but it was a nightmare. And that's the reason that he doesn't want me to just start peeling wallpaper in the kitchen willy-nilly.

I need to get Laney up here though, because I have a feeling she'd know what to do. She has a great eye for things like that!

 

Any-hoo, just wanted you to know I understand. Oh, and I had to smile when you said our cupboards are eerily similar. Mine were custom made in the early 60s by a guy here in town. We went to church with him for ten years or so until he passed away just recently. Very kind man, very talented, but he made exactly ONE style of cupboard, and he installed them in many a home in this area. I've seen these same cabinets and hinges and handles throughout town ~ including at our church.:tongue_smilie:

 

Aha! Well I'm pretty sure he didn't make mine then. Maybe his brother made mine! They aren't horrible. They are very, very well made. It's just that they aren't well placed, have immovable shelves, and are badly in need of refinishing (or painting.)

I usually like for wood to look like wood, but I think that this tiny kitchen might feel bigger and brighter if I painted those cabinets and updated the metalwork.

 

Anyway, thanks for replying Colleen. I know what you mean about formulating answers in the brain and then forgetting to actually type them out. I do it ALL the time!!

[HSMom2One]

I think a lot of this is natural in a way. I realize we shouldn't covet other people's things, but we ladies often see our homes as a reflection of ourselves and it bothers us when things aren't what they should be.

 

I get frazzled over mess sometimes and go through the house fussing "I want my house back! Pick this mess up!" :001_huh: (Espression on kids/husband's face)

 

But things can fry you when you're in your house most of the day and it isn't as it should be. I even have trouble sleeping when there's chaos everywhere. I insist on cleaning the house before a trip, just so that I don't have to see disaster when I get home all tired out, etc.

 

We can't take it all with us when we go, and I hear the next house is a real mansion :hurray: :party::thumbup:

:)

 

Remember, this is just the dressing room. The play hasn't even started, yet.

 

Kim

 

Yes! This is exactly how I am and how I feel too. It's not important to me that I have the latest and greatest, the shiniest and the best, but I do want it to be clean and orderly. Our homes are a reflection of us, just as our husband's jobs are so much a part of their identity. But even so, in the long run this is all just temporary. That's how I keep myself from getting too wrapped up in the house thing and allowing myself to get stuck in jealousy. It would be so awesome to get the remodel we've been waiting for, but I know it isn't as important as other things right now. I try to keep in mind that it's all about the people in the house and not the house itself.

 

When we come to the end of the road and have the opportunity to think about our lives, our thoughts won't be on the houses we had, the money in the bank, the toys we accumulated or places we've been -- our thoughts will most likely be on who we loved and who loved us.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda