This week has been difficult, and things are getting real. By that, I mean that I am at a decisions crossroad with our One Room Challenge project, and none of the choices are ideal.
Since week one of the challenge, this has been our daily reality:
The winter weather has been relentless. When I chose the street side front porch for the spring One Room Challenge, I knew I was taking a bit of a gamble. However, I felt confident that I would only lose a few days due to weather. Now, week three is behind me, and I have not been able to put in any work at all. I’m worried. Last night, I dreamt that an enormous wall of water came down our street. I woke up right before BHH was getting ready to topple and get swept away with all of us in it. Nightmare! The funniest part of that dream is that right before our impending doom, I turned to my children and said, “Don’t worry. We are going to be ok. I’m sure it’s going to be fine.”
That statement is classic Stacy. I am an eternal optimist. I do hard things–no excuses (and sometimes, I make things hard) I am no Elizabeth Warren, but in short, I persist. These are qualities that probably made me a challenging child to raise, but as an adult, they serve me well. I get sh*t done.
So, to find myself at the crossroad of whether or not I can finish this room when I have not even started is a very uncomfortable place for me. From the get-go, participants of the ORC are assured that this is not a contest. It may not be a contest, but it is a commitment, and to me, commitments are personal contracts. My modus operandi has always been, if I say I’ll do it, I’ll do it.
That said, I do not get to control everything in life, and sometimes, the universe has other plans. Life is full of choices, and I feel like these are mine:
- Drop out of the challenge altogether – Ugh! This is the absolute last resort.
- Switch projects – Switching projects would be complicated because most of the rooms left in BHH require more than three-weeks-worth of restoration and renovation–nevermind decorating.
- Move forward with the plan and reveal an incomplete project
- Work super hard and make this happen
In a perfect world, I would open my wallet, hire a crew, including a photographer, and I would get these darn highlights in my hair fixed while they worked. (Yes, I still hate my hair. IG story followers know what I’m talking about. Ha! ) But, let’s get real. That isn’t me. Our situation does not allow for spending money like that right now.
When I look at the weather forecast, starting tomorrow, I am cautiously optimistic that this winter misery might go away for at least four days. My schedule is also reasonably clear, which means I have longer blocks of time to work. So, right now, I plan to work hard for the next four days to see how much I can accomplish. After that, I feel like I will be able to make a more informed decision about how to move forward.
As readers of the BHH, how would you like to see me handle this situation? If you were in my position, what would you do? I am open to your suggestions. Perhaps you will think of something that I have not considered.
Until next time, please visit the One Room Challenge website to view the projects from the featured designers and the other guest participants like us. There are so many inspiring projects this round, and the work seems to be moving forward quite nicely.
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Start at the beginning:
week 1 | week 2 | week 3 | week 4 | week 5 | week 6
PS: Here are the links to our past ORC projects:
Breakfast Nook | Library | Dining Room | Kitchen Pantry
39 Comments
Andrea
If it were me, I would just admit to myself that you can’t fight Mother Nature, and focus instead on knocking out a bunch of annoying little projects around the house to shorten the to-do list. There will be more ORCs, and you will totally rock them, as always.
Stacy
Thank you, Andrea. I’ll give your idea some thought.
SH
I’ve seen ORC participants in the past get blindsided with life, and it seems they generally continue as best they can and reveal what they have for the final. Then finish up and post the true final on their blog. I’m OK with that. It’s real. It’s what I hope to see from you. (So no more nightmares!)
Stacy
Thank you for this comment, SH. I’m all for the nightmares going away too. 🙂
Taylor
I, like you, am an eternal optimist and also incredibly stubborn, so I would absolutely not admit defeat against mother nature. An incomplete project isn’t the end of the world, and you’ll finish it soon, if not in time for the end of the challenge!
Stacy
Thank you, Taylor. I am glad to know that I am not alone in my
stubbornnesspersistence. 😀Wilma
Do the best you can. It will get finished, and it doesn’t really matter if it takes extra time. ORC is not really real life–it’s just a motivational tool, I think. In the end, it’s your house, and you should get the work done in a manner befitting to you and your house. No worries!!
Stacy
Thank you, Wilma. The ORC certainly doesn’t feel like my real life. Ha! I always enjoy participating though.
Ame Jo Hughes
My thinking mind says just do what you can in there and reveal what you’ve accomplished at the end of the ORC. It’ll be a drastic improvement over all that green whether or not it’s technically finished.
My gut immediately said you’d have it finished in time, though. You might torture yourself with insane work hours to do it, but I seriously think you’ll bend and twist time and knock it outta the park. I only have about an 85% success rate with future predictions, though, so feel free to keep thinking about it ?
Also can we get a shot of that door? Have I never seen it before or do I just not remember? I think I love it. ?
Stacy
Now MY gut says that I’ll finish on time too. 🙂 Get out of my head, lady. Which door do you think you love? If it is the one with the glass panels, there’s a picture of it in the week one post, I think.
Ame Jo Hughes
I can’t help it, some people just really project! ?
Yes, the one with the panels. Off to re-read (and pay better attention to photos this time)!
Ame Jo Hughes
Okay, yes. It was that door – and I was so fixated on the snowflakes the first time I read it, that I just kind of assumed it was a window, LOL.
