A Barn Raising

That is exactly what it felt like at Chez Flaherty today.

Our neighborhood care group* poured into our house and helped us finish all of our painting. They painted our kitchen, the hallway to our bedroom, the master bathroom, and the rotary hallway to the boys' rooms... including all the doors and windows.

It is amazing to me how much work can get done in such a short amount of time when you let others help you. We have worked countless hours renovating this house and our former house. In doing so, we have been so blessed by friends who have come along side us to paint, tile, help hang trim, tear down a wall, and so much more. The work done here today saved us many weekends we now get to use for family time. We're looking forward to more Saturdays we get to devote to helping others with their projects, hiking trips, slow visits to the local Farmers' Market, and maybe even declared "Pajama Days."**

Renovating our house has been a long, slow, stressful journey. True to the old adage (I'm sure this is somewhere in the Bible!), house projects are usually more expensive, more annoying, and more time consuming than you originally planned. We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Our house-renovating journey started September '06 at closing; now, we're only a few projects away from being DONE. Of course one is never done on some levels, but as far as we're concerned, all significant projects will be behind us. Saturdays, here we come!

So tonight, before we sit on our duffs and take in the deep and culturally significant movie, The Devil Wears Prada, we thank all our friends and family who have put in their share of sweat and muscle. Thanks for your love and support! We would not be finishing without you!



*Our church divides its members into groups by "neighborhoods;" each section of town has its own "NCG." It's a way our church practically and thoughtfully cares for its members.

**Term stolen from my dear friend Keri which describes a day when all members of the family stay in their pajamas all day... only playing and relaxing allowed. I can't wait to try those pajamas on for size!