Unfinished works

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The other day friends came over for dinner and then we did some painting. I covered this cabinet front I'd bought at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore:
Mind you, it's not yet finished -- but as you can see, I tore paper to create a mosaic-look along the border, sponged on some paint, and then I printed out some words to a song that is meaningful to me right now and adhered them to the middle of the board.  I still have to work on that section.  The song says, I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert/but I can live and breathe and feel the sun in wintertime.

That really spoke to me, as we live in the high desert and have, as I told you last time, been frantically packing and cleaning, because we were planning to sell our home.  But, guess what?  We changed our minds.
Everyone wants to know why we decided against moving, and we're feeling a bit sheepish for being so wishy washy, and getting everyone all up in arms about this big move, and now pulling back.   Believe me, the reasons we decided to move away still exist, but we realized that we would be giving up too much if we did so right now.
Both of us were more unhappy than excited at the prospect of moving.  Every day I spent packing I would be in tears, and it wasn't getting better as the days went on -- it was getting worse!  Once we did more math, and talked, and decided we just had to stay here, we were both so relieved!  It was a close call!  Art and Paul say, Thank goodness we're not going anywhere!
The benefit of all of this is having a half-packed home. We are taking advantage of the change to keep some of it out, as in, major decluttering!  The house feels so spacious now!  We've already given away furniture and a carload or two of other stuff, and that's just the beginning.  We'll keep going -- but we're not, for the time being, actually going anywhere!

Comments

Marrianna said…
I'm glad you get to stay in the home and community you both love so much. I see garage sales and consignment shops in your future. Im also wondering if you have thought of renting out a room in your house? I know many people in Flagstaff who rent out a spare bedroom for the school year to grad students. This leaves the room still available for your son in the summer. Of course, Flagstaff is a college town and maybe that makes it easier to find someone to share the house. Just an idea.
July 18, 2017 at 7:03 AM
Linda Sue said…
Whew!! That IS a relief! What a great opportunity to get rid of clutter too. Whatever it takes! Glad you are staying , Laurie! LOVE
July 18, 2017 at 9:04 AM
Kelli Davidson said…
Yay! Congratulations! Sometimes you just have to make a decision and then -- you need to change your mind. Maybe you'll have to change your mind AGAIN but that's okay...........so goes life!
July 18, 2017 at 9:37 AM
Linda said…
Good decision. When in doubt -- don't! Art and Paul would agree it seems. Take care and carry on.

Cheers, Linda
July 18, 2017 at 12:17 PM
Claudia said…
Hey, you guys have to do what's right for you! It sounds like staying put is the right decision for now. Good luck with the continued decluttering, something we really need to do more of! Take care.
July 18, 2017 at 5:42 PM
Sami said…
If you were feeling unhappy about the move, it's probably better to go with your heart!
Love your cats in bed in a mirror position, so sweet.
We're in a similar position with my husband's project ending in September and because there's nothing else at the moment in our city, he will have to move 3 to 4h away by plane! I probably won't move for the time being, but if the project is going to be long term I have to think about it, as we would be spending too much money flying backwards and forwards every second week or so
to see each other. Decisions, decisions...
July 19, 2017 at 4:50 AM
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