Michael's Extreme Makeover Blog

This week we're in Farmville, Virginia to meet the Lucas family: Michael, his wife Jean, and their two boys, Michael and Joe. Michael and Jean have been happily married for many years, and life has been going very well. Michael loves his country, and he enlisted in the National Guard. Then, lo and behold, he got the call and had to get up and go and leave his family behind.

The story this week is really about all of those parents, husbands, wives and children who are left behind when their loved ones go to fight for our country. Regardless of what's going on, or where they're at in their lives, they get up and go to defend us.

Jean stayed back with the two boys, and they stayed in a rental, and the rental was pretty rough, but they were making due because they knew one day they'd be in their dream house. She's pretty amazing herself; she never expected to be raising those two boys by herself, and when Michael left that was the reality. It's not easy raising two boys on your own.

Michael is a huge Civil War buff, and he found a piece of land that was actually historic, and he wanted to build his family a home there. He actually started and was well on his way when he got called away to Iraq. But, he had to pretty much leave everything the way it was. The foundation was okay, but the wood and the framing that were there were weathered and not really usable.

Together with our builder Ken Broadwater, from Ken Broadwater Homes, his team and this community, we will build a new house will finish Michael’s dream. That's our goal this week.

This week I'm taking care of the common spaces: The living room, dining room, and the kitchen areas. My goal is to just follow what they love and give these people their dream. They love the traditional styling of the colonial homes from the period. So that's what they're gonna get.

I hope we were able to pay a fitting tribute to all the men and women like Michael who sign on that line and go to fight at any time. It doesn't matter what you believe in, we have to realize that there are people out there who will go and do that for us; for our freedoms so that we can do what we want to do in this country. I just think that it's an amazing testament for someone to say yes, I will go and I will leave my family and I will fight for this country.

This week we’re in Louisville, KY to meet the Hughes family. Patricia and Patrick John Hughes’s eldest son, Patrick Henry, was born blind and without the ability to fully straighten his arms and legs, leaving him unable to walk. Despite circumstances that seem overwhelming, Patrick Henry has exhibited extreme strength and a positive attitude in order to achieve his goals. Not only is Patrick Henry an amazing pianist, having played since he was 9 months old, but he also excels at the trumpet and singing. He’s even Part of the University of Louisville School of Music Marching and Pep Band

To me this week is about the glass being half full. I think it’s how you look at things. The cards are dealt, but it’s how you look at them. Patrick Henry has never seen his disabilities, matter of fact, he thinks that you and I are the ones with the disability. Because we judge people. We see people for their color or their race or what have you. He doesn’t. He judges people from what’s in here.

The Hughes family have done everything they can for Patrick Henry and them house just didn’t work for them. The doorways were too small and the floors are on several different levels and he actually had to shimmy up on the floor to get from one place to another. And we’re gonna change that. It was amazing... They knew that when we knocked on the door that all of that was gonna come to an end.

We decided to build a separate apartment for Patrick Henry to give his independence. He’s 19 years old and he can finally have his own space, and do his own thing. But still know that the rest of his family is right next door.

Joe and Rocky from Elite Homes were our wonderful builders this week. They’re just awesome guys and they’re here for all the right reasons. Joe and Rocky actually agreed to do the build hands down without knowing who the family was, and they couldn’t wait. But when they found out that it was the Hughes family, who are local celebrities, they were that much more excited. We definitely got the right builder.

My project was the master bedroom this week and my goal was to give the Hughes’ just a retreat. They work so hard taking care of their family that they just need a place that’s comfortable. Their old bedroom was actually their living room in the old house and they turned it into a bedroom. I just wanna give them a beautiful suite with their own bathroom. This family’s been sharing a bathroom for 19 years.

I’m so proud to be part of helping Patrick Henry and the Hughes Family. It’s just so amazing because they were doing ok in that old house and they were working out just fine, but now with this new house and the ease and the — the freedom that we’ve created, they can concentrate on what’s really important, and that’s making sure Patrick Henry’s ok, just being a family and being together. That’s what it’s all about.

ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition airs Sundays at 8 pm/ET.

This week we're in Manchester, New Hampshire to meet the Voisine family — Ray, Casey, and their four boys. Now everything was going great for the family, they were living in their dream home, and life was really good. This is where we should say, "and they all lived happily ever after." Sadly we can't.

