Don't Cry for Me...

I'm hoping to blog about something other than the building project we have going on...eventually.  Sometimes, Facebook and the blog and real life all mush together and I can't remember what I've shared where.  Kinda like in real life when I start in on a story and then say, "Did I tell you this already?!?"  Because frankly, my friends, my mind is mush.

I should do more crosswords or something.

Anyways, lest you start to feel too sorry for me about living through construction, I should tell you that other than the fact that my house is somewhat smaller than normal (for the time being) life goes on as usual.  Nothing is really disrupted all that much.  Even Lucy is getting used to sleeping through the noise.

My kitchen is currently housing my washer and dryer.  My friend from England tells me I have now have an English kitchen.  I love that.  Those English people know what they're doing, because I happen to LOVE it in there.

Summer is going good so far.  I'll admit, sometimes my children make me insanely crazy with their bickering and dragging in of sand, and their eating all. day. long, and their changing of clothes 500 times, they're messy hogs really.  But they're my messy hogs, and I love them.  And in between times of ripping out my own hair, I smile and remember that someday I'm going to miss their hog-i-ness and I'll be totally bored not having to clean up all the time.  I'll find myself doing frivilous things, such as showering and wandering around Target aimlessly...which reminds me...Target is waiting for me...right now...with four kids...still worth it.

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It's Begun...

Saturday I awoke to the sound of large machinery.

I knew it could only mean one thing.

And please, by all means, have a good laugh at the "trailor" for the old shingles.  I did.

Now, the hole will be dug and the cement people will come...that's as far as I choose to look ahead.

I have one motto regarding remodeling, it's called No Expectations.

So far, it's working swimmingly.

On a completely other note...I learned a lesson about Lucy while grocery shopping with her and her three brothers last week.

1 - She loves M&Ms.  Like...a lot.
2 - She rages when I take them away.
3 - They make a huge mess.

I also know you do not visit my blog because of my fantastic photo taking capabilities.  It's likely more because of my excellent English grammar.  *cough*  Either way, thanks for visiting...much appreciated ;)

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The Parsonage is Getting Bigger

Hello poor, neglected blog of mine...I've missed you.  I think of you often.  Let's update.

My husband's a pastor in a tiny town.  We live in the parsonage next door.  The 100 year old, three bedroom, one bathroom house that I really quite adore.  This is all old news...the NEW news is that our church recently voted  to add an addition onto the parsonage.  A quite large addition, like double-the-parsonage-size type addition.

They will be tearing off the back of the house, which consists of the mud room, little tiny garage, and attic/storage room above it.


They will be adding a  24'x 24' two-story addition.  New kitchen, dining, mudroom, and bathroom downstairs and upstairs there will be two  new bedrooms, one huge master and one smaller bedroom.  Then it will be new windows and siding throughout.

It's going to be  a process.  A likely long process.  Our tiny church never ceases to amaze us, we are humbled and excited.

The section with the red door is what will be torn off and where the new addition will be.

Ok, lets keep it real.  This is at the top of the stairs, that is the tiny door to the attic/storage room.  This is where I have been the last few weeks.

This is the attic mostly emptied out.  I know.  It was completely full, like "how do I even get in here" type full.

In order to tear off the back of the house, it required me emptying the attic, which is the room I like to call "I have no idea what to do with the item so I'll just open the door, toss it in and worry about it later."  I've done that for close to 6 years now.  Let's just say it's taken me weeks and hours of my life to sort through our stuff.

Ridiculous amount of stuff, most of which is sitting in my garage waiting for tiny-town city wide garage sale tomorrow!

It's got me thinking a lot about "stuff" and why we had so much.  I never want that much stuff again.  I want less stuff in our bigger house, because the stuff  is a waste of time and energy for me.  It's a new way of thinking, and I'd love to write more about it as soon as this garage sale is over!  :)

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Family Picture Time

School here starts on Wednesday.  We're all ready and not ready all at the same time, which I know makes sense to all of you.


