Extreme Makeover Part 2 - We "Plan" while God laughs

On January 11^th, 2013, I was all by myself & on my way to visit my husband in Wichita. Patrick’s mother, Kathleen, called and asked me if I knew anyone who could come in and clean up the Connor’s house. She lives states away and had the same gnawing feeling that everyone else had of needing to do something for her son & his family. I replied, “I think I can do better than that.” I assured her that I could get a few friends together and really go at the housework if she would get them out of the house for a weekend.

 The dates were chosen and it was time to send out the e-mail to my homeschool loop. My original e-mail asked for volunteers for a “deep cleaning, yard work, mounting a ‘couple’ book shelves, etc.” I had NO idea how this endeavor would end up. 61 families responded to my e-mail. I don’t think I know 61 families but whatever, I’ll take it. I had 2 weeks to come up with a plan. I asked a couple of my partners in crime, Laura Holden and Ginette Green, to come to the Connor’s home and help me figure out what each room needed. I took notes and made categories. We made a perfect team. We each had qualities, idea’s and personalities that complimented each other. Laura is a thinker, organizer and planner. PERFECT!! The planning scenario went something like this…. As we went into each room, Laura placed herself in the center of the room, circled it slowly and put her index finger on her lips and chin for about 2 minutes while Ginette and I stared at her in stone silence. The talking and planning and taking notes began. Off to the next room with a repeat of silence and watching Laura think. Before we knew it, 3 hours have gone by and every room had a plan.

 I went home and sent out my first e-mail that consisted of everything we wanted to have donated. Since people were willing and in the mood to help in ANY way they could, this was tooo easy. The donations began pouring in. I had a family from every part of the metro area offering to be a drop off point for donations. Philip & Natlie Sadler up North, Laura Holden in Independence, Stephanie Jacobson on the Kansas side, me in South Kansas city & Ginette Green in Raymore. I tried to keep my new “Helping Connors e-mail loop” up-to-date with what donations have been taken. Within a day, I almost had everything I needed so I thought up of some “pie in the sky” donations, as I liked to call them. They were donations that were for luxury only and were not necessary. These were items like a mattress pad, electric blanket, etc.

 Since I didn’t want to overwhelm the e-mail loop, I sent out my plans one at a time. First was the pleading for donations. The second e-mail was the “Big Jobs”. I look at my list of big jobs and just laugh now. But when I was typing them out, the only one that was laughing was God & Nolan. “You poor, poor girl. You have no idea what is really going to happen.”

 This was my “Big Jobs” list….

 Pick up carpet & tack stips in hallway (maybe boys room too)

Pull bunk beds apart & separate into 2 separate beds

Find the studs and mount the hooks by front door

Mount bookshelves in living room and possibly the kids bedrooms

Put up a new screen door in the front

Put up curtains and curtain rods

Fix hole in family room floor

In bathroom, boys room, girls room

Put up door stops in all the rooms

Clean out Patricks car

Bent fence in the back yard

Trim branches hovering over the driveway

Make an altar on the family room shelf

Get rid of the non working appliances (3 dryers, 1 refrigerator, 1 dishwasher)

Make a corner in the basement a play area for the kids

Put toilet in the parents bathroom

Put door knob on the back door

 

Yes, God was laughing. This was about 5% of what really happened that weekend.

 

To be continued…..