When the rains started in mid May 2006, the Voisines thought they were immune to the predicted flooding. Their house wasn't in a flood zone. In fact, there was a four-lane highway between their neighborhood and the river. But as the waters began to rise, Casey Voisine started getting nervous. After four days of pouring, it was clear that the water that was rising outside their home was far more than a puddle.

By midnight on Mothers Day, the water had made its way into the house, soaked the carpet and was rising to the level of the electrical outlets! Within a few days, the Governor had declared a state of emergency, FEMA had been dispatched and assessments were being made of the damage. The family was told that their house was a total loss.

This week, I'm working on the master bedroom, master bath and the great room. There are five men in this house and only one woman. Casey needs to have a beautiful room and I want to make sure the master bedroom is just that. I want it to be elegant and sophisticated and a place for both of them to go and just relax.

This week went really, really smoothly. Our builders, Reggie and John from R.J. Moreau Communities, did a phenomenal job. We had a tight lot, we had a dead end street and they pulled it off and we got it done on time. It's time to bring the Voisine family home.

This week we're in Pinon, Arizona — actually the far northeast corner of Arizona on the Navajo reservation — and we're here to meet a very special Navajo family, the Yazzies. Mom Georgia and her kids: Geralene, Garrett, and Gwendolyn.

Gwen has epilepsy and severe asthma and they were heating the house with coal. Coal is expensive, does not burn clean air and was basically wreaking havoc on Gwen's respiratory system. Being the great brother he is, Garrett began looking for a way to help his sister and he came up with something pretty amazing. When he was just 13 years old he had an idea to heat his family's home. He used 16 tin cans and an old radiator from a car to create a solar heating system to warm his family. Now this didn't go unnoticed, he received many awards and accolades but his dream didn't stop there, he contacted us to let us know that his family still needed help. The home, a trailer, was basically falling apart all around them. Garrett Yazzie has asked us to help him fulfill a dream: To make sure that his entire family is safe, comfortable, and warm.

It's pretty remote out here — there are actually areas that don't even have paved roads. The Yazzie's house, well, there's no road and there's no driveway. There was no way we were gonna get the bus up there, nevertheless heavy construction equipment. With the help of the Navajo DOT we were able to get those roads taken care of. We just needed a builder, and for that we called on a great builder who joined us before in North Carolina. Steve Sasso and Darren Drevik with HomeLife Communities stepped up big time in an area where building was as tough as it gets and pulled this off building a beautiful, quality home for this family.

I'm really excited to take care of Garrett's room this week. Garrett's an amazing kid. He loves to ride his bike. For him, that's an escape, so I think it's really important that his room is an escape. That room is going to be all about BMX. I know he loves to invent, and he loves to create. So I'm giving him his own little secret room, off of the bedroom, and I'm calling it his lab. He loves to create and he's obviously very smart so it's just a room to inspire him, a place here he can go and he can study or he can look at a computer or a microscope or a globe, and just create and invent. Who knows with this kid... anything can happen.

Navajo culture is all about walking with the land, with the earth, and in being self-sustainable with the environment. We want to make sure that we honor that this week, it's really important to the culture and our team. The designers all got together and had a meeting. We just said let's go green; let's really go green. Let's talk about solar panels. Let's talk about recycling water. Let's talk about indigenous plants, low flush toilets, and cork floors. Walls with insulation in them everything we can do to embrace this proud culture. Embrace where we're at with this weather that we have and take advantage of it. I think we were able to pull that off and at the same time honor this remarkable young man and his family.

This week we're in Billings, Montana, to meet the Carter family. Lon, Julie and their three daughters Jade, Sapphire and Lily. Montana's Big Sky country — brutal winters, hot summers, rattlesnakes and chicken coops. The Carter family actually lives in an old refurbished chicken coop — really a chicken coop — they've tried to make the best of their circumstances, but living in that chicken coop has not been easy. Lon's done everything he can to fix it up and make it as good as it's gonna get, but we can do a lot better.

As bad as living in a chicken coop is, it's not the only hardship facing this family. Julie and her daughters all suffer from an extremely rare condition called Chiari Malformation. Chiari Malformation is a condition that has over 85 symptoms, making it very easy to misdiagnose. Many doctors claim patients are just depressed or have chronic fatigue syndrome, but this disease is real and afflicts more than 250,000 — most not knowing they have it. Julie Carter is a pioneer and has helped thousands worldwide get a proper diagnosis and provides them with support and compassion. Julie is a hero to thousands, providing a monthly newsletter to Chiari patients and giving them valuable information, helping to spread the word about this disease and getting the help to those who need it. This is why we are building for the Carters this week.

