Hindsight is 20/20

We started our weekend off with a new routine....sleep in a bit, go to breakfast, go to Lowes! Going to breakfast gives us some alone time in which to talk. This morning we were talking about our day, what we were going to try to get done, and just stuff...Steve was sharing a financial plan he had with me. Nothing he said had even went through my mind, and it was brilliant! I thought, wow, it has taken me these twenty-five years to learn to trust him to lead our family, and he is so good at it. Makes me wonder where we would be today had I trusted him way back at the beginning of our relationship! I was telling him what a slow learner I am, and how it has taken me so long to learn stuff. We were reminiscing about how our parents tried to tell us things, to keep us from making the same mistakes, and how we have tried to keep our kids from making those same mistakes. We didn't listen, and they don't either. So we live and learn and hindsight really is 20/20

Deck Design

Lowes is our handy dandy one stop building and self-help store lately. I think we go there every day! Yesterday, we were discussing the deck, what to do with it being as we have lumber piled up in the yard. We came to the conclusion that we need to get on that one pretty quick, so we walked around the yard, discussing our options. We then went to Lowes project planner under deck design and designed our deck. On their site is all kind of project planners, not just deck design. This morning I have been playing around with a closet design program. The planners let you enter your dimensions, needs for the space, and then it generates a 3D image you can rotate and look at it, as well as a how to guide, and supply list. Our deck instructions are 13 pages long. I hope Steve knows what he is looking at, because it really looks Greek to me! I get to design, and he gets to interpret and build. What a beautiful relationship!

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=categorySelect&category=Project%20Planning&Ne=10000&N=0

Praising God in the storms!

"Praise You In This Storm"

I was sure by now

God You would have reached down

And wiped our tears away

Stepped in and saved the day

But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls I barely hear

Your whisper through the rain

"I'm with you"

And as Your mercy falls

I raise my hands and praise

the God who gives

And takes away

And I'll praise You in this storm

And I will lift my hands

For You are who You are

No matter where I am

And every tear I've cried

You hold in Your hand

You never left my side

And though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind

You heard my cry to you

And you raised me up again

My strength is almost gone

How can I carry on

If I can't find You

as the thunder rolls

I barely hear You whisper through the rain"I'm with you"

And as Your mercy falls

I raise my hands and praise the God who gives

And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord

The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Through every phase of life, God gives me a verse or a song to encourage me and remind me of just who He is! I can look back over these different times with absolute amazement! The night of the flood, we got the radio out and plugged it in so we could listen to the weather. In the middle of our wading through the waters, this song came on the radio. It was perfect timing! I was driving home today from work, and this CD kicked in on the cd changer (awesome cd by the way). God once again reminded me to praise Him in the midst of my storm and to trust Him. He is my help and my strength! He holds every tear I cry, knows every pain of my heart, is ever faithful, is ever present. What an awesome God I serve!

How Do You Eat an Elephant?

Answer: One bite at a time. That phrase has become my prompt to just keep chipping away, little by little. A procrastinator at heart...learning to break big tasks down into smaller and get over the all or nothing attitude I have has taken some real effort!

It has been a productive last few days. Saturday, Rich and Steve spent hours trying to hang the original shed door in the new shed section. They couldn't get it to work because the door opened out and there was a rise in the concrete. The door kept getting jammed. After hours, they gave it up and threatened to throw that door away! Instead we used it in the shed attic as flooring (LOL...it was a homemade door out of plywood). Steve decided we were back to buying a door which he did, and he and Rich learned how to install an exterior door last night. It looks great. The shed just needs externally panelling now, trim, and water sealant-then we can get some of this stuff out of the house and store it out there!

Next, they headed indoors for the fireplace. Rich was so worried Steve was going to take that down without him! We all donned masks and went to work on it. We weren't sure what we were going to find behind there. What we did find was panelling, a window, a left over curtain hook still mounted on the window, and lots of evidence of rodent activity. Steve and Rich took it down one brick at a time so we could save some of the brick. Doreen and I cleaned mortar off the brick and stacked those up. It isn't completely down yet, but will be by this weekend.

We have a call into a roofer, a contractor, and a plumber. The roof has to be repaired where the chimney is, we need help with windows, and need a plumber to take out the gas line to the fireplace. After that...we are ready to rebuild!

It has been moving so slow, but now that we are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel...I am hopeful life will return to normalcy around here!

Anger

"Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil." Eph. 4: 26-27

I have been telling Katherine now for a year or so that she needs to learn to be honest in her relationships and set boundaries. She has such a heart to please that she lets people walk over her. She doesn't want to hurt feelings and she doesn't say no often enough! She is growing in that area, but I, on the other hand have been going backwards. I talk a good talk, but the walk...that is another story! People take advantage of me, use me, I get angry about it, but don't say anything until I absolutely can't take it anymore! I think I have spent most of my life angry, and not able to deal with it. I just sweep it under the rug, go on to something else, get busy with life, and think it is dealt with, then it resurfaces again. I read these passages in Ephesians, all about communication, and wonder just how to apply them. "....speak every man truth...let no corrupt communciation proceed out of your mouth...let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put awary from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." How do I speak the truth in such a way to not offend? How do I deal with conflicts in an honest way, but without malice and anger?

