Remodeling in the holiday season

December tends to have enough busyness without any added projects. This year, we have the kitchen completion happening with the approaching holiday.

With the chaos of the remodel, putting up decorations is futile. With that, none of us are in a particularly holiday mood. I have found this fact to be nice. We are not anxious to "get things done" before the big holiday. We have an attitude that, if we can, great; if not, no big deal. The girls and I actually enjoyed a shopping outing looking for gifts. Even the gift giving has changed since we are looking for reasonably priced gifts as our budget is taken up with remodeling. I think our gifts are a little more thought out and definitely not as grandiose. With DH laboring on the remodel, I believe we have even found more family time than we typically have at this time of year. When Daddy has finished laboring for the day and is "resting" or maybe we are awaiting the next stage of the project, we have time as a family to be together - - - watching movies. But as I think of it, our family time is also as we work together on the remodeling project. All of us are involved instead of running here and there from one event to the next.

I am missing some of the decorations. Pictures of Christmas morning in the future years, I might feel a little sad. However, the excitement of having an operating oven again has tempered my yearnings. I am hopeful to put up a few things once the counters are installed. Once we grout the new tiled floor, the refrigerator (in the family room area) can return to the kitchen - makes room for a tree, if we desire. With the counters, the cook-top and dishwasher should also leave the dining room take their rightful places in the kitchen. Oh, imagine how big our little space will then feel!

Last evening, we pulled together and made a casserole. It was so tasty! After so many months of microwave food, take-in, dine-out, cold sandwiches we were ready for some good, home cooked, comfort food. Eating tator-tot casserole never tasted so good. Hopefully I can remember that when it becomes mundane once again.

The excitement of the cabinets being installed has given way to the reality of all the tedious, time consuming, back laboring work still to be done to make the project complete. The floor being laid is another huge step. Unfortunately, our counter installation has been delayed. I was so hopeful it would have been this week but now will not happen until early next week. We are still on track to make Christmas dinner in our new kitchen.