Redecorating the house

At the end of last year we were trying to decide if we should start finishing the basement now that I was finished with treatment or redecorate the house that was bothering me so much.  We had planned on finishing the basement in January 2015 but I was going through chemo and money was tight paying for all of my medical bills.  Finishing the basement would take a lot of money and I am nervous to spend that kind of money right now because you never know what can happen.  I also knew how bad the interior of my house reminded me of cancer and also the memories of my beloved dogs who had just passed away.  I seriously wanted to move if I couldn't make a change.  In talking to other people who have gone through what I have, some of them did decide to move.  I thought it would be cheaper to redecorate and I just don't have it in me for all the work it takes to move, let alone Kaci is in a school she loves with friends that live nearby.  I didn't feel it was fair to her to move right now.

As I have mentioned before, last February I redecorated our bedroom because I just couldn't stand it anymore.  I had spent countless days/hours/months in there and the sight of it made me sick to my stomach.  With the mounting medical bills that is the only room I could afford to do at that moment and I felt that was the most important since I knew I would be spending another couple of months in bed.  It made me feel better at the time and I just learned to look past the rest of the house.

So right after Christmas I started hitting the stores to get ideas.  My main goal was to get rid of all the red in my house since that color was spread throughout every room except my bedroom and bathroom.  I started with changing out a few decorations but the house still looked the same to me.  Then we started looking at carpet and decided to re-carpet the house.  When we built the house the cheapest carpet was put in and it didn't wear well at all.  The carpet was in terrible shape and since Jake (my dog) had just passed away and with all of his "accidents" over the years and towards the end of his life the drooling blood, it was time.  In fact we always said when Jakey Boy goes we are going to get new carpet (sorry buddy but its true).  We spent hours cleaning out each room as we moved the furniture in preparation.  Re-carpeting is the next best thing to moving!  We had collected so much in the last 4-1/2 years since we moved in and it was a great time to get rid of some things.  After the house was re-carpeted with lovely thick padding and plush carpet it is like walking on clouds.  I have never had this nice of carpet before and this didn't disappoint.  It was worth spending a little more money and getting exactly what we wanted.  It looked beautiful and then we put our old furniture back in the family room and I hated it.  It looked like we had such a nice house now but with old, semi-outdated furniture.  Last fall we had been eying some furniture for our family room but decided to wait until we got the basement done.  Well, since we didn't do the basement and was working on the main level of the house we decided to get the furniture as well.  Thank goodness for our excellent credit and 18/24 months no interest.  After the carpet and furniture was in I took down the rest of the "red decor".  I have bought a few things like new rugs, towels for the kitchen and a few decorations for the cabinets.  I haven't finished it yet but have decided to take a break.  I got so overwhelmed and ended up buying and returning numerous items that I felt just didn't fit.  I am going to take it easy for a while and if/when I see something I will know.  In the meantime my house looks great and the "old memories" of the year that I went through surgery, chemo and radiation and the loss of my dogs are long gone.  I haven't forgotten them completely as they will always be a part of me,  but the change in my house is exactly what I needed and for the most part what my family needed.

It is nice to have our main living area just how I want it.  It is so fresh and new and makes me happy looking at it.  My house is my new fresh start and I love it.  Here is to making a lot of good memories with my family in our home that we have put so much work and love in to.