I Bought a Light
My husband and I moved into our most recent home in August of 2018. Built in 1921 and almost completely remodeled, we knew we wouldn't do any major remodeling other than an eventual kitchen update. Then in April of 2019, I bought a light. The fixture in the sunroom was original to the home, and while a unique piece, it had seen better days, and, based on the scorch marks around the light sockets, was probably a fire hazard as well. So I bought a light. When my husband took down the old light to hang the new, he made a startling discovery; a ceiling above the ceiling! Since the ceiling in the sunroom was the lowest on the first floor (8 feet compared to 9 feet everywhere else), and the ceiling above it was another twelve inches higher, we were faced with a decision. Based on what we could see, the higher ceiling had water damage from a previous roof issue and much of the plaster was hanging from the lath. To repair it we would have to remove the plaster, then the lath, add insulation, and then rebuild the ceiling. We knew if we proceeded, we would be doing all the work. Were we really up for the challenge? After much consideration (and a quick poll of my Facebook friends), we decided to take the lower ceiling down. But before we began, we had another thought. There are hardwood floors throughout the house. What if there was a hardwood floor under the carpet in the sunroom? So we pulled up a corner and checked. There wasn't. But the original linoleum was there, which gave us an idea. Why not put tile down in place of the carpet and make the room a "true" sunroom? Good-bye carpet.
So the remodeling process began. The carpet was the first thing to go. Removing that was a piece of cake. The linoleum? Not so much. That was put down with tar. A lot of muscle went into removing it. And it was sticky! Once it was up we lined the floor with cardboard.
The lower ceiling was next. Luckily, there is a set of French doors at each end of the sunroom that lead into the dining and living rooms. We closed those to keep the mess out of the rest of the house and went to work. The lower ceiling came down as you would expect. There wasn't much to it. However, when we started to pull it down, we discovered that what we thought were painted plaster walls, were actually wallpapered plaster walls that had been painted over. Add removing three layers of wallpaper to the remodel.
On to the original ceiling. Taking that down involved a lot of sweat, physical labor, and even more dust and dirt. Ninety-eight years worth of dust and dirt. The ceiling may have been down, but the entire room was covered in black dust. The clean-up was almost as time consuming as the demolition.
Finally, we were down to the bare bones and it was time to rebuild. First up was the sub-floor. Just removing the cardboard and replacing it with luan made a difference. Next was a new window. Although not originally in our plans, it was in desperate need of replacing. Thank goodness for my brother-in-law. It was one less thing we had to do ourselves.
We were now ready to move on to the ceiling. We'd done a lot of work so far and decided if we were going to rebuild, we were going to rebuild in style. After some internet research, we finally decided on a coffered ceiling.
While my husband was busy building the ceiling, I was busy picking out tile for the floor and the fireplace hearth. Morris Flooring has a fabulous selection of just about any kind of tile you can imagine. I changed my mind on style several times, but finally chose some wonderful tile for both the floor and the hearth. While I was browsing floor tile, I came across a gorgeous wall tile called "Gatsby White Tin". Named after my favorite fictional character, I knew it was meant to be in the sunroom. We decided it would look great on the fireplace. Since it was so close to the color of the fireplace brick, the brick would have to be repainted in order for there to be some contrast. Add another improvement to our small little project.
The coffered ceiling was the most time-consuming part of our project. My husband worked on it during every free minute he had. He may be an electrician by trade, but his carpentry skills are on point and his attention to detail can't be beat. He did a beautiful job.
Once the ceiling was finished, my husband used a paint sprayer to give it a smooth, clean finish. Then it was my turn to wield a paintbrush and roller. I repainted the inside of the fireplace, the fireplace bricks, all the woodwork, and the walls.
With the painting finished, it was time for the Gatsby tile. Again my husband put his skills to work. He did a beautiful job of placing the tiles and it turned out even better than we expected.
