bits of sunshine

progress and sunshine

we are working away on our home . . .

things are not completely sorted out with the bank . . .

but so many people have been praying for us, and wishing us well, and one friend has been working with us almost every evening  . . .

another couple of friends showed up unexpectedly on thursday morning to help out . . . and as I said before, we trust that God has a plan for a peaceful conclusion . . .

and we feel so right about working with the materials we have . . .

so, we just keep plugging away . . .

 

and are looking forward to moving in . . . in SEVEN MORE DAYS!!!!!

b + e

i am filled with gratitude for this love, this life, this man. 

2 things

1.  try french toast with apple butter and maple syrup.  just try it.  :)

2.  i love the green paint i'm using in my house.  i love it.  :)

Just a short note to say that if it's quiet around here, it's because our internet is still a little sketchy. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But I think about all of you often, andIi miss checking in here and on your blogs. Hopefully in October I'll be back here regularly. We do have a tentative move-in date - and a schedule for getting there.

This is what our schedule looks like ::
September
8-11 have the ceiling ready for insulation and insulate the gable ends
11-12 gable end interiors finished
13-15 finish the soffit and facia
16-18 finish the walk-out front and the exterior trim
19 put up the last 10 courses of ship-lap on the ceiling
20-24 paint and trim the interior
25-26 stairs, ladder and countertops
27-30 clean, clean, clean
October 2-3 MOVE IN!

To all of you have been praying for and thinking of us, thank you. Thank you so much. So very much. And please keep praying as you think of us. God is so good to answer our prayers. We will arrive at an answer for the final mortgage in God's timing. For now we are exhausting our options and waiting on Him.

I'll be back as soon as I can, my friends.
Love, ~e

this moment

sitting in the quiet, warm car in the dark, all four of us, as the rain pours down, away from the camper where the wind sounds as though it will tear the top off and the rain sounds as though it will wash the whole thing right down to the river.  watching the storm on the weather tracker.  the kiddos bundled into their blankets.  Ben and I sipping coffee.  more proof that home isn't a place, but wherever peace surrounds.

 

7 years old today!

Miss Maddie, you are so special, and more wonderous than you know.

So, last night Ben and I were teasing her that she shouldn't really get to celebrate until tomorrow, because she wasn't born until 11:24 pm . . . but, I guess I have a few little things out for her this morning.  She'll get little surprises all day today.  :) 

And I am the mother of a 7-year-old . . . wow!

the cedar cross

Maybe you were wondering about the cedar cross in my post of a few days ago? 

Last Sunday morning was difficult.  Ben was sort of having a break-down.  We've been living with so. much. stress. these last few weeks.  And it all just caught up with him.  So in church, I was looking up and reading verses about laying our burdens down (John 7:37, Matt 11:28-30, I Peter 5:7, Psalm 55:22, Matt 6:25-34, Isaiah 55:1, Isaiah 26:3-4) . . . and pointing some of them out to Ben.  Right.  I know where they are.  I know what the Bible says.  What God promises.  And still, there were days last week when I had physical symptoms of being completely overwhelmed.  Ben too.  Even though we both know and trust that God is in control. If we didn't know and trust that, I think we both would have suffered full-blown panic attacks by now.  God has a plan that He will work for His glory and our good if we continue to seek Him.

Anyway, when we got home from church, Ben grabbed this cedar beam and his chainsaw and his chisel, and while I made lunch, he made a cross.  And chiseled in the words "ALL FOR JESUS" to declare and remind that our life, our house, our time, our difficulty - nothing is worth anything unless it is all for Jesus.

This cross now stands in the field in front of our house.  A reminder that through it all, through all of this, our lives are ALL FOR JESUS, and Him only. 

this moment

in the sunshine, with a baby . . .

a very good moment, indeed.

find other moments here, and have a happy Friday.  love, ~e

putting by

even though we are living in a camper-trailer, i am trying to fill my freezer with good things to cook with in my new kitchen!  i really miss cooking and baking.  homemade bread . . . oh - the day that i get to make homemade bread again - that will be a celebration!!!

revisiting my goals

                            . . . cedar wood, chisel carved, heart born, reminder stands . . .

this cross bears my first and foremost goal

in January I wrote this list of goals

in February I revisited the list

in April I updated where I was at with the goals

and as today is the first day of September, I decided to visit the goals again . . .

:: slow down every once in a while we just go jump in the river

:: write at least two short stories I'd like to write one this month

:: attempt a collaboration with a friend on a children's book I'm still working on revisions and he's still working on drawings

:: listen to more music we are, all sorts, and it's good - I just found some new things to add to my collection - as soon as I have a few dollars for itunes, I'll be purchasing (in no particular order) Jack Johnson's new album, some Amos Lee, The Sound of Sunshine, The Coast, some Cowboy Junkies, and some others . . . I'll share bits about them as I purchase them . . . a few musical reviews are forthcoming - I can feel it

:: take more pictures of my children - at least one a week i think i'm doing this

:: read through my Bible (i'm in Leviticus)  I just finished Dueteronomy . . . not moving real fast, but still plugging away, and still learning as I go

:: share something from my reading here each week so, I haven't done this yet, but I have some thoughts percolating in my mind . . . I'll share them later this week

:: finish Maddie's quilt once we live in our new house

:: finish Ben's quilt (it's still almost done) it's more almost done and it's sitting at my mom's waiting for me to come finish it

:: do learning/school work with my children at least 4 days a week (we are off to a really good start!) we'll be getting back at this once we are in our house . . . this summer we have been using our library a lot - Maddie is reading and Isaac is looking at books every day

:: share some tips and tidbits about our learning here

:: stay home all day most days maybe this isn't realistic for me . . . and i think that's o.k.  and right now, we don't really have "home", so I'm ready to see what this will look like when we settle in to our home

:: really utilize my etsy shop ummmmmm . . .

:: use less natural gas (keep my fire stoked!) it's warm enough to not worry about this now!

:: go on more dates with my husband even without "dates" we stay connected and are growing closer each day . . . maybe a few more "dates" this fall . . . that would be fun

:: finish going through all those boxes of papers that have followed us for 9 moves in the past 8 years . . . 3 down, 5? to go . . . and they are following us again . . .

:: stay in this house! well . . . we'll see about this one . . . ha.ha.  but the house we are building now?  I'm not moving out of it until someone moves me out cause I'm OLD and frail or dead.

:: go on at least 3 camping/backpacking sorts of trips we have 5 penciled in on our calendar we've gone on one, and now we are living in a camper . . . there's still time to do two more

:: help Ben loose 40 pounds we are on the way, and it's hard, but good  this has been so hard with building and moving and all the stress right now . . . but he hasn't gone backwards, and that ROCKS!

:: organize my blog - so you and I can find things in my old posts  how about just blog more consistently again?  that's what I would like

:: write at least one handwritten letter per week i'd say i'm at every other week  and now, well, I've written two since we've been in the camper . . .

:: be an encouragement this is an on-going, never-ending goal

:: find the bits of sunshine in every day even on those days, even then, rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice! this has been a test in the past four weeks, but there is always a ray.  always.

so, here I am.  doing pretty well.  and liking this list.  this mindfulness of goals made and being worked at and some being accomplished. 

make a goal for yourself.  write it down.  revisit it.  make progress.  and be encouraged.

~e