October 4, 2012
What a mess! We have been living in total chaos for several weeks now. We've decided to repaint the living room. We've never been fond of the color, probably due in part because my sister picked it out and insisted it was the best color to use. (And I of course relented and finally did what she said.) Even though it wasn't a favorite color, we would have never went through all this work to just change colors. The walls are tall and you could see smoke build up on the studs from burning the fireplace. So, we removed everything from the large antique pieces of primitive furniture and put the boxes in our bedroom. Some furniture was taken to our bedroom and the rest was put in the kitchen. The majority of the things in the loft were taken to the garage. You literally could only walk sideways between the stove/counters and the furniture. You couldn't open the refrigerator door far enough to get out a gallon of milk. Total mess!!
Sometimes when you start one thing you end up opening a whole can of worms. We realized the exposed beams weren't going to look right with the new color, so the beams in the high areas were stained before the walls were painted. Then we realized that while all the stuff was out of the room we should re-do the wide plank wood floors. So, I've spent days on my knees cleaning, staining, oiling, buffing with steel wool, and then putting on another coat of Tung oil. Then we moved everything from the kitchen into the living room and the process started all over. All the beams are now done. The floors are done. The walls (except for the kitchen and bedroom) are done, and a few things have been put back into the loft. I've had no place to write these last weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to start putting everything back in its place next week.
Doing all this work made me stop and think about all we have done these last five plus years of lawsuit. The irony is conventional wisdom would say—you are under the threat of losing your home because of your sister's and brother-in-law's deceit and false accusations, so don't put any money or effort in maintaining or improving the property until you know how the "the storm" ends. But wisdom that comes from God says—I have promised you protection, so live your lives doing what is right. Take care of and improve what I have given you.
So, during the last five years we have:
In the process, I also came to realize that I have way too much other stuff. It's time to rid the space of unnecessary clutter. I collect Gene Stratton Porter books, but there is absolutely no reason to have doubles of some of the books stored behind the others. So, the extra stuff is out of here.
10/9/12 Update:
The kitchen is now done. Everything is slowly being put back into place. We are very happy with everything. We sometimes ask ourselves "why now"? Why was it time to totally renovate the house? I don't know. Is this part of the NEW BEGINNING? None of what we've done has come from an "I want" attitude. There is a completely new and different look to the house. Like my husband said, "Now this looks like us." We're home.
Thank-you again, LORD, for the home you provided for us.
Addendum: 2/10/16 ~ It was indeed part of the NEW BEGINNING. God instructed the Israelites in Jeremiah 33 to keep on living while they were still captive. They were to build houses, plant gardens and keep moving forward. Waiting on the LORD to free you doesn't mean you sit on your hands doing nothing. You get rid of the things that were part of the past. It's an opportunity to have a fresh start. Keep living. Keep believing. Keep moving forward.
Next Entry: Luke 21:1 – 22:71 (Continued)
What a mess! We have been living in total chaos for several weeks now. We've decided to repaint the living room. We've never been fond of the color, probably due in part because my sister picked it out and insisted it was the best color to use. (And I of course relented and finally did what she said.) Even though it wasn't a favorite color, we would have never went through all this work to just change colors. The walls are tall and you could see smoke build up on the studs from burning the fireplace. So, we removed everything from the large antique pieces of primitive furniture and put the boxes in our bedroom. Some furniture was taken to our bedroom and the rest was put in the kitchen. The majority of the things in the loft were taken to the garage. You literally could only walk sideways between the stove/counters and the furniture. You couldn't open the refrigerator door far enough to get out a gallon of milk. Total mess!!
Sometimes when you start one thing you end up opening a whole can of worms. We realized the exposed beams weren't going to look right with the new color, so the beams in the high areas were stained before the walls were painted. Then we realized that while all the stuff was out of the room we should re-do the wide plank wood floors. So, I've spent days on my knees cleaning, staining, oiling, buffing with steel wool, and then putting on another coat of Tung oil. Then we moved everything from the kitchen into the living room and the process started all over. All the beams are now done. The floors are done. The walls (except for the kitchen and bedroom) are done, and a few things have been put back into the loft. I've had no place to write these last weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to start putting everything back in its place next week.
Doing all this work made me stop and think about all we have done these last five plus years of lawsuit. The irony is conventional wisdom would say—you are under the threat of losing your home because of your sister's and brother-in-law's deceit and false accusations, so don't put any money or effort in maintaining or improving the property until you know how the "the storm" ends. But wisdom that comes from God says—I have promised you protection, so live your lives doing what is right. Take care of and improve what I have given you.
So, during the last five years we have:
- Totally redesigned and renovated the front porch. Took off the deck; lowered the deck; changed the entrance; and put on new cedar boards with new front steps on both porches.
- Used old street paving bricks to make new sidewalks and driveway
- Totally revamped landscaping
- Removed the peninsula in the lake
- Put in pier
- Added stone around pond
- Planted more trees
- Re-stained outside of house
- Added guttering
- Painted office; bathroom; living room; and downstairs rooms
- Refinished wood floors, etc.
In the process, I also came to realize that I have way too much other stuff. It's time to rid the space of unnecessary clutter. I collect Gene Stratton Porter books, but there is absolutely no reason to have doubles of some of the books stored behind the others. So, the extra stuff is out of here.
10/9/12 Update:
The kitchen is now done. Everything is slowly being put back into place. We are very happy with everything. We sometimes ask ourselves "why now"? Why was it time to totally renovate the house? I don't know. Is this part of the NEW BEGINNING? None of what we've done has come from an "I want" attitude. There is a completely new and different look to the house. Like my husband said, "Now this looks like us." We're home.
Thank-you again, LORD, for the home you provided for us.
Addendum: 2/10/16 ~ It was indeed part of the NEW BEGINNING. God instructed the Israelites in Jeremiah 33 to keep on living while they were still captive. They were to build houses, plant gardens and keep moving forward. Waiting on the LORD to free you doesn't mean you sit on your hands doing nothing. You get rid of the things that were part of the past. It's an opportunity to have a fresh start. Keep living. Keep believing. Keep moving forward.
Next Entry: Luke 21:1 – 22:71 (Continued)
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