Wednesday, May 7, 2008

This Old House

For those of you who have been following this story about our home, you know that we are removing a layer of siding that was put on there in the 1950's (probably), then a layer of black paper, and uncovering the original siding put on the home in 1904. In a few hours we will soon be finished with PHASE ONE of this project. But there are several things, of personal interest that, I will show you in these next days. Why remove the first layer of siding you may be asking? Well, underneath it I am finding things like places for plants to grow, places for furry little critters to hide and lady bugs and spiders to raise their young! It's just time to give this old house a face lift. When the attempt was made to turn the home into a "modern 1950 salt box" almost all of the original decorative trim was taken off. In phase one, as far up as a 16' extention ladder will safely reach, we've removed two layers, revealed what is underneath, cleaned and scraped and painted, so now we see what repairs need to be made and where new trim needs to be added. We're not adding the new trim just yet.
Here is a picture of the front corner of the house. On the right side you see the siding we are taking off. On the left is a section already painted and in the middle is the outline of where the porch was taken off. I have all of that painted now. Isn't it interesting how you can tell what was there? I took a picture of where the porch was on the other side too before I painted over that. When we bought this home, the mayor's wife told us that when the front porch was taken off the people put the pieces in the carriage house. In fact there is a stack of wood pieces in there that we've never gone through. I'm anxious to go look. I'll let you know how that goes. What if, just what if...everything we need to get our front porch restored is in there? The mayor's wife always wanted the porch back and now we want it back. I just can't figure out why it was taken off in the first place, unless it was to make this home look modern with all straight lines. You see we need our very OWN romantic porch! However, we aren't adding it in this phase. That will come!

But back to PHASE ONE...I'm taking off small sections at a time, and fixing it as I go...of course my husband and sons help as their schedules allow too. And little princess is there, right by my side (or at the bottom of the ladder I should say) always there. I see her growing as I go. But this project isn't hard. ANYONE CAN do this. It's just time consuming, yes TIME consuming!

And TIME...I feel like time is a gianormous yawning mouth, coming to me at break neck speed just waiting to swallow me up, as I tumble to the dark abyss of wasted moments. I don't want to waste any time. I don't mean, just being busy. I want to be busy on the right things. The things that matter most in life. There is not enough time...there is not enough time...life is so short, it goes so fast! Does anyone else have this problem?

Do my family and friends know how much I care as I chase through the duties of everyday? I can't keep up, I can't get it all done, so I'll just stop, pause, say I love you and maybe if I say it often enough, and show kindness, over and over, everyone will know.

I better go get breakfast ready...pancakes are a huge ILOVEYOU around here. That sounds like a great idea!

Talk to you soon, and I hope to have fun pictures and great news!

Love, Rachel

15 comments:

Karla Cook @ Roads to Everywhere said...

Yes!

I can totally relate.

Farrah said...

Time is probably my greatest challenge at the moment. The only solution I have is to pray frequently for guidance on how to spend my day. The question is, am I willing to listen? If He wants me to lay aside my projects, will I do it? It doesn't mean none of my projects are in His plan, but perhaps just not at the moment. He wants to spoil us, you know. He delights in seeing us happy and enjoying things, but He also needs our help with spirtual work. And we know that 30 years from now our children will remember the fun times we spent with them far more than how well dusted the furniture was. :-)

lauralavon said...

It is so much fun watching your progress. Thanks for sharing!

Angela said...

I bet this is like finding a hidden treasure with each layer taken away isn't it? :-). I'm excited to see more, but I can relate to the time consumption. When we added on to our house all the detail work added up. We still aren't finished with all the little detailing either and it's been 2 years.. :-).
Have a wonderful day!

Anonymous said...

WOW ! ! !

Rose of Sharon said...

Wow! What a job! I am so proud of you for tackling that. I bet you are having fun with it. That would be so cool if the original porch pieces were still there! Keep up the good work! I love the new color!

:0) sharon

Debbie said...

Lots of work! We striped and painted our home 2 years ago. So much work, but so worth it! It's great to see your progress. There is always more time tomorrow. lol
Debbie

The Vintage Vagablonde said...

Love this post....busy lives, it is all so hard to keep in perspective.
Seems like you are doing a great job.
I think pancakes sound yummy right now....how about a few blueberry :0)

Linda said...

How wonderful it would be to find most of the original wood for the porch in the carriage house. Who would take off a porch!!! It is facinating watching this project I wish I could give you a hand.
Cheers Linda

Anonymous said...

Oh, my goodness! It is amazing how much you've gotten done! I could hardly believe when I saw where you've painted to! It's beautiful! I'm so very happy for you!

I'm hoping with you that the porch is in the carriage house!

Enjoy your days!

Love you, Esther

Ronda said...

Where DOES the time go?????? I can also relate...I think most people have to juggle and prioritize. I think the most important thing is to share your love...which I know that you do! (You are making great progress on your house...It's fun to watch!)

Unknown said...

Hello Rachel. I want to say something but don't know where to start. I love keeping up with your progress on your home, it's fascinating to me. I think you are spending your time wisely in making and taking care of your home and family.
I'm going to be 62 in September and every single day I have thoughts of time going too quickly. There are so many things I'd like to experience; so many people I'd like to meet and love. So many projects I'd like to finish. So many kisses I need to give my children and my grandchildren and my friends. I so enjoy my life now and what I do with it but I find feelings of guilt creeping in when I'm checking my favorite blogs or blogging myself. Am I using my time wisely? How much more time do I have? Do I want to know? These are questions that undoubtedly have been asked by millions for eons before me; none have been able to come back and give us the answers! This I can tell you: As you grow older time passes faster and faster. It's Monday morning and then it's Sunday evening and you find yourself spinning through time so quickly that it is frightening! So hold on to all of the moments and they will add up to a lot of life lived.
Hugs,
Liv

Anonymous said...

HI RACHEL, LOOKS LIKE YOU CONTINUE TO MEET THE CHALLENGE WITH SUCCESS. BE SAFE. KEITH

Donna Lynn said...

YES, I have the same thoughts as you do Rachel, I feel so pressed for time and making the right choices for my family! My middle son is just lost right now, wandering about in a fog. Please pray for Don and I to have wisdom to deal with him.
I love watching your house take shape and will pray that each piece of your porch will be present and accounted for when you get ready for that phase!
Bless you this week,
Donna Lynn

Kathi said...

Rachel, I can see where the time issue would be troubling. When school lets out you'll have the kids around to be a part of the project, and you could mix fun trips to the store with ice-cream, and maybe play a few board games inbetween working.

I love what you have done. You are making huge strides. God bless you Rachel. You truly have a mother's heart. Happy Mother's Day.

I wish I had that book you were talking about!!

Kathi