Heather says
2014 has been very quiet at Home-Ec101.com; it’s been a year of healing and new beginnings.
The year has been about learning what is good enough and what can and can’t be tolerated.
Back in April, one of my best friends, who is also my assistant at FeedBlitz, found a lump and began the longest eight months of her life. It’s not my story to tell, but she had her last chemo treatment the week before Christmas and we are anxiously awaiting her return.
Some of you know that I made the decision to buy what I’ve been calling the fixer-upper late in the summer. That wasn’t a simple decision, it’s the house I grew up in. It’s the house where I tried to raise my youngest sister when our family fell apart.
Financially I knew it made sense, but I didn’t know if I could handle the emotional cost.
The house has come a long way. Yes, the bathroom floor is still sagging, but there is a new roof (and no more squirrels!).
Paint and new appliances are helping. I am looking forward to the day I can rip up the carpeting, but there are a few more pressing repairs to handle first.
I’ve gotten so good at “cutting in” when painting that I don’t even have to tape the borders.
I’ve learned how to install new outlets and  light switches and what happens when you do that incorrectly. (In my case you live with extension cords from rooms with power to those that are lacking. At least until your ex-husband, an electrician can troubleshoot for hours, to finally pinpoint the problem -the brand new light switch, oy.)
I’ve learned that, in my home, the most important room, is still the dining room, that having the table where we can eat together matters far more than all of other improvements we’ve made.
I’ve learned that making an effort to stay on top of the kid mess matters so much more when the surroundings aren’t nice. It’s so much easier to fall into a why bother attitude when the walls need a new coat of paint and the blinds are torn. Dishes seem to pile faster, too.
But, I’ve also learned that a colorful bathmat can help me ignore the sagging floor until it can be repaired and that Ikea really can be a magical place of wallet-draining wonder.
2013 was awful, some of it was my own fault and some of it was caused by situations far beyond my control. I thought I would hit the ground running in 2014 and that I’d get Home-Ec101.com back to where it was in 2012. It turns out that new beginnings are a lot of work and much of that work happens where no one can see.
I’ve committed to keep showing up and I’m looking forward to 2015, yellow counters and all.
Some of it will be getting back to basics like a return to menu planning, but I also plan on addressing more reader questions and being more active in the online community that allows Home Ec 101 to exist in the first place. Thank you for being a part of the journey. I wish you well in the new year.
Hi Heather-
Adding you to my prayer list. Sorry to hear about all that has gone on and looking forward to seeing your posts again. You are a strong woman who will come out on top for sure 🙂 Here’s to a great 2015 for you and your family!
Lyn
Hi Lyn, things have changed so much since we first met, haven’t they? Thank you for your vote of confidence. Things are so much better than they were and the forecast looks good. 🙂
I hope you and your family are well.
I love that you’re brave enough to walk straight into the wind and still see the many blessings along your path! Your home is wonderful and your attitude about prioritizing is so refreshing.
I’ve done the outlet thing too and it was not fun 🙂 In my case, it blew out all the receptacles and light fixtures in 3 rooms. Fixed now, thank God!
I found your blog near the end of 2014 and am looking forward to a whole year with you in 2015.
Happiest New Year ever to you and your family!
I do tend to try to edit out the whining here on the site. Some of those around me are less lucky and have to hear the unedited, frustrated bits.
Re: the outlets I thought it was the squirrels that were living in the attic and I was scared the place was going to burn down. Nope, just wired something incorrectly. (I didn’t suspect my wiring as the light fixture worked just fine)
There’s a lot of useful stuff in the archives and I’ve hired some help to help make it more accessible. One of my big goals for 2015 is to get to work on book #2. I have the concept, I just have to apply my butt to a chair and start working.
Hi. I am glad you are healing. I have and will pray, too. I was thinking about it just now and realized I have been “here” for about six years. Thanks for being here, too. Good luck with the house. I hope that seeing it transform will also bring some healing as you make new memories with your kids and prepare it for others to enjoy. On a side note, good for you and you ex for being kind to each other, or at least trying. So many don’t.
Thank you. I hope you’re doing well.
Last night I threw out the curtains I had hung back in 1999. That felt so good. I hated them and I hated seeing them every day. Each of these changes makes it easier to think of this place as home.
Being civil and kind makes everyone’s life easier. We’ve got children to raise so there’s no reason to not make the best of the situation. I’m sure there will be rough patches, but things are okay and better than they were for a very long time.
Dearest Heather
I onlY know you via your blog but I have been encouraged by both the home ec and personal posts.
My Mom passed away the day before Thankagiving and my husband was hit by at car on Christmas Day. But I know I can make it because others have.
Please know how much you are appreciated and that you are Awesome.
Oh Shelley, I wish you the most sincere condolences.
I hope your husband heals and that you find peace. If there is anything I can do, send me an email, please.
You’ve had a tough couple of years! Thanks for keeping HE101 going; your lists and tips have been a real help to me. Wishing the very best for you & yours in 2015.
Thank you, things are so much better already. Time has helped a lot and I’m happier than I have been in a very long time.
I hope you and yours have a wonderful year.
Can I just say thank you for persevering! What an encouragement that is to all of us. You share so much knowledge with us. What a blessing that is. I know I can go to your site and search and find answers I can trust. You have had a couple of hard years. You aren’t a quitter, and you will not only survive but thrive again. Blessings!
Heather,
Happy New Year, and here’s to a great 2015. Your patience and perserverence through some tough times is an inspiration to all of us. Best wishes!!
I stumbled onto your site by accident and how lucky I was! I don’t have the words to say how fun, honest, and open it is -it brought smiles and a few tears. Keep at it! Your home looks wonderful and will keep evolving – I look forward to reports of your latest adventure.
My husband and I are starting our own adventure -downsizing to a townhouse after selling our home of 35 years. As we move our boxes I discovered we have not purged nearly enough! I am inspired by your can do attitude and will try to do the same – change isn’t easy, but we are excited. So thank you for your words and photos -the beautiful and the not so perfect. Your site is like having an instant fun new neighbor! Wishing you joy and good health in 2015!