Before and After

I've decided to post a brief account of how we changed our house since we first moved into it, complete with before and after photos.

Originally the living room walls were the same dark paneling as the bedroom and the dining room was a faded mint green. It's amazing what a can of paint can do.


Phase two was installing laminate flooring. We did most of it ourselves but did hire a pro to come in and do the more difficult parts at the end.


As soon as we moved in we pulled off the kitchen's old floral wallpaper with one tug. Because its dark wood cabinets made the room seem really dingy, we removed all the hardware, filled the holes in the doors, painted them cream, and added new hardware. We replaced the worn countertop with a stock one from Lowe's and painted the backsplash and walls.


Phase 2 saw the addition of a new kitchen floor: the same laminate flooring that we were installing in the living and dining rooms.

Phase 3: We tore out two kitchen walls, glazed the cabinets (Sherwin Williams' French Roast, very easy to do), bought new appliances, and put in a new kitchen island with breakfast bar. Oh, and we got rid of the fluorescent fixtures and added pendant and can lights.  I'm sorry that I don't have any photos of these changes yet.

Moving On

The Buddhist philosophy is that life is flux and change; nothing stays the same. How true.

Take my life, for example. In the past few months Andy and his family moved out of the basement and Christopher decided to take over their former domain, bequeathing us peace and quiet upstairs. We've redone the master bath and kitchen and landscaped the yard. Dan's career will require extensive travel for the next few years so we've decided to put our home on the market. We've given away and sold all but the most precious of possessions, which our children will receive. I said goodbye to a treasured part of my childhood when my father passed away. Now I'm saying goodbye to my day-to-day job as a mother because today my youngest child becomes a legal adult.

Saying goodbye to some things by default means saying hello to others. Sadness gives way to joy, the loss of some things makes room for others. My children are young adults with dreams of finding love and eventually settling down. And I, on the other hand, look forward to my new phase of life as an "empty nester," free of needless possessions and able to travel.

It's all good.