Making lemonade (or lemon slushies)

When life hands you lemons you make lemonade, right? That's what I've been trying to do this month...make lemonade. I got stuck in the huge snow storm up in the East so I'll say it was more like lemon slushies :)  Get ready for lots of pictures!

We've been remodeling our 1920's farm house in Virginia. It's pretty slow going and my mom (who has lived there for a year and a half) has had to be out of the house for the past 4 months. The construction crew were supposed to be finished by Christmas so I was going to fly out there to help my mom move back in. Now, folks, we are only getting the kitchen and bathrooms remodeled, the painting and such is having to go room by room as the funds become available. I'm not going to bash the construction crew on this post because of course they weren't done and there were lots of things they did incorrectly. Instead, I'm going to show you some impressive before and afters.


 The bathrooms: Full bathrooms, yes, but you could literally sit on the toilet and wash your hands in the sink at the same time! The light switch was inside the shower but hey, this house was from the 1920's so be glad it had indoor bathrooms, right?!


We got rid of everything and instead of a bathtub we put in a shower with a linear drain.

One of the bedrooms was converted into a master bathroom. It is awesome but I don't have pictures to show you quite yet.









The original hardwood floors: Instead of radiator heating, we had those removed and put in central air. The floors were original but needed refinishing. They are gorgeous!

And my ultimate favorite...the kitchen!

No, we won't be leaving the walls the burnt orange color and we still have a few cabinets that need to be painted. I'll have to show you pictures of the mud room another time, too.


Now for reality...moving Mom back in. Here's what the basement looks like and those nice empty living and dining rooms!

All the boxes went in the basement while the furniture is piled into the front rooms. Things will be moved room by room as they are finished being painted. But look! Mom's bedroom was painted first (fresh cut grass) so we were able to get her set up. She is polishing up the original hardware and they are looking great.

The weather was nice when I first got there, though much colder than I was used to. I drove around the property on the ATV and took some pictures of the pond freezing over.

But then it started to snow. I had fun doing doughnuts in the pasture but it just kept snowing!

 And snowing! So much snow that all air travel was cancelled. I ended up staying an extra three days!

The neighbor boy was my partner in the slushy making business. He and I went and played in the snow. We tried sledding down the hill but the snow was too deep and powdery. We tried making a snowman but it wasn't good snow for that, either. Here's my Jabba the Hut impersonation. :)  What was really great fun was me rednecking his plastic sled behind the ATV with a long extension cord and pulling him in the tracks. My mom said she could hear me laughing all the way in the house. The poor kid was being plowed into the sides and completely covered in snow! We drove over and over to make bigger tracks and then we had some success. The main road had been plowed hours earlier and it still had plenty of snow and ice. That was the best way to sled, being dragged 15 miles an hour behind the ATV down the road!

Let me tell you, folks, it wasn't all fun and games. This is what Mom's car looked like. And the long driveway.

We kept getting stuck in the driveway so sometimes we parked on the street. Other times we kept trying to make paths with the ATV and we were pretty successful with that since Mom's car has 4 wheel drive. We also had to bring out the good old fashioned shovel and shovel walking spaces around the car. Can I just tell you that it's been YEARS since I've had to shovel snow?

And last but not least, I was able to drive my brother in law's Humvee around the mountain on his farm. That was a first!

So, you see, I'm still trying to choose happiness when things don't go as planned. The house still isn't finished but Mom is finally in. The snow was cold and thwarted my plans to get home to my family but I did have fun in it. And yesterday I was able to get home.

(And did I mention that there is no TV or internet at the house in Virginia right now? I missed that almost as much as I missed my hubby.)

Welcome 2016!

"Hello, it's me... Hello, can you hear me?..." I know it's been a long time but I am still here, being happy as best I can. (Can I just take a minute and tell you that someone needs to kindly take Adele aside and tell her to stop calling already? There's this thing called screening calls and if she has called a thousand times without an answer, it's not by accident. Move on, Adele. You're really being quite stalkerish.)

