Memories

Nine years ago today, my husband and I moved into the first home we built. We were newly married and full of hopes to build a life and family together there. Leaving that home was emotionally very hard for me. Tears well even now as I look back at this favorite photo taken just a few days before Shine's birth. You pour your heart into building a home, improve it over the years, and most of all envision your children growing up there and marking their own milestones in it.

It's hard to believe that anyone else would ever appreciate all the decisions you make when building a home, and I don't think it would be fair to expect that they possibly could. Do they know that Shimmer stood by the limelight hydrangea with Daddy for a picture on her first day of kindergarten; that Shine's chair at our kitchen island was the one on the end by the refrigerator; that the reading light in the living room was given to me by husband on my birthday while we were building the house; or, that the scratches on the hardwood maple floors are from our faithful black lab who we know will soon be leaving this world? No. No more than I know now all the things they've found meaning in as they make it their own.

Now my husband is giving life to a home more beautiful than I ever could have dreamed of to replace the heartache of leaving our first family home. I pray that it will bring happiness and warm memories to our family for generations to come. More than this though, I pray that we'll remember rooms are also being prepared for us in our heavenly home, and how much more will we realize then, how even this beautiful home will pale in comparison...

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose."

Save the Frogs

Shimmer and Shine recently learned that the frogs that have entertained them all summer will be buried soon by our excavator. It's inevitable in the name of progress.

After searching for a new home for them on our lot and having no luck (it's been a dry summer); we decided the best spot may be the pond a few lots down. Shine was really hoping to find a closer spot so he could visit them more often, but he's willing to sacrifice his wishes for their safety. He wants to save his endangered little green friends in the worst way; but, both he and Shimmer have been a little leary of touching them. Today they finally caught some... and on our way home they released those four lucky frogs.

The Reveal... so far

Labor Day... more like Labor Week and then some. So much more to face; but, we press on, and find hope in the beautiful view of the front of our new old house and in the word of God.

Matthew 11:28
James 1:12

Keeping a Promise

After school today, Daddy made good on his promise to give Shimmer and Shine the ride they've been wanting on the equipment we rented to help paint the house. They held on tight and made a lap around the house, before we packed it in for the day.

On the inside, our drywall finisher didn't quite get done as planned so he'll be putting in some time tomorrow morning to wrap things up. That means we won't really be able to start priming the interior yet like we thought; but, I have plenty of windows left to finish and the garage needs to be tackled while we still have the lift (at least the hard to reach spots). Actually, the siding on the end still needs to be completed before we can totally finish our exterior work.

Hard to Reach Places

Stayed a little longer tonight and my husband worked hard to finish the second coat on the garage side of the house. That meant tackling the peak which has been one of the hardest places to reach. Check out his feet... not for the faint of heart!

Inside today, our crew was undertaking the drywall to enclose our future stairwell to the third floor. Even with scaffolding there was no easy way to finish that job either.

Heartfelt Thanks

Today my sister's boyfriend came along with my Dad to brave the relentless heat and add his brush to the paint bucket. Looking pretty good by the end of day four and leaving us in good shape to hopefully finish the house by the end of the week. We can't thank them enough for their help.

I'll still be working on the windows for awhile and we'll still have some garage painting to finish too, but they have eased our burden immensely. Have to say the thought of all the interior priming and paint work ahead is overwhelming at this point, but we'll take it one day at a time.

Looking In from the Outside

Our third day of painting ends with the first look at some of our windows being replaced after drying. No separate trim or accent colors, just a primitive monochromatic look. These double hung windows with 12 over 12 panes are typical of the period and Georgian style of our home. Beautiful to look at... time consuming to paint! But, there is a sense of personal satisfaction each time I finish one.