More remodeling pictures...

You asked for them, so here are some more! :)











This is my bedroom. That is the chimney in the center if the room where the previous owners built a drywall enclosure. I tore that off, loved the brick but it was two different colors from where they added on the upper floor of the house so I took cement and covered the brick. That gained me about 6" around the chimney. There's a gross closet in the back. My hubby made a new one!



Hmm...I think I'll leave it at that for today. All this picture uploading takes forever! I'll do some more next week maybe. I have bible study tonight, Saturday is errands and Sunday is churcha nd then we are starting school on Monday!

Notes, school and Older ladies

I actually caught myself taking notes! I seem to have a great idea for a post, but by the time I get to the computer, it has usually slipped my mind. So, yesterday, I wrote something down. I remember doing it, but I can't find what I wrote or recall what it was! At least I tried.

It was dog hot yesterday around here. It's part of living in Wisconsin to have these hot hot days and then next week it'll be snowing! lol I'm kidding. But I could see next week in the 60's.

I finished school last week, and next week I start again. Hmm, for some reason, I feel like I didn't get a summer this year. Wonder why I feel that way...I really look forward to school this year. I am bound and determined to do an absolutely fantastic job and be the best teacher I can possibly be! I sometimes say that I am the reason they came up with Public School because I am just not a gifted teacher. I try, but it's not something I am good at. I like to learn, but it seems that it's hard for me to pass it on to the kids. I've seen Craig at the dinner table or wherever really, just snatch up a moment and use it to teach. And the kids seem to enjoy it. But with me, it is always drudgery for them. Saddens my heart...

Another thing I have, that isn't normal, is that a friend of mine goes over all my papers and gleans them to see what grading mistakes I made. Usually things I missed--sometimes really dumb things--things I am utterly embarrassed I missed. I can't even tell you what they are. 11-7= 5 sort of things... And when school gets rolling, she comes to my house once a week and hangs out for school so that when I am teaching, I can bombard this smart older woman with all my questions! It seems to me to be the ideal biblical example of an older lady directing a younger one. I wish everyone could have one for themselves.

I can call her any time I have a question. She is the queen of grammar! Any question on diagramming sentences or verbs and participles and tenses and such, she has the answer! It's almost spoiling me, I think. No, it's actually really good for my kids to have this because I know myself and I would not take the time to look up the answer to say "why" something is the way it is, but instead would say it's that way becasue the Teacher book says so!

I am so lazy! As I write I can see maybe some reasons why I'm not a good teacher...Regardless, this year is a new year and WILL do better!

My friend

Yesterday I went to my friend's house- in the country. The peaceful, quiet, inviting country...It was a 45 min. drive. We spent hours in her school room just having "school talk" and then as she cooked, I read cookbooks. For me, no better way to spend a "free afternoon". Well, there are better ways, like reading my Bible, but I did enjoy that one day.

And right now, I need to get going on my day. The kids just finished breakfast, so now we need to study our memory verses and do some reading from the Bible. Sorry, I have to keep my priorities in check!

My first true day of freedom...

I am pretty thrilled to have a day to myself. Only in the sense of no school. We got really--and I mean really behind in out school this past year. We bought a house, remodeled it (I did 75% of the work or at least had to supervise the incompetent people we had working on it) and then moved. I also was pulled into our woodshop a lot to do staining and sanding stuff for my hubby when all his employees disappeared (went to jail or quit). As of today my dd11 needs to finish a report on Wisconsin's industry and my ds6 only has 3 spelling lists left. No biggie, so I feel FREE!

I plan to do some laundry which was on hold because the news said it would help with the flooding situations around here to wait on it. I think it's safe now. I hope.

I might work in the yard a bit.

Or I still need to scrape the rest of my porch floor to be able to paint it. Ah, you should've seen it before! I have pictures of my house before and after the remodel... It's amazing the transformation. Ok, I'll post a couple and if anyone requests more, I'll post more.

So, this is the kitchen before....What a mess, eh? When you touched the metal cabinets, they crumbled because they were so rusty.











This is the same shot. We tore out the old pantry and moved the plumbing so not the sink is in the corner.
And this is the kitchen as of today...still has work. I need doors, drawer fronts, island countertop and still need some cabinets on the other side where you can't see.



Hmm...I think I want to post some more...
This a shot of the dining room while standing in the living room...My daughter said she didn't want to live here because it smelt so badly!












