We've Come a Long Way!

Back in 2011 I posted a blog with pictures featuring our work in the basement. 

This is the last picture from that blog.

I know it looks like it was nearly finished, but as it turned out, 

we still had a long way to go.

(Remember, you can click on any of these pictures to see a close up.
Then click your back arrow to return here.)

The painted walls looked nice at first,
 but over time minerals from the brick
began to bleed through the DryLock.

So we finally decided to get the walls spray foamed.

 We hired the pros for that. First they framed out the walls.

Then they sprayed in the foam.

Jeff did the sheet rocking over the past few months,

 and this "spring" he's been busy painting.

So here's what it looks like now...

And here's the before...

 

To be fair, this is the actual before...

 

Just notice the moldy paneling,

 and take my word for it...

we've come a long way!

To see the entire jouney up to this point, visit my blog from May 23, 2011.

To Everything There is a Season

You know that moment at the end of your vacation when you start thinking, “This was nice, but I’m ready to go home.” 

It’s always a bit of a surprise to think that way. For weeks before you left you heard yourself saying, “I need a vacation!” over and over again, and you knew it was true.

But after a few days of laying around, sleeping in, and eating too much, a person’s natural instinct to be useful kicks back in. You want to go home.

This happened to me yesterday. Since I work at a college, and the kids are on Spring Break, I’ve been on break too. And boy, was I ever ready for a break! The old routine was getting less and less fun and more and more despicable to me. 

And as I expected, being home for several days was heaven! I cleaned, and read, and baked, and played a lot of Tetris. I worked out and took long baths. I got caught up on Survivor, while quilling Easter cards, and didn't miss an episode of American Idol.

But then yesterday I had that sudden and unexpected feeling, “Okay, I’m ready for break to be over now.”

I guess it’s like Solomon said, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”  

TURN TURN TURN

 

After the Plows Have Gone

To Blog or Not to Blog

This morning I got an email from my mom. It was one sentence.


I check your blog every day.

 I know I haven't been blogging much of late. But I have my reasons.

10. I've run out of topics. I already showed you pictures of my Dicken's Village and shared my Sugar Cookie Recipe. There just aren't that many interesting things in my life to blog about.

9. I have a weekly newsletter. For about a month now I've been sending weekly e-newsletters to the members of SWALC (Southwest Area Lutheran Chorale). I don't put tons of time and effort into these, but enough to make #9 on my list of excuses.

8. I'm a pen pal to prisoners. For the past year or so I've been writing to 3 gentleman who are in prison. I generally do that on Saturday mornings...which used to be my "write my blog" time. I figure the inmates appreciate the letters more than my blog audience appreciates my blogs, so they come first.

7. I write my mom every week. This is something I've been doing for several years. And I only mention it because my mom is my biggest blog fan, and she was the one complaining about my lack of new blog posts, so I thought I'd throw some of the guilt back her way.

6. - 2. My new job.  I sometimes make light of my recent promotion, but the truth is I am now in charge of a small business, 100's of thousands of dollars in merchandise, and three employees. Thanks to the Lord looking out for me, and lots of hard work I haven't made any major blunders...yet. But it's pretty much all I think about. And not just my blog is suffering for it. My house is dirtier, my stuff is more disorganized, and I'm a few pounds heavier than I've ever been before. (Pregnancy doesn't count.) This whole transition from a woman of leisure to a working mom has given me a new appreciation for working women everywhere. You go girls!

1. Who cares. Whenever I blog, the goal is to be clever, or cute, or wise. I fear I only succeed in being overtly pretentious or annoyingly preachy. The fact is, most everything I say in my blogs has already been said by others, with more eloquence and skill than I possess as a writer. I don't know if the effort I put into it is worth it...to anyone.

Disagree? Tell me. If my mom is the only one missing my blogs, (as I suspect) I'll cease and desist.  But if there are others of you who actually enjoyed them and maybe even learned a thing or two from them, I'll just put it on my list of New Year's Resolutions and get it done - period.

If I don't get a response from anyone...it's been fun. Vaya Con Dios!

A Thanksgiving Prayer

Every Thanksgiving I take a moment to pray my annual Thanksgiving prayer, where I enumerate my many blessings, usually in alphabetical order...Amanda, Butterflies, Choir, Danica, the Earth, Friends...

It was going fine until I got to J, for my Job. 

Mentioning my job in my prayer got me thinking about work. And thinking about work got me worrying about work. (Something I do all the time now since my promotion in October. No, since I started training in for my new job in September.) And soon I had abandoned my prayer completely as my mind went over all the things I've got not only on, but spilling over, my figurative plate at work.

Several minutes passed before I remembered I was in the middle of a prayer. So I mentioned a few other things I'm thankful for (in random order this time) and laid there thinking about my many blessings, wishing my gratitude was more heartfelt.

But then a thought occured to me. Everything I just thanked God for was "of this world." I didn't mention one blessing that was "from above."

It was then that a passage I had memorized this past summer popped into my head:

"Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated on the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ, in God. When Christ, who is your life appears then you also will appear with him in glory." Col. 3:1-4

So I did. I set my mind on things above. 
I thought of my God and how much He loves me. I thought about those wonderful moments when I've felt his undeniable pressence in my life. I thought back to Grandpa's funeral and what a huge comfort it was to know Grandpa was with the Lord. I thought of the day I would be with him too.

And a funny thing happened. My work anxieties, well they sort of lifted. All those things on my plate... I suddenly didn't care if a few of them slipped off. Instead of looking at my overloaded plate of earthly worries, I thought of my overflowing cup of spiritual blessings, and I felt truly grateful.

So today my goal is to celebrate Thanksgiving, not worrying about work, or the meal, or the sales, or anything this side of heaven, but to set my heart and mind on things above! May God help us all to do so, this day and every day. Amen and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Shopping - A Photo Journal

10 $ Questions

1. How much do you make?


























2. Is it enough?


























3. Do you ever wish you made more than you do?



























4. How old are you?



























5. How many days in your life have you had to go without food?



























6. How many days in your life have you had to go without clothing?




























7. When's the last time you've been homeless?


























8. How many days have you gone without a person who loves you?

































9. Could it be that God has been providing everything you really need every day of your life?






























10. Is it time for an attitude adjustment about money, stuff, and God's Generosity?
















Note: Several of these questions came from a devotion I read recently in Mark Jeske's book, "Time of Grace." Pastor Jeske also sends out daily email devotions that are short, meaningful and applicable. If you'd like to sign-up for these just click on the following link: Grace Moments