I have been thinking about this essay I wrote for a class called "Not in The Words." It is about my childhood relationship with my dad, not just my dad, but my parents in general. I learned that I could easily achieve academically, and if I did, the rest of my life (to them) was pretty inconsequential. They didn't know what I was doing most of the time or what was going on in my life. I hid behind the honor roll. Wow...what an impact childhood attitudes play into our adult lives...I still work hard to achieve...outward success becomes nothing more than a mask to hide my insecurities behind. I never feel good enough and it frustrates me more, it confuses me, it doesn't help resolve any of my anger. Knowing what the problem is is supposed to be half the battle, but it doesn't really feel like I am half way there! One step...my next Bible study is going to be on the book of Ephesians.

Weekend Plans

I often think of that famous line, "The best-laid plans of mice and men/often go awry," and how true that is...because, Bro. John, you are right, our lives are not our own! I was feeling quite claustrophobic this weekend and not very motivated! My melancholic temprament doesn't handle chaos very well, and there is no better way to describe how I am living, but in utter chaos. I did manage to pack a few boxes. Steve and I slept in Saturday morning, went to Breakfast ( ooooh....a date), and then we went to a flooring showroom to talk to the experts. That wasn't really in the agenda for the day, but the guy was incredibly helpful. We have decided on what kind of flooring we will be putting down, but have no idea on color or pattern yet. Then we came home and found our claim had been processed. I am once again amazed at how God works, giving us the desires of our heart even beyond what we imagine.

Yesterday, I was reading in Ephesians and had to stop and ponder, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory int he church by Jesus Christ throughout all ages..." Eph. 3:20-21. The insurance company settled at $50,000 which is way more than we expected. They included so much more than we were expecting to replace. There is no way we could have afforded such an extensive remodel. We bought this house because of its location and its size. I saw so much potential in it, and wanted space for other people to be here and be comfortable. The entire time we have lived here, other people have lived here too. In just a month, my sister and nephew will be joining us here. They will be with us for quite awhile as she tries to get re-established here and learn to support herself. God knows all of that. I am watching my brother grow and God work in his life here, and am thankful we could share in that! I am trying to be positive, prayerful on all these decisions, patient, and trusting because I just don't know what tomorrow holds!

Yesterday, Bro. Sorrell preached on how the unbelievers are watching. He took his text from the crucifixion and focused on the band of soldiers watching...what they saw...and how they reacted. I wondered...in the repair of our house and the opportunities it has given us with our neighbors, neither of which have insurance, if maybe God is going to use this somehow in their lives. God is doing more than I can imagine in ways I haven't even considered. This whole thing wouldn't of been in my plans...oh yea...there is the kitten drama (on Kat's blog)...and....we did plant plants around our tree (where the deck used to be), hung our swing, lit a tiki torch, so we could sit on the swing and have coke floats. That was a nice serene moment...it wasn't in the plan for the weekend either, but sure glad we detoured!

Building Walls and Taking Them Down!

Well...we have decided to take the half wall out of the den. It connects the breakfast room with the den and removing it will open up the space. I have mixed emotions about that because I was looking forward to putting a bar there, but opening it will open up this end of the house tremendously. As we are taking down walls in the house, we are adding them outside to the shed. I had always envisioned our shed as a guest house. It is plenty big enough. It has several smaller rooms attached to it which can be our shed storage. Steve decided to enclose an open area which was just wasted space. Last night he framed up that wall, took out a wall between two other areas, and framed a wall to separate the storage end from what will eventually be a closet in the apartment. I decided yesterday that the deck was not going back up where it was. It was too close to the house and gave the rats a haven as they crossed the yard to get under the house. We haven't seen a rodent one since we removed that deck and cleared out the debris from the shed. (Since I have open walls and floors everywhere-no rodents is a really good thing!) This weekend we are going to finish the walls in the shed, finish the mold cleanup in the den and our bedroom, take out the rest of the ceiling and fireplace in the den, and hopefully do some much needed yard work.

I keep thinking about what Shelly, my daughter's new adopted sister (God so provides!), said to me about this whole thing. God brings circumstances into our lives which mirror what is going on or changes that need to be made Spiritually. Her assessment of my life was that there was too much clutter, and there is. I also have struggled with setting boundaries where need be, and letting my guard down in relationships because I don't feel like I can be who I am. I feel like I spend a lot of time walking on eggshells with people, afraid to say what I feel, because they might get offended. I certainly don't want to be an offense to anyone, but I also want freedom in my own life. I know there are alot of walls in my life that need to be erected, and many that need to be torn down! Who I am in Christ makes me valuable as a person, not perfect, but forgiven and ever growing, and I need to be who He wants me to be, not who everyone else expects me to be. That is a wall long overdue for demolition!

