Bath before and after

Here is the up bath with what used to be. A lovely matching blue color scheme. Blue counter, bumpy blue canvas wallpaper, and best of all blue accented shag carpet.


Here is the new improved.

Last Thursday Moe, Zaf, Nali and I journeyed east of Columbus to look at plots of land Debbi wants to buy. First off, we have the piece on Arrowhead Road, about an hour and twenty minutes out of Columbus. Next we have the Dutch Valley piece, about two and a half hours out of C-bus. But I couldn't get the pictures to move around to their proper order, so first you have four pictures of the Dutch Valley place, and then the rest are from the Arrowhead Road place.

To the left, if you're standing in front of the property.
Toward the right side...And here are the Arrowhead Rd ones.Right side...

Neighbor's drive...

And rather than writing descriptions, I'll just copy and paste the letter I sent to Debbi.

Well, as soon as the girls woke up and had eaten their rice pudding, I packed our bags with raincoats and umbrellas, boots and pb&js, trailmix and juice boxes, borrowed Sim's gps and we set off in the rain. By the time we got to the place on Arowhead Rd. the girls were in ecstasies ab

out the lakes! the curvy roads! the big hills! the bike path! (me) and the kept crowing WE'RE IN THE COUN--TRY!! The area was truly beautiful: big, forested hills just starting to turn, tuscany-esque roads, and it was a pretty straight shot out from Columbus.

We arrived and piled out, the girls pranced around eating their pb&js, and I took pictures. The land itself...not that impressive. Large, flat, cleared plot with trees around the edges. But it was out of sight of any other houses except for a rv back in the trees that probably houses a crazy guy hiding from black helicopters. And then the interstate is right there. It's pretty loud but not too loud, and you kinda feel like you're hanging out on the shoulder of the highway, even though you aren't. It definitely has potential, and while woods are more exciting, the field is probably going to be better for building, and we can plant trees--an orchard, and willows, and white pines for a sound barrier! So I loaded the now muddy girls back into their seats and journeyed on.

On the way to the Dutch Valley place we drove through Gnadenhutten, (say THAT five times fast) which was first settled by Moravian missionaries, incidentally. This area is much more river valley farm land tucked in between big ol rolling hills. There was a cool river, not as glorious as the current, nor as big as the Osage, nor as lazy as the Pokamoke but looked like decent canoeing and possibly swimming. Lakes seemed to abound, as well. This place is really out in the boonies. You really get up into the hilly woodsy stuff after two miles of dirt road. (We ignored the gps returned another way, sans dirt, and it seemed just as fast.) There's a lot of mining going on around there, lots of big trucks, quarries, and gobbled up hillsides, one of which seemed to be on the property. I had a harder time figuring out exactly where the plot lies on this one, and google earth and Tuscarawas County Assessors Office haven't been particularly helpful. I should have called the realitor, but I couldn't be sure of when I would arrive since I was travelling with three young indians, so I didn't. While this is out there, it is surrounded by a little cluster of homes, maybe six houses within a half mile. From what I can guess, the chunk of land is mostly quite steep, under/beside a huge powerline, (you know, the ones that look like a lady pulling up her girdle) and is about half woods/steep and half cleared/flatter but still lumpy. I'll have a better idea about this one if I can figure out the property lines.

I'll get pictures to you somehow, but right now I need to go put on some clothes and go over to Sim and Janelle's for a farewell Isaac/happy birthday Jess party. The other day at Jess' I was informed that I was Debbi and they were "old friends come to take some tea." I was insrtucted to make tea and say, "Would you care for some tea, old friends?" Well, that was better than the previous game, which involved the girls doing ballet at Zaf's boyfriend's birthday party. I don't approve of boyfriends at that young age.

Before and After

So I thought I'd post some before and after pics.

Here is the house the day we bought it.

Here are some during the process.

Mom is keeping an eye on the working prisoners.

So here is the final product.

Book Review

I am reading a book called “Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway” by Susan Jeffers. It has been a perk for my character. Her basic argument is that everyone feels fear (or anxiety) when they do new things, or when they stretch out of their comfort zone. This is normal, but it often really confines us. We have generally been taught to live conservatively, assume the worst about unknowns, and just plain old “be careful.”

Boiled down, our most basic fear is that we won’t be able to handle IT, whatever IT is for you. For me, of course, it is transitions. Whether you expect yourself to become paralyzed, die, or fail—it’s all, in sum, an expectation that you can’t handle IT.

Truth #1: Whatever comes my way, I can handle it.
You can write this on your mirror. Chose to believe in yourself, that you can and will handle whatever comes.

Truth #2: The fear will never go away as long as I continue to grow.
Since growth means stretching, reaching, and expanding that comfort zone, as long as growth is happening, I will always be met with fear at some level. So relax, it’s part of life.

Truth #3: The only way to get rid of fear of something is to go out and do it.
Facing our fears is the only way to get them to go away. Since my Kenyan staff will never read this, I’ll admit that I have been simply immobilized by two of my kitchen staff. They seem to have a tactful knack for keeping me out of their space. I have noticed that the only place at MGH that I am not in charge, is in that stupid kitchen, of all places. (Ironic, considering my natural inclination toward eating.)

When I read Truth #3, I realized I have been giving my power away by fearing confrontation. So I decided feel my fear, and do IT anyway. In this case, IT is face up to a power struggle and claim the authority that is legitimately mine.

Truth #4:Pushing through fear is less frightening than the underling fear that comes from helplessness.

Whatever you may fear, it’s easier on your soul to face it than to be bullied around by it.

“It’s amazing how quickly results materialize when you know what you want and are determined to get it. Most people never take the time to focus on what they want—then they wonder why they always feel empty.”

If you ever find yourself stuck, unable to reach toward your goal, dare to ask yourself what payoffs you get for staying stuck. I felt offended by this exercise, by the insinuation that I benefit from my deep pains and stuckness. But I jotted down a few ideas anyway, since Aram was not ready for bed yet that evening.

The main thing that I get from being paralyzed by transition, I noticed, is space. Aram generally is taking over the world until the moment when I say “I….. can’t…… move” and possibly start hyperventilating. When I am slightly overwhelmed, I get a pat on the head. When I am totally overwhelmed, Aram will fly in his mom to help him pack up the house. So in this way, and perhaps some others, there is a degree of benefit for being stuck in my fear. I still don’t want to move to Ethiopia next month, but somehow that nugget of self awareness makes me feel stronger.


A final concept:

On talking about living a full and healthy life, Jeffers says that we an imagine our life as a box. Some people’s lives/boxes have one compartment, filled with one thing (husband, job). If that one thing falls apart, our whole live deflates. Instead, we should think of our boxes as having, say, eight compartments.

Say that my 8 compartments are: Aram, the kids, my job, my teaching, health, private life, hobbies, and extended family.

We spread out of energies and interests for a more balanced life.

After you have labeled your boxes, then close your eyes, and imagine what you would do differently if you knew you really mattered in that sphere, and you gave it 100%.

I noticed that if I were giving MGH 100%, I would immediately change the cinnamon roll recipe. And so I called the head cook this evening. If I gave my extended family 100%, I would certainly write book reviews for them to enjoy. And if I gave Aram 100%, I would remember about those black lacy things when he gets home from work.

So, Feel the fear, and DO IT ANYWAY.

I gotta cook Shadrach some mac and cheese.

Debbi