Reunited and it feels so good

In mid-June, we left The House of Goodwill to go back to the home/house, where we had some tasks that needed to get done (like getting a new roof on the house), and then we packed up and drove to New York, where we spent a few months.

All last year, we had planned to get the house completed, so it would be rental-ready for summer.  But, you may remember, though we did manage to get the house ready, the shoreline project was delayed by unforeseen problems (that included design issues and health problems of our contractor's).

The shoreline project - which was begun in April - looks exactly like it did when we left in June.  While it's incredibly frustrating, it's been hard to push our contractor, knowing he was dealing with very serious (and unexpected) health problems the last few months.  Both my husband and I felt it was better to perhaps err on the side of kindness, not knowing the full extent of his health situation.

Now that we're back, however, it's time to get it done.  He's supposed to be returning at the end of the week.  I had hoped when we returned at the end of summer I'd finally have a nice shoreline and a sandy beach to sit on.  Well, it is what it is.  

Miraculously, we actually rented the house on three different weekends this summer, despite the fact that there is currently no access to the waterfront.

Two of our renter groups were friends and family of people who live on the lake.  They were coming to visit, and needed a place to stay, but could access the water through who they were visiting.  The other guest family needed a place to stay for a 60-year anniversary party they were in town for.  (Wow!)

So The House of Goodwill managed to have it's first guests after all!

As for my family, after returning from New York, we wondered what it would be like returning to the house for the first time after other people had stayed here.  "I wonder if it will still feel like our house?" my husband asked.  I wondered too.

Well, it was weird coming in for the first time.  The house was so clean.  But all of our stuff - the "stuff" that makes a house feel like your own - was still boxed up in the owner's closet.  It was like a sterilized, sanitized version of our house.  Well, we did buy the house knowing we'd be renting it.

I spent the first two hours pulling our things out of the owner's closet, making the beds, and (most importantly) setting up the fireplace mantle, so the house would feel like home again.

I've been reunited with my beautiful fireplace mantle, maybe my favorite part of the house!

While out thrifting last year, when I'd see inexpensive, seasonal things I could use on my fireplace mantle, I bought them.  I unpacked part of my "fall" box yesterday and set it up.

When I'd see great stuff like this owl lantern or this pretty Yankee Candle tiled candleholder, I'd pick them up.  I'd only buy things if they were a few dollars.

It was about $12 for everything here.

I love this "Golden Wheat" pattern; it has a nice fall feel.

All the orange flowers came from my son; when I got home from Wisconsin (he had stayed home), he surprised me by cleaning the whole house and buying me flowers.

My son bought me orange roses and lilies, because he "knew I would want flowers that were orange for fall," and he dispersed them between four vases and put them all around the house. 💗

The first order of business after unlocking the owner's closet: put the blow mold goose back in his spot on the fireplace.

Candles? ✅

Flowers? ✅

Adorable sleeping dog? ✅

Ok, feels like home again.

One more pic to share, I just thought this little vase of flowers from my yard was so lovely:

One solitary lavender gladiolus was in bloom (out of a huge pot) when I was leaving the house, so I put it in the vase with one ginger flower (the stem had broken and it wouldn't stay upright with the rest of the plant anymore).

This is why I love my little vases: just a stem or two are all you need!

And, after a little searching around to locate some items that were returned to different places then we normally keep them (like the coffee bean grinder), the tally of missing items after three weekends of rentals includes: one coffee pot, one hair dryer and a rubber snake that was outside on the porch.

A trip to Goodwill and we'll have replacement items before we leave, except for the rubber snake, which was near and dear to my heart.  (He came with the house.)  I haven't talked to our property manager yet, but I'm hoping maybe she just moved him so he wouldn't scare anybody.

For about $1500 of rental income, I can deal with that.

It's not just our house anymore, but we'll adjust.  It sure feels like it is right now!