A before and after

For the first 15 months we lived in our current home, there was something about it

that drove me pretty darn crazy. But I didn't want to rush to change it, until I knew for
sure it was worth the money and time. So I kept living with it. Until this past spring.
When I knew I wanted it changed. And sweet Jacob, and our incredible home teacher,
agreed to do just that. And I was so very thankful and so very excited.

This was the before. When you walked in the front door, this is what greeted you. And while the
wood was beautiful, man, there was a lot of it. I didn't feel like you could focus on anything,
because there was just too much--the actual fireplace over the stairway, the railing, the banister,
the large mantel, some very shiny tile, the frame around that tile. It made my brain want to cry.

(And yes, I'm fully aware many people wouldn't be bothered with it, but I
tried for more than a year, and apparently I am not one of those people.)

Because we haven't always dreamed of having a fireplace over our stairway (the other side of
the two-sided fireplace is in the living room, where a fireplace is meant to be), my first thought
was to have it replaced with a one-sided fireplace and just make that wall look like, well, a wall.
But after multiple bids that came in at many thousands of dollars (apparently the fireplace
is an odd size and the job is an odd job), I couldn't feel justified spending that kind of money.

So plan B it was...

Calm that wall down to make it look lovely and simple, rather than so very busy and busy.

Jacob and Mark took off the mantel, the banister, the frame and the tile. And even before anything
else happened or anything different was done, I was so thrilled with the simplicity I could have cried.
I think I squealed instead. Over and over again. I felt bad for them because I even annoyed myself.

 After the wall was fixed, patched and dried, the tile we picked out was put up. Oh my word,
I loved it so much. They could have stopped there and I would have been set.
But I didn't tell them that or they might have taken the offer. And probably should have.

Jacob then applied the grout and painted the wall and boy howdy, was I loving
how it looked. But then we had to figure out how to finish the edges of the
tile and that rough-looking spot where the mantel used to be.

Weeks when by with us trying different options and attempting to match different wood frames
to the original wood on the railing. Then one day, my darling friend came by (hi Carolyn!) and
I happened to mention to her we couldn't figure out a calm, matching version of a frame.
And she replied, "Do you have to put a frame up there?" Sweet chicken, I knew immediately
she had the right answer and was so very, very thankful. (I still am. Thanks Carolyn!)

So Jacob taped around the tile and he painted the small edge all around it the color of the wall.
Oh I loved it a lot. But still didn't know what to do about the area where the mantel had been.
We still couldn't match the wood and nothing was coming to us on how to make it work.

More weeks went by and one day I realized the answer. We could use a smaller piece
that came off the mantel and cut it down to size (both ways) to cover up that spot.

Mark and Jacob did exactly that and...

I love it, I love it, I love it!

(I love less that one of the lenses on our camera broke and I couldn't take a photo of
the finished product with the good camera and instead had to use the phone. Ugh.)

But help me Rhonda, even that can't ruin it because I just love the simplicity so much
that I keep finding excuses to stand in the entry and stare at the beauty of it all.
Usually those excuses include a desire to stand and stare at the wall and its beauty.

I'm so grateful for our kind home teacher and all that he did for us. And for my
wonderful husband who so kindly makes things happen that matter to me.

I love our house so much. I'm so grateful for it.