Now, she thinks it is beautiful!

Did I mention this is only 3 months later??

I think some may think I am bragging? But if I am, I think in this case it is allowed. If everyone knew how all this came about, the money spent, the money saved, the loan ordeal. It was all simply amazing and in my mind, completely of God. We were blessed so much in getting this house! No, It's not the best neighborhood, but you know what, this is our home!

Yes, I have more pictures, but I will spare you! lol

Did they figure out Noah was right??

Look closely at this picture and tell me what you think!
Did they realize Noah was right??

"This file photo provided by the Archaeological Society SAP in Mantua, northern Italy, on Wednesday, Feb, 7, 2007 shows a pair of human skeletons found Monday Feb. 6 at a construction site outside Mantua. Archaeologists unearthed the skeletons, believed to be a man and a woman, from the Neolithic period, buried between 5000 to 6000 years ago. (AP Photo/Archaeological Society SAP, ho) Tue Feb 13, 6:05 AM ET"

I always look at this and see two people who probably loved each other like some only dream of loving another person...and they didn't believe him. Noah, that is. I mean, NO one had ever heard of rain before that...They probably thought he was insane until it rained and rained and rained. Maybe they snuggled together on their bed of straw holding on to each other finally coming to the realization that their life on earth was over...just my thoughts...

What's in a name?

In case anyone is wondering, some of my entries are from journal prompts from a book I got to give my kids some of my life history. What makes me me, what makes me tick, I guess.

So, today's question is:

Who gave you your name and why? Did you have a family nickname and why?

Well, my name is Rebecca Ellen. I think my mom picked it---well, I don't know why. I do know that my aunt's middle name is Ellen as well, so maybe that's where the middle name came from.

Growing up, everyone called me Becky. My Grandma stills does. The rest of my family has succumbed to my wishes of being called Becca. I always thought Becky sounded like a chicken. A chicken pecking for its food: be-cky, beck-y, be-cky.. (squawking) I really dislike that name!

My step dad used to call me Pack-rat. I guess when I was really little, my biological father would pick us kids up and keep us for the weekend. He always gave us hotdogs for lunch before bringing us back to my mom's house. I would come home with my cheeks poofed out like a squirrel with a walnut in each cheek because I refused to swallow the hotdogs. My mom would actually pinch my nose so I would spit them out in the garbage. Rather than leaving you with a mind picture of me with my cheeks exploding with hotdogs, I'll bless you with a different story...

Speaking of me and the garbage, I remember my mom making me get rid of my bubba. My precious bubba. Anyone else have a bubba? How can a grown person actually remember these things is amazing! My mom, a rather hefty woman, took it and threw it in the garbage, not gently, not nicely. She outright chucked it! So, feeling the need to soothe my poor bubba, I took it out hugged it, a bear hug, I think, and then, ever so gently lay it back ion top of that nasty pile of rubbish, never to put my little paws on a baby bottle again! It's a very sweet picture in my head.

For those who may have been worried...

I am here. I am still alive. I did not fry like a pancake..(if only I was as thin as a pancake!) Seriously, though, as I stared at that big electrical panel, I was questioning my abilities and actually told my hubby I was walking away from this one...He said ok. I made mention earlier of my wiring book constantly reminding me that I wasn't messing with 120volts but actually 240 and it could take my life. He said, "then maybe you shouldn't do it" and I made sure he understood I was only mentioning the side-note because I wanted him to see what value I was; that I was willing to give my life for his dust collector! (I'm such a kidder) Anyway, I was going to walk away, but as I sat on his table saw, Indian style, (not as ladylike as I could've been, I suppose)

I thought and thought,

glancing over at that luminous gray box begging me to attempt untraveled territory. So, I suddenly had a brainstorm, called hubby on his cell and told him I had it figured all out. (I can laugh at this looking back)

After spending an hour in the electrical isle of Home Depot, (my 6 and 11 year old made me proud) I had my measly 10 items and went back to the shop to tackle the un-tackable! lol When I got there, nothing I bought was right! Ok, maybe the plug was right, but NOTHING else!! urg...

So, I took some old conduit off the wall that had no wire in it, because the old shop owners took the wire with them--(no clue why)---And, of course, now I wonder, why didn't I think of that before!!!?? WHY!!??? Of course, my hubby said he told me to do that before I went to the store! (I don't remember that!) So, he cut the conduit--(I do not use power tools because of Duet. 22) and he drilled holes for the handy box and so I wired it all. Then, I went to clip in the new breaker and it didn't fit. I bought the wrong one! So, trip #3 to Home Depot! Good thing Depot is only blocks from our wood shop.

