Keeping It Real -- Again

It's Wednesday -- again. So I guess it's time for me to keep it real -- again.

First of all -- My Devotions.
Well, I've still been doing my devotions pretty much each morning. My version of devotions at this time is some prayer time and some reading straight from the Bible. Currently my approach is some old testament and some new. I started with I Samuel and am at the end of II Samuel, and I started at Acts and am near the end of Romans.

The Family Biggest Loser Challenge
Well, I have to say that I wasn't as good this week. Nothing terribly terrible, but just not being as diligent as I should be. I'd like to blame it on the holiday or the heat, but I'm keeping it real, so I just got lazy. But my plan is a big picture one, so I just have to carry on and refocus. I did get a new, but used bike (a Fuji). I took it out for a 10' ride before hitting the dirt -- there's work to be done! My husband bought an elliptical machine, to add to his treadmill and my daughter seems to like that.

My Business
Same ol', same ol'. Love to make things, not quite sure how that translates into a money-making venture. But I'm certainly still working on that and will keep you posted. I do have 2 or 3 speaking engagements at local fairs in July. They're fun.

A New Revelation for you!
Okay here's where I'm Really going to keep it real. Here's a picture of my living room.

Hmmm. Nice I guess, but not much there to look at, is there? But sadly, that's about all that I even dare show you from my house. You see, people often say to me "Oh, your house must be so cool" or something to that affect. But the reality is, my house is in bad shape and I can't even share it with you.

One reason is that I am a bit of a slob and a bit disorganized, which doesn't help with the house I started with.....

You see (I'll TRY to be brief), our first house was an old 4-square we bought a couple of years after we were married. Cute yellow, picket fence but it needed a lot of work and I spent most of those 4 years working on it -- I learned A LOT!

House #2 is when the real fun began. We relocated and hoped to build a house, so we bought some land. Meanwhile, a house came along that needed to be moved! We could have it for $1.00. Well, my husband loves a bargain and I love a challenge and repurposing so we had it moved. We spent several years revamping it as we lived in it (with 4 young kids, a dog, and a cat). We weren't quite done when our current house came along.

We got a call there was another house that needed to be moved, oh yeah, and they needed to know by tomorrow. WHAT??!!! So we scrambled around, actually found a lot and decided to go for it (as an investment, of course). Some friends were planning to buy it so we renovated with them in mind. They ended up doing something else instead. Suddenly the family said, "Hey, why don't we move to that one!" I was outvoted. We moved to the country, and our house "in the city" we rented out (a whole nother story for another post). That was ten years ago.

So again our family lived in the house as we renovated. I'm talking major destruction, major projects. Moving stairs, most walls relocated, two bathrooms have been renovated twice, the kitchen twice, on and on. A lot of work, but no room totally done. Functioning, but a lot of detail work unfinished, and no real decorating. And we were tired -- and burned out. And we stopped. And never got back to it.

And of course, I now get my fixin' fix from junking. But I want a nice house like ones I see on the blogs.

SOOOOOO. I've been psyching myself up. I want to rededicate myself to finishing once and for all -- the right way -- this house. It's going to be a long, maybe painful process, but I'm going for it. I'm starting first with the smaller rooms. It could be my master bathroom....

Or maybe my VERY tiny laundry room....

Or my mud room.....

I'm hoping by keeping it real with you and sharing the progress with you (and hopefully showing some tricks along the way) it will keep me going and accountable.

Phew. There. So now you know.

Midge

(don't tell anyone but that was a little bit emotionally draining for me, I'm heading to the mall for solace and air conditioning -- oh yeah, we don't have AC here)