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Helping Your
Family Survive a Home Makeover
by Lisa M. Hendey
An Author Interview with Laura Jensen Walker, This Old
Dump: Renovate Without Decking Your Mate
The Hendey family has been caught up in the home improvement
craze for years, but our children have gotten in on
the act too since becoming fans of one of those “home
makeover” shows. So when we took our teenager to
pick out paint chips for his room last summer, we shouldn’t
have been surprised when he chose a “moon rock”
green hue, embedded with grains of sand and flecks of
glitter. OK...we invited his involvement in the project,
so we were going to have to live with the results!
What we didn’t think to do was to begin the room
makeover with prayer – as it turns out we could
have definitely used the guidance of the Holy Spirit!
Had I read the new book by Laura Jensen Walker, I would
have approached this project and others around our home
with a little more wisdom and a lot more patience. This
Old Dump: Renovate Without Decking Your Mate, (Revell,
September 2004, paperback, 156 pages) offers fun and
humorous suggestions for surviving your home improvement
projects without destroying your marriage in the process.
Laura blends hilarious home improvement tales with practical
tips and solutions.
Laura Jensen Walker had the following comments on her
book and surviving renovation projects:
Q: Laura Jensen Walker, author of This Old Dump: Renovate
Without Decking Your Mate, it’s so great to have
the opportunity to share your new book with our readers!
Could you please start off by telling our readers a
bit about you and your family?
A: I’m a full-time author and speaker and have
been married for over thirteen years to Michael, my
wonderful “Renaissance-man” husband (the man
can do ANYthing—from sewing beautiful quilts to
reupholstering furniture to knocking down walls, putting
up fences, gardening, woodworking, cooking, painting,
acting, and singing—just to name a few.) In fact,
the first time I saw him, he was singing. Can you say
smitten? I’m also a 12-year breast cancer survivor
(I was diagnosed the day after our first wedding anniversary)
who knows firsthand the healing power of humor. Michael
and I live in Sacramento, California with our “canine-daughter”
Gracie.
Q: People take their home renovations so seriously these
days. What was your motivation for writing a humorous
book on the topic?
A: To get people to lighten up a little. And to realize
they’re not alone in their home improvement horror
stories. AND to give them a reality check that it’s
not like what they see on TV. Their renovation will
not be complete in 60 minutes. (Something about not
having Ty Pennington and 250 Home Depot workers to help.)
Most of all, to make them laugh rather than tear their
family members from limb to limb - or head to divorce
court.
Q: What are the most important tips you’d share
with families considering taking on home improvement
projects?
A: Be aware from the very beginning that every home
improvement project will probably cost at least twice
as much as you thought and take three times as long
(and most likely require an electrician.)
Flexibility is key. So is communication. Don’t
be so rigid in having to have your own way/the most
beautiful home on the block that you can’t adapt/adjust
when things go wrong. (But along those same lines, guys:
as much as humanly possible, let her have her way or
you will pay.)
And women: Every man needs a room of his own (with apologies
to Virginia Woolf) and not just the garage. Let him
have a space of his own to decorate however he wants
- whether it be hunting/fishing chic, football frenzy,
or gadgets galore. Just be sure there’s a door
you can close. (You get free rein in the rest of the
house, so don’t begrudge him his space. Besides,
that way you don’t have to have his sports trophies
in the den.)
Q: Do you have any ideas for including kids in renovation
projects?
A: Our four-footed canine daughter doesn’t like
whenever we renovate/make changes around the house -
she always runs and hides under the bed. We tried to
get her opinion on paint color, but she wouldn’t
tell us. With actual two-footed children who can respond,
ask their opinions, and depending on their age, give
them something to do (that doesn’t require scary
power tools) so they’ll feel part of the process
too.
Q: Your book includes wonderful scriptural references
at the completion of many of the chapters. What role
should faith take in tackling projects around the house?
A: Prayer is essential. Daily. To help you get through
the stress and strain of renovation. And it helps to
keep in mind the big picture. There’s that old
saying “Home is where the heart is.” Your
family is your heart and your home, given to you by
God. And they’re more important than any house.
I especially love the proverb (24:3): “By wisdom
a house is built, and through understanding it is established.”
Q: What’s your favorite story shared in the book?
A: That’s a tough one. It’s a toss-up between
my Wisconsin cousin racing to the bathroom and in her
hurry not realizing the carpenter was framing the window
until she looked up and saw this big smile on his face.
Luckily, she had on an oversized sweatshirt, so she
figured she’d just pull her shirt down over her
knees and back out the door. Once out of his line of
vision, she pulled her pants up and her shirt down.
Then she looked up and there in the bedroom window was
another carpenter with a grin on his face. He thought
she was mooning him! (I told her that gives new meaning
to worker’s compensation.)
The other story is of my friends Bill and Andrea. Andrea
had a hard time choosing a paint color for their dining
room. She thought she wanted green and selected her
paint chip, then bought a quart of paint and painted
a small section. Of course, the color was never exactly
the same as the chip, but she kept trying. Green after
green after green. Then after visiting a friend’s
house who had a pretty taupe (dark tan for you guys)
color, she tried a couple variations of that. When Bill
got home that night, he took one look at the tan-and-green
camouflage wall and shouted “Get down!” then
he made the sound of a machine gun firing.
Q: Laura, thank you again for your time and participation
in this interview. Could you say a word or two about
your previous and future writing projects? Are there
any additional thoughts or comments you’d like
to share with our readers?
A: I’ve written a total of ten non-fiction books
so far, but the one closest to my heart is Thanks for
the Mammogram: Fighting Cancer with Faith, Hope, &
a Healthy Dose of Laughter. Another one that was fun
to write and came out this year is Girl Time: A Celebration
of Chick Flicks, Bad Hair Days & Good Friends. What
I’m most excited about, however, is that my first
NOVEL will be coming out in Spring 2005! It’s called
Dreaming in Black & White and is in the funny ‘chick-lit’
genre. (Like Bridget Jones’s Diary, only if Bridget
went to church. My website is www.laurajensenwalker.com)
Thanks so much for the interview! The last bit of advice
I want to share is: couples should never EVER wallpaper
together! (Talk about a straight shot to divorce court.)
For more information on This Old Dump: Renovate Without
Decking Your Mate
visit http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0800759672/catholicmomcom
Lisa M. Hendey is a mother of two sons, webmaster of
numerous web sites, including and http://www.christiancoloring.com,
and an avid reader of Catholic literature. Visit her
at http://www.lisahendey.com for more information.
About the Author
Lisa M. Hendey is a mother of two sons, webmaster of
numerous web sites, including and http://www.christiancoloring.com,
and an avid reader of Catholic literature. Visit her
at http://www.lisahendey.com for more information.
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