Dig, dig, dig, dig ... the whole day through

slowly, but surely.

Is that the front door or the back door?

There's a door out the back of the house that has been tapes, nailed, boarded, bolted shut since before we moved in.  Not sure why they gave up on the door, but we haven't worried about it. James decided, though, that it would be helpful to have the exit, especially for getting dirt outside (from his digging).  So, he ripped the door off and constructed a new one from something he found in the barn. Mr. Resourceful. 

Did I mention, "What a guy!"

Jackhammering!! -- Phase 2

Next up was the laundry room.  Actually, I was pretty glad to have my washing machine and dryer inaccessible for a couple of days.  Took away the stress and guilt of not doing laundry over the weekend! 

The first trench (and yes, this too, will need to be dug down 4 feet)

The three trenches finished!

The awesome guy cleaned it all up (I helped)...

put down some plywood...

and gave me my laundry room back -- yes, I know you guys are jealous of my laundry room.
LOOKING FORWARD TO FINISHING THAT PHASE!!

Jackhammering!! -- Phase 1

 Well, the next step has been determined -- PLUMBING.  Yuck.  We decided to start working on the plumbing for the future laundry room, guest bathroom and upstairs bathroom. That meant cutting through concrete. We had a great plumber (a friend of a friend) come by and give us some free advice!  So, James rented a jackhammer and got to work. He's digging a trench through the current laundry room and out to the drain line in the backyard.

"The Brute"

The girls are captivated.

Starting the hard part -- digging out the mess



The post-jackhammering result -- now to dig out the dirt 4 feet down!  UGH!

the pile o' rubble -- just perfect for the girls to climb on in their black patent shoes

 on Christmas Sunday morning -- oh, yes, they did!



Moving on

Well, the floor above the garage has to be taken out at some point, so James decided to do that while we think...

An update

Well, there hasn't been a whole lot of visible work done. The work currently going on is in our heads. What's the next step?  Where's the plumbing?  How big will the laundry room be?  Do we want to replace more joists? These are just a few of the questions we're dealing with...

A floor!!!

It's finally time to put some plywood on the floor upstairs!  This a big step!

Oh, what a pretty floor. No more joist-walking...

Can you picture the girls' room??? 

Thoughts...

Not about the house today.  Although I've got about 5 posts to write on that...
(Disclaimer: This post got rather lengthy. Sorry about that)

I attended an incredible weekend conference in Ft. Worth about a month ago. Not a touchy-feely, humor-filled women's weekend.  A kick-in-the-pants, call-to-Biblical-womanhood kind of women's weekend.  I came home with tons to think about, think through, and deal with.  I realized today that I seem to have been under attack since that time.  Now, I understand that Satan tends to up his attacks when we're walking more closely with the Lord, but is it possible that there's also something else at work here? Is it possible that the struggles haven't really intensified, but that I'm simply more aware of them? More in-tune with the warfare around and in me?  Wanting to respond more correctly to the Lord? James? my girls?  And being reminded over and over that I am depraved by nature and completely incapable of doing the right thing. ONLY by the grace of God can I demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit. 
During the conference, Nancy Leigh Demoss shared a piece of wise advice: When I am Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired, HALT! and run to the Lord!  I thought, "Oh, that's good. I'll tuck that in my tool box for one of those days..."  Well, the more I think about it, that piece of advice applies to each and every one of my days.  I am ALWAYS tired and frequently hungry and angry, although rarely lonely. :-)  SO, I need to HALT and RUN to the Lord!

That being said, He has been faithful to teach me some things in the last month, particularly pertaining to my children...

