I just want to see the beautiful.  Almost five months ago we ripped out our bathroom.  Mold was everywhere, our sink was crooked, water puddled into the corners, there was a two-inch gap between the sink and the wall which welcomed every dust bunny and their friends, plus every toothbrush, with no intention of us ever finding them again.  We would scrub it only to feel like it was just as dirty.

So, during the hot summer months, out it came.

It was supposed to be finished by now, but we ran into a few snags in the demolition when we discovered saggy beams in the floor.  Saggy beams are a non-negotiable repair,  so that bumped our entire project out even further.  It also turned into a half kitchen demolition in order to get to the beams which happened to be above the kitchen.

This led to ripping out the wall between our dining room and kitchen, because we had to get to the ceiling.

It felt like a domino demolition.  One thing leading to another, until it seemed like maybe the entire house would fall down.  No fear of that happening, although the remaining kitchen cabinets are falling off the walls now.

So, our two-month bathroom renovation has turned into a much larger kitchen/dining room/bathroom demolition and renovation.  We hit an all-time low this week in the emotions when we came home to the Sahara desert.  The masons had to grind away all the old mortar between the bricks and repoint them.  We weren’t expecting that much dust to cover our house.  We drew faces on the counter tops with our fingers and spent a good six hours cleaning every marker, every pencil, every book, every pot and every pan which were all layered with different degrees of red brick dust.  The bathroom was finished first, then downstairs the next day.  Here is the upstairs before they repointed it.
Downstairs, much beauty has come after much dust.  You can see where there will be cabinets on the kitchen wall, where it isn’t repointed.  That will be our coffee/tea bar and probably one of the things I’m most excited about in our new kitchen!  The brick is gorgeous, and there is much hope for what is to come!

Upstairs, the brick is finished, radiant heat is under the floor, the waterproofing is in the shower and the floor tile is going down today. I’m super proud of the kids for putting up with a lot of craziness, mess, chaos, and more during this entire process.

They say joy is in the journey, not just the destination.  So as much as I am busting to see the end, I’m also determined to see the beauty through the in-between.