Before and After

I LOVE before and after pictures.  People makeovers, house makeovers, room makeovers.  Doesn't matter.
This room that I am sitting in right now has been a toy room, dining room, living room, piano room... throw-everything-in-it-so-it's-out-of-the-way-room.  You name it, it's been in here.
It was going to be Dave's 'man cave'.  NOW it is going to be my craft room. (he can have the basement :)

It all started like this...

This is Chanse and Charish!  Looks to me like they are about 6 and 3.  There was styrofoam under the paneling on the outside wall.

When we bought this house in 1999 there was paneling on every wall, and carpet on every floor (except the kitchen).  If only I had taken pictures of every room!  Sadly, I didn't.

Flash forward to 2012...

The window was replaced with a patio door that goes here...

(the crazy looking thing on the left is the trampoline leaning up against the deck.)

Anyway...at one time this wall was nicely painted.  Then our sweet little Eli got up in the middle of the night and turned the water on in the sink upstairs while we were all sleeping.  I woke to Gavin frantically telling me that the whole bathroom upstairs was full of water!  The bathroom is directly above this room, the water went behind the plaster and caused it to bubble so we had to scrape it all off.  It also filled the light fixture in the center of the room, and was coming out the electric boxes in our bathroom downstairs.  

Oh, Eli.  He does things like this a lot.

So my task today was to tackle this shelf.  It was moved here from our living room.  It used to hold our homeschool supplies and books.  Now it is just a mess.  It holds everything.

And here is the big reveal...

Okay, okay, I know I still have random stuff stacked on top.  And it would be a better story if the wall was fixed and there was base trim... I can't help it, I only had one afternoon!

Here's my favorite part...

Isn't that great!  I know, I'm a dork.  Yes, they're glass.  We'll see if we have any accidents.  I'm saving the broken crayons for a project... never thought I'd be happy to see broken crayons, but I am! 

I get so excited over the littlest things.
Don't you want a better look?

In the back row are tin cans Mod Podged with scrapbook paper.  That was fun... and messy... hence, no pictures.  At the end of the school year I won't cringe when they bring back their used crayons and markers.  I have a place for them!

While I was looking for pictures of the dining room I saw lots and lots of pictures of the renovations we've done around here.  

It is so fun to look back and see how much different things were.  Makes me think of another renovation that took place about ten years ago.  I was looking for answers to questions about life.  Why there is so much sorrow and strife.  What is life really about?  Why am I really here?  I met someone who introduced me to scrapbooking.  

She also explained to me all of the things that I hadn't learned on Sundays.  

And I prayed.  

My life has changed.  I have been renovated.  It takes time, but now I know what life is really about, and why I'm here.  

The first picture reminds me of me before I knew Jesus.  Dark, stained and ugly.  The last picture reminds me of me now.  Getting shaped up, but still some work to do.  Counting it all joy.  When things are stressful and challenging and I think I'm not doing anything right I try to remember this:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish it's work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  
James 1: 2-3

I long for the peace of knowing Christ for you.  There is no makeover like it - or more important.