House Work

When we bought our house, we bought one well below our price point.  Why?  Because the kitchen looked like this:

Notice the minimal amount of mismatched cabinetry, the lack of refrigeration device and the cheap linoleum floor.  And to be fair, this room was even worse but I can't find the photo with the hideous built in table and the original death-defying basement stairs. 

This room was beyond help.  The only solution was to rip everything out and start over.

Which is precisely what my dad and husband did over Christmas break.

It's now June, and our kitchen is still wandering about renovation limbo.

Our timing was perhaps not the greatest.  However, the fact that we still don't have a kitchen is mostly due to a disturbing level of measuring incompetence. 

That's what my kitchen looked like as of this weekend.  So close, right?  Eh...not so much.

This week, the installers returned to take down all but one of those mounted cabinets.  And then fix the what-do-you-mean-your-walls-aren't-plumb wall and mill down the spacer before remounting all of them.

An aggravation akin to that of a beach shark has been growing with each new issue.  A little anger on our part brought the district manager out, who is now expediting the rest of the process.

All the same, cutting through the red-gray fog of frustration, God's gentle voice reminds us: we don't really have that much to complain about.  Be thankful, my daughter.

So I want to switch gears..

First, I'm thankful that this world is not the end.  It's not what was meant to be.  It's not what will be.  This ridiculously long and mistake-riddled kitchen project is just another example proving that this world was broken in the fall and things go wrong with great ease and frequency.  So instead of hating now, long for later when the new heavens and new earth and new us are here.

Following that, I have to be thankful that our God is gracious to us in our sin...even when we are ungracious to others.  There is much for Man and I to repent of--this kitchen has become a bit of an idol in that it's taking up most of our thoughts and concentration.  And while our anger has gotten things done, it was also supremely unkind and unforgiving.

Then, of course, comes these two clowns who run my days and fill them with laughter and snuggles. (June 17 - Dinner Shenanigans)


And waking up to this every morning. (June 18 - Good Morning)


There's the house, the car, the good health of all three of us.  Included in that is the Otter's normal and joyful development.  (June 5 - ..and Shakin')



The great prevalence of Wawas nearby.  Yes, the Otter has taken to licking cold drinks.  (June 15 - Gottahava Wawa)



And, as I glance over at the progress they've made so far this week, I'm thankful for the collection of business cards I now have from all the people over at Home Depot working to make sure the install is done and done well and done in a timely fashion.