Living in During: Years of Living in During

It's funny to think back.

We bought this house in the fall of 2013. The kids were three and a half with another couple years of preschool/child care ahead of them. Mike had over an hour commute to and from work each day. My dad was the only one of our kids' grandparents who had retired at that point. I started this blog that winter.

So little has changed, and yet so much.

The kids are in second grade now, riding bikes with two wheels and reading every chapter book they encounter. Mike took a job five minutes from home not too long after we moved here, and all four of the kids' grandparents retired. The most heartbreaking new reality, of course, is that Mike's mom Gail passed away last October.

Amid all the ups and downs...and way, way downs...our home projects have been right here with us, nagging at Mike to put in more evening hours, urging me to plan vacations and other time and financial commitments around one project after another. Thankfully Mike and I are very proud of what our ideas (mostly mine) and hard work (mostly his) have produced. These projects have provided a creative outlet for me and an opportunity for Mike to hone his skills, retreat to his workshop, and make our home more beautiful, bit by sawdusty bit. Swinging a hammer through life's way, way downs is a healthy way to grieve, right? I sure hope so.

As we round the corner of this fourth year in this house, we are excited to see our main floor looking like we envisioned back in the fall '13, maybe even better. Mike is putting most of his project time now into building kitchen cabinet doors, a new direction in our kitchen update that we decided to take this summer. Once that job is thoroughly complete and a few smaller but tedious tasks are finished (touching up trim, replacing some light switches and covers...that kind of stuff), I think we'll be able to check that big ol' box: Main Floor Updates. We're already researching basement and second floor projects for 2018, though, of course!

Mainly as a little motivation for the two of us at this four-year mark, I wish to take a good look at much of what we have done here. Who doesn't love some before and afters?

BEFORE AFTER

Family Room - Fireplace, Photo Ledges, Floor

Kids' Bathroom

Sophie's Room - Blackout Curtains, Spray Painted Butterflies

Michael's Room - Gear Wall, Poster Frames

This blog's readership has always been smallish, it's never really generated much of an income (one little check and some AirStone supplies, to be exact), and to be honest, being a blogger feels a little embarrassing at times. It's a very 2005 kind of hobby, right?

However, while taking the last year off from the blog (not in some grand life decision--just what my heart led me to do), I found I that missed the joy that comes from sharing our projects. I'm not making any major commitments here, but I do intend to blog regularly again because it just makes me happy. It's not going to be a daily or weekly endeavor, but at least one post a month, I think.

Here are some projects from the last year or so that are potential for upcoming posts:

Kitchen - This space is the epitome of living in during, that's for sure! It's been in the works for over a year and a half now with many projects within it.