What this holiday needs is some gratitude...

Here it is, a little bit of gratitude from yours truly. Most of you know that Judd and I moved into the Money Pit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj15gi7x6mg about a year ago.... Wow, has it been that long?
Originally the venture seemed like a good idea. A fixer-upper house that we could make into a home. Judd and my brother Andrew had a vision of the potential that day they looked at the house. If it were my eyes seeing it I would have seen all sorts of nightmarish outcomes... no visions. Funny how something can look different to two people when they are gazing upon the same thing. After seeing the house Judd returned like a warrior to our tiny one bedroom apartment and announced that he had liked the house, and then with hesitancy followed that with "it has potential". It could have been the pregnancy hormones, or the fact that anything bigger than a one bedroom apartment seemed like heaven that I actually agreed to buy the house after SEEING it. That's right, I did see the house first. Actually, I think that I smelled it long before I saw it, but let's not get technical here. The first three months were what I would call "roughing it" kind of like camping except without a warm fire, hot cocoa or marshmallows. Because there was no kitchen we lived on grilled cheese, tomato soup and anything microwavable. I would load up our dishes into an all-mighty Hefty garbage bag and haul them off to moms to scrub me some dirty dishes. It was that or the bathroom sink and I just couldn't bring myself to do that. There is something innately wrong about doing dishes where you go to the bathroom. After a few months like this we slowly whittled away at the layer of yuck. So for this holiday season I am grateful for:
A warm, CLEAN, nice home.
For a husband who is such an amazing man to take on this project and come out on the other side in one piece.
For my neighbors who brought us warm dinners to break up our bean and cheese burrito routine.
For my moms dishwasher
For Hefty bags (which can hold quite a few pots and pans with no problems)
Dust masks
Carpet!!!!!! (You know who you are)
Last but not least I am grateful for the family I have to fill this home.

Here are a few before and after pictures, pull up a fire, grab some marshmallows and take a look :)

Front entry way before
Entry way after
Entry after
Hallway before... Blue anyone?
Hallway after
One of the bedrooms before
Master bedroom before
Kitchen... You thought I was exaggerating the "No kitchen" part
Kitchen.... UGH! look at the floor. How do people live like that?
Office before
Office.
Kitchen after (the tile is now done, I just haven't taken new pictures)
Kitchen
Oh, another kitchen before. YUCK
Kitchen
Another kitchen... holy smokes, I didn't realize how many of these I downloaded
Family room before

Family room before
Family room after
Family room after

Family room after
Master after

Living room after