Renovation crazy...

My husband has been very busy since he moved into our house. I bought this house nearly 10 years ago now, a single Mom with 3 girls. I moved our family here to Stony Plain after having spent 3 years alone in our former home after their father passed away from cancer. It was the biggest, and the best, decision I had made since that day. The girls were not very happy about leaving their friends and the home we had with Daddy behind, but I knew it was for the best. Now, all these years later, they all very much agree.

Phil and I have known each other the whole time that I have lived here, but we did not actually become a couple and get married until about 5 years ago. Now, having been married for just over 4, he has definitely put his mark on our home. He has been the driving force in renovating our kitchen, redoing the tiles on the entire main floor, redoing the laundry and powder rooms, and now working on the basement. When he moved in, he came up with a plan for my craft space that was much more efficient and effective than it had been before. I was thrilled with how it became back then, and I was finally able to have a dedicated space that was organized and I enjoyed using. 

Now, four years later, it has again gone through a major upgrade. We picked out new flooring for the basement, replacing the tired and worn old brown carpeting with vinyl click, cork-backed tiles. While waiting for them to arrive, victims of the now ever present shipping difficulties that have become the norm in our present day world, he came up with a plan. He called me down to my craft room and started to explain what he was thinking. My jaw dropped, and I was stunned. It was major, and he had come up with it all just for me. He asked what I thought, and I jumped and hugged him and got so excited. I was going to have the craft room of my dreams! Pinterest worthy space to work in was mine! 

Months later, we have finally gotten the flooring started. Three rows. Yep. It could be more, but he wanted to get my cupboards installed so that we could empty all of the shelves that have been shifted and stacked so that we could start to get them out and on to their new owners, and in turn have to move things around less to be able to work on the floors. Ikea ended up being the place I got to go... 2 days after Christmas, on my birthday, and line-ups and who knows how many people in post Christmas sales be damned. 

He already had the plan mapped out, so we went and purchased the cabinets, took them home, unloaded them into the garage (at a time that, suspiciously, all of our able-bodied children that were at home for the holidays, managed to be AWOL visiting and shopping too) and then looked at the basement... and started to tear things apart and moved all of my copious amounts of supplies away from their present space. That was no small task! 

A few weeks later, I have a wall of cabinets, a bamboo counter awaiting several coats of clear finish to protect the surface, and cupboards that are nearly done. All we are waiting on are the drawers that fit in the cabinets under the counter. I have moved the vast majority of my supplies into their possibly temporary homes, as I know that I will be rearranging and tweaking them until all of my things are in just the right places. I have a shelf displaying all of my inks in their new Stampin' Up! storage, shelves with a rainbow of ribbon displayed for easy use, and a counter with all of my cutting tools laid out and ready. 

It has been a long journey for me to this point. I have lost a husband, gained a boyfriend, buried that same boyfriend, and gained a husband that really was my best friend since I have known him. I have raised three kids, to a great extent on my own. I have made new friends, gained family that has kept me even though they have lost the connection that brought us together, and continued to make my way in my career. I am truly blessed, and for much more than this space that I have been given by my husband. I hope that you are able to see the good in your lives, as I am constantly in awe of mine. Happy crafting!