Take a walk with me...

My eyelids are in a fierce battle w/my guilt over updating this blog right now...I think my eyelids are going to come away victorious! I am so stinkin' exhausted from all the long days and late nights spent trying to get our house ready to put on the market. Although this post should be rather lengthy, I'm going to shorten it up w/a few strategically placed photos.

all these tools and such have been in my dining room for about 2 months...whoo-hoo! ;)

a view from our bedroom door

my amazing husband hung the sheetrock, texturized the walls, sanded/stained/polyed the wood floor, installed 3 new windows, painted, etc.

part of the kitchen...the cabinets and beadboard are all white and the walls are an awesome green color called grasscloth

Office area before...yes, this is the only room I took before pix of...the after isn't finished yet

the entire 1st floor of our house was like this when we moved in...ugly white plaster walls w/even uglier dark blue trim

Office area 1/2 way finished

the front of the house after unloading a truck load of mulch w/Jean and "planting" those beautiful red flowers...ask Jean what they are cuz I don't have a clue

Isn't it so pretty!

the garage...Rich, Seth, Eric, Jeff & Dakota worked their tushes off painting on Saturday

my poor living room...this cluttered mess is driving me crazy!

So, we're really close to being finished and I couldn't be happier! We're scheduled to have an open house in 2 weeks...YIKES!

Last, but certainly not least, we have a new addition in our family.

Meet Bentley. He's a 2 1/2 yr old Cocker Spaniel.

Emma is in heaven!

Until next time...

My husband is amazing!!!

We...or should I say Rich has been remodeling/finishing our bedroom for the past few months. He sheetrocked the walls and ceiling, sprayed a texture on the walls, painted, tore carpet out, sanded and stained the hardwood floor, installed new windows, outlets and light fixtures, etc. Tonight we were able to move our bed back into our room! I've been waiting for this day for a LONG time. Since the remodel began, we've been living in Eli's tiny room w/our big, honkin' king-sized bed. I've been crammed against the wall and have had to climb over Rich every time I have to go the bathroom during the night. BUT not anymore!!! Our room looks amazing!

You would think w/me being a photographer I would have taken before, during and after pictures...but I didn't! I'll take some pictures very soon to show you what an amazing job Rich did on our room. I'm so proud of him!

Now we...or should I say Rich...gets to start on the kitchen! ;)

Seriously?!

Eli has quite a fascination w/his friend "peni"...yep, it's his penis. He is always holding it or just messing with it. We've asked him to not grab himself all the time, but he just can't help himself. This morning he's just wearing a pair of undies and a jammie shirt. I sat down to watch some Wonder Pets w/the him and he said "Mom, I'm petting Peni b/c he likes to be petted." He was actually petting his junk like you'd pet a cat. WHY??? I'm going to need some serious counseling when this kids grown!

It's a good thing Emma was born first. Eli would absolutely been an only child!

The Cloak of Worry...sounds inviting, huh?

We have some stuff going on in our life right now that has caused me great worry. I don't start out wanting to worry...I just end up worrying. I let worry rob me of any joy that I may experience. I can't even begin to imagine how much joy I've missed w/my kids, husband, friends and family b/c I've been so consumed w/worry. It sometimes feels like I wear that worry like a cloak. It's too hot to be wearing the worry cloak for goodness sake! So, I've been asking God for help in the worry department.

During my devotional time yesterday wouldn't ya know God lead me to read Matthew 6:25-34...here's the passage for those of you who don't have it memorized! ;)

25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. (NLT)

I've got one of those awesome study Bibles...it's not an NIV study Bible, but a study Bible nonetheless. And of course, it had a little snippet called Seven Reasons Not To Worry.
1-The same God who created life in you can be trusted w/the details of your life. (v25)
2-Worrying about the future hampers your efforts for today. (v26)
3-Worrying is more harmful than helpful. (v27)
4-God does not ignore those who depend on Him. (v28-30)
5-Worrying show a lack of faith in and understanding of God. (v31-32)
6-Worrying keeps us from real challenges God wants us to pursue. (v33)
7-Living one day at a time keeps us from being consumed w/worry. (v34)

Then I found this treasure in the "study" part: Worriers are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God. They let their plans interfere w/their relationship w/God. Don't let worries about tomorrow affect your relationship w/God today.

The "they let their plans interfere w/their relationship w/God" part smacked me between the eyes. I have a PLAN for how I want this current situation to work out. I mean, what worrier doesn't have everything figured out? I don't want to be a faithless follower of Christ and I don't want to continue wearing this worry. God is going to provide for us and take care of us way better than I ever could...even w/all my planning!

God has already provided!