God has really challenged me this year. We're only 4 1/2 months in, but I am feeling stretched and unsatisfied with myself.
1. Almost four months ago, he brought a scripture to my attention. It was inconspicuous. It wasn't even a main verse from my study. But I cannot seem to forget it.
"but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her children." I Thessalonians 2:7
Here, Paul is talking about how he dealt with the believers in Thessalonica. When I read this, I immediately evaluated myself as a mother. Am I gentle with my children? With my husband? With other believers? Not so much. Nope. Maybe.
2. Another scripture is one that I have taken out of context a bit, but have applied to my own life.
"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations." Ephesians 2:14-15
Really, I just took the parts that say, "the dividing wall of hostility," and "the law with its commandments and regulations." Now, I know that these verses refer to Jesus abolishing the law of Moses and bringing the world under the law of grace.
But...
I began to look at my own laws and regulations that I've been imposing on others. On my children. On my husband. Sometimes we refer to these as expectations.
Have I built walls of hostility with my expectations? Why yes. Yes I have. Abolish them! Let grace abound!
3. General things I'm being challenged to change: Acting or speaking in anger, being head-strong and difficult with my husband, and controlling myself.
Showing posts with label improvement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label improvement. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
New Kitchen
Let's face it. In a Facebook world, it's just easier to upload pictures there and be done with it.
I'm sorry I let you down.
I'm sorry I didn't take the time to type a few superfluous words to go along with the pictures for you.
Would today be ok for that?
I'm sorry I let you down.
I'm sorry I didn't take the time to type a few superfluous words to go along with the pictures for you.
Would today be ok for that?
First, here is the chaos that covered the dining room table for 2 weeks. Ugh.
And the dining room floor. And we used that microwave on the floor for 2 weeks.
But, I suppose it was worth it...
Right side.
Left side. Have I told you that our microwave has a setting for softening butter? And it does a dang good job. Not melted butter. Perfectly softened butter for baking. For every single time I bake. Because I always forget to set the butter on the counter before baking.
A few of my favorite things:
a deep, stainless sink.
a subway style, tumbled stone backsplash.
lighting under every cabinet.
a pantry!
The whole shebang. Yep, it's still tiny.
Look at all that light!
Pendant lighting over the bar area.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
A Few Hiccups
Well, our kitchen isn't exactly coming off without a hitch.
Although the disposal seemed easy enough for the plumber to install, the motor burned out after 30 seconds of it running.
Although we are super excited about our new pantry, the sales rep didn't realize that it didn't automatically come with shelves, so we've been waiting since Feb 2nd for those to be ordered and delivered.
Although we love our new faucet, the built in soap dispenser was not ordered, nor was the hole drilled in the granite to accommodate it. Wait, we must.
Although the water line was moved successfully to the new refrigerator location, the plumber neglected to check the fittings for our fridge, so we had to hunt down a pressure coupling on our own.
When trying to paint our baseboards, we realized that our trim paint was goopy. Another trip to the paint store at the last minute.
Although the disposal seemed easy enough for the plumber to install, the motor burned out after 30 seconds of it running.
Although we are super excited about our new pantry, the sales rep didn't realize that it didn't automatically come with shelves, so we've been waiting since Feb 2nd for those to be ordered and delivered.
Although we love our new faucet, the built in soap dispenser was not ordered, nor was the hole drilled in the granite to accommodate it. Wait, we must.
Although the water line was moved successfully to the new refrigerator location, the plumber neglected to check the fittings for our fridge, so we had to hunt down a pressure coupling on our own.
When trying to paint our baseboards, we realized that our trim paint was goopy. Another trip to the paint store at the last minute.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Baby Changes
Praise the Lord for these two changes in the past 2 weeks!
Norah's found her thumb. I personally prefer the pacifier since you can take that away at some point, but, hey, I'll take what I can get. Sucking her thumb means she's self-soothing and that's a good thing!