My projects this week are the great room, the kitchen, the dining room and Julie's office. My goal was to make these spaces as comfortable and family-oriented as possible. No jarring colors and taking into consideration everything I need to about their light sensitivity and all the unique symptoms of this disease. To give Julie an office, I'm providing her a place where she can continue to do what she does with her newsletter and help people understand this condition without giving up her master bedroom in the process.

Joining us this week was Jeff and the entire team at Jeff Junkert Construction, and they absolutely knocked this one outta the park. The week was seamless. It was smooth. There was no drama. This house — the quality of this house, and the magnitude of it — is unbelievable. The people of Montana were fantastic also. They were just so focused, so driven. Everybody was willing and helpful — what a fantastic community.

The Carter family is one of those families who have bonded really deeply. There's a bond that's very special there, you can just see it in the way they interact, the way they hold on to each other and hug each other. There's a lot of love in that house, Lon and Julie are amazing parents. And those three little girls are gonna grow up to be pretty amazing adults.

We're in Corvallis, Oregon, about two hours south of Portland, and we're here to build a family and a new healthy home for a little girl fighting cancer.

The Byers family is a young, vibrant family that is full of love, a family like any other. Mom, Dad, two boys (Chris and Joe), and 7-year-old daughter, Janessa. The problem is cancer. Janessa, affectionately known as Boey, was first diagnosed with pediatric cancer in January of 2006. Instead of being a victim, Boey decided she wanted to help others find the strength and inspiration to beat cancer. With a mission to raise awareness and funding for pediatric cancer, she posted daily affirmations on her website and in blogs. She became a "Cancer Warrior" and the youngest person to ever get a bill presented in Congress! This is a kid who cares enough about others that she's gonna stand up and fight the fight.

Cancer is an evil, ugly disease. It tears families and people apart mentally and physically. But the Byers are not letting this get to them. They're using this as a tool, a tool to bind this family together. Unfortunately, the Byers' home is working against them. They bought this home as a fixer-upper but the moment they found out that Boey had cancer, the house became the last priority. Let's face it, when you have a child who is sick, what's more important: spending time with your children and making sure everybody is taken care of or fixing up your house? Kids come first.

The house was dysfunctional. It was toxic, unhealthy and unfit for any family. The new house needed to be bright; it needed to be light with clean air and plenty of room for this whole family to be together and to heal. Boey has no immune system; it's shot because of her treatments, and this house was absolutely unacceptable for her and her brother, who has asthma. I took care of the great room, the living areas, the kitchen, the dining room, and, of course, Mom and Dad's master bedroom and bath. I was gonna make it clean and safe and open and modern.

Building the home and making this possible are Jeff and Mike from Legend Homes. These guys are fantastic, they really get why we're here. They knew that while we may not be able to cure cancer in a week, we certainly could raise awareness and build a phenomenal house in just seven days — changing this family's life forever.

This week was all about a family fighting cancer, giving Boey and family a home where they can live, love and fight this fight. Boey told me that when she was diagnosed again with cancer her heart broke. To hear this little girl tell you her heart has been broken is unacceptable. No 8-year-old should ever have their heart broken. So maybe we can mend her heart while building them a home, making things a little easier.

This week we're back in Kansas City, Missouri, to meet the Jacobo family: Jesus and Michelle, their four biological children, their five nieces and nephews whom they've taken in, as well as Grandpa Ray, who is Michelle's father. That makes 12 people living in one house. One very tiny house.

Our builder, Kevin Green Homes, and his team know what the heck they're doing. This was not an easy build. This house was on a grade and they had to dig into the lot, drop a basement in, and build 5,400 square feet on three floors. They did the quickest, most efficient quality build you could ever ask for, and they did it in awesome time. Kevin Green is one of a kind. He's an awesome guy. We've worked with him in the past. He truly builds from his heart, loves what he does and loves the people who work with him — he calls them his angels. I think we were all his angels this week. We were all here for the right reason and I think Kevin, most of all, supported that. He knew that those kids needed a home, he knew what it would take, and he did it. Not only did he build the Jacobos a beautiful home, he also wanted to remove the burden of the mortgage.

