Do your best to dress it up, adding small touches of beauty here and there:
Come to terms with the fact that you've done naught but scratch the surface of what needs to be done. Roll up sleeves and begin taking things apart:
Finally, get to the bare bones, that place where all the bad has been purged:
Pause for a victory dance. Ignore the dust as it settles around you:
It's time to rebuild! Start with the foundational basics:
Polish, polish, polish: Everything must be smoothed out at this stage, otherwise imperfections will be apparent in the finished product:
Finally, the layer of beauty necessary for both beauty and utility can be laid:
Work, work, and more tedious work must be diligently attended to in order to reach the final product, no matter how grueling, painful, or exhausting. Then, and only then will the revisions be successful, and your final, flawless product can be revealed:
Hip, hip, hooray!! When all is said and done, the pain of the labor will begin to fade, and your final, revised product will be there for all to enjoy :)
So tell me - how does this compare to your revision process? Do you ever feel like you've bitten off an impossibly big chunk, only to find that you can handle it if you take it one day at a time? Thanks so much for stopping by - I am SOOOOO glad to have my kitchen back, and inaugurated it with cookies last night :) Recipes shall start again soon!
Note: I am grieving the loss of my last 2 months of cell phone pictures :( Stupid, stupid pieces of . . . electronics. Anyway, many of the 'during' shots were lost, such as the tile and trim work, as well as the hard work Kirk put into building that gorgeous entertainment center on the back wall of the living room. Well, I guess things could always be worse, now couldn't they . . .
Beautiful renno! You pair must be proud. Celebrate and eat lots of wonderful meals in there.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, how beautiful. And you did it yourselves? I think I'd rather face a whole novel's worth of revisions on a short deadline than do construction with my (lovely) husband. It just does not take advantage of our skill sets.
ReplyDeleteLove the mirror shot especially.
I love your new kitchen! I love even more that you'll finally be able to use a kitchen again. LOL.
ReplyDeleteMy revision process varies. Sometimes, it looks scarily similar to what you've shown us here. Taking everything out and starting from scratch. Other times? Not too bad. It seems to depend a lot on how much time and effort I put into a project at the beginning, to make sure the story will make sense at the end...
Thanks Heather! The fun part was that the very first meal I got to make was Easter dinner - very special :)
ReplyDeleteYou are too sweet, Eliza :) We didn't do everything - we hired an electrician for the rough-ins, a plumber, and had the professionals do the actual cabinet and counter install. Still it was a looooot of work, and we are thrilled to be done!
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the mirror shot, too, thank you for noticing :)
Isn't that always the case about the revisions depending on how much time is taken on the original, Catherine? If only the yahoos that build this house had taken a care with anything - we would have been done weeks ago! But no, the floor joists were poorly done, the walls were wonky, and even the electrical wasn't done right!
ReplyDeleteBut it feels really good to know that all those things are right now :)
Thanks for stopping by!
It's beautiful, Erin, and I'm totally jealous.
ReplyDeleteMy revision process happens in stages. The first pass is done while I'm in the thick of writing when I go over the previous day's work before moving on to new stuff. Then there's all the revisions when I get chapters back from my crit group. Then I read through for the first time and usually tear everything apart...much like your kitchen. Finally, I get beta reads from my CP's, polish, and then there's the line edit.
You didn't tell us. Is your revision process like working on your kitchen?
Nice kitchen. Can you bake me something. ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you, L.J.! I always try to avoid a complete strip down when revising my writing, and then wish I had bit the bullet and done it when I had the chance. I'm still revising my revision process!!
ReplyDeleteBeth, you better believe I will bake you something! So long as you plan on attending the May HCRW meeting, that is ;)
ReplyDeleteAmazing job! I may not have done a revision of "home" per-say, but certainly of my writing. And it's just as painful and backbreaking, but the finished product trumps all!
ReplyDeleteYep, I'll be there. Planned the kids birthday for the weekend before so that I could attend. ;)
ReplyDeleteJust for your cupcakes. :P
Wow, it's beautiful. I'm glad you're done with it, so now you can enjoy it. My manuscript revision process is usually "big to small": put up load-bearing walls that should have been there in the first place (missing scenes); sand down the rough spots (cut out unnecessary scenes or words); use spackle as needed to keep things smooth (check for continuity).
ReplyDeleteWhenever I start revising I always think, "This isn't going to be so bad", and then 1/4 of the way through I start wailing, "I'll NEVER get this done in my lifetime!" It's my revision "black moment", but I always make it through somehow. LOL
What a terrific visual analogy!! Although, if it were me, there'd be many pictures of me staring at what I've torn apart with tears bursting out of my eyes like in a cartoon as I melt into a puddle on the floor, certain that I've destroyed every ounce of potential that was ever there. Yep, for me, revisions are a painful painful process...lots of hammering my thumb, accidental nail guns through the foot, and tons of banging my head into a wall.
ReplyDeleteSo so happy for you and your beautiful new kitchen...it is truly spectacular:) You deserve it!!
beautiful job ek & kirk :)
ReplyDelete-ai
LMAO, Donna, about the revision black moment. I've sooo been there (and it sounds like Kara has too, lol). As I embark on the next revision of my novel tomorrow, I'll remember that if I can revise my house, I can for darn sure revise my writing!
ReplyDeleteKara, I'm laughing at, er- with, you :) However painful the revisions, they always seem to work out for you!
Thank you, ai! I hope you guys can come see it in person soon!!
ReplyDeleteThanks BookGeek! yes, it always feels worth it...*after* all the hard work is over ;) A revision in any form sucks while we are doing it!
ReplyDeleteWay to go EK! I hate the work of revisions -- home improvement, artistic or otherwise -- but of course I always love the final result. Congrats on a wonderful final result!
ReplyDeleteErin, this looks phenomenal. Congratulations and great job!
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to convince my hubby that when we redo our kitchen (hopefully sooner than later) that we should go with cream cabinets for an oak floor and these pics just show that it'd look fabulous. :) Thanks! :)
I love this analogy. And I'm looking forward to more recipes soon.
Thanks so much, Andy and Marnee!
ReplyDeleteYes, Marnee, the cream looks fabulous against medium colored wood. We got the Butterscotch glaze which gives it that slightly antiqued, warm look (it was a free upgrade at the time). All the way up until the moment we peeled back the paper to reveal the floors, I worried the cabinets were going to be too light, but the second the floor was visible, I knew it was perfect!
And btw, Marnee - I just baked a successful new recipe today that will be on this week's blog :)
I've had this open on my computer for a week and just realized I forgot to comment. Great job on the renovation!
ReplyDeleteLOL - thanks for the thumbs up, Gwen :) And I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that from time to time!
ReplyDeleteOh, Erin, don't tease me with promises of new recipes. LOL! I mostly lurk at your blog but I've used your frosting recipes for months now. The buttercream and the cream cheese are both super super yummmm. In fact, my brother in law who "hates" cream cheese even complimented the cream cheese frosting. That's quite the coup. Thanks for making me look good. :)
ReplyDeleteHooray, Marnee! Nothing makes me happier than when people use my recipes for good, lol! That cream cheese icing recipe was once described by a perfect stranger as being 'slap your Mama good.' Still laughing about that one.
ReplyDeleteOh, the joy and satisfaction of being able to say, "That's a wrap!" on such a well done work of love...and artistry. From one contractor/laborer to another: Your work ROCKS! Gr8 looking finished project!
ReplyDeleteThat's a wrap, indeed! Can't wait for you to come see it in person :-)
ReplyDelete