Projects: Of the Home and Of the Heart

We haven't quite started on the kitchen yet; we're still trying to get the lighting up in the storage area in the basement.  I did, however, get the storage room (a 12 ft x 20 ft room) empty, swept, and organized this past week.  It was amazing to see the mountain of stuff turn into "not as much stuff as I thought it was"!  I'm at a stand still, since I'm not the wiring/electrical guru of the family.  Nate is so busy with Bethel work (registration was this past week which means long hours), church work (writing questions for small group discussions and updating the website), homework for his graduate class (I think he still has one more class after this one before graduation, but the end is near!), applying for jobs and working on our ongoing house projects.  Not to mention, being a dad and a husband!  I don't know how he does it sometimes.  I get overwhelmed being a stay at home mom, with 2 boys and pregnant, trying to keep the house clean, prepare meals, homeschooling, keep laundry at bay, I could go on, but you get the point.  It seems never-ending. 

Then, when I feel like we're on a roll with house projects and homeschooling, the enemy starts to interfere.  We get busy...  Homeschooling was put on the back burner.  I've only done a few of our daily routine items and no real planning has been involved.  I've just found myself "too busy and tired" or finding excuses to postpone it.  And when our kitchen looks to get started, I get side tracked with organizing the office/future nursery, Nate gets bombarded with extra work, and we both just feel exhausted, physically and mentally.  The cycle of being busy never ends.  Nate and I talked last night and decided that we need to just let go of our burdens and let God take over.  I don't know why we keep them on our backs in the first place.  It never works out.  Yet, God is faithful and Nate and I both keep going.  God gives us the strength and energy to persevere.  God is our provider and we both strive to have His will mold our hearts and keep us strong.

Baby Bump at 31 1/2 weeks

Here is my baby bump!  You can enjoy my popped belly button in this photo!  :)

Baby D #3 - Countdown??

We have finally arrived at month 8!  That should mean 8 weeks left...but I'm thinking more along the lines of 9 or 10.  My "oven" tends to overcook babies!  My last appointment with the midwives was last week and I was measuring 29.5 cm at 30 1/2 weeks.  That means that I'm measuring at the size of a 29 1/2 weeks baby rather than 30 1/2 weeks.  I'll take it if it means that I'll have a smaller baby than my previous two.  Jman was born 9 days late and weighed in at 9 lbs 2 oz.  BG was 12 days late and weighed 8 lbs 9 oz.  Maybe this little girl will decide to come on time or only a few days late!  Though, somedays I think with all the mayhem that goes on around here, she may decide to stay in for as long as she can!

The Making of a Warrior

I resumed going to Women's Bible Study at our church last week, after a winter break. The study is on becoming a warrior for God. It was a new idea for me, so I was intrigued! I had never really thought about what it meant to actually be a warrior. Here are a few points that were made that I had to share. They are too important for me not to!

1. God's sovereignty and providence in all things: When things seem hard to understand or even just plain odd, assume God is up to something. Similar circumstances can result in very different outcomes.


2. What does it take to be a spiritual warrior: Be willing to be changed. Let God shape you and pour Himself into you. Give up control "Let go and let God". Trust both God's ability and willingness to lead, guide, and help you. Learn to use your spiritual eyes over your physical eyes; spiritual eyes "see" more than our physical eyes, for example angels. Rethink your perspectives and pursuits (1 Timothy 4:8). Acknowledge the battle going on around you and understand what it is (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Invest yourself in learning how to "Fight the Good Fight".


3. A Warriors Oath: "I am committed to the process of becoming totally involved and available to do whatever God wants me to do: I will put Him above everything and everyone. I will fully give my life to the purpose of fighting the good fight and to overcoming the powers of darkness that threaten all of humanity."


4. Jesus was harassed and hounded on earth for 33 years. He suffered even unto death. He never gave up because He never stopped thinking of us. He sweat blood because He knew what He was facing. Yet, He didn't back down and run from His mission when it got really tough.


5. So when He calls you to pick up your cross and follow Him, will you? It's not easy. When he asks you to defend what He gained (the dominion and power from dieing on the cross) are you ready? We will need to be prepared. Will you go to battle for your children's hearts and souls, for your marriages, for your neighbors?

This list was taken directly from the handout I got at bible study. It's a lot to think about! I was filled with a renewed passion to stand up and stay strong. It will take a lot of work, but it is worth it. I want to keep Satan down and God up. I know I need to prepare for battle and stay focused on God's word and will for my life. I can succeed; we can succeed. With God's power, we can do anything! Here are a few passages that were also given to read. They helped put into perspective what I need to focus on for preparing to be a warrior.

• Jeremiah 18:4


• 2 Corinthians 4:7-8


• Acts 5:38-39


• Mark 10:27


• Proverbs 16:9

I hope this gets you motivated to keep your heart focused on the Lord and started on your own transformation into a warrior!

Basement Pics

Here are a few pictures from our finished basement. I wish I had before pictures, but we did not take any (I can't believe it!) The first picture is taken looking down the wall separating the main room and our storage room. The storage room looks like what the basement looked like after we did demolition. There was wood paneling painted white on the walls and old ceiling tiles that came down. We took down the fluorescent hanging light and light fixtures and put in recessed lights, among other things! The main room pictures are taken from opposite ends of the room. The boys toys are kept in the basement now. It's fantastic!






I did find a picture of the stairs while Nate was fixing the treads. You can see the basement floor was cement and where we had to peel off the old tiles. We had already painted the stairwell and added the toekick lights (you can see them on the wall next to where Nate is standing.)




It's nice to have it ALMOST completed! Just a few trim pieces left and lights to install in the storage room. We love it, especially the boys! Plenty of room to run around!

Let The Fun Begin

We are thinking about starting stage 2 of the kitchen remodel. The first stage happened the first week after we moved in. We changed the U-shaped counters to an open floor plan. (I'll try to find some before and after pictures to post.) We moved the fridge, added a shelf for the microwave and replaced the counter tops. We recently replaced the lights, which included removing the ceiling fan. That was a bigger project than we anticipated, but we got it done! Stage 2 will be painting the cabinets white, putting on new hardware and ripping out the old flooring for new flooring. Today, I started by sanded an extra door we acquired from removing the U-shaped counters. It's our test run to see what they'll look like. I'm anticipating a lot of work, but now that I'm done with all of my sewing projects, I need to be doing something. I can't just sit still! I'll be adding pictures of the ongoing project, so stay tuned! :)

Project #2

Here is it! I laughed out loud after finishing the bloomers. They are super cute and quite large! They should fit for a while! :)