January 23, 2009

BATHROOM REMODEL PROJECT - 

We have been very blessed to be living in our home for the past 6 1/2 years. It's a great house for us and when we moved in there wasn't much to do for it to be move in ready. Shortly after we moved in Mike painted like the entire house because I can't stand white walls (no offense to those who have white walls!). It drives me nuts, so he painted the main living areas one of our favorite colors. He painted the kitchen, our bedroom and the upstairs bonus room. There's still one room, the guest room, that is still white so if anyone is planning on coming for a visit, give me a heads up so we can get it painted! 

However...the master bath has been a source of contention between us for the past, say 6 years :) I hate it... plain and simple. It has wallpaper (YUK to start off with!), gold shower door trim, carpet and no tile on the floor at all and totally worthless cabinets, much less the fact that the faucets are 2-toned (again, YUK but no offense if that's what you like!). It's all builder grade materials and it's boring. I wanted a nice, serene master bath-a place of tranquility...it's a girl thing I guess. So, for 6 years we've been in "planning" mode. Every year it's at the top of our home improvement project of the year and then usually gets bumped to the bottom, year after year after year. The economy has not helped out my bathroom remodel cause at all either. The money we would put aside for that has had to be used to cover "needed" expenses. One thing I should point out, too, is that we want to do this without going into debt. We're debt-free and have been for years and will continue to be for years to come. That's the rub. It's hard to save that much $ to do a remodel when you have teenagers that start driving and college just around the corner. I continually look on craigslist for "deals" and have found plenty...just not for a bathroom remodel!

A friend of mine and I have bumped the bathroom remodel to the top of the list for this year and I really would like to get  it started. Which brings me to my current dilemma...what I really want to do in there to remodel! It's not a huge gutting of the room nor any re-plumbing, etc. Here's what I'm looking at doing: paint, tile (floor and shower/tub), new cabinet and new faucets for 2 sinks, tub and shower. Not a big deal, right? But I've put the thought of a remodel so far out of my mind that I don't know where to start looking to find what I like! I have general ideas, but nothing specific.

SO, I took some pics of the bathroom to give you an idea of what we're looking at needing to change. Now I didn't clean off the counter-tops or anything so don't be checking out the product placements on the counter and in the shower! I just wanted a few shots of the room to post on here. Take a look and tell me what you think and if you have any suggestions on what to do, where to look for ideas and good places to buy materials at really good prices. I'll write a little more below the pics so make sure you scroll on down..

This shows the cabinets and faucets and the huge mirror..the space where the trash can is sitting is totally wasted space so I know that I want something more functional in its place.  Yuk-2 tone faucets :(

Love the lighting, don't you?! :(  gross...and again, so much wasted space above the mirror and all around the bathroom for that matter.  There are tall ceilings in there so there's a bunch of dead space that I'm not sure what to do with.

Ah..the lovely gold trim on the shower :(  And can you see the wallpaper in the background?  It's not hideous, but I don't like it so that's all that matters, right?!  Will probably take out that bench in the shower...don't use it and it's wasted space...can you tell I'm not a fan of wasted space?  It would make the shower much bigger, too.

And lastly, you can see it's a tub/shower combination.  I don't use the tub that often so I've considered taking it out and putting a window seat/bench there w/storage underneath...maybe the big baskets that slide in under the seat of the bench...?  And a window treatment suggestion would be nice, too :)

Ok, so there you go.  Put your thinking caps on and send me ideas or suggestions.  Oh, and if you can put it in an Excel spreadsheet Mike would be thrilled!  He can't function without a spreadsheet or pie chart...the project is just not doable without one :)

In the meantime I'll continue scouring craigslist for the bathroom remodel bargain of the year and maybe start peeling off wallpaper a little bit at at time :)  Shhhh...don't tell Mike!

January 22, 2009

Those of you who know me know that I'm not a professional writer, blogger or knower of anything specific.  I blog for myself and to share me with you.  So many things cross my mind during the day that I decided to try to start writing it down somewhere-sharing what I'm learning in Christ and what I'm learning as a wife and mother.  Notice I said "learning" and not "have learned" (I don't use "air quotes" as poorly as Joey did on "Friends" do I?!)  

Just 3 weeks into 2009 the eyes and ears of my heart are being opened.  Opened to things that they should have been opened to long ago but for one reason or another I've chosen to keep them closed.  I sense that I'm learning to become more aware of God in my daily routine.  I'm really trying to be still and listen to that still small voice yet I hope I'm not using that as a reason to not get my regular things accomplished here at home :)  I want to be close to Him, to hear His voice, feel His heart beat.  My life is just a blip in time here on earth yet I feel that sometimes I live more for the here and now.  No, I won't neglect what He's given me here on earth, but what I say and do should take me closer to the throne and should be an encouragement for others around me to do the same.  There is such a peace that comes from closeness w/Christ.  

