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| My Third Eye |
When I was taking a high school Probability and Statistics
class, believe me, an improbability in itself, my good friend and I sat in the
back row repeating our mantra over and over again: “Ours is not to question
why, ours is but to do or die.” Then we
would laugh. Crisis
averted.
Sometimes DIYers get in a situation that begins to feel a
little do-or-die. I know I felt that way
at least a couple of times during my recent kitchen renovation project. That’s when you begin to ask: Whose idea was
this? What was I thinking? How do I get myself out of this mess?
Home renovation, like grief, can offer up many stages: denial,
anger, acceptance, and, finally, thank goodness, relief. Geesh.
All I wanted was to reface my cabinets.
I didn’t know I was signing on for any heavy-duty emotional stuff. I must admit, it was pretty cathartic.
I’ve decided there really should be home renovation support
groups. It is not unusual to need some
therapy while in the midst of living in a home that is torn to smithereens. DIY adventures are rarely neat and tidy. We can all use a little encouragement to stay
the course and push through to the other side.
It really is worth it.
Because I didn’t have a support group cheering me on during
my kitchen facelift, I have decided to start one for all of you
DIY brave hearts out there. Our group
meetings will take place on Facebook and Squidoo. Therapy and cookies will be provided free of
charge. Just bring your renovation
issues. Of course, you are entirely
welcome even if you have never experienced one single moment of DIY angst. You can be our well-adjusted home renovation poster
child.
We have a new Facebook hangout. I call it “Do or Di DIY” (the “Di” is me,
Squidoo’s Home Renovator Contributor).
Please stop by and use your greatest DIY tool, your thumb, if you feel
moved to do so. A little love goes a
long way. And now, please pass the
cookies... greatest therapy known to womankind.
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We're about to buy a foreclosure home and while it's thrilling to be able to fix up a home the way we want, it's terrifying looking at the amount of sweat equity we'll have to do. A Do or Di DIY support group is exactly what we need. I'll start baking a batch of cookies! Thank you for helping us on our own DIY journeys!
ReplyDeletePut me to work, Coletta. I'll be there for you. It will be worth it. There is so much satisfaction to be had in transforming your house into a home. Congrats on your home buying achievement!
DeleteI've been around both my brother and my son when they 'renovated' their kitchens and know the 'angst' involved. Next time either of them decides on another DIY project, I'll let them know about your 'support group'. LOL.
ReplyDeleteThey may want something stronger than cookies, Pat. Maybe we should plan for a little extra "punch" in the punch. ;-)
DeleteWe pent the fall renovating our kitchen. My brother did the majority of the work..so I was fortunate to have him. I did have fun helping him design the new win bar and laying out the patterns for the backspash and tile floor.
ReplyDeleteI seem to start projects and get them almost completed and then cannot finish that last little detail....so I call my brother to the rescue :) This time it was good to have him involved from the start. I certainly understand the need for the support group lol
Sounds lovely... your kitchen renovation. Good to have a go-to brother. I felt the same way at the end. Could have used a tag team partner. Might need your wine bar for our support group sessions. Can we meet in your kitchen? ;-)
DeleteOur problem is never finishing a project we start (I could tell you stories, but it's far too embarrassing). Glad you'll be there next time if we ever decide to DIY again, and I'm sure eventually we will!
ReplyDeleteI'll let you in on a little secret, Susan: I have unfinished projects even as we speak. Gasp! :-)
DeleteI am laughing so hard right now I can hard breathe! The picture alone shows your mischievous self. Then I start reading and I find you are clearly writing to me. I always question my sanity in the midst of a home renovation. I have frequently considered just moving out when I hit that point of "why did I ever start this!"
ReplyDeleteI have never really thought about it before, but you are so right that we need a support group!
My husband and I are huge diyers. We often drag my parents into the mess. Remind me to someday tell you about when we decided to pull out our carpet and put down a tile floor. The chaos started when my husband brought home the rubber mallet :) I don't know why it never occurred to me that it would hurt if you used it to bop someone in the head! That is what happens when you grow up watching the 3 Stooges! (That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!)
Interesting that you should mention the Three Stooges, Mouse. They came to mind when I was creating my new Facebook cover montage of three hammerheads. I'm laughing as I imagine what "someone" in your household did with that rubber mallet. You stick to that story. It will serve you well during your next DIY comedy hour. I love that there has been chaos beyond my own.
DeleteI thoroughly enjoy your humor! I have been there too, with DIY projects. Wanting to cry, scream or throw the hammer through my current project! However, I find it's darkest just before the dawn. All at once it falls into place. I am thrilled to have a place to go so we can all laugh, cry, commiserate and celebrate! I just hopped over to FB and liked the page!
ReplyDeleteAh yes... it's always darkest just before throwing that hammer at dawn. Glad I'm not alone in having had a fitful moment or two. Here's to the DIY Sisterhood. We've got plenty to celebrate.
DeleteMany suns ago I would have jumped right in there and gave the Do-It-Yourselfers a helping hand, now I'm at that stage where just a bit of Ms. Fix-It is enough for me. So I designate myself the Pom-Pom girl to cheer you all on to the finished project line!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh... the stages of home reno or home repair. I love the idea of support groups. I have to admit, I have thrown a thing or two during home repairs back in the day.
ReplyDelete