Not everyone enjoys home improvement shows although they have certainly gained in popularity over the years. A friend got me started on Fixer Upper (HGTV). Joanna and Chip Gaines are a couple in Waco, TX who live on a farm with their four children. Farm as in animals and acreage, not crops. Cows, chickens, goats, dogs and cats around and I’m not sure what else.

They do all different size projects and unlike some shows there is no attempt to create drama. The backstory piece is their own family life which is filled with such a strong sense of family. In some cases, the clients’ story has extra meaning as in one episode I recently watched. An older couple had spent a lot of time in either missionary or just humanitarian work in some remote places. As is common with people who do these things, they were not wealthy and their house budget was limited. They wanted a small place they could settle in and picked what was not much more than a cottage with a detached garage. They were headed back out for however many months to Uganda where they lived in less than 200 square feet as they helped the village residents. They left the coordination and most decisions for the remodel in the hands of their adult children. The work was progressing well with the decision made to convert the detached garage into a separate sitting/reading room. The completely heart-warming part was a number of their friends came together when they heard of the plan and donated money and materials to add a nice master to the cottage. They were able to keep this and the conversion of the garage as a surprise and instead of the one-bedroom home the couple expected, it was a charming two-bedroom with the additional bonus space. Needless to say, they were overwhelmed with the generosity.