Grandchildren

Robert sent his dad the funniest tshirt. It says: Grandpa's To Do List-1. Load up grandkids with sugar. 2. Send home! The funniest thing about this Father's Day is that we wanted to do something special for Rob since it was his first. We were in NC still trying to decide what to do. Finally we decided to order him an ice-cream cake from Baskin Robbins. He loves ice-cream. We did that. We chose an oversized singing card and a book for Aaron to give to him. It was too cute. We got all that squared away, and Rob called to tell me he was going to send Steve's card late because we weren't at home. It came yesterday. It was an oversized card (same kind we bought) which sang and then the tshirt. We laughed. Great minds think alike. We so miss them. I remember when we were a young military couple with kids so far away from their grandparents. Our parents complained all the time so we came closer to home. I am glad we did. We couldn't get any closer than a three hour drive to one set, but our kids did have moments with their grandparents. I am looking forward to seeing my sweet Aaron again very soon! Prayerfully, they can get closer too, although how close can you get between LA and NY????? Somebody is certainly going to miss out!

Too Much Crime Television

We went right to work on the den when we got home from our wanderings. My brother pulled out most of the panelling while we were gone. Monday night, Steve pulled out the rest of the panelling, drywall, and insulation which was still wet. I went to work on the cleanup. We are using a product by Moldstat which is a peroxide base and enviornmentally safe. It cleans up the mold, kills it and the protects against it. It is a process and takes time. The den had lots of mold in it, so the cleanup is tedious! We hope to have it all done except the fireplace out by this weekend. Then this weekend we will pull the fireplace and see what is back there. Steve pulled up the floor last night and discovered what we are affectionately calling a crop circle! LOL. We thought water had damaged the floor, but to make a perfect circle??? For some reason there is a perfect circle of something in the floor. We couldn't lift it to find out what is under it, but we imagined all sorts of things: some bankrobbers loot, a dead body, an old fire pit, maybe a fountain or sink....we laughed...too much crime/police shows for us!

All Dressed Up

We don't get dressed up very often-weddings and funerals mostly. The irony of that...opposite moments in time, a celebration of a beginning of a new family unit with the infinite possibility of life, and the memorial of a life with the recognition of the finite of man, but the infinity of life beyond what we know. Life is so short-the older I get, the more I realize that. Every moment is a treasure-every tear, all the sadness, the disappointments, the joy, the laughter, the adventure...all of it-good and bad. This was a good moment...an opportunity to witness our son join himself to his life partner. We didn't know how we were going to be there with all that has gone on in our lives these past months, but God is always gracious, and He gave us the desire of our heart. We didn't get to participate in any way, but we did get to be there for which we are thankful. Two of our children are married now and living thier own lives. Our drive down to Florida after the wedding was a teary one. The radio bombarded us with father/son songs, children growing up songs, and the such. We had lots of time to reflect on what our empty nest is going to be like-only one more to go, and she is pretty anxious to join her brothers in holy matrimony. Maybe she will give us a few years to adjust to the idea first! (We are holding out on the "you have to go to college first" idea!). The good news-0ur home will be remodelled by then, so maybe it will be time for that cruise we have been waiting for all these years!

Home At Last

We got in the jeep, out of the jeep, back in the jeep, and out again...for six days! This trip was different than others we have taken, in that, we took time to just stop. We hung out in the hotel room, sat by the pool, went to the beach at dark, the marina at sun up, stopped to make a few visits and see family...and drove. The countless hours in the vehicle gave us uninterrupted time to talk, to think, and to pray. God is so good and so gracious. All I could do this morning when I opened my eyes (after finally sleeping) was say "Thank you." We all go back to work this morning, but then I will get out the pictures, do a digital scrapbook of all our (mis)adventures so we can share our fun! After that-it is back to demolition and reconstruction of the house!

Man Tools

Yippee...our room is ready to dry out and begin reconstruction! Chris came over last night and helped Steve rip out the subfloors. Steve had worked on it earlier in the week and decided he needed a "MAN TOOL" for the job. With a little research, he discovered there is a tool for pulling up sub floors! We got the tool and the guys went to work! No real surprises in the demo, only confirmations. Our room was an add on from a garage. It was sure back breaking work for the guys...us girls were on a cleanup and

support mission! We are so glad it is done though! This weekend we are working on the shed to try and restore some order before going out of town this week. When we get back...it will be time to remodel our room, and prayerfully, our insurance claim will be settled! That is only one room, but we are moving forward, and we so appreciate the help. Thanks Chris!