Then, I went to flip the switch and try it all out. I must admit, fear was gripping me. I was not as confident as I could've been, or have been in the past with these sort of endeavors. Mind you, worst case, is that the breaker switches off, just like it would at your house. No big deal but I was afraid I had done it wrong for some reason.

Praise the Lord, it all turned on swiftly and the hummm of the dust collector soothed my unconfident heart! hehe

I did it! Yeah!

Now, remember, we can do all things through Christ, according to His will, and there is such a wealth of info available to people now-a-days, that the people who don't educate themselves are doing themselves a dis-service, IMO.

The plan for the day

Yes, I suppose it is always nice to have a plan...And last night my plan was to get up early to start implementing my new schedule I made using the Managers of their Homes book. But, I didn't get up until 7:45. Can I blame my hubby? Why sure, right? Everything else is his fault!

He sometimes doesn't ruse himself out of bed until late-- freedoms of being a one-man business, I suppose. No one expects him to be at work, so he can pick his hours to get to the shop. Bad side, is sometimes he doesn't get home until way way too late.


So, today, he asked me to go to the shop and wire his dust collector. I am a self-taught electrician, plumber, floor re-finisher, HVAC girl, dry-waller...and I can even cut in a wall pretty well (painting-but some one else gave me some tips on that). I need to add a 240 volt circuit. A first for me and I must say, the book is sort of worrying me--not really, but I think it's supposed to. It has mentioned about 10 times that 240 can kill you! Duh, I know that! I think was makes it a tad more worrisome is seeing on the news last night that a woman and her child got electrocuted waiting for a bus. A wire came down and landed in the puddle they were standing in. Then a man leaped off the bus to save them and he perished as well. Electricity is NOT something to mess with.

I feel confident in my abilities and never do something I don't feel comfortable doing. Even when I changed the gas valve on my boiler, I paid the HVAC guy come over and make sure I did it correctly. He was amazed, I guess. And I was pleased to have saved myself about $400. It cost me all of $50 for his hour of time whereas, had he done it himself, it would've cost me hours in labor! Those HVAC guys aren't cheap!

So, that's the plan...

Dinner? I'll plan that later...

Dancing with God

When I meditated on the word "Guidance"
I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i".
"God", "u" and "i" dance."

God, you, and I dance.

As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
and mercies be upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God as God abides in you.

Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
and to guide you through each season of your life

How to Forgive

One day a while back, a man, his heart heavy with grief, was walking in the woods. As he thought about his life this day, he knew many things were not right. He thought about those who had lied about him back when he had a job.

His thoughts turned to those who had stolen his things and cheated him.

He remembered family that had passed on. His mind turned to the illness he had that no one could cure. His very soul was filled with anger, resentment and frustration.

Standing there this day, searching for answers he could not find, knowing all else had failed him, he knelt at the base of an old oak tree to seek the one he knew would always be there. And with tears in his eyes, he prayed:

"Lord- You have done wonderful things for me in this life. You have told me to do many things for you, and I happily obeyed. Today, you have told me to forgive. I am sad, Lord, because I cannot. I don't know how. It is not fair Lord. I didn't deserve these wrongs that were done against me and I shouldn't have to forgive. As perfect as your way is Lord, this one thing I cannot do, for I don't know how to forgive. My anger is so deep Lord, I fear I may not hear you, but I pray that you teach me to do this one thing I cannot do - Teach me To Forgive."

As he knelt there in the quiet shade of that old oak tree, he felt something fall onto his shoulder. He opened his eyes. Out of the corner of one eye, he saw something red on his shirt.

He could not turn to see what it was because where the oak tree had been was a large square piece of wood in the ground. He raised his head and saw two feet held to the wood with a large spike through them.

He raised his head more, and tears came to his eyes as he saw Jesus hanging on a cross. He saw spikes in His hands, a gash in His side, a torn and battered body, deep thorns sunk into His head. Finally he saw the suffering and pain on His precious face. As their eyes met, the man's tears turned to sobbing, and Jesus began to speak.

"Have you ever told a lie?" He asked?

The man answered - "yes, Lord."

"Have you ever been given too much change and kept it?"

