Progress in stages …

So I was going to wait till everything was done before I showed before & after pictures but I decided that is just too overwhelming for me. So I will do them in spurts, when I complete them.

Up first is the living room, dining room and kitchen. I need to take after pictures of The Child’s room also. Maybe I can do that today. Or not since she is home from school sick with diarrhea and throwing up. *sigh* Yes, that is how my day is going …

Anyway, on to the pictures ….

The first picture is how the sellers had the house and the second and third is how it is now … The living room looks much bigger now.

The next set are before and afters of the kitchen ….

And then before and after of the dining room …

 
I’ll be happy once I can redo (and by redo I mean, redo with this product – Walmart has is for $75 and it does 100 square feet) the cabinets in the kitchen and then all the trim along the floors and around the doors. If you really want to showcase the hardwood floors then you need to make them "pop" and you can’t do that by having the trim & cabinetry the same colors so that everything blends into each other and you can’t tell where one ends and one begins. But that is just my opinion. I think by warming up the walls with a soft, neutral color, it has already made a difference in the feel of the rooms and has made the floors stand out more than previously.

Enough of the decor talk ….

My heart is heavy for all of those that have suffered through Hurricane Sandy and are still continuing to suffer the aftermath. I survived Hurricane Hugo back in ’89 so I know what it is like and what everyone is going through.

I think my melancholy is due to the fact that I know so many people in the affected areas. Although not on a real life level. Thanks to The World Wide Web, over the years I have made some pretty lasting friendships. There are 2 of you here on OD that I have been honored to meet in real life. Kim is the one who got me hooked on OD so I knew her before hand. But the rest of you, especially the ones that I am blessed to have as Facebook friends also, I would love to meet you in person one day! You who lives 4 hours from me, I am coming for you! Mark my words! One day we will meet up!! You who lives in Ky, under different circumstances, well, that is all I will say on that subject. Cat Woman, I will own one of your photography books someday! If I have to snag them off the Internet & have them published in a book myself, I will do it! Grandma, I hope I can raise my daughter to be as wonderful as you have raised yours! And to give me grandchildren as adorable as yours are!! There are so many of you that I could go on and on about but you all get the idea. If it weren’t for the Internet, I would be a very lonely person.

As most of you know, I’m not a "gray area" person. It is either black or it is white. You either like me or you don’t. Everything is as simple as that … either or … no in between shit … so when I "click" with someone, it is 100% whole heartedly. I either like you or I don’t. If I don’t, I move on. If I do, well, sorry to say, but you are stuck with me for life. lol The down side to all that is it hurts worse than a sucker punch to the gut when the friendship ends. Y’all have read about some of my more memorable endings to friendships. There are days I sit here and scratch my head searching for what went wrong. But I know that whatever it was, it wasn’t on my part. It is their loss. Another downside is that I care. Tremendously. More than I probably should. More than is probably healthy for me. But there it is … I care about my friends. So when one is suffering, I suffer right along with them.

So with this Hurricane, I have been suffering anxiety. Most friends have checked in on Facebook or had someone give an update on their behalf. Although they are suffering the devastation of the aftermath, they still have their health. Whew! I’ve been too scared to turn the tv on for fear of what I will see. All my info I have been getting is through the Internet or FB. There is one I am still waiting to hear from/hear about. It kills me that I have no idea if they are safe or even alive!! I don’t know if they lost their house or anything like that. I don’t know anything and that is just …. it makes me want to pull my hair out! I don’t even know the exact location, just a general idea of their whereabouts. Thanks to the Internet I have come to care a great deal about them and the not knowing is giving me an ulcer!

I know my God is an awesome God. I have faith that He is watching over them; that He has taken great care of them. I know this is just a test of patience for me. "All good things come to those who wait" is a saying I try to live by. So I’m desperately trying to keep my faith and wait this out. I’ve heard that it can take up to 2 weeks for power to be restored in some of the heavily devastated areas. So I will sit here, as patiently as I can, pray for their safety and a speedy return to the Internet, grow ulcers and spend my nights drinking Moscato until word comes that they are okay. And that Ladies and Gentlemen is what you get when you are a friend of mine … 100% undying concern and care from yours truly. Please don’t take advantage of it.

Well since I have been writing this entry in between dealing with a child who is sick, guess I will get off here and run to the store for Gatorade and chicken broth for her. Then we can snuggle up in the bed for the rest of the day. I remember as a kid, the one thing I wanted more than anything else when I was real sick, was to be snuggled up next to my Mom … not that it ever happened … so since I am all about giving my child all the things I never had as a kid, I’m going to do this for her. And then I’m sure I will wake up tomorrow, sick with her germs …. LOL

Till next time ….<br type="_moz” />