Home Remedies

I really appreciate my dear friend Shawna. She is so full of laughter. I laugh more when I am with her than at any other time! She sent me these "home remedies"...funny stuff!

1. IF YOU'RE CHOKING ON AN ICE CUBE, SIMPLY POUR A CUP OF BOILING WATER DOWN YOUR THROAT. PRESTO! THE BLOCKAGE WILL INSTANTLY REMOVE ITSELF.

2. AVOID CUTTING YOURSELF WHEN SLICING VEGETABLES BY GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO HOLD THE VEGETABLES WHILE YOU CHOP.

3. AVOID ARGUMENTS WITH THE LADIES ABOUT LIFTING THE TOILET SEAT BY USING THE SINK.

4. FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS ~ SIMPLY CUT YOURSELF AND BLEED FOR A FEW MINUTES, THUS REDUCING THE PRESSURE IN YOUR VEINS. REMEMBER TO USE A TIMER.

5. A MOUSE TRAP PLACED ON TOP OF YOUR ALARM CLOCK WILL PREVENT YOU FROM ROLLING OVER AN D GOING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER YOU HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON.

6. IF YOU HAVE A BAD COUGH, TAKE A LARGE DOSE OF LAXATIVES. THEN YOU'LL BE AFRAID TO COUGH

7. YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE -WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE.

8. REMEMBER - EVERYONE SEEMS NORMAL UNTIL YOU GET TO KNOW THEM.

9. IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.

DAILY THOUGHT: SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING , BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS

Man of Honor

Sunday our Pastor preached on the little boy with the bread and fishes that fed the mulitude. One of the points he made was how God allows trials in our lives to test us, not so God knows what we are made of because He already knows, but so we know our limits. The trials and circumstances reveal who we are. He also reminded us that the further we are along in our Spiritual journey, the bigger the trial. It was such an encouragement to us to be faithful and keep serving no matter what obstacles present themselves. Quitting is easy, being faithful is not.

Of course right after the lesson, we got an opportunity to test both our time priority and financial priorities. Even with the demands on our family right now, we know there are more important things in life. God is so good! I love my husband's giving heart. I love that no matter how hard it is or how inconvenient to him, he keeps giving. He gives his last dollar if there is a need. Time and time again he has emptied his pockets to give what he had to give. God has so blessed him with wisdom!

Today, Chris had a need. He had to go home to be with his family unexpectedly this past weekend which was a stretch for him. (We so remember those early military days and all the times we had to be somewhere immediately!) We weren't able to help him with the trip, but wanted to help him make it the rest of the week. In that process, he had trouble with his car. Steve stepped right in and took care of it. I am again awed by his generosity. Through the years, Steve has come to the assistance of our children, rescuing them when they were stranded broke down somewhere, helping them through some difficulty they hadn't faced before, buying tires, paying rent; whatever situation they found themselves in-he did what he could for them. They haven't known what the cost has been for him to be there for them, but God knows and so do I. He tells me that more than anything he wanted his kids to know that he would be there when they called and he always has been. I pray my boys will be men like he is, that they will be dads like him, and that Chris will grow into that man too. If someday Chris joins our family, I hope the example Steve sets for him will teach him to be a man of honor for Christ's sake and for the sake of Katherine and their children. Thank you Lord for the man Steve is and the gift he is to me!

Team Work

Team efforts...many hands make light work! This weekend we finally started on the house. After quite a few trips to Lowes, Steve and Rich assembled tools and began replacement on the attic stairs. (I so need to go up there and see what needs to be done about all of that stuff up there!) Taylor chipped in this weeknd. He, Kat, and I worked on our master bedroom. Taylor took the sheetrock down on part of the room (he was having way too much fun with the sledge hammer), Kat took down the trim. Funny moment: the baseboards had "Richard room" wrote on the back of them. I showed that to Richard and told him he needed to get hopping remodeling his room! LOL. We are completely remodeling a few of the rooms, the master being the first one to be redone. 3 windows have been sheetrocked over for years in our room-it was so cool to open one of those up. I held my breath, but it really is in good shape, and WOW what a difference a little light makes! We can hardly wait to make the changes in that room. It is prayerfully going to be a serene light filled space. Accomplishments so far: acquired the tools we need, tore apart one of the shed rooms which is being turned into a shop for Steve (one of those projects which has been on the back burner for awhile), emptied the master bedroom, began sheetrock removal, replaced the attic stairs, and began inspection and treatment for mold. Praise God-so far the mold has not been horrific! We do have some, but cleanup so far is very manageable. We are excited about all that is getting done, but it is sure slow progress, and no, you can't save used sheetrock! (Though I tried to figure out if it was possible!). Many many thanks to Taylor, Rich and Doreen for being here. Doreen has been cooking for us nearly day in and day out. We so appreciate her gracious sacrifice too!