It only took 3 days!

A few years ago I did a little makeover on my main bathroom. New porcelein tile, new paint, new light fixtures, and new faucets. It looked really nice. But I could not afford a new countertop so I just lived with the yucky white with gold specks.



Then someone told me about an inexpensive way to transform it! Rustoleum hammered paint


So I hunted and hunted and ended up having to order it on line. I bought it in two colors - bronze & copper - I didn't know which one I would want, but I did know that I wanted it to go with the antique bronze fixtures and faucet. I decided on the bronze, but decided to keep the copper. Here is how it all played out!


Day 1 (Saturday)
Tape off the counter and begin applying bronze hammered paint.
Coat 1 and wait 2 hours: "hmmm"
Coat 2 and wait 2 hours: "that's a little better"
Coat 3 and wait 2 hours: "now we're gettin somewhere - maybe one more coat and those brush marks will be gone"
Coat 4 and wait 2 hours: "oh man...those brush marks are still there. Well, maybe I can use a different technique to get rid of them - I will just pat the counter with the side of the brush and give it a faux marble look."
3 hours later I wanted to be DONE so I applied a coat of polyurethane and off to bed I went! I am not very patient when it comes to projects!


Day 2 (Sunday)
Somehow the counter did not look as good in the light of day as it did at midnight the night before. "Oh no! What have I done! I should have never applied that polyurethane yet. What can I do to fix this?"


I soon had it all figured out!!


After church, I stopped at Wal-Mart and was told by the Master Paint Man that I definitely should not use polyurethane because it will turn yellow - I needed polycrylic ($17 a quart - "yikes it must be white gold in a can!"). I also purchased some small wire brushes and sandpaper block.


"Wow! If I hadn't messed up last night I never would have known that! I would have put on 2-3 coats of polyurethane and it would have eventually all turned yucky yellow. So glad I made that mistake!"


So I headed home and...
Levi went to work sanding off the polyurethane. And...I decided to add more coats of the bronze hammered paint because now the counter was all dull looking. So . . .


Coat 1 and wait 2 hours: "lookin good"
Coat 2 and wait 2 hours: "oh yeah"
Coat 3 and wait 2 hours: "almost done!"


Next I used the small wire brush to dab some copper hammered paint onto the bronze. Then I took a wadded up plastic wal-mart bag and swirled it. Voila!! "Yes! That's what I wanted!"

Next it was time for the 'white gold in a can'.

Coat 1 and wait 3 hours
Coat 2 and wait 3 hours

Day 3 (Monday)

Remove all the tape & caulk around sink and counter top.


Are you ready . . .

Drum roll please . . .

Here it is!

The transformed bathroom countertop!

So 3 days,

7 coats of bronze hammered paint,

1 coat of polyurethane applied & removed,

1 faux copper finish,

and 3 coats of polycrylic

and we have the finished product!

So? What do you think?

It's Almost Here!

I am transforming my living room into a dining room! Some might think that is an odd thing to do, but I have a good reason. I don't have a dining room. My kitchen has a table that seats 4 - or 6 if you put an extra chair on each end and then you cannot get around to the kitchen cabinets because the table and chairs are wall to wall. My family is growing! I thank God for that every day. This past Thanksgiving and Christmas I was sad at family gatherings because 4 or 5 people would sit at the table and the other 8-10 people would go downstairs to the family room and eat around the coffee table or off their laps. So I had a revelation!!! It went something like this - "Jeanna, you need a dining room table. But where would you put it? Well, there is the living room that you hardly ever use. Why not transform it into a dining room? Great idea!!" So that is how it began. The decision was made - I would use my income tax money to buy a dining room table!

So in January I went shopping for a dining room table and I found one - but...it wasn't there - they had sold it but... they did have a picture of it. I really liked the picture! They made me a copy and I proudly hung it on my refrigerator to remind me of what my income tax money would go for.

Well income tax preparation day was very sad. There would not be enough money to buy my dining room table. So my plans were put on hold.

I soon decided that summer school money would provide me with my dining room table. The picture continued to hang on my refrigerator as an inspiration of what was to come!

Summer came and it was time to make it happen!

So step one was to paint the walls. The walls were a faux pink - kind of reminded me of being inside a bottle of pepto bismol. It was rather calming and I liked it. But I gave them up for my new inspiration. I chose 'Desert Fortress' as the color for my new room.

I also added a brown scarf to the window treatments.

I was going to paint the fireplace, but was talked out of it by 2 very special people (daughter, Kate, & friend, Gay Ann). So I just painted the fireplace mantel and hearth. The mantel was a dark walnut and the hearth was concrete. This is a BIG improvement! I chose a color called 'Boston Legacy'. I love paint names! It really does influence my choice! Crazy, don't you think?



I soon discovered a problem. There is no overhead light in the living room. An overhead light is a necessity in a dining room. So I had to find a light and someone to wire for it and hang it. Finding the light was easy - it was even on clearance! Finding someone to wire it and hang it was a different story. But I finally did and he took care of it this morning! So....