Norah's gone about 5 days without an inexplicable bout of fussiness. That is the biggest victory we've had so far!
Norah's found her thumb. I personally prefer the pacifier since you can take that away at some point, but, hey, I'll take what I can get. Sucking her thumb means she's self-soothing and that's a good thing!
Norah's gone about 5 days without an inexplicable bout of fussiness. That is the biggest victory we've had so far!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
In & Out
No, not the burger joint. Instead, this is a post about the comings and goings of the various contractors it takes to overhaul our kitchen.
I thought I'd document the schedule for each step of our kitchen overhaul.
This is no tutorial.
This is no DIY project.
We are paying cold, hard cash for an entirely new kitchen (minus the refrigerator). Some things are worth paying good money for :-)
As a side note, we are using Discount Floors Superstore to coordinate the whole shebang. They were running a kitchen special over the holidays (which I think is still going on, if you're interested).
Thursday, Feb 2: Demo Day! Cabinet, backsplash, countertops, flooring...all ripped out. Electrician and plumber came by to move wiring and water lines since we are moving the fridge and dishwasher as well as reconfiguring our lighting.
Friday, Feb 3: New cabinets installed.
Tuesday, Feb 7: Tile laid throughout the kitchen and laundry closet. Final measurements and template constructed for the granite countertops.
Wednesday, Feb 8: Tile grouted in kitchen and laundry closet.
Thursday, Feb 9: Walls and ceiling repaired, then mudded and textured.
Friday, Feb 10: Sink and granite countertops installed.
Saturday, Feb 11: Tumbled stone backsplash installed.
Monday, Feb 13: Plumber returns to install garbage disposal and hook up the sink and dishwasher. Electrician returns to install 6 can lights in the ceiling, under cabinet LED lighting, and 2 pendants over the counter-height bar area. The electrician will also install our new range and over-the-range microwave.
Tuesday, Feb 14: I will rejoice over a beautiful, fully functional kitchen that I've dreamed of since day 2 of living in this house. I will enjoy every second of planning out how to most efficiently fill our new cabinets!
I thought I'd document the schedule for each step of our kitchen overhaul.
This is no tutorial.
This is no DIY project.
We are paying cold, hard cash for an entirely new kitchen (minus the refrigerator). Some things are worth paying good money for :-)
As a side note, we are using Discount Floors Superstore to coordinate the whole shebang. They were running a kitchen special over the holidays (which I think is still going on, if you're interested).
Thursday, Feb 2: Demo Day! Cabinet, backsplash, countertops, flooring...all ripped out. Electrician and plumber came by to move wiring and water lines since we are moving the fridge and dishwasher as well as reconfiguring our lighting.
Friday, Feb 3: New cabinets installed.
Tuesday, Feb 7: Tile laid throughout the kitchen and laundry closet. Final measurements and template constructed for the granite countertops.
Wednesday, Feb 8: Tile grouted in kitchen and laundry closet.
Thursday, Feb 9: Walls and ceiling repaired, then mudded and textured.
Friday, Feb 10: Sink and granite countertops installed.
Saturday, Feb 11: Tumbled stone backsplash installed.
Monday, Feb 13: Plumber returns to install garbage disposal and hook up the sink and dishwasher. Electrician returns to install 6 can lights in the ceiling, under cabinet LED lighting, and 2 pendants over the counter-height bar area. The electrician will also install our new range and over-the-range microwave.
Tuesday, Feb 14: I will rejoice over a beautiful, fully functional kitchen that I've dreamed of since day 2 of living in this house. I will enjoy every second of planning out how to most efficiently fill our new cabinets!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Wet Paint
I've been busy painting...the kids' rooms.
I wanted to do a switcheroo since Caleb's room was a bit larger then the girls' room and I figured that they would need more space than him.
Man! It's tough to finagle 2 rooms worth of furniture and manage painting in the process.