My goal this week was to give this family a warm, comfortable environment, and the family room, kitchen, great room and dining room are... warm. They're inviting. To me they say, "Come and hang out. Tell me what's going on." This is a place for a family to be — and to be together. I really wanted to celebrate their Hispanic culture, so I utilized the color palette, the textures, everything. The Latin culture is a very warm, loving culture, and when you combine these rich, saturated colors of cobalt blue, terra cotta and deep red burgundy, there is something about it that sort of envelopes you. It's warm and inviting. And it's exactly what this family needed.

When you look at these kids' faces they seem so happy and cheery, but they've been through so much. I know now that they're safe and clearly happy. We got to be a part of that this week — that's the greatest gift ever. Welcome home, Jacobo Family, welcome home.

This week we're in Murfreesboro, Arkansas to meet the Collins family, Kim and Denis and their six children. Now Kim and Dennis, they're an awesome, loving family. They have two biological children and then they took in five children because of something really tragic that happened three years ago: Kim's cousin, Artie, and her husband were in a horrific car crash, leaving their five children orphaned. The Collins took those kids in. The moment that Kim called Dennis and told him of this news, he said: go get those kids. There was never a doubt that those children would live with them. I think that's the coolest thing. That's really what we're celebrating here this week: people opening their hearts and doing what's right — what you hope and wish that your next of kin would do for you and your children.

The Collins family has been living in this house for the last 17 years, and when it was just the four people living there, it worked out great. Now you have eight people living in this tiny house and they've done everything they can to make it work. They actually made the carport into additional bedrooms but it's not working. They're pretty much climbing all over each other in there. We're gonna fix that!

My project this week was taking care of Ashlee's room. I wanted to get to know her a little deeper, so we had a one-on-one. I let her know that I lost my father when I was just four years old. I told her to embrace those feelings you're going through — those are memories, those are thoughts, they're valuable, so hold onto them. I asked her, what do you like? What do you want to see in your room? She told me, "I like blue stripes and pink polka dots." It's awesome. I gave her exactly what she wanted.

Our builder Steve Butcher and his crew at Real Steel Homes know what we do and why we do it, you just can feel the heart and the soul of it, and I think that's the bottom line. They're here to make a family's life better and we're so excited to have their whole team with us this week. We've worked with them in the past, Steve and his team worked on the Teas Family episode where they built cabins for Camp Barnabas last season!

We also had The great people at National Park Community College step up with their overwhelmingly generous donation of 7 2-year scholarships for the Collins children.

Day 1: Door Knock

Today was a very special day for me. I have traveled the country for almost four years meeting amazing people with incredible stories. Today was no different. What was different was that the Ripatti-Pearce family hails from a place I have called home for the last 15 years — Redondo Beach, California. Kristina and her husband, Tim, are both police officers in the LAPD; they share a common love for helping their community and "beating the bad guys at their own game." They also shared a love for the outdoors, surfing, fishing, running and working out. A year and a half ago they welcomed their beautiful baby girl, Jordan, into the world. They were a family with everything going for them and a bright future.

But just four short months ago everything changed. While on patrol one night, Kristina and her partner chased a suspect who turned and shot her three times, paralyzing her from the chest down. Meeting these people and seeing everything they have been through — both physically and mentally — was a real eye-opener. Have you ever thought about spending the rest of your life in a wheelchair? I am so excited and proud to be able to help a neighbor and a hero — somebody who would do it all again if she could — to make our lives a little safer.

We sent the family on vacation to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, one of my favorite places. I was just there two weeks ago. We took down the tiny 900-square-foot house that was basically fighting against Kristina and her recovery, and we began to build a new "smart" house that will give her a lot more independence and hopefully help this family start the healing process.

Day 2: Demolition Day

I love demo day. It's very cathartic. Every family we meet, for one reason or another, needs a new home. The Rippati-Pearce home is the perfect example. Kristina couldn't circumnavigate this tiny little house and by no means was it wheelchair-accessible. Together with the LAPD, the Bomb Squad and the SWAT team, who showed up in force, we took this house down. Ever hear of a battering ram? Let's just say this house never had a chance. What an awesome show of respect and dignity. It's always a great thing to see a house come down so we can build a home that can help a family get back on their feet.

