The Year Without Christmas...


First off, let me begin by saying that I know Christmas begins and ends with Jesus.  We are a good Lutheran family, so I get it.  The title of this post is meant in jest!  All right, now let's get to it!

Our year without Christmas started on August 27, 2016 (yes, it is this year).  We went to the wedding of some good family friends an hour and a half from our home.  At the time, we had a one year and one day old Old English Sheepdog named Franklin Bigglesworth.  We knew we would be there most of the day.  Franklin was normally kenneled when we left but thought it would be nicer to leave him in the master bathroom so he could have a little more room.  Oh yes!  You can guess what happened next!  The puppy who had never jumped on the counters did just that, knocking the marble soap dispenser into the sink plugging the drain and turning on the faucet!  WE WERE GONE FOR 10 HOURS!!!  

The damage:

Bathroom floor = destroyed.
Large amounts of drywall in bathroom = destroyed.
Vanity = destroyed.
Fifteen percent of the bedroom carpet pad = replaced.
Laundry room flooring (continuous through the great room, kitchen, and hallways) = destroyed.
The ceiling at the bottom of the stairs and around the corner = destroyed.
Drywall damage in the laundry room and walls around the stair way = destroyed.
All of walls in the great room, kitchen, and hallways = repainted.  
Service Master was called into to dry everything out and leave behind 30 (YES 30) industrial fans that meant drilling holes in the bottom of all of the drywall that was wet to dry them out.  






Give me a moment to stop hyperventilating from reliving this dogtastrophy....

Ok, I'm back!  What a horrible welcome home that was, but there is some good news!  Our tub/shower combo (no, we are not fancy enough to have a separate tub and shower - have had - but not in this house) has had a crack in the tub and and a leak in the faucet since we moved here over 3 years ago.  Why not replace it now???  We chose the deepest tub/shower combo we could find!  I can soak again!!!  I don't do it ofter, but I can if I want!!!  Then, the insurance company informs us they will be replacing the flooring in the entire upstairs of the house because of the continuous thing in the laundry room!  We had laminate wood that the previous owners had waxed.  Yes, they were really fun to clean!  We decided to upgrade to real wood.  Next, Jared thought that we should just gut the kitchen.  I ask you, who am I to disagree with such a notion???  

Franklin the morning he died.  He didn't want his girl to leave him.  He held on to her leg to keep her there.

I need to take a moment to explain that the 30 industrial fans were extremely loud.  It put the whole family on edge.  Jake was the least affected by it as his bedroom is at the opposite side of the basement.  Franklin had the hardest time with it.  Five days into it, he broke.  Our pup always went to a window in the front of the house to watch us all leave.  As Macy and I left for the bus stop that fateful day, he bolted from the house.  He had never done that before.  We weren't prepared.  He was struck at the bus stop by a Ford F150.  He died immediately with Macy and I at his side.  

The kitchen 3 days before Thanksgiving! 
The toilet was in the garage for a time.  It really made the rounds.


So how does Christmas fit into this???  Well, we started with construction in mid October.  Our construction crew has been great!   The only set backs that we have had were waiting on supplies.  At Thanksgiving, our toilet was sitting in the middle of our living room with the coffee pot sitting on it.  We had no flooring or kitchen.  I am a person who starts decorating for Christmas when I take down Halloween decor.  Every room is decorated (yes, even the bathrooms).  My kids and husband love it.  It is how we show our love of the holiday, our love of Jesus.  We bake for days on end.  We spread His love to our neighbors in this fashion.  We got out a few simple decorations.  No tree will stand lit in the window decorated with memories of years past.  No stockings will be hung by the fire.  I didn't even get out those blasted elves.  It just doesn't feel like Christmas.  We know that it is worth it.  We know that Christmas will come and go regardless.  We get it!  We just miss the cheer of it in our home.  I think it will be along time before any of us complain about decorating or baking.  Enjoy Christmas.  Spread good cheer and the news of His birth in whatever way you choose!  Where we are at now:

The bathroom is completed!  
Cabinets are installed and waiting for countertops and backsplash.  We may just get to do some cooking.  The wood floors are installed, but with it so close to Christmas, and now that we are in the busy part of kids' Christmas schedule, we decided  to keep it small on the decor!

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