Home Improvements: Master Bath

The master bath was not nearly as big of a project as the main bath. It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint will do! For this project, we took down the ugly wall paper, painted, changed out the hardware on the cabinets, updated the light fixtures and mirror, and got new towel holders and toilet paper holder.


Before:

After:

To Do List of Things I've Never Done Before!

There are so many things that I want to try!

ð        Start my garden (herbs, tomatoes, beans, peppers, garlic, etc)

ð        Make homemade, organic and all-natural plant food

ð        Grow sunflowers and wildflowers

ð        Make homemade Mayo (I think Mayo is disgusting, but Jake puts it on sandwiches)

ð        Make homemade Ketchup (Another staple of Jake's)

ð        Make homemade deodorant

ð        Make homemade face wash

ð        Make homemade oven cleaner

ð        Sew curtains

ð        Sew pillow covers

ð        Make and can homemade tomato sauce

ð        Make and can homemade applesauce

ð        Make and can homemade apple butter

ð        Make homemade Worcestershire sauce

ð        Make homemade hummus

ð        Make homemade butter

ð        Grow sprouts

ð        Make homemade bug spray

ð        Start composting

I'm sure there are several other things, but I'm out of ideas at the moment. Can't wait to start crossing some of these things off my list!

What a Fun Weekend!

Jake and I had a great weekend. The sun was shining and it even got into the 80's on Saturday! On Friday we got to hang out with the Barrick's, Yost's, and Bishop's. We all enjoyed frozen yogurt at Red Mango. I got the Irish Cream yogurt and topped it with blackberries and raspberries. Yum!

On Saturday Jake and I worked on the house. It currently looks like a construction zone, but it will be worth it when we are finished! We are excited about our new light fixtures, freshly painted ceilings, and the pantry that Jake is building is coming along well. Saturday night was spent in Cedarcreek, NE (population = 394). This little town is about 20 minutes away from Bellevue and it has an incredible steakhouse! Jake and I enjoyed a great meal with Chris, Natalie, Mitch, and Jen.

Below is the pantry that Jake is building. There used to be a bottom cabinet, counter top with built in bread box, and top cabinet. Also...other changes that you can note from these pictures below: the ugly wallpaper is gone, we are getting new counter tops, and we got a new dishwasher! The after pictures will be coming soon!

Church was great on Sunday morning. Mark spoke on the spiritual gift of evangelism. It was a good reminder that our identity is in Christ. We are not defined by our job titles or anything else. We are on this Earth to love God, love people, and share the news of Christ! After church Jake and I headed out to lunch with Noah, Melinda, Jared, and Susannah. On our way home, Jake and I stopped by Methodist Hospital to visit sweet Becki. She had a heart attack on Wednesday and had quadruple bypass surgery on Friday. Carl and Becki are the BEST neighbors that anyone could ever ask for and they are dear friends of ours. They have been such a blessing to Jake and I and I am SO thankful that her prognosis for recovery is good. Becki's attack was a complete shocker to everyone because she is healthy and active. They are sweet, sweet people. The recovery will not be easy, but she has been cared for very well throughout this whole process. When we got home from the hospital, I spent the rest of the afternoon ripping down more wallpaper in the kitchen. Then I made some chocolate fondue and we headed over to the Barrick's house. We spent the evening relaxing and visiting on the deck. We enjoyed, cheese and crackers, some wine, and dessert fondue. I love that it is warm enough to sit outside now!

Wisdom

"...God's wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don't find it lying around on the surface. It's not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. The experts of our day haven't a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn't have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross. That's why we have this Scripture text:

   No one's ever seen or heard anything like this,
   Never so much as imagined anything quite like it—
   What God has arranged for those who love him.
But you've seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has

brought it all out into the open before you.

 The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you're thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God—except that he not only knows what he's thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us. We don't have to rely on the world's guesses and opinions. We didn't learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus..."

-The Message, 1 Corinthians 2:6-13