Days 3 and 4: Construction

We were 18 hours behind schedule! I can't tell you the last time we were more than four or five hours behind. It seems like after some 80-odd builds we'd have it together, but sometimes things just start to compound. We had everything you could think of to pull it together: an inspiring family, Vic Braden from Cornerstone Construction (our very talented builder) and tons of community support. But everything seemed to have hit the skids. We needed more volunteers: drywallers, tapers, mudders, etc. We actually went on the local news reaching out for help.

Day 5: Construction

I went on our local ABC 7 News and practically begged for help. Apparently if you ask them, they will come! It seemed like everyone in the L.A. area knew of Kristina's story, and when we reached out, the results were amazing! Not only did we have people show up from all over Southern California but we also had people from Arizona, Nevada and one couple from Canada. It's always amazing to me that there is so much good in this world. I guess what I learned is that sometimes you just have to ask for help.

Day 6: Construction

So we were back on track but definitely not out of the woods! You see, when you start to fall behind on a project like this, it is very hard to make up the lost time. Just when we were starting to see the light, another ridiculous hitch came our way: One of our volunteers backed into a fire hydrant, sending water gushing 30 to 40 feet in the air. We only had one road in and out to the house. and all access was blocked for almost two hours. You know what they say, when it rains....

Day 7: Welcome home, Ripatti-Pearce family!

Tune in this Sunday at 8 pm/ET, to watch ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition!

So this week we found ourselves in northeast Wisconsin in the small town of Dundee (population 61) and we're here this week to meet the Koepke family — Matt Koepke, his wife Chris and their four kids. Your classic American family just doing the best they can, making ends meet. They didn't necessarily have a lot of money, but they had family, they had love, and they had a 130-year-old farmhouse that Matt's great-grandfather actually built.

Matt's goal was to take this house and to fix it up and make it a place where his family could live, grow up, be safe, happy and healthy. He was doing just that until about five months ago when Matt was stricken with a very rare form of cancer. The doctors gave him five years to live, but unfortunately, he died four months later. It's insane to think that everything can be going along smoothly and then — bam! — it changes drastically.

Matt had a dying wish. He wanted us to come and rebuild this house for his family and restore the Dundee Mill. I think he knew in his heart of hearts that he wasn't going to make it. So, we did something we have never done before: Ty actually called Matt in the hospital, and they put the phone up to his ear and he just let Matt know that we'd fix this house no matter what.

So Paige was taking care of the girls' rooms, and Preston was taking care of the boys' rooms. I had a different plan. I know that Derek, one of the boys, likes to give back to the community, like his Dad. And what he does is mows the lawns in the neighborhood. So, I got him the baddest, meanest, right-on lawnmower that they had and he's going to love it.

I had an awesome opportunity this week. I went to Kohler, where all of the sinks and the toilets and the tubs and the showers that we use are made. I actually met David Kohler, he's the third generation of this family-run business. He could totally relate to this story because he's in a family and he's part of a family business and when they heard about this story, they just said, "Please, come here… what can we do to help?" I got the pick of the litter. I got to go nuts. And they've got this amazing design center and I got to run around and handpick everything I wanted.

I'll say something about the workers. We've done a lot of these projects and these people who are working on this house, the guys that you see in the blue shirts, they're amazing. They're so excited to be a part of this. I think they probably all knew Matt, but I've never been around such an energy and such a drive to get this done — and through the chaos, the fatigue and the weather, they just kept working and were so excited to get this house done... it was an amazing week.

This week, we were able to fulfill a dying man's wish, and I felt so fortunate to be there to keep a promise to this incredible family.

So we just returned from South Dakota. Having never been, I didn't know what to expect.

The first thing that I noticed was corn, corn, corn and more corn. As the bus got closer to the farm, I realized that we were in farm country! This family is miles away from their nearest neighbor or hospital — and knowing Siehera's story, how difficult that must be. I knew this little girl had been through so much and that the house was working against this little girl's health. We finally got to meet the whole clan: Nila, Kevin, Siehera and two feisty little boys named Kyle and Kevin, not to mention the family ferret.

When I first arrived at the house, the first thing I noticed was that from the outside, it wasn't so bad. But upon further inspection, the house was the root of their problem. This is a young vibrant family and regardless of what they've been through, they have each other. As the design team descended on them, they looked a bit stunned… I guess it's not every day a giant bus rolls up and out walks Hollywood. But once they understood that we were there to make things better for them, especially Siehera, you could see the relief come over them.