The man answered - " yes. Lord." And the man sobbed more and more.

"Have you ever taken something from work that wasn't yours?" Jesus asked?

And the man answered, "yes, Lord."

"Have you ever sworn, using my Father's name in vain?" The man, crying now, answered - "yes, Lord."

As Jesus asked many more times, "Have you ever"? The man's crying became uncontrollable, for he could only answer - "yes, Lord."

Then Jesus turned His head from one side to the other, and the man felt something fall on his other shoulder. He looked and saw that it was the blood of Jesus. When he looked back up, his eyes met those of Jesus, and there was a look of love the man had never seen or known before.

Jesus said, "I didn't deserve this either, but I forgive you."

It may be hard to see how you're going to get through something, but when you look back in life, you realize how true this statement is.

If God brings you to it - He will bring you through it

.

Murder for Hire

If you would like to hire a killer,

it is now possible. His service is

professional, legally protected,

safe, sanitary, licensed and nondiscriminatory.

No secret contacts

or conspiracies are necessary. It is

all open and aboveboard. The

fees are quite expensive; but if

you desire the service and cannot

afford it, the government will

probably subsidize you. It is legal,

and there will be no future recriminations

against you, as far as

the laws of the land are concerned.

God does not approve,

but who listens to Him anymore?

If these killers could find a way to

do it, they would gladly kill Him

too.

Victims can be chosen for

nearly any reason, including financial

inconvenience, social inconvenience,

divorce, change of

boyfriends, wrong sex, a missing

finger, protection of personal privacy,

the covering up of sin, just

to prevent the lack of sexual activity

or for no stated cause at all.

The murderers get rich, the people

who hire them get relief, and

the victims get trashed. Easy, is it

not?

At present, these hired killers

do not accept people over nine

months old as victims; but perhaps

in time they can remove

some inhibitions that people have

about that and acquire permission

to include people over eighty or

perhaps over seventy, or maybe

they can get it down to sixty-five.

After all, these elderly people can

also become an inconvenience

or an embarrassment to their

families, neighbors or even society

in general.

You can acquire the information

you may desire for this service

by looking under Abortion in

the Yellow Pages. Be careful,

though; God keeps a record of

all our telephone calls and everything

that results from them.

Hiring one of these killers is

murder.

—Forrest L. Keener

What was your favorite pastime as a child?

Wow, what did I do as a child?? One thing I remember is going to my friend Jenny's house down the block. She was actually my older sister's friend and I think I stole her. At least that is what my sister says! LOL
We would play school when we were younger. Jenny was a few years older than me but we ended up being friends for many years. Pretty much until I moved up North to my Dad's house. I remember her being obsessed with her looks and makeup. I think her mom actually sent her to a beauty school. No offense, but beauty school didn't do much for her except make her look like a painted barn. I guess if the barn looks bad, paint it up!

I had some really awesome roller skates too! (I stole them from my sister too) They flashed lights on the wheels as you skated. I thought they were great. I couldn't stop with them, though. I always had to run into the grass to stop. Pathetic...

My brother and I played some games with the basketball hoop. One game was called "horse". You had to stand in one place and shoot the basket and once you made the shot, you moved to the next letter space until you spelled the word h-o-r-s-e. Obviously, whoever did it forst, one. Even though I played basketball on the school team, I rarely one. No wonder those girls didn't like me. I stunk!

Seeing as my parents kicked me out when I was 14, that didn't give me much of a childhood. In fact, my first job was when I was 10 at H&R Block--it was run by my Grandpa so it was legal and then I had a paper route when I was 12 and by 14, I could work at Burger King. I suppose that's a whole different story, eh?

Sandpaper

When life makes you have to put up with
mean and hateful people,
think of them as sandpaper.
They may scratch you,
rub you the wrong way,
but eventually
you end up smooth and polished
& the sandpaper ....
is just going to be worn out and ugly!

This is so true, isn't it?

My first post

I am looking at this as a journey. Maybe an adventure, I suppose, I am not sure how it will all come about. I like to talk and tell people of my life and its hills, valleys, plateaus and, yes, even pitfalls. I hope to use this as just that. Maybe I will meet some new people. Maybe I will make some new friends. And maybe I will make some enemies, I suppose. That is part of life, I think- making enemies. It's impossible to please everyone!

I plan to move some of my other blog entries to this blog...I hope that is allowed or okay to do. Not poor taste or poor blogging manners!