Hello!

Happy New Year! It's been a while. For many of you, I've kept you posted on house progress via Instagram. The short format has been ideal for the type of progress I have been making on the house. Short bursts of intense work mixed up with being a full-time advertising boss lady, wife, and mom.

The balance of all of these things is precarious. One of these plates had to drop and it was the blog plate. But, I have returned and for the moment while house renovation progress is slow, I will share stories about the family that lived here before. Their lives were nothing short of amazing.

Jan and Jim lived here for 60 years. They were avid record-keepers, letter-writers, and held on to things for much longer than I ever would have. Jim worked for Winchester Rifle for many years. He was an avid hunter, fisherman, hunting dog breeder, art lover, and writer. Jan was a stay-at-home mom, played an active role in local government, and worked hard to preserve local green spaces. Due to the cavernous attic, when their lives graduated into a new phase, the relics of the old phase ended up in the attic. I found Jim Jr's cup from Little League!

At one point, Jim's mom moved into the house. She developed Alzheimer's and they brought her here to look after her. In her younger years, she was also a world traveler and nostalgia addict. She kept notes about her trips, along with full itineraries and memorabilia. Much of it was stored in the attic.

Moving into a home filled with a life-time of other people's items was a process I could never have fully understood until going through it. Every day I uncover a new item to revel in, a new story to discover.

This week, I must gently remind myself to exit these rabbit holes. The boys still do not have a room of their own and we have developed a new plan to get them one. Our goal is to get them in it by Sunday.

On that note, I'm signing off. I hope you all have a joyous winter filled with love and warmth to carry you through until the land turns green and warm again!

I'd like to mention that Jan and Jim are both alive and well, living near their adult children.