One quick note: The name Siehera means "vast/immense" — the perfect name. Her love, her joy and her spirit is just that vast. Siehera wants to be a rock star, and lets just say that Ty is doing everything he can to make that a reality.

I've really had my hands full this week, working on the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, the master bedroom and a very special library for Nila. Just to make sure I stay busy, I'm turning the basement into the biggest, badass home theater we've ever built. This is a woman who loves to read and I was glad to give her a room for that. What amazes me is the generosity of the local vendors. We were given thousands of books and going above and beyond to make Nila smile.

I made a great friend this week in Kohleen, Nila's mom. She and I have been hanging all week. Something I wanted to make sure went into this house was a system that makes sure all the air stays clean for Siehera. We brought in IQ Air, a system that cleans every speck of air every 12 minutes. It cleans so well you don't even have to dust. There is nothing more important we can put in this place for Siehera than that. I wanted Siehera's grandma to see it first. When I took her inside to see it and show her exactly what it does, the joy on her face was my greatest moment all week. She said it was the most important thing we could give the family for Siehera.

When designing a house, my goal is to design for the family and not to push my design aesthetic onto them. I like to find out who they are, what they are, and apply it to their new home. This time I feel I really hit the nail on the head. Some people have asked why the house is blue. This is why: Nila has a favorite barn she passes everyday on the way to work and I went to that barn to match the color exactly. When she saw the home for the first time she freaked. It's little things like this that let them know this is their home and that we designed it for them.

This week, we came to meet a girl with a hole in her heart, and yet she filled a place in each of our hearts. Meeting people like her gives us the strength to keep doing the things we do.

Tune in this Sunday, Nov. 5, at 8 pm/ET, to watch ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition!

Blog... Blog... Blog... Hi everyone! Michael Moloney here.

I just returned home from what turned out to be an amazing week. This time the bus stopped in Armada Township, a tiny farming town about an hour outside of Detroit, Michigan. I was excited to go back to Michigan cuz we shot one of our most popular shows there already.

Do you remember the Vardon family from Season 2? Mom and dad were deaf, they had two sons, Lance was blind and autistic and Stefan did not have disabilities and communicated to the entire family.

The Armada community was incredible as well. It seems everyone knew our new Michigan family, the Gilliams. Maryann and David Gilliam were happily married -- he was a firefighter/paramedic -- and they had just purchased what was supposed to be their dream home.

Last year on Christmas Eve David had a seizure and died, right in bed next to his wife. The same bed where 21 days earlier, David himself delivered his sixth child, Naomi.

Can you imagine? It just once again shows us that life is short, you never know what?s around the corner.

This story really affected me, I lost my father in a car accident when I was just four years old. Leaving my mother to raise three boys by herself (she did a hell of a job by the way).

So enough of the sad stuff let me tell you about this house: 3,800 square feet, two stories, tricked out and all built in 53 hours and 54 minutes. Yes, you read that right, under 54 hours, unbelievable but true! The quickest we have ever built a house. Michigan loves us!

Let me tell you about our builder Rick Merlini from American Heartland Homes. This guy was like 6'5" 250 lbs., built like a brick wall, but he was the softest, most kind hearted guy you'd ever want to meet (just don't piss him off!). He has a daughter, who is 11 and I think he really realized just how precious life is this week. He and Anthony, his BFF from our other builder, Lombardo Homes, are the reason we built this house so quickly -- he just couldn't imagine seeing his family in the same predicament as the Gilliam family.

I had an insanely busy week. You really don't get to see all of what I did, so here we go... Living room, dinning room, kitchen, breakfast room, master bedroom and bath, the Nursery and last, but definitely not least, my theme room, Kickball. But you know they don't let me talk about the details of the fun kids rooms until after the show, so you gotta watch.

Oh ya, one last thing, check out the stained glass window in the stairwell, I designed it for the Gilliam family. There is a sunflower in the window and if you look closely you will see them everywhere in the new house.

You see, this stray sunflower grew out of a crack in the pavement at the front door of the old house and Maryann said that this flower was David. This sunflower I put in the stained glass will always be there looking over this amazing family.

Thanks for letting me do what I do! Remember, life is short, enjoy every minute!!!

Tune in this Sunday, October 1, to watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition at 8 pm/ET on ABC!