We have been remodeling our bathroom, our only bathroom. With the heat and doing the work ourselves (mostly my hubby), it's a long process. It also requires lots of coordination when using the facilities.

There is dust everywhere. We try to keep it to a minimum, but it finds its way into every little nook and cranny of our home.

We shopped for new wall and floor tiles, a bathtub, a medicine cabinet, towel racks, and lights ahead of time, traipsing through several home improvement stores and specialty tile warehouses.

The process can be overwhelming, exhausting, and messy.

We have lots of home improvement projects to do, and my husband is ready and anxious to get them going. I’m blessed to have a handy husband who saves us lots of money and does high-quality work.

He had to go into the attic to replace the exhaust fan piping and clear a path of clutter to do so. 

That meant we were finally beginning to deal with the years of clutter up there. So many boxes and bags of things we tucked away over the years were being excavated and re-examined. 
It's messy and dirty and requires action.

What do we do with all of this stuff? 

A lot of it is going away to bless others. Baby clothes we never used were tucked away up there. 

I've washed and folded them all, and they were donated to bless other families. 

It felt good to have a car full of items to bless others with.

Some are "treasures" our son needs to look at and decide their fate when he visits next month. 

It'll be great when the remodeling and decluttering are finished, but right now, it's messy and chaotic. For example, our new bathtub was delivered last week and is on the patio in its cardboard box, about the size and shape of a coffin, until my hubby is ready to install it. 

He joked around that we could save the box and bury him in it when his time comes. We are finding ways to enjoy the process, and humor helps a lot.

Another concern is properly disposing of the construction debris. Our current solid waste services don’t take or hold everything, so we’ve got homework to do.

We have a local metal recycler who will be happy to have our old tub and metal medicine cabinet once they’re removed. That’s a win-win for us and him.

I've been taking good care of myself during this whole process. Staying hydrated, cool, and well-rested has been a priority. My husband's health, safety, and nutrition are also priorities. 

A huge part of my self-care is seeing the big picture and knowing that today's inconvenience and mess won’t last forever. One day, in the not-too-distant future, we’ll have a gleaming new bathroom that will not only please our eyes but also increase our home value.

We were talking about our new bathroom this morning and I teased my hubby that it will soon be Pinterest ready. He is really excited to see the final project, too.

Today, floor tiles are going in, and the plan is to also paint the wall behind where the new vanity and medicine cabinet will be.

We chose a soothing green called jojoba, and we’re anxious to see how it brightens up the room.

I write this article as a beautiful reminder to please take extra good care of yourself. There is so much going on in our world right now that can make us feel wobbly, stressed, and uncertain. 

A great self-care tip is to stop and consciously breathe in the midst of chaos to help balance and center yourself.

Place your hand on your heart, take a second to focus on taking a big, deep, beautiful breath, let it out…in…out…repeat as needed, and enjoy the sense of peace that rushes in with this boost of oxygen surging into every cell of your precious body, dear heart.

I have a gift for you to help you begin or enhance your self-care practice. It’s especially helpful during times of stress or chaos. It’s a PDF full of tips, tools, and ways to help you prioritize yourself.

Self-care isn’t selfish; it’s a way to honor the precious gift of your life. Get your gift HERE.

I am sending you so much love.