How often have I, in an effort to distract Charis from wanting to go the park AGAIN, said, "Not today, sweetie. We'll do that later."  I have had no intention of following through on the promise.  Or, I'll say, "We'll make those paper snowflakes tomorrow," while in the back of my mind thinking, "Yeah, I don't see that happening any time soon."  What a terrible pattern to set for my children. I am pretty sure that she can see right through me. That she knows when I'm not going to follow-through.  And what is that telling her about the Lord? That He is not faithful. Which, of course, I know to be entirely untrue!  I want to be faithful, to be trustworthy, to be truthful.  So, I have been making it a point to answer her directly. "Sweetie, we cannot go to the park by ourselves. Mommy is not comfortable handling 3 little girls by herself at the park. We'll have to wait for a good time to go with Daddy."  "Okay, we are going to make those snowflakes on Monday."  And you know what, we did.  And had a great time. 

Secondly, I find myself getting so frustrated with Gwyn, feeling like I've told her for the 30th time today not to open the desk drawer and get out the markers.  And I've probably told her 5 times, in reality, but have I required her to experience the consequences of disobedience yet today?  If I just keep telling her to stop, if I just keep raising my voice and getting more irritated, why in the world would she stop? That actually would be fun -- to see how irritated Mom can get.  Until I stop, after the first time, and deal with the disobedience, I cannot expect her to stop.  And I find myself a whole lot less frustrated throughout the day, and I'm pretty sure she's less frustrated too. Amazing what a spanking session can do to right a bad attitude or restore a strained relationship. 

Thirdly, Charis has suddenly developed a hearing loss. "What, Mommy?" "(blank stare)" "(disobedience)"  I have found that teaching her to listen better has caused me to analyze my listening skills. How often I tune out my girls, not noticing until they've said "Mommy!" for the 10th time.  Seems pretty clear to me that they learn that pattern. Why should they listen the first time if I don't? Now, I know that we can and must still call our children to obedience even though we are so frequently disobedient ourselves.  But, I'm saying that I take the opportunity to deal with the log in my own eye WHILE I'm dealing with the speck in hers.  I am called primarily to teach her to obey the Lord, and what better way to teach than to live it before her.

In the midst of these struggles and joys and learning and small victories and weariness, I am reminded of Isaiah 40:28-31.
28 Do you not know ? Have you not heard ? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable . 29 He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. 30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, 31 Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength ; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

God is so faithful to uphold me.  Why do I even try it on my own?  I get the feeling I'll be asking myself that question until I'm 90...

UPDATE:  Charis actually had double ear infections. Poor thing. Never complained...  So like the Lord to use even that to teach me.

We interrupt this renovation...

to bring you a special report:  The sewer drain is clogged, which means last night's dishwasher draining ended up in the bathtub, and the water from the washer drain ended up on the floor. Not to mention the awesome mini-Niagara Falls pouring out of the drain itself in the backyard.  We tried some fixes yesterday -- boiling water, cleaning out the disposal, etc. None of them worked.
So, today James made the trip to Home Depot to rent the super snake. When he opened up the sewer drain cap in the backyard, he discovered the likely clog-creator:  a plastic horseshoe stake put down the hole by "somebody."  Any guesses?  It had apparently blocked the flow, and a huge clog was built up behind it.  Awesome.
So after about 15 minutes of snaking, he heard the clog move on down the drain to Neverland, and we were once again clog-free! Praise the Lord for a relatively easy and inexpensive fix!  Now, back to work!

You know that saying?

"Sometimes it has to get worse before it can get better."

My mother-in-law, with a smirk on her face, asked me this evening,"Why did we paint?" :-)

Thanks to the insane wiring setup that currently exists in the house, James has had to cut several holes to see where wires are going.  There were random things in 4 different rooms attached to the same circuit. Awesome.

But he does patch them up as much as he can! 

On to the living room wiring...

This meant starting on the other side of the living room wall, where James destroyed the fake brick backing to our built-in desk.  I wish I could say I was sad...

Once he got the wires run...

He installed an extra new switch. Now the fans actually have a wall switch! And we were very particular to make sure that the switches were in the right order -- the one on the left goes to the fireplace lights. The right one goes to the fans.  Getting those mixed up would have driven us NUTS. 

 Speaking of fans, they're back up and working fantastically!

