Goodwill Chairs + Life

So which print do you think I should go with?  lol.  Last week I bit the bullet and ordered some outdoor fabric to recover the seats.  I have committment issues... especially when it comes to fabric.  But you can't go wrong with gingham, right?  I'm planning on keeping the original rattan color for now, but figured I could paint them later if the urge struck.

In other news, we now have dsl!  Centurylink finally came through on their promise, albeit three years late. So blogging is unspeakably easier now , but I can't promise increased frequency. 

Has anyone started spring cleaning yet?  Ok, maybe (probably) you're already finished.  But I'm just getting started...with no clue as to where I found motivation, but I'll take whatever I can get.  And if it all ends today, at least we have a clean oven and fridge.  Oh, and our friends with kids can color when they come again.   It's amazing (and a little gross) what you can find under the couch.

I've been working on sewing up more pillows!  Hope to have enough new items soon to justify a post.  In the meantime, here's my favorite so far...

Black & White Stripe w/ Purple Trim

Also hope to have some finished pictures of these projects soon...

To be honest, I'm not much of a hardcore brick and mortar shopper. I simply don't enjoy traffic and crowds and have made more than one special trip to the nearest Target (25 minutes away) only to find a specific item out of stock. Frustrating. So I keep a running shopping list and wait until it's long enough to justify a trip.  Right now that list includes lamp harps, a specific silver frame (that my nearest Walmart is evidently not planning on reordering), Briwax Liming Wax (so excited to try), and extra long shower curtain liners.

We've had a week of beautiful weather and I'm itching to get some landscaping done.  Not holding my breath though.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Men are from ________

I eagerly pulled this image up on my laptop the other afternoon.  When David got home from work, I had it ready and waiting for the perfect moment when I could nonchalantly ask him look at it.  

via

Somewhere between the summarizing his day and parking his rear on the couch, the moment arrived.  I snatched it up like a wife seasoned in the art of husband-trickery.

K: Hey, hon look at this picture right here and tell me what you notice.

D: Ummm... they didn't have enough money to finish installing wall cabinets?

Ve-ry fu-nny.

What did you think I would notice?

Ummm... the cabinets in two different finishes.

No

Ummm... backsplash tile to the ceiling.

No

Ok then, the lack of color.

Hahaha, no. Really, why are you asking?

Because there's a theory that both of us hold and this picture seems to disprove it.

Why don't you just tell me?

Ok, the three different hardware finishes!  Did you not notice? The pendant lights, the faucet and the cabinet pulls are all different finishes.

Hahaha, are you serious?  Those are the smallest objects in the picture! You thought I would notice that? Hahahahah!

Ahem, a better response would be "Oh!  Wow!  That's a great observation!  What a keen eye for detail, you have, honey!"

Hahahahahah!  Wanna guess the first thing that I noticed?

No, tell me.

The built-in speaker.

What?  There's a speaker? Where?

Men- they've gotta be from a different planet.

How To: Know that You Know God

*I can't find a version of this song on youtube that the embedding is NOT disabled.  Annoying. If you can't hear the song in your head already, it'll definitely be worth your time to go there are play it.

By this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. 

-1 John 2: 3-6

By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. And this is his commandment,that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. -1 John 3: 10-11, 14, 16-18, 23-24

John paints this portrait with such contrast, seemingly with only black and white.  And Satan loves to get inside my head here.  He tells me that if I'm not completely and always white, then I must be black. Legalism. If that doesn't work, then he whispers in my ear all the white I've done and am, greys up the black and flatters me into thinking that I'm something.  Which of course, results in self-congratulation and self-assurance (if only subconscious). Worldliness. In both instances, he's succeeded in achieving his goal: to get me to think only of and about myself.

But the Spirit of God inside me is more powerful than Satan (1 John 4:4) and victory is already guaranteed!  By the power of that Spirit, I choose to look exclusively in the face of Jesus.  There I find mercy, by NOT getting what I do deserve, and grace, by getting what I don't *and can't possibly ever do enough to* deserve.  What a wonderful Savior!

"Commitment to truth is not enough.  Zeal for the truth must be balanced by love for people.  Truth without love has no decency; it's just brutality.  On the other hand, love without truth has no character; it's just hypocrisy... The truly godly person must cultivate both virtues in equal proportions.  If you could wish for anything in your sanctification, wish for that.  If you pursue anything in the spiritual realm, pursue a perfect balance of truth and love.  Know the truth, and uphold it in love." -John MacArthur

Regrets & Happy Choices

Beware- extremely long post...

Katie @ Thirteen Acres recently posted a coulda, shoulda, woulda list of both good and bad choices when building their house a couple years ago... ironically, our house was being built at the very same time.  Seeing her list made me realize that I have the very same two lists stored in my head.  Getting them down on paper for future reference is probably a good idea.  Though not in the foreseeable future, there's always a chance we may build again.  So if you're building a home or planning to someday, maybe this will spark some thought.

