Monday, April 5, 2010

A Time to Tear Down & A Time to Build

We bought this house a number of years ago as a trashed foreclosure and tore everything out to the studs -- and even moved some of them! My man, with not nearly enough help from me, did it all, with the exception of laying carpet and one tile job. But then the demands of his job increased and we had small children and the house never got completely finished. I've had a full kitchen for years, but I have no doors on the cabinets or drawers. (Actually, it's kind of convenient; having to open a cabinet will seem like a tedious step! And when my MIL helped out when I had surgery several years back, she said it made working in someone else's kitchen much easier - she could just look around to find things instead of opening numerous cabinets in search of the right dish.) Some of the sheetrock in several rooms had never been finished (taped, floated, painted), along with some other miscellaneous jobs.

Anyway, to make a short story long (as a friend of mine likes to say!), we've decided to contract the remaining jobs, which also included a new roof. It's amazing how much more a crew can accomplish as opposed to one person!

So things have been crazy around here for the past couple of weeks with more to come. But yesterday a bit of a bittersweet event happened. The kids' playscape was (partially) dismantled so that one of the workers could transport it to his house for his four-year-old daughter.




Since they are in high school, it's obviously been some time since our kids have utilized the amazing playscape Daddy built for them. And it's (mostly!) nice to have it gone. But the backyard has a big empty spot where it used to be, and it just foreshadows the empty bedrooms that will appear all too soon as the kids leave the nest. (And it made me grateful the kids still enjoy our traditional Easter basket treasure hunt!)

The reactions to the playscape's removal this weekend were a bit varied. My girl was rather nostalgic. My boy? He just said "It will be a lot easier to mow now!"




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7 comments:

Beth said...

Glad you will be getting your house finished....usually when that happens with us(finishing the house odds and ends) we end up selling! Getting rid of the playscape.....just another stepping stone in life. We looked at old pictures this weekend and wondered where the 2 little kids went! They grow up and leave the nest too fast!

Andrea said...

I admire you...glad things are progressing with the house.
Hugs,
andrea

sara said...

that's a boy for you!!! ha!

you are going to show "after" pictures, right?

Skoots1moM said...

i feel your bittersweet...;\

Barbara H. said...

There are so many bittersweet moments as the kids make that transition from childhood to adulthood. I am glad it is a gradual process to give us all time to get used to it.

I didn't know your kids were high school age. Somehow I had thought they were younger.

My man is an able do-it-yourselfer as well, but it is so nice sometimes to have a crew come in with all the right tools, equipment, and manpower, and get a job done in a short time.

Cathy said...

Change isn't easy, is it?

quilly said...

Change is both exciting and scary at once. Prayers for a peaceful transition -- well, as peaceful as construction can be!