The Law of Inertia & Renovating

With one room of our whole house renovation done, you would think that HandyMan and I would celebrate our little bit of progress, maybe slow down, enjoy the new space for a while. And we have...Mama & Papa Wanderluster and siblings Wanderluster were over for our first formal dinner in the new dining room. While the dining space was perfect, the kitchen, well, was obviously less so.

We struggled to put together a four-course meal in our tiny 8'x13' kitchen. Our oven, literally the width of a cookie sheet, barely made it through the evening. HandyMan and I were stepping on each other all night and we had to constantly shoo our guests out of the kitchen. A shame really, since cooking with family is something I enjoy. Despite the logistical challenges, the meal was a success and our guests enjoyed everything down to the banana and nutella crepe dessert, drizzled with a strawberry grand marnier compote. No sooner had the door shut behind them then HandyMan and I were griping that the kitchen had just moved up in the renovation priority list.

Newton had it right with his Law of Inertia - an object in motion tends to stay in motion. So it is with renovating. One project leads to another project; one fix uncovers many other problems. Not only has the dining room reno amplified how inadequate the kitchen is, but the funky new wallpaper and wainscotting have highlighted how worn out the trims look, how dirty and old the ceiling seems, how unfinished the adjacent living room is. I guess the kitchen isn't the only thing we're adding to the list.