On being a responsible dog owner.

When we got our sweet Jetta, we knew she hadn't been spayed, and we knew we needed to do that right away. Today, over two years later, I've just brought her home from the clinic, and she is just miserable. I'm certain that watching your own child in pain is far greater than this, but I've cried at least three times just looking at her. She'll sleep a few minutes here and there, then wake up and whimper until she falls back asleep. And she's all woozy from the medication, so she can't walk straight, and she bumps into things.... It's so sad --- stick out your lower lip in sympathy sad. All the while, Fleck can't seem to understand what's wrong - and why his little friend won't come out to play. I wound up bringing him inside and putting Jetta on the bed so he can't really bother her - which means I'm also burning a highly-scented candle. (Fleck has frequent flatulence... and it's baaaaaaaaaaad.)

In other news, I bought a cute little shirt dress from TJ Maxx yesterday for $10! I realize leggings have been in fashion for a while now, and I'm just now catching up with the trend, but since I bought a pair, I'm loving little dresses and leggings. I'm never brave enough to wear short dresses. (My Dad passed down his man-calves to me. Seriously, their large, manly beasts.) But for some reason, wearing a pair of black, opaque, footless tights makes the whole thing seem a lot less scary. Add a scarf and a cardigan, and I'm good to go. I know my clothing choices are vital to your educational expansion today, so I wouldn't want to deprive you of this completely useful and interesting information. (Read: I'm sitting with my dog in bed, which never ever ever happens, but it's the only way she'll stay asleep - which means I'm pretty bored, and I'm trying to pass the time without going completely brainless.)

Happy Tuesday, friends!

"A sacred refuge is your name..."

Today.

I don't have any new pictures of the house to share - just a few thoughts.

This morning I was in a car accident involving two other vehicles. Thankfully no one and no car was majorly injured - nothing a hot bath and State Auto won't fix. And I gotta say my reaction to the whole mess was pretty surprising. I'm very much a sensitive soul who's easily shaken by even minor incidents, but this morning I was able to make it through all of the information-gathering and police-reporting junk without any real tears. This is abnormal to me, so I genuinely attribute my behavior to the work of the Spirit. The sobbing and bawling my eyes out that followed once I got in my car and drove away - we'll blame that on adrenaline. Or I'm just a hugely emotional person who struggles with tear-duct control.

Either way, I couldn't stop thinking about how the Lord has grown me up a little in circumstances like these. I felt a little bit more like an adult today -- that is, until I realized that my insurance card was not only expired - it was also in SPANISH - but that's beside the point. In all seriousness, I couldn't help but thank Him for showing me, even in a bummer of a situation, that he's not through with me yet, and that he's still sanctifying me little by little - and sometimes lot by lot.

But that's not all that happened today... So many things happened today.

Today I kept noticing the updates about the miners in Chile - and my heart literally rejoices when I think about those men being lifted out of the pit. And later today I heard an interview about the wars in Africa - and my heart breaks for the story upon story upon story of separation and death and disease. And my friend saw her baby in the womb for the first time today. And another friend desperately pleaded for the salvation of her husband today. And I read a blog about refinishing an old trunk with some gray paint today. And we had a potluck at work today. And so many billions of things happened all over the world today - and that was just today....

For so many reasons tonight, my heart is full - because the Lord is a good God - great and greatly to be praised. Once again I'm recognizing that this is the human condition - that life is a mixture of heartbreak and rejoicing in the same breath. Anxiety and comfort with one glance. That seasons collide with one gust of wind. That the sun, in two places is "rising" and "setting" at the same time. And despite all of the darkness, I can't help but praise him for the light. For his sovereignty and his wisdom, working all things together for our good and his glory.

"Oh for grace to trust Him more...."

Come September...

So friends, I seem to making this a quarterly blog as opposed to a more regular one. I've sat down several times to write this summer, but I never really want to post without pictures. And I simply hate messing with pictures on this thing... But. I've taken a few today of our most recent progress. I don't have any post-able 'before' pics, but use your imaginations. :)

Fireplace - used to be plaster-covered brick that was painted high-gloss black and went all the way to the ceiling. We resurfaced the bottom half with flagstone and textured and painted the top. We also created a stained cement hearth and framed out the mouth with welded weathered steel. David's currently building a mantel that will be pretty and white like the rest of our trim.