First, I moved all of Caleb's furniture to the center of his room. Jadie then patched an endless number of nail holes and a few chunks that Caleb had taken out of the walls over the last few years. He then changed every last electrical outlet in the room from a regular outlet into a tamper resistant outlet. Then I finally started painting. My friend Amanda and I selected "Jamaica Bay" for the girls. It took me two days to cut in with a brush and roll the walls.
Then I tortured Jadie by having him switch the furniture from one room to another.
Two weeks later, I moved Caleb's furniture to the middle of his new room so I could patch various nail holes and get started painting. Again, I knocked out the paint job in just two days. Not bad for working alone with a two year old and a newborn in the house!
I don't have room pictures ready yet, but I do have a couple of photos of the paint colors I selected. Now you can wait in suspense. I know you will.
I wanted to do a switcheroo since Caleb's room was a bit larger then the girls' room and I figured that they would need more space than him.
Man! It's tough to finagle 2 rooms worth of furniture and manage painting in the process.
First, I moved all of Caleb's furniture to the center of his room. Jadie then patched an endless number of nail holes and a few chunks that Caleb had taken out of the walls over the last few years. He then changed every last electrical outlet in the room from a regular outlet into a tamper resistant outlet. Then I finally started painting. My friend Amanda and I selected "Jamaica Bay" for the girls. It took me two days to cut in with a brush and roll the walls.
Then I tortured Jadie by having him switch the furniture from one room to another.
Two weeks later, I moved Caleb's furniture to the middle of his new room so I could patch various nail holes and get started painting. Again, I knocked out the paint job in just two days. Not bad for working alone with a two year old and a newborn in the house!
I don't have room pictures ready yet, but I do have a couple of photos of the paint colors I selected. Now you can wait in suspense. I know you will.
As you can tell, this photo is a little off-color. That's supposed to be a rich, dusty blue.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Sarah Talk + Yesterday's To-Do List
We're back home from taking Caleb to school this morning and I have a few fun things to share with you.
_________________________________________
Sarah is saying sentences!
She frequents the phrase "I can..." (insert jump, do it, brush teeth, hold it, get it, eat it, etc)
Here are a few of the sentences I've heard in just the last few minutes:
Take shoes off now.
I am cold.
Cover up.
Help, Mommy.
Dark in here.
Get silky. (her blanket)
Need pillow.
_________________________________________
Caleb was at a loss this morning when he couldn't find the cars he picked out to take in the car on the two-minute drive to school. I found them shortly thereafter. Can you guess how they ended up in there?
_________________________________________
I finished the fall mantel yesterday. It was one of the three things I accomplished from yesterday's to-do list.
I only see a few similarities between it and my inspiration photo, but I love my version just the same.
It cost me nothing. That is always a beautiful thing.
_________________________________________
I made the laundry soap using the recipe from Great Oak Circle.
It made about 3 1/2 mason jars of detergent when all was said and done.
Two Fels-Naptha bars did NOT yield 4 cups after being finely grated in the food processor. It was more like 3 cups.
The Fels-Naptha looked like cheddar cheese after the initial grating!
Remember that you only use 2 Tbsp for each load of laundry, so this should last quite a while.
Arm & Hammer Laundry Powder @ $3.24
Borax @ $2.98
Large Box of Baking Soda @ $2.12
TOTAL was $10.28 before tax
I also purchased Main-Stays brand Mason Jars @ $7.88/dozen
_________________________________________
Sarah is saying sentences!
She frequents the phrase "I can..." (insert jump, do it, brush teeth, hold it, get it, eat it, etc)
Here are a few of the sentences I've heard in just the last few minutes:
Take shoes off now.
I am cold.
Cover up.
Help, Mommy.
Dark in here.
Get silky. (her blanket)
Need pillow.
Caleb was at a loss this morning when he couldn't find the cars he picked out to take in the car on the two-minute drive to school. I found them shortly thereafter. Can you guess how they ended up in there?
I finished the fall mantel yesterday. It was one of the three things I accomplished from yesterday's to-do list.