So with all of that in mind I have something that has been resonating in my head over the last week or so.  Last week was when the US Airways flight 1549 actually landed in the Hudson River in NYC...yes, landed in it and no one was killed...none of the 155 on board died.  Yes, it truly was a miracle.  But what is continuing to run through my brain are some words that I heard people say about the captain..Captain "Sulley".  His sister, as well as some life-long friends,  made comments that they were not surprised at all that Sulley was able to make that landing so perfectly.  He's trained for this all of his life so he was prepared to do it.  Those are the words I keep hearing.  None of those people doubted him at all, nor were they shocked at his abilities.  They knew that if anyone could attempt a feat like that and be successful it was "Sulley".  So that caused me to ponder this:  when I get to the end of my life and am ready to step into heaven, will people say the same about me? That I had "trained" for this all of my life and I was prepared to go?  I'm not trying to puff myself up by any means.  But I wonder if my daily walk in life w/God has shown others that I'm 'in training'? I haven't arrived at my final destination but when the time comes to finally put that training into action, no one will be shocked to find out I was a Christ-follower but that knew full well that I had done all that I could possibly do here on earth to be Christ-like.

This may not mean as much to you as it does to me but I wanted to share it anyway.  It gives you insight into my thoughts the past week and to the questions w/in my heart.  

I don't want my life to be a "crash landing" but a "life-in-training" ready to be made into an incredible miracle!

Living life as a training simulator-

m

January 17, 2009

FIRST OFF...

Let me say "Happy Anniversary" to my brother, Chuck, and his wife, Carrie!  17 years I believe they've been together!  Congrats and many, many more!

Well, yesterday (Friday) was a little nostalgic for us as a family...if that's the right word.  We had to make a tough decision on what to do about our dog, Rosie.  We've had her for about 8 years now...she's a Jack Russell Terrier..enough said if you know anything about that breed of dog!  They're very high maintenance but highly intelligent.  Overall she's been a good dog...several quirks that would drive me nuts since I was at home w/her every day, but not a bad dog by any means.  

She started developing some "issues" in the last several years or so having to do w/her "backside".  We probably put almost $3000 in her over the last few years and the problem kept persisting.  It had come to the point that we were having to "dump" (hee, hee!) $350 every other month in order to keep things in a natural order.  We can't do that financially, and we knew that there was no other way to care for her by our own means.  Mike informed our vet that we were NOT going to be able to pay for a surgery that might or might not work nor can we put that much money in every other month to take care of her.  We thought our only option would be to put her down.  That's such a hard decision, especially if you've seen "Marley & Me" :(  I couldn't honestly give her to anyone, either, knowing she had "problems".  So, as a last resort, our vet suggested that we turn her over to the hospital and they would take care of her and then find a home for her.  To us that was an answer to prayer!  We didn't have to put her down, nor did we have to find a good home for her!  That was the "bridge" that I mentioned on my facebook page, if you follow that at all.

So, Rosie's gone.  It's a little quieter around here and Archie sure misses her, but I'm relieved, I guess, that she'll be taken care of and maybe, just maybe my days will be a little less chaotic and sane!  She's a very good dog...her big, brown eyes always won in an "argument"!  The 8 years we've had her have been interesting and always insightful with her!  So, thank you, Rosie, for opening our eyes to the world of Jack Russells and for being a very good companion, friend, walking buddy, blanket warmer, food stealing, cat-poop eating, bark-at-everything, big, brown-eyed buddy.  We know that someone will love you the rest of your days and you will bring joy to whomever you're with!

Ok...I gotta go..the dust in this place is causing my eyes to water and I got something caught in my throat that feels like it's choking me :-?  

(dang-why did I have to get nostalgic like this?!)

January 16, 2009

OH WHAT FUN...

So, I had my mammogram yesterday.  I hate those things.  I'm thankful for the technology that it incorporates to detect cancer early, but my word, I'm pretty sure a guy developed the idea in honor of an ex-wife or ex-girlfriend!   And the radiology building where I was tortured at was so "proud" of their new machine because it was " all digital"..woo hoo and hallelujah, but can you digitize my body part in question and use that instead of the two monster plates of discomfort I had to become one with?!  How can one be proud of a torture device?  And the technician was a woman!  

The upside to that visit, though, was that I didn't have to get weighed...ahhhhh, the trade-off for not having to see those numbers that would teeter between where I should be and where I am...

I think I'd rather get weighed.

m

January 14, 2009

TESTS

First of all let me start by saying that I got a text from Shelby today (shock! texting at school?!) and she got an 84 on her Spanish final! She was very excited, as was I. I think I pulled something doing the "happy dance" for her :) Alix seems to be doing well on her exams, too. She got a 110 on a test in a computer class (can't remember the specific name of the class) and is doing very well in the other tests she has completed. I know they have both put a lot of time into preparing and I know God sees that and rewards it. Girls-I'm proud of you!! We may even have to celebrate at Sonic!