Cornice - You can hardly see it, but this puppy is 10 feet long and sits 9 feet in the air. David constructed it, and then we upholstered it in deep brown faux leather. I love it. I also made those linen curtains. Or my friend Sarah made them while I pretended to use the sewing machine. :) (Special guest appearance by Fleck the dog)



Dining Room - This is where the previous owners kept their dogs... and our carpet showed it. We continued the stained/scored concrete into the room, installed beadboard, and painted about fifty coats of purple paint (I know it looks black, but it's not) up top. We also installed the chandelier that I found on the side of the road and spray-painted white. I still have a few ideas on how to cover the bulbs, but I haven't pinned it down yet. (Fleck wanted to be in all the pics.)



And this is the artwork in our bedroom. Oddly enough I got the inspiration from a Target gift card in combination with some verses in Psalm 1. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked.... but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all he does he prospers..." The light shines brightly through our bedroom window and onto this painting every morning. Gives me hope that He would bear fruit in us as his word sustains us.



Things are getting ready to change around here. Seems appropriate since Fall is approaching, albeit slowly. My department at work is transitioning out of state at some point next month, so I'm currently looking for something else. And talk of kiddos has crossed our lips a time or two as well. Everything's kinda up in the air right now, and I'm thankful. He's teaching me to trust him more than I do. And He's constantly reminding me that He's faithful and that He's sovereign. So I'm thankful.

"Time passes us by, and the way we love changes. And we learn how to waltz through the waves like everyone. Let it keep us from falling. Would you dance with me now?"

Update on los suelos.

Just a quick update. It seems my camera either makes things way too blue or way too yellow. Just wish you could see the real thing.

So here's the poster my roommate and I had hanging in our apartments. I LOVED the colors in it. I've never been to Cannes, nor do I know for sure what the words underneath mean, nor is there any significance to the pretty lady sitting next to golf clubs. I just love the colors. So it's in our kitchen 'cause it's pretty.

David built the frame to go around it, and I painted it. Not a bad way to save some bucks on a custom-made frame.


And here's how the floors turned out. You can't really tell from the photo, but I really like the way the color turned out against our already-painted walls.



I definitely like them better than our previous reddish laminate floors. And up next, we shop for fireplace material. OH, how I'm excited about that. That dern fireplace is the first thing you see when you walk in, and it's the first thing I wanted to change --- but it will wind up being one of the last.

And I had my quarterly home-improvement-related emotional break-down on Saturday because, PS, we have TERMITES. Blechk!! I tried vacuuming them up (the only logical way to destroy termites), but they just kept coming. It got kinda hard to breathe - and then the tears. The childish, oh-my-goodness-really-are-you-crying-like-that? tears. And poor David, whose reasoning and problem-solving skills somehow managed to stay in tact under crisis, just listened and nodded, looking up pest control people on the internet while I said over and over, "I'm sorry I'm crying so much. I'm really okay. I just need to cry.... wah.......!'

Thankfully bug spray can hold the little critters at bay until TOMORROW when the termite guy can fit us into his busy schedule. (I say that bitterly - I don't really blame the termite guy. I blame the termites. Misplaced anger.)

So a pipe leaks and floods our floors and termites invade over a span of two weeks. We'll see what's next. The Lord is testing and trying us. And as much as I complain (Lord, help with that please) I really am thankful for his refining work in us toward our sanctification. In his timing, he led me prayerfully sing the song below just about three weeks ago RIGHT before things started going all cattywompus. He will not let us forget him or replace him as ultimate. He is good.

"Ruin my life - the plans that I've made. Ruin desires for my own selfish gain. Destroy the idols that have taken your place 'til it's you alone I live for. You alone I live for."

Story time with the Smiths.

Friends, neighbors, homeowners: lend me your ears. I come to honor my husband, not to shame him.
... But let's be honest, the man isn't perfect. I'd come to believe that David was capable of just about anything. He's one of those guys that picks something up, figures it out, and is instantly good at it. Amazing? Yes. Annoying? Yes. :)

He conquered the stained concrete floors. He handcrafted beautiful kitchen countertops. He cut and installed those pretty wide baseboards that I really really wanted. And all without a hitch. Or so we thought.

