Loss and Progress

I know I've been gone for a little bit now. I'm sorry to keep all of you waiting. Our little family suffered a huge loss at the end of last month. Our precious boy passed away and left a giant hole in our lives. Since I was baby, I've had dogs in my home and adored each and every one of them. Growing up, my parents shared this love and our dogs were an integral part of our home. As an adult, dogs have filled the place of children since that was not a possibility with my endometriosis. I know not everyone will understand the weight of this loss, but he was much more than a pet to Matt and I.

Telling me I wasn’t allowed to leave again

Bubs came into our lives seven years ago as a senior rescue (he was only supposed to be around for a year or two). When we first went to meet him, he was so scared, he wouldn't let us touch him. He had been badly abused and had multiple physical scars and emotional scars that we had to help him overcome. As a husky and German shepherd mix, he was a super talkative boy:) By the end of his life, he was such an affectionate, joyful, and loving boy. He lived for his "baby face rubs" that we would give him and he loved to be close to us. He changed Matt and I in such a positive way, and we miss our boy so very much. He was never happier than when he was roaming the property and working on projects with us at Woodford Rest:)

Our boy "talking"

He was sick for several weeks which took up a lot of my time since Matt was working outside the home. His loss has really hit me hard and while I have been working almost every day, it doesn't feel like I have made a lot of progress. I honestly don't know if I have cried this much since my Mom died. Needless to say, my depression has been pretty bad. I'm working through it though one day at a time:)

The cottage is done! With Bubs’ illness, we decided to wait to put the apartment up since we were running back and forth to the veterinary office so much. I'm going to work on getting the two units advertised with several businesses in the next few weeks and hopefully get some tenants soon.

We started working on the Big Cottage in November off and on. Matt and I put it in a new tankless water heater, new toilet, new kitchen sink, new kitchen floor, new step, new light fixtures, new exterior and interior doors, and fresh paint everywhere including the kitchen cabinets. We've also had contractors working on replacing the insulation under the cottage and taking out the old, damp insulation. It now has more of a crawl space so that we can access the pipes, etc. as needed. It's been a lot of work, but it is so nice to see everything finally completed:) I've posted some before photos below.

The Big Cottage a few weeks after we moved

Kitchen before work in the Big Cottage

Living room/dining room before work began

Bedroom before work began

Finished Big Cottage!!!

We’ve also been dealing with some siding issues on our house, the mother in law apartment, and the office. The paint we applied last year was not staying like it should. We were introduced to an amazing new contractor and his team which has been working on extracting some damaged wood and replacing it with properly treated and painted pieces. It finally feels like we are making some progress on the exterior. The contractor will also be repairing/rebuilding the motel indoor stairwell which will also contain the laundry room for guests and tenants. The house and office are just the first stage. And we will be working on the rest of the buildings as time and money allows. Needless to say this wasn’t really planned on, but we are taking it in stride and making a plan.

Office and house being repaired

We've also been working on the mother-in-law bathroom and have decided to replace the tub and shower. Once it is completed, this will be a whole new bathroom with new floors, toilet, sink pedestal, tub/shower, new paint, and trim. We are also working on replacing the kitchen floor/trim in the mother in law kitchen area. I tore out a cabinet above the refrigerator to give the appearance of more room and I have to admit it made me feel rather powerful:) Nothing like ripping out something on your own to give you a sense of accomplishment!

Cabinet removed

We are hoping to start working on the new slate patios for the office and our house in the next couple of weeks. Thankfully, all of the slate has already been delivered so it's on our timetable at this point. This allowed me to demolish the deck! I've hated that thing since we first looked at the property and now it has come down with my own hands!!!

Deck before

Me using power tools for the first time!

Deck after

Matt has also been transforming the front fence that protects our septic system. I put together the planters and Matt has been planting, leveling, and painting the existing fence. It's really starting to clean up the front appearance of the place and turning into Woodford Rest:)

Street side view of the property a few days after we moved in.

Later this year or possibly next spring we’ll plant some tall ferns or grasses in between and really fill it out. And hopefully next year we will also get this asphalted and it will really sharpen it up!

Driveway entry - Phase One

I think that’s most of the updates. Next time, I’m hoping to have the mother-in-law bathroom completed. Take care of yourselves and don’t forget to rest!