Sometimes magic works like a whirlwind, and in this case, it most certainly did.  Shortly after the spell, I had quickly gotten stacked up with piles of web design work which brought in a lot of extra cash which opened many doors to finishing this project.  All the extra money was essential in being able to buy the right tools, the better materials, and to hire help from time to time with some of the more difficult or tedious tasks.  There were a few weeks there, in which I barely had a few minutes to get away from the mountains of graphics and code that I had to turn into web sites.

The web design work settled down after a bit, and another whirlwind blew into my life: a friend I met on Witchvox who is full of knowledge about construction, building, and is generally handy and smart offered to help me with my project in exchange for web design work for one of his side businesses.  He was exactly what I needed to get this project done, and better still, in a trade of energy for energy.  More importantly, I got to work alongside him and absorb immense amounts of knowledge on many topics: construction, electrical, plumbing and carpentry.  Though I've read plenty of web sites and watched many Youtube videos, there is nothing quite as good for learning a skill as getting dirty working alongside someone who has the hands-on experience and know-how that can only come from doing something for years.

We got a lot done in the past month and a half.  The kitchen subfloor is nearly done and ready for tile to go on top.  After the tile is done, only a few little touch-ups remain on this house before I can call it done.  It's very exciting, yet I've been absolutely worn out after putting in long days of hard work.  There have been many nights where I just dropped right into a deep slumber minutes after putting up my tools for the night.  There have been lots of scrapes and scratches, sore muscles, and even the occasional swollen toe from a dropped piece of plywood. 

I've learned a lot of important magical lessons from working on this house, but the most recent one I've learned is this: When you work magic to manifest something, you have to be ready to invest the time, energy, and resources into making it happen.  You can open the doors to your goals all day long, but if you aren't willing to go through them, you'll never get there.  The doors I opened, the extra work to bring in extra cash and the appearance of a new friend who was willing to trade his time and expertise with me, would not have done me any good if I had not the will and energy to follow through.  Don't be afraid to dream big, but realize that big dreams require big work.

Blood, sweat and tears - if you aren't willing to invest them, then you can't have the glory that lies at the end of the road.