When the New Carpet Smell Fades...

For several months now, the hubs and I have worked diligently on bringing serious love to our home that desperately needed it when she called our names in October of 2010.  Between ripping out walls, sanding cabinets, tiling, scraping ceilings, and one of my favorite stages - enjoying the smell of new carpet - one thing I have so humbly learned is this:  Your house will never truly be your home, until you see the importance of those you're sharing it with. 

Jeff and I have only been married a little over two years now - some may say we're still very much in the "honeymoon stage".  We started our first year of marriage with moving cities (or from one city to a very small town), changing jobs, moving homes, and now living in a house that continuously asks for our attention daily, whether we answer her calls or not.  We quickly learned that change was everywhere: in our home, in our jobs and in our lives.  We embraced it and forged ahead...of course, I didn't quite know what I was getting into when we started the trek into the Renovation Stages...

• There are times you flip a switch and nothing happens.
• Water may not always be hot when you want it be.
• Shower knobs aren't a guarantee.
• Covering outlets is the last priority.  So are baseboards.
• Parts of your home may be ready for stage 2, but stay in stage 1 for many months.
• One of your rooms may quickly morph into a "tool shed" to keep track of all the crazy amounts of hammers, nails, saws, machines, carpet pieces, paint, baseboards, etc...
• People will ask about progress and you often give the same report from the previous months, "No change."
• And, the new carpet smell eventually fades...
  

For months, my O.C.D. would strike and my attitude wasn't the best, I'll admit.  I thought, "We are in way over our heads.  There is no way we'll ever finish this and will live in an unfinished house for years, and never be able to sell it."  Most of this was "internal" thinking and often shared "externally" in increments when I would see a loose plug or when all I wanted was a bath and the knob would conveniently break off.  Over time, I've realized that all of these things are just that: things.  This house has not only saved us money, it has allowed for many teenaged boys to play video games until late, hosted Bible Studies, created a safe place for youth to come over when they needed a place to vent, gathered family together, enjoyed late night rituals of Law & Order with my man, eaten meals with our church families, and taught us the blessing to receive from so many wonderful, dedicated, loving volunteers who have helped along the way to transform this place!  Who really cares if my backsplash isn't up just yet?  I still have a place to cook meals for anyone who walks in my front door.  I may not have sheet rock up in my hallway bathroom, but I DO have a new shower/bath and my heart delights when I see my nice, white, clean shower walls each day.  

And, there are some rooms that eventually receive the attention they deserve.  That fresh, new carpet smell may have faded - but it's only because we've had shoes, feet, traffic, people between the walls of our home over the last year and a half...and that I wouldn't trade for the world. 

Besides, that's what vacuums and professional carpet cleaners are for, anyway?  Right?  Nobody knows clean and organization like this gal, but don't miss out on people and relationships, because your focus becomes so involved on things.  So, whether we sell this house with every inch completed or not, I pray the next homeowners feel the love, the blessings and that they experience the kind of relationships we have built in this home, because that is what has made this house a home. 

Joshua 24:15 (NIV) "...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."