I've been going at a slower pace today, partly because I'm still not 100% from being sick (but then again, when am I ever 100%?!) and partly because I'm trying to listen to God. It's not easy to do, seriously. I really don't know how my brain goes a hundred miles an hour, but it does. Sad thing is, don't ask me what I'm thinking about cuz I probably can't tell you that either. I've got to work on that! Anyway, I did sit down and try to find some scriptures to go with my previous post. So far I've only come up with one. I wasn't sure how to even go about looking for scripture. I didn't want to use the "new creation" one...I've been a new creation for a long time! So I prayed about what it is that I blogged about that causes me to go through mental boxing matches and I came up w/disorganized, etc. Sooooo, here's the verse I found:

Ezekiel 11:19 (NIV)
19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.

You know, as I thought about it, the "undivided" part made sense, but I didn't feel that I had a heart of stone. HOWEVER, this is what I felt I heard God say...if a heart is divided, it's not a whole heart. There are pieces of it in many different directions so how can it live, broken in pieces and divided between God, me, others, time, etc? In order for me to have a "heart of flesh", it has to be undivided, whole, so it can function as God created it to function. So for me to live as Christ created me to live, I have to have an undivided heart in ALL that I do. make sense?

I guess what I need to understand better now is the difference between "waiting on God" and being lazy :)

January 13, 2009

FOLLOW UP

I challenged myself last week to write down something that I've been mentally beating myself up over lately and then to find 3 verses to help me deal with this issue. I've thought long and hard about this, but haven't looked for scriptures. That's the beginning of my problem-not seeking the Word first. But by the time I would have walked from the kitchen to the living room to get my Bible, something else would have grabbed my attention or I would have completely forgotten what I was going to do and it never got done. Excuses? Probably. But as I'm beginning to see through my own reflection (still no scripture ): ) is that a lot of my problem stems from lack of focus; and ADHD of sorts for adults and in my case it's for Alone-time-with-God Deficit & Hearing- God's- direction Deficit.  Ok, so I stretched the acronym, but you get the point.  I've created a monster in myself all in the name of busyness and organization.  If I can't walk from one room to the next without forgetting something then I'm trying to do too much or have too much on my mind.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm all about keeping my house clean and orderly and my family fed and shuttled, but to actually have "make a to-do list" on my "to-do" list is a little over the top!

Anyway, what all of this madness has caused me to consider is who am I really? I'm lots of things to lots of people, but who am I?  I try to "act" like the person people think I am so as to gain acceptance.  But somewhere between growing up and life, I've lost who I am.  I know I have a husband who I love completely and who loves me unconditionally and 2 daughters that I love dearly.  I'm pretty sure that they see me for who I am and sometimes it's probably not very pretty.  That's why the masks go on when I leave the house so I can be anyone else other than me.  Crazy?  Maybe and probably, but I don't think I'm alone in this.

So as I type this I'm on a voyage of self-discovery.  I want peace and contentment in all areas of my life beyond my family.  I don't want to just be the made-up version so everyone thinks I have all the answers.  I'm still "me" but I think the "inner" me, the core being of "me" started hiding and taking on multiple personalities (not literally-figuratively) years ago just so everyone would like me and I would be accepted wherever I was.  It won't be an over-night discovery and restoration, although I know it could be if God so chooses it to be.  

I will find myself again and will probably be a much better person-content in all things and not afraid to be who God created me to be, not who man has tried to make me to be.

So, that's a start.  Now I MUST find the scriptures to stand on and rediscover who I am and who God wants me to be.

Thanks,  guys.  I know this was a little more "serious" than usual, but I wanted to be forthright and ask for your prayers, too.  Oh, and you can follow my daily journey of self-discovery on www.twitter.com/hsmsmom  If you choose to follow me I'll have to accept your request so just ask!

Talk soon! Next post I will have those scriptures ready!

m

January 12, 2009...again

So I was trying to blog on another blog site, but me being the google girl that I am, came back to my blogger blog.  I lost track of it sometime last year but I hope to keep up with it a little more routinely.  My initial thought when I started this last year was to post something that happened in my life or something I was learning EVERY DAY.  I think that after trying to do that for say...a day or two, it because too overwhelming and it slacked off little by little.  Bear with me as I try again.  It's not a big informative blog, just an insight into my life and thoughts which doesn't take much time given that my thoughts are few and far between and my life is fairly mundane (but I wouldn't change it for anything!)

Today I'm not feeling well at all.  SOO nauseated, but definitely not pregnant so don't ask :)  I don't feel like this very often and so I'm not handling it well. .. And there are no saltine's in sight and buttery Ritz don't help.  I'm really not a whiner.  I've had more than my share of days not feeling well and have come through them victorious in Christ.  I think that my not feeling well today serves as a reminder for me to be thankful for where I am and where I've come from physically.  Some know my "story", others don't, but suffice it to say, God is good and He is faithful and feeling a little nauseated today is nothing.  

See, I've knocked some sense into myself just by typing this blog.  Like I told a friend of mine, blogging is cheap therapy! And a way to share a small bit of myself so you can all see how normal your life really is :)

See ya later!

m