I only see a few similarities between it and my inspiration photo, but I love my version just the same.
It cost me nothing. That is always a beautiful thing.
- I cut branches from our crape myrtle and stripped them of their leaves.
- I used fabric and paper I already had for the large frame.
- I printed pictures onto regular printer paper and taped them to the front of the frames.
- The white pumpkin (it was maroon, but I spray painted it white), leaves, and votive holders are from last year.
- The leafy battery operated candle that you can barely see of the far end is a purchase from last winter when it was marked down from $16.95 to $2.18 at Pier One Imports. Score.
I made the laundry soap using the recipe from Great Oak Circle.
6 cups Borax
4 cups Baking Soda
4 cups Washing Soda
4 cups Fels-Naptha bar soap (about 2 bars)
It made about 3 1/2 mason jars of detergent when all was said and done.
Two Fels-Naptha bars did NOT yield 4 cups after being finely grated in the food processor. It was more like 3 cups.
The Fels-Naptha looked like cheddar cheese after the initial grating!
Remember that you only use 2 Tbsp for each load of laundry, so this should last quite a while.
Also, I thought you might like a price break down in case you're considering doing it yourself.
All of my items were purchased at Wal-Mart without coupons or sales. Every item was found on the laundry ailse.
2 Fels-Naptha Bars @ $0.97 each
Arm & Hammer Laundry Powder @ $3.24
Borax @ $2.98
Large Box of Baking Soda @ $2.12
TOTAL was $10.28 before tax
I also purchased Main-Stays brand Mason Jars @ $7.88/dozen
_________________________________________
Later, taters!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Bunked
I'm contemplating the purchase of bunk beds in the near future. Top bunk for Caleb, bottom bunk for Sarah.
Does anyone have any tips about bunk beds?
How about bunk beds that can be separated into twin beds later?
Wood vs. Metal? Is this just preference or a durability issue?
Here is one I'm thinking looks pretty good and in price range:
White Wal-Mart Twin Size Bunk Bed
Does anyone have any tips about bunk beds?
How about bunk beds that can be separated into twin beds later?
Wood vs. Metal? Is this just preference or a durability issue?
Here is one I'm thinking looks pretty good and in price range:
White Wal-Mart Twin Size Bunk Bed
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
First Day of a New Preschool
...And we both LOVE it!
Here's why:
- Caleb's class is for 4-5 year olds only, not 3-5 year olds.
- No wasted nap time.
- 25% cheaper per month.
- Closer to home by about 5 minutes driving time.
- Located across the street from a grocery store.
Here is a sampling of what he did today. And I love the daily note from his teacher. That's going to be very helpful!
In other news, Sarah wore pigtails today!
Monday, August 9, 2010
A Word About Parenting
For quite a while now, I've been on a roller coaster in regards to parenting Caleb.
Sometimes I feel like I'm really on top of things. I control my emotions, I give clear instructions, and I remain patient as I repeat myself for the 5th and 6th time.
Most recently, I have felt very out of control. I have been whining, yelling, and punishing him for every little thing. I can sense the hatred in my voice. I know that the hatred comes from my annoyance at his behavior, but that it comes across as contempt for him as a person.
These are not my true feelings and I don't want to break his spirit or increase his negative behavior. Yes, he needs to obey, he should always be respectful, and he should be kind to others. Inappropriate behaviors are still unacceptable. There should be consequences. But the consequence should not be threatening to his self-esteem.
I think you're getting the picture in terms of how I've been reacting to his negative and inappropriate behaviors. With that said, I came to a point last night where I realized how out of control I was. I had lost control of my own emotions and my own reactions. Every misbehavior was being met with anger and frustration. Honestly, I reached a point where I was afraid of what my next response might be.
I spent some time last night confessing my situation to my close girlfriends. They reassured me and encouraged me in my efforts.
This morning, I got the word. You know, the much-needed word from God. Two words. Consistently calm. He said I needed to remain consistently calm. I realize that I need his help with this one. And I pray that he will.
