We are home! The weekend before Thanksgiving the chaos began! My sweet home is near finished and with the grace of God and a whole lot of work by my contractor and his tradesmen we were able to take occupancy once again. Oh, there are little things here and there that need completed and there is nary a day that a workman is not doing something in the house, but we are in and I LOVE it. After so many years of designing this home in my head and saving for this dream it is finally here and I could not be happier.
Two weeks before Thanksgiving every trade known to man converged on my home to help us get in before my daughter and son-in-law had to turn their home over to the family that purchased it. She and her husband are building a home in the same town that my husband and I live in and as luck would have it, the home has not been started and so there was a mad scramble at the end to get all of us out of her home and into ours. I cannot thank the trades enough who worked on our home those last two weeks. There were many late nights and early mornings for them but through it all they could not have been sweeter. They were so proud of what they were able to do for us and pulled out all the stops to do so.
The night before we moved in Jim, and I stood in our home and just took it all in.
Standing in my new kitchen, I simply could not believe it was mine. I have built and rebuilt this home so many times in my head and to see it all come together was such an awesome feeling. I know there are grander homes out there and certainly more expensive ones, but for that one moment when we stood there and looked at it all, well, I could not have loved a home more.
Three years ago, we sold our prior home to a sweet little family with 4 small children. I remember at the time thinking how nice it was to hand over the house, that was our special family home, to another family who seemingly loved it as much as I had. I did love our home and shed a few tears when I left but, in my heart, I knew that our home needed a family to love it like we did, it was perfect for small children with room to grow and it was time for Jim and me to move on. Little did I know that God brought Annie and Marek Dziekonska to Jim and me for more than just the sale of our home. He brought us a family that became our friends and who connect with us in so many ways.
Annie Dziekonska, founder and owner of Peace & Lemons texted me on my second day in our newly renovated home and offered to come and organize my kitchen.
Surrounded by boxes, I could not text, YES, fast enough into my phone. You see, Annie’s business implements organizational solutions into your home so that it works for you. She showed up the next day and 8 hours later my kitchen was not only unpacked but completely organized. First, she had me describe how I envisioned myself using the kitchen and then organized it accordingly.
She had sticky notes on the cupboards designating what was inside.
It was perfect! Truth be told those sticky notes were still in place 3 weeks later and just last week I took them down. I was so grateful for the job that Annie had done that I hired her to do my pantry. It too is perfect. (Before and after pictures)
I have found that when I start out organized, I stand a better chance of staying that way. Peace and Lemons is a wonderful company and run by my dear friend.
As we all settle in and unpack boxes that never seem to end, there are days when I am ready to throw everything, that is still in those boxes, out in the trash. Trying to unpack and decorate for my favorite time of year all the while working, is taxing. But when I sit back and look at all that was done in the past 14 months, I am so grateful. So grateful to live in a home that I love, to have friends who drop what they are doing just to help me and for family that are the best part of life. I am happy to be home.
Merry Christmas,
Stay well, Laura