Electrifying

Well, it's finally time to do some electrical work around here. Before James puts the floor on upstairs, he wants to get as much in place for future work as possible.  And now that the HVAC is done, it's time for wires.  The more he digs into the wiring, the scarier the existing wiring is becoming -- this place is crazy!  So, he's really glad to be running all new wires -- especially so we know exactly what is going where.

 Now, obviously, this doesn't look like quite the pretty sheet rock hole he started with, but things happen sometimes... 

Here he is attaching the new wire to the bathroom. He likes to say that he's making our walls look a bit Frankensteinian.  Patches everywhere!  And more to come!

Yes, scary wires... No major shocks yet...

 

Stepping Heavenward

No, this isn't a post about building our new staircase... That will come in about 6 months (fingers crossed!).  It's a post about a book I just finished: Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss. Originally published in 1869, this book is a favorite of my best friend, Kirsten. I flew through it, thoroughly enjoying the young woman's journey to godliness, as seen through her journals.  I just need to copy a couple of quotes for my own personal reference and thought this is as good a place as any. 
You may or may not have noticed my book lists on the right hand side of my blog.  I determined early in the year to READ!  I have always loved to read, yet I have not been very diligent about doing it over the last few years. I wonder why...  But, I'm excited to look at the list of books completed!  It has been a worthwhile undertaking!

On marriage...
"The coming of each new child strengthens and deepens my desire to be what I would have (my marriage) become, makes my fault more odious in my eyes, and elevates my whole character.  What a blessed discipline of joy and of pain my married life has been; how thankful I am to reap its fruits even while pricked by its thorns."  p. 230

On children...
"Martha says I shall now have one mouth the more to fill and two feet the more to shoe, more disturbed nights, more laborious days, and less leisure or visiting, reading, music and drawing. Well! This is one side of the story, to be sure, but I look at the other. Here is a sweet, fragrant mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God; and the body in which it dwells is worthy all it will cost, since it is the abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all, to whom, while I minister in Christ's name, I make a willing sacrifice of what little leisure for my own recreation my other darlings had left me. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother's heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her tenderest cares, to her lifelong prayers! Oh, how rich I am, how truly, how wondrously blest!"  p. 229

Sag no more.

Okay, have you ever tried to capture ceiling sag via camera? Next to impossible. The only way to explain it -- this beam in the picture below?  It is sitting on the top of the cabinets -- pinched between the sagging ceiling and the cabinet. 

Okay, now check this out -- after James nailed up the ceiling to the new joists -- a HUGE difference!

Below: The pretty ceiling (well, the pretty needs-to-be-patched, textured, painted ceiling)

Did I say see you "tomorrow?" :-)

Another day, another hole in the ceiling...  James made yet another cut to continue the kitchen joisting. (is that a word?) 

here he is doing some more measuring

Charis decided to get a shot of me "helping."

watching the action

SEVENTEEN JOISTS IN PLACE!! Ain't they purty?!?!?!

the clean-up -- putting the light fixture back up

On to electrical work we go...

A first...

I'm actually blogging as the work is being done. Impressed?  :-)

The first (and second) hole in my kitchen ceiling appeared this morning.  Along with a couple of braces and drapes and quite a mess.  Fortunately, we had easy leftovers for lunch and are going to a family gig for dinner, so today's food issues are covered.  Tomorrow?  I'll be working under the drapes...

The view from upstairs...

And the first kitchen joist is IN!

Stay tuned for more updates...
(ha.  probably tomorrow) :-)
And did I mention my children can sleep through anything?!

UPDATE:

Yes, this is the same kitchen. Two joists are in, it's been cleaned up and we're headed to bed for the night.  More tomorrow...

The next phase begins...

Well, we're home from vacation, and that means back to work.  James started removing the floor over the kitchen in preparation for replacing the kitchen joists.  That means a little more HVAC work and some ever-exciting electrical work.  Here we go...

the current state of the upstairs