I had my first test already this morning. I remained calm as I outlined the boundaries for Caleb's behavior. I remained calm as he pushed through the boundary. I remained calm as I enforced the consequences. Caleb responded much more cooperatively than when I react in anger.
I pray that with God's help, I can reestablish a calm, loving, productive system for guiding Caleb toward appropriate, respectful behavior in all situations.
Sometimes I feel like I'm really on top of things. I control my emotions, I give clear instructions, and I remain patient as I repeat myself for the 5th and 6th time.
Most recently, I have felt very out of control. I have been whining, yelling, and punishing him for every little thing. I can sense the hatred in my voice. I know that the hatred comes from my annoyance at his behavior, but that it comes across as contempt for him as a person.
These are not my true feelings and I don't want to break his spirit or increase his negative behavior. Yes, he needs to obey, he should always be respectful, and he should be kind to others. Inappropriate behaviors are still unacceptable. There should be consequences. But the consequence should not be threatening to his self-esteem.
I think you're getting the picture in terms of how I've been reacting to his negative and inappropriate behaviors. With that said, I came to a point last night where I realized how out of control I was. I had lost control of my own emotions and my own reactions. Every misbehavior was being met with anger and frustration. Honestly, I reached a point where I was afraid of what my next response might be.
I spent some time last night confessing my situation to my close girlfriends. They reassured me and encouraged me in my efforts.
This morning, I got the word. You know, the much-needed word from God. Two words. Consistently calm. He said I needed to remain consistently calm. I realize that I need his help with this one. And I pray that he will.
I had my first test already this morning. I remained calm as I outlined the boundaries for Caleb's behavior. I remained calm as he pushed through the boundary. I remained calm as I enforced the consequences. Caleb responded much more cooperatively than when I react in anger.
I pray that with God's help, I can reestablish a calm, loving, productive system for guiding Caleb toward appropriate, respectful behavior in all situations.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Guest Bathroom Finished!
Out with the old...
And in with...
the new lighting...
the new faucet...
the newly painted cabinets and new knobs...
new paint, new tile, newly steadied toilet, and a host of other "new" things!
Here are the after pictures.
Let's tell Jadie how great a job he did!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Bathroom Progress
**Updated: Tuesday, May 4**
Let's just focus on Caleb's bathroom. Ours will continue to be out of sorts for quite a while.
Double Done With:
Ripping down the hideous light box
Taking down the wall mirror
Cutting and framing the mirror
Replacing the vanity top
Replacing the chrome faucet with brushed nickel
Replacing gold cabinet hardware and toilet paper holder with satin nickel
Priming the cabinets
Painting the cabinets
Paying Miracle Method to repair about 5 chips in our porcelain bathtub
Recaulking the tub
Scraping off the wallpaper
Using Gardz to seal the walls that we damaged by pulling off the paper part of the drywall
Pulling out the toilet
Scraping up the cracked, stained, and peeling linoleum
Laying the tile
Grout the tile
Reinstall the toilet
Paint new shoe moulding
Install new shoe moulding
Let's just focus on Caleb's bathroom. Ours will continue to be out of sorts for quite a while.
Double Done With:
Ripping down the hideous light box
Taking down the wall mirror
Cutting and framing the mirror
Replacing the vanity top
Replacing the chrome faucet with brushed nickel
Replacing gold cabinet hardware and toilet paper holder with satin nickel
Priming the cabinets
Painting the cabinets
Paying Miracle Method to repair about 5 chips in our porcelain bathtub
Recaulking the tub
Scraping off the wallpaper
Using Gardz to seal the walls that we damaged by pulling off the paper part of the drywall
Pulling out the toilet
Scraping up the cracked, stained, and peeling linoleum
Laying the tile
Grout the tile
Pay to have the walls textured to match the rest of the house
Select a paint color
Install new lightingReinstall the toilet
Paint new shoe moulding
Install new shoe moulding
Purchase new shower curtain
Still To Do:
Paint the walls
Hang new wall mirror
Hang hooks for towels
Hang towel ring
Select new towels
Here's a sneak peek at the tile between the laying stage and the grouting stage:
Do you see that garbage bag Jadie has taped over the hole in the floor for the toilet? I'm so thankful for that step in the process! I can hear the roaches moving against the plastic trying to invade our home. Stay out!