The light is up!!!

My dear friend, Gay Ann, went shopping with me for the dining room table and chairs. We checked out several furniture stores. Of course we went to the store that provided me the picture and this time they had the actual table and chairs! But we were still looking so we drove down the road a ways to the next furniture store. We found a beautiful set and it was less expensive than the previous one! It has been ordered and should be here within the next week.

I will be sure to post a finished picture of my new dining room!!

Let's see . . . next will be a rug for under the table, table linens, dishes, wall decor . . . the list goes on and on!

Focus

I have a hard time staying focused.

I go to the store for a few items and "oops" come home with 2-3 bags full of stuff not on my list. I walk into a room to get something and "oops" get sidetracked with other things and leave the room without what I went in for. I'm driving down the road and "oops" my mind starts going somewhere else and I miss my turn. I'm praying and "oops" I cut God off. Ouch - that one hurts!

Why is it so hard for me to stay focused? It is easy to blame my wandering mind on the fast paced world we live in. But, is that accurate? Maybe sometimes, but probably not most of the time. I think I just need to be more disciplined. That might make a big difference!

I sure am glad that God doesn't lose His focus! He has always had His eyes focused on the end result. From the first day of creation (actually before that) He has known where He was going and what He was going to accomplish. He has known what each individual on this earth could accomplish if they would focus on Him. He has known all the pain I could have avoided if I would have kept my focus on Jesus. No sense crying over spilled milk. It is time to move forward!!!

Lord, thank you for being such an awesome God. Thank you for the tender, loving discipline You use to mold me into what You want. Thank you Lord for the constant focus You have for me. I am so glad that Jesus kept His focus all the way from the manger to the cross! Today, I want to keep my eyes focused on Him!

For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

Awesome Wedding Entrance

What a great way to start a marriage!! Check it out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

WARNING!!!

How many times have I ignored warning signs? Too many!! Ignoring a warning light on the car dash has led to major mechanical problems; ignoring a physical pain has led to significant health problems; and ignoring bad behavior in my kids has led to more of the same and bigger issues down the road! All of these issues could have been avoided if I had only paid attention to the warning signs!

Now, what about warnings from God? Oh my - ignoring the warning signs and small whispers from Him have led to such pain and sorrow that could have been avoided so easily. As I look back over my life I wonder just how far would God go to get my attention? I am so thankful that He has never given up on me! And I hold tight to the hope that He never will!

However, I am tired of having to learn things the hard way! As Beth Moore has said "Do we always have to learn the lesson on a field trip?"

Father God, I want to see Your warning signs with my eyes. I want to hear Your warnings with my ears. And I want to be obedient to You with my heart. But, Lord, if I fall back and fail to see, hear, or be obedient, then, please, take me on the field trip - don't leave me to my own devices!

Come back to the Lord your God, because He is kind and shows mercy. He doesn't become angry quickly, and He has great love. Joel 2:13

The Love Chapter

1 Corinthians 13 has always been a favorite. This morning I read it in The Message.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first",
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end. (vs. 4-7)

Well, it looks like our society doesn't know much about love! And I am ashamed to say that includes me. I have gotten better over the years, but I have a LONG way to go.

...when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled. (vs. 10)

YES!! The promise - I just love it when I hear a promise from God - He doesn't expect me to get it right everytime - He knows I am incomplete and unable - BUT, one day it will all change!

When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good. (vs. 11)

Just like I thought earlier, I have gotten better over the years. I have grown - God did not leave me where I was 10 years ago and He will not leave me where I am now, as long as I am actively seeking Him.

We don't see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing Him directly just as He knows us! (vs. 12)

So much of my life I spend trying to figure out: What makes that person tick? Why would so-and-so do that? What happened that made her so bitter? Why isn't this Christian joyful? What can I do to fix this situation? Why can't people keep their negative comments to theirself? What does God want me to do? Why can't I hear what God wants me to do? Verse 12 explains it all and reminds me that it's always going to be like this until He returns! When Jesus comes back we will see Him and be like Him! Oh Happy Day!!!

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. (vs. 13)

Lord, I want to be more like you, Jesus, everyday! I want to trust You completely! I want to cling to the hope I have in You with all my might! I want to love others extravagantly! Help me to see with Your eyes, hear with Your ears, and love with Your heart. Thank you for reminding me that it is not all about me - help me to put aside my 'me-first' attitude. Help me to not 'revel when others grovel' and I do want to 'take pleasure in the flowering of truth'. May each day I depend on You because I know that without You it is impossible for me to do any of these things. Thank you for not leaving me where I was - and just so we're clear - I do not want to stay where I am! I want to be more like the Creator!

Holy - what is it?

HOLY - I have always loved this word - HOLY

For some reason today the word Holy is at the front of my mind and I don't know why, so I decided it must be a God thing and to just go with it.

First, I looked up the definition:
Webster defines Holy as "exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness."

Next, I went to God's Word and was reminded of this verse:
Psalm 99:9 "For the Lord our God is holy!"

