God must be teaching us patience!

I think that 2010 could be the year of "patience" for us. I'm not sure we've always done so great at it. I've been a frazzled mess at times, I'll admit. There are moments where I just wonder what in the world, but then later it doesn't seem so bad after all.

You see, we had plan of what needed to be done in this house in a particular order. The order was intended to get us set up in an organized manner again and make life as normal as possible as quickly as possible. It was a no brainer to do the bedrooms first. We needed our areas to put our clothes and belongings and a comfortable place to sleep. Then we had bathroom #1 incident where Chloe got the carpet wet and it had to be removed a little sooner than expected. It was only a small bump and didn't really take that much time to throw together in the grand scheme of things.

Well, we are working on the school room and the next thing on the agenda was suppose to be the living area/kitchen. I knew it was going to be a big project, but figured it would be great to get it out of the way for the holidays and then worry about the utility room/bathroom #2 area after things had settled after Christmas.

Well, we got another unexpected change of plans when the toilet overflowed and the flooring had to be removed. Jamie worked most of the day in the bathroom chipping away old floor and getting the area prepped while I layed the floors in the school room.

So, now, the bathroom got bumped up to the top of the list and we are back to living in the brown cave for a bit longer. I'm NOT starting another project during the holidays (it is too busy and too fun of a month to miss out on ), so the area I'm most excited about getting complete will (once again) be put off to Lord only knows when. I say that because...hello!?! I can't ventilate this flooring in the winter. It isn't like heat doesn't cost enough already for it to fly out the window (literally).

So, I guess I'll be stripping wallpaper by week's end for the last time. Seems like they did not paint or prime the walls before they put the wallpaper on, so it'll be another "fun" job, but at least there isn't as much since it is only half a wall. My goal is 2-3 weeks again and then I'm setting my paintbrush down to enjoy December and what it means to our family.

I was so mad about this the other day. MY plans had been rearranged. MY comforts had been put off. MY schedule had been all messed up. Now that I've had a couple of days to mull it over in my mind, I don't really care so much. Who really cares in the grand scheme of life. None of this really makes a difference. Sure I was disappointed, but it'll get done. It just won't be when we WANT it done. I'm going to use the "off" time to get the garage arranged and organized. I still have boxes out there, but many are filled with books which will go in the school room.

Our patience has been tested once again. Sometimes I don't feel like I have very much patience, but with God's help and persistence, I'm getting there one step at a time.

And to add insult to injury, I just spilled half of the stain I had left. I barely thought I had enough anyways. I thought it would never come off my skin! So, off to the store I go...AGAIN! Patience, patience, patience!