Tuesday morning David woke up to a leaking pipe in our living room. He said he heard the water gushing in the wall, so he ran to turn it off. He woke me up and let me know he was getting towels from Walmart (we have like four bath towels to our name) and that he'd be back in a bit. Like any supportive, loving wife - I went back to sleep. When my alarm went off a few hours later, I got ready for work sans shower, and left my handy hubby at home to fix the issue.

When I got back home that night, I found this waiting for me...


The water had seeped through the wall and onto our floors. Now, in the kitchen, no big deal. Sealed concrete is great for spills and leaks. But wood laminate that's not in the best shape to begin with - doesn't take to water so kindly. And thus, our decision to replace our floors (which was way way waaaaaaaaaaay down on the list of home improvement projects) got bumped up to first place.

This is Louis the plumber.


Sorry the pics are dark - I didn't notice that the flash wasn't flashing. :)

And this is the hole in our wall that Louis the plumber made.


Louis the plumber was kind and humble man, and we greatly appreciated his help. And after his assessment of the situation, Louis the plumber came to a conclusion. It seems my highly capable husband who carefully secured our baseboards into the wall -- carefully secured them into a pipe. And what Louis the plumber told us is that the nail my husband carefully secured into the pipe, stood strong for a few weeks. But after those few weeks, that nail started to rust from the water flowing through that pipe. And on Tuesday morning, when my husband woke up, he found the leak from the pipe that he carefully secured that nail into just months before.

Since we re-vamped our budget at the beginning of the year, brand new floors weren't a possibility, so we've chosen to carry the scored concrete from the kitchen into the the livingroom.

Here's what we've got so far:



I'm actually pretty excited. We knew we wanted to something like this along down the line. So I'm guessing there will be some reason in the near future that we have crossed this off of our list.

Moral of the story? Well, take your pick.
A) As Louis the plumber says, "It happens to the best of us."
B) Sometimes mishaps can turn out to be beneficial.
C) Well, don't nail your baseboards into a pipe.

The End.

"I start walking your way. You start walking mine. We meet in the middle 'neath that ol' Georgia pine. We gain a lot of ground if we both give a little. Aint no road too long when we meet in the middle." (There, Mandy. :) )

Backsplash!

Just FYI. Lower cabinets are turqouise-y blue. Backsplash is sage-y green. My camera doesn't do either of them justice.

Stay tuned!

One year.

So it's been about a million years since the last time I blogged. Actual life has been happening, and it keeps me from spending too much time hooked up to the internet - and I'm okay with that. :) But included in all the happenings have been improvements on the house. Still not done with the kitchen - but we're so close I can smell it. We've also started working on the half bath and utility room. Mostlyl just paint, but here's a pic to show our small progress.


Adaptations to the kitchen include hardware on the cabinets, re-covering/painting the peninsula, cutting out the little bookshelf, painting the hutch, installing recessed lighting, craigslist fridge, baseboards, and a few decorations. Left in the kitchen: backsplash, pendant lights, and wall decor. Still working on that part...









It's coming together, but the perfectionist in me is going NUTS wishing things moved faster. But David's really made it a point for us not to let the house run our lives. The Lord has blessed us with a continuous project where we get to work with our hands, and we get to work together. But the Lord has also blessed us with restful Sundays and eventful weeks that keep us from obsessing over the task at hand. Of course we have our moments (ahem, I have my moments) of stressing and worrying about how slowly things are coming together, but when I look back on housework photos, it's encouraging to see how far we've come. A year ago tomorrow was our first weekend in the house, and we were spaying water onto our ceilings and scraping off popcorn. SO thankful we're not there anymore. It's funny - at the time, it wasn't so bad - because we were excited about diving in and doing the work. But now, since we've come so far, I wouldn't dream of going back...

I'm telling you - God uses this house every day to teach me about my sanctification and the slow, painful yet beautiful process. One year later, I can look back on the work He was doing in me back then and see how he's taught me and grown me and changed me simply by revealing himself to me... the closeness I feel to him now compared to a year ago... Praise Him that He finishes what He starts, and that he will not stop until it's complete.

"God for the shameless pride and times when I rolled my eyes to laugh at simplicity - show me mercy. Knowing what I know now, it's hard to imagine how I could feel anything but unworthy. And the mystery of your love for me's not as hidden as it seemed to be. Should've known then when you said to me, "Seek and you shall find," it was right there all the time..."