As for me and my house, we've been busy. Busy with the holidays, busy with life. I've spent some time reflecting as the end of the year came along. I'm not setting a bunch of new year resolutions. Sure, I could definitely stand to lose a few pounds, keep my house cleaner, yada yada yada, but in the long run my biggest goal is to choose happiness in whatever comes my way. Why make myself and those left at home miserable by me dieting and nagging them to help keep the house straightened up? Does that really matter in the long run? We'll all be happier if I get some chocolate and I have a place to leave crafts out that I am working on. Everyone else in my family is happier if they can have some comfort foods and a place to leave some of their hobbies out, too. If people visiting need room, we'll scoot stuff over and clean it off then. I'm not worried about trying to convince people I have a model home when I clearly do not. I'm not worried about trying to convince people that my figure is so important that I actually adhere to a strict diet and exercise to keep that killer body. As if I could ever pull that off! Ha Ha, no way! I'll bake my cake and eat it, too, as long as I stay healthy and happy. Moderation in all things, folks.

Since happiness is my focus, here is one thing I've been thinking about...the saying that money can't buy happiness. I'm not sure I agree with that and here is why. Not having enough money to buy the necessities makes life miserable for me. I'm always stressing about where the money will come to pay the bills, buy supplies, etc. That does not make me feel happy. It actually brings on fibromyalgia flares from all the stress. When I feel secure in our finances I have less stress which tends to equal less physical and emotional pain and therefore, I am much happier. 

Now let me say right here that my husband provides very well for our family and I don't really have to stress about the necessities. We have enough for our needs and most of the time for our wants, too. This year we paid for our daughter's wedding, we support two sons on missions, we are remodeling our house in VA, and we took a Christmas trip to Disneyworld. All of that money spent is buying some real happiness for me. Happy times, happy memories, a beautiful updated kitchen, etc. 

So yeah, money can buy a lot of happiness. But here is the point I think that saying is trying to make, money can't buy true joy. In my mind, happiness is the here and now. This moment in time that can not last forever. Reality will come back as you must go back to the grind of day to day life. The Disney vacation will come to its end. The wedding reception will be over and the newlyweds are off to start their own happily ever after. The big happy making moment is over so can you now still be joyful in the quiet time? The cleaning, laundry, back to your job/school/motherhood day to day life? 

God says that "men are that they may have joy." I think that is the true test, how to find happiness and fulfillment in between the big spending times. THAT is what I am focusing on. I think I'm doing a pretty good job, if I do say so myself.

Those newlyweds came home to spend Christmas. We didn't spend a lot of money. We didn't have to buy the happiness. We found joy in spending time together by talking, playing games, cooking and eating our favorite foods, and watching tv and movies from home. Sure, I spent some money on gifts but I didn't go crazy spending extra money I don't really have to buy things that no one really needs. Having things and stuff does not bring me happiness. Using what I have and loving those people in my life bring me more joy.

For example, my favorite memory was Christmas day when both my missionary boys were able to skype home at the same time. I had all my children virtually in the same room at the same time. It's been years since that has happened! That brought me the most happiness and joy, not the gifts under the tree. 

No, the gifts left clean up and decisions of where to put the new stuff. Do I need to get rid of older stuff to make space? How can I best get rid of the old stuff to make way for the new? Do I sell it, give it away, toss it in the trash, or what? 

Do you see my point that having things does not necessarily bring happiness? It can bring more work and worry. Storing it, caring for it, keeping it functional, etc. True joy comes from being content with my life and the people in it. I can't bring all the stuff with me. It's the memories and love that I can and will bring everywhere I go. THOSE are what I'm trying to focus on this year.

I think a lot of people in this country and this world could find joy and happiness if they'd stop worrying about stuff and the race to acquire it. If they focused more on using what they already have to make themselves and others around them happy. To find joy in the here and now even though it isn't the Disney fairy tale life. 

I now know from experience that Disney isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sure, it's joyful and happy making for a while but it is a fairy tale. It isn't real life. And that's a good thing. If it WERE real life it would be expensive, tiring, and too much of a good thing. It would get real old real fast. 

I'm thankful for where I am now, who I am now, and those I have in my life right now. They are making me joyful and happy and it's my choice to continue finding it in the little things around me.

Happy 2016 everyone! Thank you for being a positive influence in my life!

Love,

Lisa