Still To Do:
Paint the walls
Hang new wall mirror
Hang hooks for towels
Hang towel ring
Select new towels
Here's a sneak peek at the tile between the laying stage and the grouting stage:
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Way Overdue
You may have noticed that I deleted my 2010 goals from the sidebar over there ---------------------->
That's because I'm doing a horrible job of working toward any of them. I feel like any given day I'm just treading water, trying to stay on top of taking care of the kids, washing the laundry, fixing meals, getting the bills paid, and preparing for our weekly Bible study. So, please forgive me for misleading you into thinking that I might actually attain my lofty goals. Honesty with myself is more important than feeling inadequate anyhow.
Since I last posted, a few things have happened...
1. Feb 23: We had SNOW! Over 6 inches is unheard of for Central Texas and making a snowman of substantial size is even more unlikely.
2. Feb 25: I hung some pictures on the wall. I know, quite the show-stopping news. First, I made a plan by creating sheets of paper to match the sizes of my frames. Then I marked on the papers where I would need to hammer in the nails. Then I hammered in the nails and replaced the papers with my picture frames.
The plan:
The finished wall:
3. Feb 25: Caleb got his ears pierced. Oh, you were paying attention! Correction: He pretended to wear earrings. Which he will tell you is silly because girls wear earrings.
4. Feb 26-28: We paid a little visit to Ft. Worth.
We were overdue for a visit with our friends the McGowans. Nicole & DJ also have two kiddos, a boy and a girl. Aaron is six, and Lillie is 20 months. The kids enjoyed playing together while I caught up with Nicole. Then the kids and I headed over to Granana's for the weekend Fun times with mom and Kristin!
Aaron, Caleb, Sarah, and Lillie
Sarah, Nicole, and Me
That's because I'm doing a horrible job of working toward any of them. I feel like any given day I'm just treading water, trying to stay on top of taking care of the kids, washing the laundry, fixing meals, getting the bills paid, and preparing for our weekly Bible study. So, please forgive me for misleading you into thinking that I might actually attain my lofty goals. Honesty with myself is more important than feeling inadequate anyhow.
Since I last posted, a few things have happened...
1. Feb 23: We had SNOW! Over 6 inches is unheard of for Central Texas and making a snowman of substantial size is even more unlikely.
2. Feb 25: I hung some pictures on the wall. I know, quite the show-stopping news. First, I made a plan by creating sheets of paper to match the sizes of my frames. Then I marked on the papers where I would need to hammer in the nails. Then I hammered in the nails and replaced the papers with my picture frames.
The plan:
3. Feb 25: Caleb got his ears pierced. Oh, you were paying attention! Correction: He pretended to wear earrings. Which he will tell you is silly because girls wear earrings.
4. Feb 26-28: We paid a little visit to Ft. Worth.
We were overdue for a visit with our friends the McGowans. Nicole & DJ also have two kiddos, a boy and a girl. Aaron is six, and Lillie is 20 months. The kids enjoyed playing together while I caught up with Nicole. Then the kids and I headed over to Granana's for the weekend Fun times with mom and Kristin!
Aaron, Caleb, Sarah, and Lillie
5. Feb 15-now: Jadie continues to make improvements to the bathrooms, mostly Caleb's right now. We had new vanity tops installed on February 18th and we've been working on peeling off wallpaper, repairing drawers and painting cabinets since then. I've only really helped with that first task. Jadie did all of the painting, mostly over the weekend while we were in Ft. Worth. Remember, this is a work in progress, so no judging until it's complete. Only encouragement, please!
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