I love music, so I naturally thought of one of my favorite old hymns, "Holy, Holy, Holy".

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.

Holy, Holy, Holy, merciful and mighty,

God in three persons, blessed trinity!

I must have sung that song a million times and never realized the connection between "Holy, Holy, Holy" (3 times) and the trinity. Wow!

One of my new favorites is "The Revelation Song". When this song is on I really belt out the following part:

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty

Who was, and is, and is to come!

Addison Road recorded the song, "What Do I Know of Holy". I have the CD and pulled it out to read the words. I can sing a song a hundred times but there is just something about reading the lyrics that causes me to really get the message. This one hit me!

I've made you promises a thousand times

I've tried to hear from heaven

But I talk the whole time

I think I made you too small

I've never feared you at all, no

If you touched my face would I know you

Looked into my eyes could I behold you

What do I know of you

Who spoke me into motion

Where have I even stood

But the shore along your ocean

Are you fire, are you fury

Are you sacred, are you beautiful

So what do I know

What do I know of holy

I guess I thought that I had you figured out

I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about

How you were mighty to save

But those were only empty words on a page

Then I caught a glimpse of who you might be

The slightest hint of you brought me down to my knees

What do I know of Holy

What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame

And a God who gave life its name

What do I know of Holy

Of the One who the angels praise

All creation knows your name

On earth and heaven above

What do I know of this love

What do I know of Holy

What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame

And a God who gave life its name

Wow! Lord, I sit and I think - I am almost speechless - I am humbled.

Was this song written for me? No, I don't think so, but I do

think you led me to it today and I thank you!

I have made you so many promises, just like this song said, and I

have done all the talking most of the time. I have even said

"I don't fear God - He loves me, so why should I fear Him?"

I am sorry for being arrogant and thinking, "I know all the stories

and I have you figured out". I thank you, Lord, that you showed me

this glimpse of 'holy' and brought me to my knees.

I now realize that I don't really know anything of 'holy'

I cannot fathom the wounds of Jesus that healed my shame.

and a God that gave life its name.

But I am so grateful that I do know The Holy One - Jesus!

Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty - the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come." Revelation 4:8

Holy - I have always loved the word, and I will always love the one it stands for - my Jesus!

Grandkids are IT!!

I have been out of town the past 9 days and 6 of those days

I spent with my awesome grandsons, Colby and Carson!

What a grand time we had!!

Carson is 8 1/2 months and he is working hard at walking! I can't believe it!

None of my children walked early. He was up to 9-10 steps by the time I left.

As you can see in the above picture he gets lots of practice pushing big brother, Colby,

around on the tricycle!

Colby and I spent lots of time playing ball! He knows just how he wants

the ball thrown and was certain to tell me, especially if I throw it wrong!

Sometimes it had to be high

Sometimes it had to be low

Sometimes it had to be rolled

I could always count on him letting me know if I did it right!

Carson crawling!

Carson doesn't crawl like most babies!

He crawls on his hands and feet - I don't even

know if that counts as crawling?!?

He looks like a monkey! But this way

he is always ready to stand up and work

on his walking!

Seth took Colby fishing one night and this is what he caught!

He was so proud!!!

I was thinking about how much I love my children
and how much I love these two little guys!

They are called grandchildren for a reason.

Just take the love you have for your own child and double it
and that is what you feel for your grandchildren.
I wonder what it will be like with great-grandchildren.
I will be waiting a LONG time before that happens - thank goodness!

Thinking about the love we feel for our children and grandchildren
makes me think about the love God has for us.

His love doesn't grow with each generation like ours does.
He has always loved and will always love all humankind extraordinarily!
I cannot even imagine the love He has for us but I am SO grateful!

His love is BOUNDLESS!!

His love is EXTRAVAGANT!!

His love is NEVERENDING!!

His love is enough for me!! What else could I possible need?

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God!
And that is what we are!
1 John 3:1

Abandoned

I can always find something in the book of Psalms that speaks to me. One of my favorite passages is Psalm 40:1-4.

I wait patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

and out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth

and a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the Lord

and put their trust in him.

Lord, thank you for lifting me out of the pit!

Thank you for placing me on the solid rock!

Thank you for the new song you put in my heart every day!

Thank you for changing me!

I pray that many will enter the mystery of Your grace

and abandon themselves to You!

I'm Losing My Mind

I am wondering what my day would be like if I kept at the front of my mind that everything I say, and most importantly, THINK, was heard by Jesus. Wow!! That is a scary thought!!! I know this happens - but - I don't remember it often enough and I certainly don't have that on my mind when I am frustrated or angry or disappointed.

Lord, today, I surrender my thoughts to You.

Help me to remember that everything I say and think goes by You.

I am going to adopt the attitude that ALL my

thoughts are being spoken to You, Lord.

I pray that my mind will be continuously molded to become more like the mind of Christ!

Today I pray that I will not bring shame to You Lord.

But that all I say, think, and do will bring glory to Jesus Christ!

I want to lose my mind to you!!