Jake needs to take a framed family picture along with him to pre-k so a friend snapped one for us, on our front steps, a few minutes before church started.  Because we're fancy like that.


Since everyone is looking at the camera, we call that success.

The Parsonage Family

You'll have to click on the pic to see all of us!

It's sort of our first family picture with Lucy.  Gus almost made it in, but he's just too big and hairy for the front step picture.  Next time, Gus.


And yes, before you ask....Lucy and I do match.  Here's my theory:  Since she's pretty much attached to me all of the time, she's kinda like a fashion accessory.  It's best that we not clash. ;)  

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The View I Love the Most

The other night, probably close to 9:00, I stepped out our front door to let Gus out.  I happened to turn around and get a glimpse of my home from the outside, with the lights all on, curtains open.  And it made me smile.


For a moment, I got to look in on my life, and its a good view.


Sure, it involves some chaos and mayhem.  Smelliness.  Imperfections.   All of which make it pretty great.

And then it reminded me of a country song.  Because I can pretty much come up with a country song for every memory I have...they just work like that.





And like it says...I see what beautiful is about
                          when I'm looking in...not when I'm looking out.
I'll never beat the view, of my front porch looking in.

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If These Walls Could Talk

It has been quite the week here in the parsonage. One of those weeks where I think to myself...if these walls could talk.

Actually, I think Sunday night those walls were trying to give me a heads-up. I filled the bathtub to take a bath, and that's when the water began seeping though the bathroom floor/kitchen ceiling, raining through the ceiling fan light fixture. We surely aren't the first to get that lovely experience in this parsonage.

Many of the pastors and their families that have ministered here in our church over the past 152 years of its existence have lived within these walls. They likely knew what I am currently learning; that ministering to people is much like parenting your children. They can bring you the greatest joy or the deepest pain. Either way, they drive you to your knees before The One you truly serve, with tears of joy or tears of pain.

For me, there's a sense of comfort within these walls, a sanctuary of sorts. Not only because it's home, but because I know that God sustained those in ministry before us, some through the same trials and joys of life ...and some through much, much tougher ones. He will see us through just the same.

I've learned something about myself this week. There are trials and circumstances in my life that feel like mountains. Huge mountains. I tend to wander around at the base of those mountains...pacing. Viewing them as permanent fixtures, because after all, they're mountains. That view, leads me to pray that God would be with me, sustain me...which is fine...but what if, what if they're not meant to be permanent. What if God is just waiting for me to exercise some faith in who I say He is, in what I know He's capable of. What if I believe He is the God who does the impossible? What if those mountains are meant to be moved?

Time to stop pacing at the foot of the mountain. Time to start standing on the truth of His Word that has never failed me, not once.

...Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20-21

And when He does it, may the first words out of my mouth be glory and honor to Him.

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Guilty

A little story.

There once was a young lad in Kindergarten. And while at kindergarten, in his class of twenty some six year olds, he made a small can that held grass magic seed he'd planted and watered and watched grow.

His mom forgot to take a picture of it.

Which is sad...because the little magic seed container never stood a chance after being brought to the Kindergartner's home...where the three year old little brother resides.

The evidence of destruction:

The dumping

The feeble attempt at cleaning up the evidence

All that remains

The culprit...and the punishment

Guilty.

There's a given fact around our home...curiosity kills anything the three year old touches.

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Finally Breaking-Up With the Paneling...

Ben is on vacation from his "secular" job this week. YAY!

Today we're starting the project that we've both been putting off for the three years that we've lived in the parsonage.

The office. More importantly...the paneling in the office.

Not pretty. Paneling and I are not friends.

Before we actually moved in, I painted the paneling in all three bedrooms, but ran out of time for the office.

Since then...it has been driving me NUTS! The office is right off the living room...and ya'll know it's where the computer is...so I'm in here...well, you know....I won't specify the exact amount of time.

We've not been able to agree on a color...but on Saturday, we went ahead and picked one out...and then spent all of Sunday having second thoughts.

I should have some before & after picks soon!

In the mean time, we get to paint together :)

Let the prayers begin ;)

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