Now that I know it’s a door – that’s a fab door (though it was a fab window when I thought it was that, too 😉 ). I think you should add a million days to the project and strip that door ?
Stacy
Ha!! Strip the porch floor? Unfortunately, it is completely rotten on one side and patched together on the other.
Ame Jo Hughes
No, not the floor, the door!
gigi
Do what you can, reveal that. You are being honest and most of us realize that renovation takes more time than what we want.
Stacy
Thank you, Gigi. I am warming up to this idea.
marie
I would finish your guest bathroom with the remaining 6 week orc time, and then when the weather warms up you can conduct your own six-week-makeover of your side porch.
Stacy
This is certainly tempting.
Alison @ Deuce Cities Henhouse
I say, STICK WITH IT! Spring can’t be that far off.
Stacy
It just can’t be far off, right? It’s mid-April for goodness sake.
Vanessa
In the words of Gretchen Rubin, you are an upholder (me too, although I am a cautious upholder). You can do it Stacy and even if you don’t, so what? This is where that Brene Brown book, The Gift of Imperfection, comes in handy. My favorite blogs are from the do-ers, not the pretty-picture-presenters and you and Andy are do-ers! Love that.
Stacy
Thank you for the encouragement, Vanessa. Also, I read The Gift of Imperfection by Brene Brown, and I cannot remember anything about it. Ha! It sounds like it deserves a re-read.
Christine
What a tough situation! If the ORC is a helpful to you in finishing a project, I think sticking with the porch and getting what you can done is a good choice. When the ORC is over, even if you aren’t completely done, you’ll still have gotten further along. I hope the weather starts to cooperate!
Stacy
That is so true, Christine. Starting on something will get me closer to the goal than not starting at all.
Holly
Get that s**t done, girl! You can do it, and even if you don’t finish EVERYTHING in time, you WILL finish with most of it complete, a solid plan to tie up the loose ends (that balances cost, long-term functionality with short-term goals and esthetics). I know you and have no doubt in your ability to finish (at least most of it) on time!
Stacy
Thank you, Holly! You’re the best.
Sherrill
The choice is easy. Since you have to start 3 weeks late, you can certainly end 3 weeks late.
Stacy
True enough, Sherrill. Thank you!
Norah
I vote for you to “Move forward with the plan and reveal an incomplete project.” Do what you can! Don’t kill yourself for a deadline! We’ll keep coming back to the blog long after the week 6 reveal to see what came of the project. Good luck 🙂
Stacy
Thank you, Norah. I think this idea is the winner.
Julia at Home on 129 Acres
I’m going to cast my vote for option #3. I understand wanting to finish everything and being so weather dependent. However, I think that you can make a lot of progress towards your vision and still use the motivation of the ORC without placing unnecessary pressure on yourself. I totally understand your need to follow through on your commitment. I think that you can do that and still feel good about the result, even if you don’t finish every single thing you plan for the porch. Is there a way you can make your ORC reveal version #1, knowing that it’s a step towards ideal state?
Stacy
Thanks, Julia. It is possible that I could do a good portion of the project and leave “phase two” for a bit later. I will give this some thought.
Emy
I’m in a similar place. I’ve had to prioritize what I absolutely want to happen and figure out what to let go of (and what won’t show up in photos. 😉
If nothing else, hide all the bad stuff with plants and accessories, smile and pretend it’s done. We still have 3 weekends to work, so that’s more time than I thought we had. I wish you luck and motivation and amazing warm weather.
Marta
I am trying very much these days to avoid “all or nothing” thinking. I think that’s what you should do here. “All” would be killing yourself to get the room done exactly as you planned; “nothing” would be to withdraw entirely. What I would love to see you do is use the resources you have at hand (a few days of decent weather and some significant blocks of time), gather data (what can you realistically get done in those days, without hurting yourself), and then using the resources at hand and the data you’ve gathered, plus the 10 day weather forecast at the week 4 mark, redefine your goal. Plan a realistic, scaled-back reveal that will feel satisfying and complete-enough-for-now, plus a phase 2 plan for a second reveal later in the summer.
Jude
I’m sorry that the weather hasn’t been kind to you! That’s a tough decision. From reading your blog post I’m guessing that you are probably harder on yourself than anyone else, and everyone else is probably more than happy to give you grace. However, I’m also guessing that you probably find a lot of satisfaction in finishing projects on time. See how the next few days go and re-evaluate! We are all cheering you on!!
Stacy
Thank you, Jude. I appreciate your kind reply.
Marcie Millholland
If you don’t complete it on time – ok. Just keep on and we’ll check back even after the ORC ends. I love this little porch and I’m sure it’s going to be awesome when completed. I’ve rushed some details on previous ORC’s ( this is my 5th or 6th) and always end up going back to fix it because I pushed for this deadline that is really self imposed and this ORC probably isn’t going to finish on time for me either. It’s just life. Even professional designers and contarctors rarely complete a project by the first deadline they give!! Things happen. And good grief, who knew this Winter was going to last until July!! Just keep on, keepin’ on and you’ll love it when it’s completed – that’s the REAL goal of this thing anyway!
Stacy
Thank you, Marcie. You are so right. I appreciate your perspective, and I can’t wait to see your project! You are brave for tackling an entire church basement.