Regrets/Mistakes (in no particular order):

• Not finishing the porch- It's still not done, probably because there was never and still isn't a clear picture of the finished product in mind.
• Doors with more glass lights- The space inside both the front door and the mudroom door would benefit from some natural light.

• Not finishing the laundry room- It's still not done, probably because of the extra hassle with not having a drain for a laundry tub.
• No drain for laundry tub- David has a solution to make it work, but it will just take more effort on his part to get it installed.
• More airflow into office- Three sides of this room are exterior walls and it tends to quickly get cold in the winter and warm in the summer.  Another register or two would have been a good idea, but thankfully David has a solution (even though it won't happen until the basement is completed).
• Quarter-round moulding on the base trim- It was a bear to paint and gets scuffed easily.  David said there is a way to NOT have to use it, but of course, I wouldn't know what that is.
• Shower bench too high- I knew the minute I saw it that it was too high for comfortable leg shaving.  How I wish I would have been there the day they were framing it in.
• Master bath vanity lighting- David asked me if I wanted one or two mirrors above the double vanity and I said one.  Then I changed my mind.  They installed two mirrors but left only one four-light wall sconce.  Call me picky, but it just bugs me.
• No floor outlet in middle of living room- I'm sure this could be easily remedied, since David is an electrician.  But we all know how that goes.
• No can lights in living room- The living room only has a ceiling fan light, for which I don't even consider suggesting a more stylish replacement.  The room does get a bit dark in the corners, though I could probably fix it by adding a few more lamps and some bookcase lighting.  Someday.
• Tile backsplash in kitchen- I'm not gonna hide it- I like subway tile.  It's clean looking, simple and classic.
• Cabinet wood choice- While I'm sure light pained cabinets would scuff horribly, I can't say I wouldn't choose them anyway.

 

I also love the look of dark painted lowers and light painted uppers. Mmm... look at that subway tile!

 

• Builder grade lighting and mirrors- I wish we would have simply taken the credit and hit up the local consignment shops and Habitat Restore.  Or at the very least used a little more imagination with the lighting from Lowes and Home Depot.

 

Lowes light

Lowes light

Hazardous Design Bathroom, Home Depot light

Home Depot light

 

Lowes light

• Lack of detail (woodwork, etc)- Crown moulding would definitely help the living room.  And I'd love to have done some wainscoting in the mudroom and bathrooms.  David informs me that doing this correctly would require removing the floor trim... and that's just too much work.  I don't blame him; I wouldn't want to do it either.  For another example of detail see the painted paneling on the ceiling of Anne Turner Carroll's kitchen above.

Happy Choices:

• Exterior siding/trim color- I wouldn't change this if I could.
• Exterior door color- Probably won't ever change it.  Other colors would look good too, but the blue is fun and non-traditional.
• Hardwood throughout- I actually like that we don't have any carpet.  Mostly cause it's an excuse to buy window shop for rugs, but also because spills are not an issue and cat hair has no place to hide.
• Hardwood flooring color- It's not extremely red.  It's dark enough that it looks current, but light enough that it hides spots and crumbs.
• Kitchen cabinets to the ceiling- I love, love that we did this.
• Built in fridge- It's also built back into the wall a bit, making it flush with the countertop.  David gets all the credit for the idea and for making it happen.
• Sink in island- I love that I can be part of the conversation while making or cleaning up meals.
• Countertop- I like it even more than the day my sister in law helped me pick it out!
• Appliance choices- I really like our fridge and that our appliances match (yes, type A).
• Mudroom- David and his dad carved out a bit of the porch for the mudroom.  It wins the award for the hardest working space.
• Tile/grout color- Both grey, very modest, hides the dirt like a pro.  There's only one thing I would do differently- have it cut and installed in a herringbone pattern like this...

• Master bath shower- David negotiated the tile shower with multiple spray nozzles in exchange for my kitchen cabinets to the ceiling.  We have both ended up liking the others' choice as much as we like our own.
• Master bath & closet layout- Also a very efficient use of space, I think.  I love that the toilet is separate from the sink area.

There are probably more points that could be added, but the most important one is...

NONE OF THIS STUFF ACTUALLY MATTERS.

"I have seen everything that is done under the sun, 

and behold, all is vanity and a striving after the wind...

...The end of the matter; all has been heard.  

Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man."  

Ecclesiastes 1:14 & 12:13

"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." Psalm 127:1

May we seek to use our homes in service to God, a place of love and grace to all we entertain.  If it be children, let us praise and teach, if it be friends, let us listen and encourage, and if it be neighbors or strangers, let us have tender hearts and willing hands.  Should we have two of anything, let us have the wisdom and selflessness to give one away.  Everything we have and are, is not ours.

*read the book of Ecclesiastes for more insights on life.

Wash Me

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin!

For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight...

...Behold you delight in truth in the inward being and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean.

Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow...

...Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit...

...Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation

And my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

O Lord, open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise...

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

-from Psalm 51

"I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered.

Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice."

- The Message, Psalm 51:7