Once the fireplace was finished, we moved on to the tile floor. With each square laid, the room took on a whole new look. We were beginning to see the end and we were thrilled! With the floor complete, we moved the furniture back in. It was scattered throughout the first floor during the remodel and I was tired of the house feeling so cluttered. It was such a relief to see it back where it belonged. The only thing left now was the hearth tile. But between a long weekend trip, the holidays, and a minor injury, the final stage of our remodel had to wait. Christmas decorations went up. Christmas decorations came down. The hearth tile was in place, but not cemented or grouted. Finally - during the first weekend of the new year, the project was complete. It took a long time, but it was worth the wait.
One final thing. Remember that light I bought way back in April? It no longer had a place in the sunroom. Instead, we bought TWO lights and my husband centered them behind each set of French doors. They're the icing on the cake. And the other light? It's the perfect addition to the mudroom.
Just Goodbye
Today we said goodbye. No fanfare, just goodbye. Goodbye to the home we built from the ground up 23 years ago; taking our time and doing most of the work ourselves. The home we painstakingly and lovingly made our own.
No pomp, just goodbye. Goodbye to the home in which we watched our daughters grow and become the wonderful young women they are today. Goodbye to the home that saw them through life's changes; from first dances to first heart-breaks. The home in which our daughter's boyfriend asked for our blessing before he asked for her hand in marriage.
No circumstance, just goodbye. Goodbye to the four-square court on the basement floor that has long since been painted over. The court that was hand painted by me and decorated by our daughters with flowers and rainbows and warm weather scenes; the result of too many days stuck inside during a deep freeze.
No fanfare, just goodbye. Goodbye to the hermit crab cemetery under the bay window. Goodbye to the cat graveyard at the edge of the property where we said farewell to Mufasa and Chubby and Little Boo long before this day.
No big blow-out, just goodbye. Goodbye to the home in which we became empty-nesters as our children each left for college. Goodbye to the home in which we learned to be "just us" again.
No celebration, just goodbye. Goodbye to the best neighbor a person could ask for; our former high school principal who has a heart of gold and the best stories around. A guy to whom whose wife we said goodbye way too soon. A guy we're going to miss terribly.
No last hoorah, just goodbye. Goodbye to the small town where we grew up. The town in which I watched a handsome young man drive by my parent's house on his way home from work every afternoon. The one I hoped would see me sitting on the front porch reading a book as he went by. The one I eventually married and with whom I built this home in which we raised our family. This home for which we now shed a few tears. This home to which we say goodbye.
Today we said goodbye. But today we also said hello. Hello to life's next journey. Hello to finding a new home where we'll welcome family and friends. A home that we'll lovingly and painstakingly make our own. A new home with new adventures and new memories. A home filled with our children and grandchildren. Our forever home....
The Perfect Christmas Photo
Christmas Eve at our house was a hotbed of perpetual motion with four young boys impatiently awaiting the time when we could gather around the tree because - come on! - there were gifts under that tree with their names on them and they wanted to see what fabulous new toys they were going to take home. But first - The Photo. The yearly gathering together of the young ones to capture the perfect Christmas image that will be cherished for years to come. So we lined up the boys (we would add the sweet baby girl after a few shots of just the boys) and four adults began vying for the attention of the active youngsters.
I'm sure you've all been there. You know the chaos that ensues. Kids looking in all directions; the constant sound of "cheeeeeeeeese". So each of us clicked away on cell phones and digital cameras and we all hoped that somewhere, in those dozens of images, we would find THE ONE.
Two days later, as I scrolled through the images, I realized there was not one perfect picture in the bunch. This one was blurry. Someone's eyes were closed in that one. In another, someone's mouth was open and another child was looking at who knows what.
I have to admit I was a bit disappointed, but decided to continue with the editing because I wanted at least some images from that magical evening. And as I continued to edit, I began to realize that what was captured in the click of a shutter was exactly what was going on at that moment in time - in all the glorious chaos that is our family. The smiles, the open mouths, and the closed eyes. And in those imperfect images, I found exactly what I was hoping for: Perfection.
So the next time you gather the family together for your holiday pictures (or any other special occasion), remember that what's most important is not capturing the perfect image, but capturing the image perfectly.
