Grace by Grace: Hall Reset – Day 6

As you know, on July 1st I began our room-by-room Grace by Grace challenge. I wish I could say the rest of the family was joining me in the challenge but that isn’t happening. I’ve decided instead of trying to tackle the whole house at once, I’m taking it one room, one corner, and one memory at a time.

Today was Hall Reset Day 6, and for the first time since we moved into this house, it finally feels like our hallway is becoming part of our home instead of another unfinished project. All i can say is thank the LORD for David hiring Bradely as my handyman. We should have done that a long time ago.

I had finally decided enough was enough. After hearing “I’ll get to it” for what felt like forever, from David and me asking when would he get it done as work for everyone always seemed to come before the things I needed done which is par for the course.

Together Bradley and I gathered all the signs and I showed Bradley where they went. Then Bradley started hanging all the signs that had been sitting on the floor since the day we moved in. It may sound like a small thing, but when you’ve looked at something every day waiting for it to be finished, finally seeing it on the wall feels like a huge victory.

At this point, our hallway refresh feels less like a cleaning project and more like a slow return to peace. It’s the kind of work that happens one wall, one picture, one memory, and one prayer at a time. Of course, there was drinks and lots of laughter involved as I changed my mind on where signs went more times than I can count.

The first sign Bradley and I thought about hanging up was our home runs on equal parts “Fueled by Coffee & Jesus” which I purchased at Hobby Lobby for 40 percent off to surprise Charlie with when he came home from Hobar along with “I Am a Good Person After Coffee” then I changed my mind and set them on top of the Icebox as decorations we can change out and one day they may be hung on the wall. Only the Lord knows.

I picked the signs up because they still make me smile every single day. Not only that they remind me of my mom and even my dad at times. The signs may never be Pinterest-worthy, but they’re perfect for our family, and that’s what matters to me.

One of my favorite additions is the cross that used to hang on our mobile home fence. For years this black iron cross sat on the fence outside. Now it has a place of honor inside our hallway, while another cross welcomes everyone at our front door. Sometimes the smallest changes make the biggest difference, and seeing those crosses hanging where they belong makes the whole hallway feel warmer.

Then there’s the sign that says, “As far as anyone knows, we’re a nice normal family.” Every time I look at it, I think of my mom, our Crazy Mimi. She would’ve laughed every single time she walked past it because she knew better than anyone that “normal” was never a word that described our family—and we wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

One of the most meaningful pieces in the hallway is our OU sign. Two weeks before Suzanne passed away, she told me she wanted to attend the University of Oklahoma ie OU Sooners after leaving the Army. She dreamed of becoming a Christian kindergarten teacher. She even had the job she wanted in the Army picked out which was to become a cook, just like our Uncle Chuck. But also follow in my dad’s footsteps before her because he also served in the Army, but she was ready for the next chapter of her life when the LORD called her home and I believe that was because he needed a new Angel and she was the best one he could find.

After she was gone, David and I spent years looking for the perfect OU sign. One day we decided to make a trip to Norman, Oklahoma. I finally stood on the campus where my daughter had dreamed of walking someday. While we were there, we visited one of the university stores, and that’s where I found the sign that’s hanging in our hallway today.

I also treated myself to an OU checkerboard while we were there. It remains one of my favorite gifts I’ve ever bought for myself because it reminds me that sometimes honoring someone’s dream is the closest thing we have to sharing it with them.

Another sign that probably doesn’t mean much to anyone else, but it means a lot to me. It’s an old menu board that Charlie picked out at Hobby Lobby again it was 40 percent off shortly after we moved into this Townhome and at this time that this happened every dollar mattered.

That sign reminds me of the early days when we were slowly turning this house into our home, one bargain at a time and it means more to me than anything because it was one of the few items Charlie picked out for our home. David also surprised me with a beautiful angel wings sign in memory of my mom and dad. That we found at Burlington Coat Factory and every time I walk past it, I think of my parents and Suzzane.

Across from it hangs one of my most treasured pieces—an angel created from horseshoes by my friend Carla Duke. I don’t even know where Carla is these days, but every time I see that angel, I think about the friendship we shared and the kindness she showed our family.

Then there’s my owl coffee sign. I wasn’t even looking for it. I was walking through Hobby Lobby when it literally fell off the shelf and landed at my feet. It was the only one in the entire store. I searched afterward just to see if there were more, but there weren’t. I still believe that sign was meant to come home with me. It proudly says coffee is served twenty-four hours a day, and anyone who knows my mom Crazy Mimi knows that’s probably true and both her grandchildren Suzzane and Charlie are following along in her steps.

Underneath it hangs another favorite: “Love Is Brewing.” I bought that one for Charlie because I thought it made our coffee bar complete. Even though most of the Coffee signs purchase for Charlie they fit David as well and that is why they are the perfect addition to our hallways.

Scattered throughout our home you’ll also find “Hope,” “Faith,” and “Love.” Believe it or not, those aren’t expensive wall decorations. They’re actually placemats I found at dd’s Discounts in a set of four. Decorating on a budget teaches you to see possibilities where other people don’t, and those little finds have become some of my favorite decorations throughout the house.

In this family, we truly believe that with Jesus in our hearts and coffee in our cups, we’re unstoppable. That is what we would like to invite you along on our journey as we go through our home room by room. Grace by Grace discovering things we had forgotten about.

Walking up the stairs and tucked into the corner is the rocking chair I’ve had since Charlie was a baby. Which had been in his Grandmother’s house until she gave it back to me. Right beside it are Mumford and Bowman, our year-round skeletons.

Most people only decorate with skeletons for Halloween, but ours have become part of the family. They spend the holidays dressed for the season and make us smile every time we walk through the hallway although sometimes there camped out on the front porch.

Standing nearby is Einstein, Charlie’s bulldog from Lowe’s. If you’ve ever seen him in person, you’ll understand why he never gets moved. I honestly think that dog weighs about 150 pounds. One day I hope to get him a girlfriend but Charlie says no, more dogs after he get his puppy he is waiting on.

Some people might look at our hallway and see signs.

I see my parents.

I see Suzanne.

I see Charlie.

I see memories of road trips with David.

I see bargains that stretched our decorating budget.

I see friendships that still matter even though life has taken us in different directions.

Every piece tells a story.

So while our home may sound full, it doesn’t feel cluttered to us. It feels loved. It feels lived in. It feels like generations of memories gathered together under one roof. As we continue this Grace by Grace challenge, Room by room I’m realizing that we’re not just cleaning our house.

We’re honoring the people who helped build our lives. And that is worth every cup of coffee, every nail in the wall, and every step of this journey. Thank you for stopping by our home today. I hope you’ll continue following along as we finish our hallway and continue our room-by-room Grace by Grace journey. I can’t wait to share what comes next.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates