Where to even begin? When I last posted it was about a month ago and we were about to get the finishing stages done on our basement floor remodel. It has been quite a month. I don't want to jinx the rest of the project or go into all the details because you would probably not believe it if I told you! Long story short it was a catastrophe of a mess and a new crew was brought in. The floor needed to be completely reground and remove all of the previous work (mess) that was created. I have been digging deep to have patience. I have an immense place of gratitude to the people working hard to fix this for us.
One place for my own sense of sanity and peace during the holiday was balance. I let go trying to get out all of the decorations for Christmas not totally abandon the holiday spirit either. We got our tree but not from a farm, instead a Christmas Tree lot. We did not put up too many ornaments since it our first Christmas with Noodle the cat and she believes it is her giant toy! We got out the wooden spiral to count down to Christmas Eve but I was not able to get the King Laurin (St. Nicholas) shoes filled early in the month so they will be an added treat on Christmas Eve. I let go that my handmade cloth gift bags are in a box in the back of the storage container and we got some wrapping paper yesterday to start wrapping up presents.
I let go trying to make either with wood or wool this year for gifts and instead am opting to make little sets of gingerbread house shape cookies this year. I am sure our family will understand that our house remodel was a dominating figure this year!
So as I sit this morning in front of our simple tree, simple decorations, I am very excited because this weekend we have been witnessing our new crew work their magic on our floor. For the past couple of days he stops by and works in more layers of color with different acids and methods to achieve a really unique look. Imagine old worn leather, like a saddle. All of this on a floor that was really nicely prepped. If all looks good we should be seeing the final layer of color and sealing happening today and tomorrow. That means painting hopefully midweek, trim work, and unpacking in the weekend and then the final work after Christmas of installing the new oak treads on the stairs. The excitement is building!
The lessons of our story so far is knowing when to trust your gut when it tells you something does not seem right from the beginning, dig deep for patience when it goes wrong, let go of your own expectations for holiday traditions and shoot for balance, and finally expressing gratitude for those working hard for us on this journey and those listening to our story along the way! I look forward to sharing more pictures soon and about my new discovery and love of IKEA! From my home to yours- happy holidays my friends!