Windows are in and painting begun

We are finally working on a house we purchased last Fall. We kept shoving it back on our list of things to get done but the time has come to get it remodeled. The electrician has gotten the fuse box replaced with a breaker panel and the HVAC guys have put in central air. Now it is up to us to get all the cosmetic stuff done.

 I think the house was a landmark in Oskaloosa. You knew where you were because the green house really stuck out as you were driving down A Ave.

The screened in front porch had degraded since we purchased the house. This photo was taken the day we made an offer on it. After we purchased it one of the screens blew out and the screen door was sagging badly.

This afternoon all the windows have been replaced and we have started painting. (by we, I mean me as Matthew seems to never have time to paint. He made the statement last night that no one except him seems to go into attics and crawl spaces. My reply was no one except me seems to be able to pick up a paint brush or roller.) We enclosed the screened porch and made it a 3 seasons room.

This photo was also taken on the day we made an offer on the house. The windows were so bad, 1 of them actually blew out last winter. That was when we shut the heat off and let the house freeze up. There were 1/2 inch gaps around the windows. 

This is the same side with new windows and one much smaller window in the bathroom. A window at toilet level just seemed such a bad idea.

We are now to the place the house is almost sealed up. We have added insulation where there was none and the windows are tight in the frames and double pane. We can keep heat and cool in and the elements out.

I know commentators who like to talk about the Old testament Israelites building a wall and equating it with building a wall to keep out immigrants from this country. That Old testament story of building a wall around Jerusalem has nothing to do with the movements of people. It is about what you are letting into your life.

We put in windows and insulation to keep the house temperature stable and keep the wildlife and birds out. We all need tight walls in our lives. We need to be discerning about what we let into our lives. What do we read on the internet, what do we watch on TV, what books do we read and what shows do we attend? Make sure the windows of your life are keeping the world out. make sure the insulation of your life is keeping out all that will lead you away from the will of God.

I don't believe in banning books, but I do believe that everyone needs to be discerning. I read things I disagree with so I can hone what I believe. I have read the Koran and the Book of Morman, but I refuse to read books laced with profanity or explicit sex. 

I am willing to read what others believe so I can formulate my response but I have no desire to visit the gutter. 

Build walls around your life to be sanctified, not to shut out everything by putting on blinders.

 

It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to.

Yesterday was my Birthday. It was definately not the best birthday I have had. Ok so I cried part of the day. Sharon is the light of my life. Yesterday we had verification that cancer is once again growing in her bone marrow.

That was quite a blow. I do not know what I would do without Sharon in my life. I have now had 24 hours to process the bad news and can realize that Sharon has beat this before and she can beat it again. God stepped in 11 years ago and life has been grand since then. There were a few other younger women who also had this rare cancer when she was diagnosed over 20 year ago. They all passed away within a few years. God gave Sharon life and continues to give her life. God answered prayers.

 

For the last few years every blood test didn't feel like it could be a disaster. Now that complacency and comfort are gone. We have a new reality. Once again we are crying out to God to give healing. 11 years ago a new drug was available out of East Germany with the fall of the Berlin Wall. It may not even have been the drug that killed the cancer back. There was a corelation to prayer and healing. 11 years is a long time but I wanted another 30 years.

Now we are looking at a future of sometimes fear and sometimes joy, but we know God has it all in his hand. I don't have much to write because I am still reeling between everything is going to be fine and the fear of what if it isn't. 

All I can say is ya'll better be praying for healing for Sharon, because she is the one that keeps me on an even keel. You really don't want her not influencing me every day.

Clutter

We finished remodeling a house today. That means everything needs to be moved out. All tools, 

supplies, cabinets

dry wall and plumbing supplies

windows and any appliances

paint, brushes and rollers

It all needed to go somewhere so we moved it to the next house on our list.

We are going to need several days just to get all the stuff we moved organized and sorted.

Our storage facilities are full, so we need to go though both of those and see if there is anything we can ship to the landfill. We have to much stuff in this house to even start working on this thing.

This is the house we just finished. 3 days ago you could not see the floor in the living room. Now it is cleaned out and looks great.

The rooms are empty, look inviting and usable.

Micah and matthew put the bathroom together and it is almost a work of art.

The kitchen was full of tools yesterday morning. This afternoon it is clean and ready for a family to move in. 

I know a lot of the "stuff" we carried out of the house the last few days has value. But it was cluttering up the house it was in and the house was not livable. I see people living in houses that look a lot like the one we now have full of stuff. We are going to sort it, hang the cupboards on the walls. Use the cans of paint. Install the trim. Put in the new windows. Lay the new floors. When we are finished the house will be empty because we will have used all the "stuff". The people I see living in houses that are filled with "stuff" are not using the "stuff". They just can't let it go. 

I can easily keep the junk out of the house I live in, but can I keep the junk out of my mental, emotional, and spiritual life? Do I hang on to mental clutter I don't need? Do I get upset about something and let it clutter up my mind and life instead of just letting it go? 

We all need to step back sometimes to try to see the big picture and let the little stuff go. Clean out the clutter and set our eyes on God's kingdom. That is my goal. How about you?

 My grandson Caleb says goodbye