Hurry, Strip the Wallpaper!

There is a show on HGTV called Movin' Up. It is where former owners of a home return after they have sold and moved out to see what the new homeowners have done. Most of the comments are filled with sarcasm and insults, rarely liking the house in its new condition. I think it just goes to show that were are very territorial and loyal to the things that we work so hard to make our own. Our homes become somewhat like another appendage. A reflection of who we are. Since Trav and I have been married, we have lived in four different homes. Recently on my trip back to M'ville I stayed right across the street from my old house. "Why don't they ever open the front door..the blinds," I wondered. I sat on the front porch at night trying to catch a glimpse of what the new owners had done. When a light turned on, I noticed they did change the wall color and some fixtures. I began to become angry, "what was wrong with the way I had it?" I bring this up because the former owners of our current home are coming into town in September and have requested a tour of the house. This has sent me into panic mode as I try to "fix" what I have done and undone. I spent the better part of yesterday painting Sarah's bathroom(she helped, ugh). Gone is the wallpaper that lined every single wall of the house. Gone are the crystal droplets from the Baldwin Brass chandeliers. Gone are the fake silks and grape vines she left me on top of the kitchen bulkhead. The parlor where they kept their Faberge eggs and gold gilded furniture is now home to an office where bills and newspapers are piled up along with a spilled yogurt stain on the armchair. This being said, I am calming down about the whole tour. This house is now our home. Home where my family lives. I hope they see it as that..a gift from them to us to continue the tradition of Movin'Up.