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Expectations and Blessings

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Remember how I got all excited and declared that we had mere weeks until the house would be done... Yea me too. Well, the nice way of explaining that is to say that illusion was overly optimistic. We are now planning to be home by the end of October. I'm hopeful, but notice I say "planning" and not "expecting". I have no actual expectation at this point other than this one: our home is going to be a beautiful, clean, happy, and safe place for us to live and love as a family and fellowship with others. I've said from the day after the flood that I just want to be able to cook Thanksgiving dinner in my kitchen for our whole family. And that is something that is going to happen. 

As far as progress goes, there isn't a ton of newness to report... 
- The ceiling is still a work in progress, but downstairs is close to being done. Once the texture is applied down stairs, the guys will begin the dreaded task of removing the tile floor. 
- Hubby has been working extremely hard to finish up the walls downstairs so we will be ready to prime and paint when the ceiling is complete. He has also been using his new tools and playing lumberjack in the front yard by cutting up the trees and limbs they took down and hauling them away from the front yard. 
- We are now the proud renters of an actual massive dumpster in our driveway. Seriously, the neighbors must just love us. 
- I bought a brand new microwave and trim kit on clearance at Lowes.

They were a special order return that is never used and just happened to be exactly what I'm looking for. I have been blessed to find most of our appliances like this so far. I'm just waiting for them to get a deep freezer and dishwasher that match my requests on return so I can snatch those up at an incredible price. 
- In no particular order here are the remaining big tasks for the house, and please excuse me for forgetting some items, I know I will.. 
        * Tile removal 
        * Finish exterior door installation and trim 
        * Install interior doors 
        * Ceiling complete 
        * Install cabinetry 
        * Pick out granite 
        * Granite install 
        * Install new flooring downstairs 
        * Pro cleaning of carpet upstairs 
        * Install doggy door under stairs 
        * Stair treads and banister 
        * Banister continuation on loft 
        * Lighting in bathrooms and closets 
        * Hang pendant lights above stairs and island 
        * Door and window trim throughout 
        * Install toilets and vanities downstairs 
        * Complete plumbing 
        * Finish floor outlet in living area and fill trench that holds conduit 
        * Close access panels that were cut in drywall upstairs 
        * Replace light switches and possibly outlets, which now have all manner of dust in them 
        * Install appliances 
        * Prime everything downstairs and upstairs as needed 
        * Paint everything 
        * Remove old deck **can be done after move in 
        * Build new extra large deck **can be done after move in 
        * Stain new deck and front porch **can be done after move in 
        * Exterior repair work, as needed **can be done after move in 
        * New drywall and shelving in garage **can be done after move in 
        * Finishing touches (hang shower curtain rods, mirrors, closet rods, etc.) 
        * Move in and decorate! 

Wow! That is a LONG list. It seems daunting but I realize it will be done before we know it and there are so many reasons why I'm excited to get back home. Space is a big one. Another is simply to eliminate having to have frequent budget meetings. I'm glad we do them and it is great to stay on track but my goodness... 
I keep reminding myself that we have got it so good. We are blessed to have friends who would loan us their camper to live in, with a 2 year old! I do not know many people who would be so generous. And blessed to have family that happened to have RV hookups on a beautiful piece of land where we can also have our dog near us and have plenty of room for outside fun. And blessed to have both of our sets of parents graciously let us move into their homes when they go out of town. There are many many people much worse off than we are and I want to remain humble and thankful. I'm not saying I'm great at it but writing those things out sure helps put an end to my pity party and allows me to refocus on the most important things in life. The big picture is that we are all together and we are all healthy and CLEARLY God is watching over us. And THAT is the biggest blessing of all. 

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