We're Getting Closer!

It appears that the Sargents are moving again.  Not out of this house, but into it. Again. Did I say 'again'? The great room is almost finished - hallelujah! The two huge brown tarps that (dis)graced the area between our living room/kitchen and the new room/school room for 3 months are NOW GONE.  We all yelled and ran around when we yanked them down from the ceiling! It has taken some time to get used to the new look, but I think it's very nice and open and cozy.  That's partly because there isn't any furniture in there yet.  Or people.  Or empty tea mugs.  Or stacks of books or piles of pencils or Legos or snow boots or grocery lists or stuffed animals.  Yes. I am enjoying the peaceful, immaculate look while I can.  

This used to be a garage! The color is Cornerstone, by Behr.  It's not as yellow as it looks in the pictures, but it's soft and light and we really like it. Kind of like French vanilla ice cream.

From the living room, looking toward the great room and the school room.  And see that big JVC box under the window?  That's our Christmas present from Kenny's sister and her husband.  It's a flat screen TV.  I think they got napkin rings and hot cocoa from us.

View from the school room

The new room has been a super fun play room for the kiddos, while we wait, and while we stay indoors this winter.  It's been quite a cold, snowy few weeks! Some of the younger ones were thinking it would be better just to ditch the whole carpet/furniture idea, and keep it this way so they can yell and run.  Kenny thought maybe some rubber walls would be nice too....

This week promises to be just about nuts.  We just came off of our first speech and debate tournament, lasting 4 days.  And now we are heading into one of those weeks- where we are moving furniture and preparing for the carpet and laminate flooring to be put down. After the flooring is in, furniture will be moved again, and we'll have the great room to set up, the living room to set up, and our bedroom to clear out (all the books and bookcases for the new room have been stashed -in piles ready to avalanche- in our room). Then we plan on painting our bedroom and setting it up.  So yeah, it is kind of like moving in.  Again.

In fact, tonight, the four older girls got excited and decided to clear out their rooms, vacuum and rearrange them, in anticipation of our new house!  While the big girls did theirs, I bravely signed up to help Sarah and Ellie. We were almost done, when I noticed some things between Sarah's mattress on the floor and the wall.  Let me just interject here- I really could have just walked away.  Called it good enough and gone to bed.  I really should have walked away.  But I just couldn't do it.  I took in a deep breath, pulled the mattress away from the wall, and longed for Heaven. After summoning some small people in to rake out the items, I just sat there, stunned.  And you know, I really shouldn't have been stunned.  Why?  Because this is just deja vu for me.  Been here.  Done this. Sorting out half-sandwiches (No. I really did not find half-sandwiches in there. Yes, I did), Playmobil, 14 books, 5 pencils, 6 dirty socks (none matching), 7 Beanie Babies, hair pretties, colored chalk, scraps of paper, Michael's missing water bottle, a wooden tomato, a toy I'm just sure I put in the Goodwill bag, and one-half of the children's Nativity set was easier than it should have been.  Because I'm a pro at this. My kids are amazed at how fast I can clean their piles of stuff. I always tell them, 'In Heaven, everything goes where it's supposed to.  And nothing gets broken or goes missing for months.' In Heaven. But not here.

Aside from the recurring trauma I suffer from finding those piles in the house, we are all very happy to get this place one or two steps closer to feeling like a finished home. The unveiling of the new room was really very exciting, and the whole family is ready to help. We'll keep you posted!