I've Been Bitten!

Oh, I have been bitten.  I have the bug...the bug that has no cure, except to just let go.

No, I'm not dying of West Nile or the Swine flu--at least, not that I know of.  No, I'm talking about the remodeling bug.  It comes and goes, but it seems to be coming back again, and it's very strong right now.  What makes it worse is that my husband has the bug as well!  Truly, though, the house is due.  We live in a 50 year old house that was probably remodeled ten to fifteen years ago, and in general the house has been well-lived in.  It's not in bad shape, but there are problems that need to be fixed, as expected in a house this age (or anything this age).  The vinyl flooring in our bathroom is starting to come unglued, and will need to be replaced soon.  The tub surround requires re-caulking on a semi-regular basis, and is old and hard to clean (so is the tub itself).  The sink and cabinet look aged, and not in a good, antique-y way.  'Tis time, 'tis time.  What makes this even worse are two things:  1) we only have one bathroom, and to have it remodeled will leave us with no place for "reading", and 2) we made the mistake of going to Menard's and finding a cabinet, one-piece solid surface vanity top/sink,  faucet, medicine cabinet, and tub/shower combo that I realllllllly liked.  I've even included a few photos below, courtesy of the Menard's website:

Love the cabinet, but not the vanity top--stock photo

Isn't this the cutest sink faucet??  I would take it with us when we move to our dream home someday, because it's also pretty pricey.

There are several things that we would like to do to make this house look a little more appealing when it comes to selling someday.  This is just the start, but we would also like to eventually replace carpeting and add a half bath too, over time.  We are already working on curb appeal, thanks to the hail storm and our insurance!  We already have a brand-new roof and will have all new siding and shutters on our house soon.  We'll repaint the shed out back.  We've repainted the living room and hallway.  We've replaced all of the kitchen appliances.  *Sniff, sniff*...aah, I love the smell of remodeling!  I have to admit, I was spoiled by our last house in Kentucky.  It had been completely gutted and replaced with all new everything.  It was smaller than this house, but it looked better.  But, the economy there was much different than it is where we now live, so we are faced with doing upgrades on our own.  Someday, I hope we have the house that we've always wanted, but for now, I think we can make this house a comfortable stop along the way.

Not long ago, a friend on Facebook posted that they were reminded of the verse about contentment in 1 Timothy.  It struck me, because I sway between contentment and compulsion, and I thought it seemed fitting for my desire to have the perfect house--the house that everyone envies, the house that shows up on HGTV and in the magazines as full-page color photos.  Part of it is my (now unpracticed) profession of interior design, and design in general, and should be expected.  But when I think about it, I can't help but wonder, "what's the point?"  I know that my treasures and mansion won't be here on earth one day, but rather will be found in Heaven above when I finally get there.  So, even though I would love to have the showplace of my dreams here, I know there are other more important things to focus on.  "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it."--1 Timothy 6:6-7.  Basically, be content with what God has given you, because you can't take worldly gain with you when you die!