MOVING

The other day while taking a walk we asked ourselves the question, "What would our life be like if we had never moved to this house?" This year has gone by so quickly and when we look back we realize how many things have changed in such a short period of time. Sometimes it is hard to believe that we are where we are; that we actually did what we did. 


MOVING compelled me to grow my faith. It was a fresh start. It took me out of the comfort zones I had created for myself. MOVING caused me to depend on hearing God's voice for next steps. 


As human beings, we are always looking for routine and desiring the comforts of a predictable life. Sometimes God has a way of changing things up for us. He refocuses us. A year ago when we sensed God nudging us to move into this house in the city, we knew change was on the horizon. But we had no idea what each day would bring forth. 


There is a third floor in this old house that was almost the deal breaker for us when we considered buying the property. The ceilings are lower, the rooms smaller and it needed a bit more care and fixing than other places. We knew we wouldn't need this space, but it came along with the house. Our original idea was that it could be an apartment that we could rent out; provide us with some additional income maybe. But as we were in the midst of the renovations, time and money ran out. We put our plans on the shelf, trusting that God would show us what His purpose is for that space. Then, in order for us to have occupancy, we were required to finish the electricity and plumbing on ALL floors...which also meant framing and drywall. So we had to press forward after all. Today, as we are in the finishing stages of the third floor rooms, we are still unsure of how God might want us to use this space but I'm excited to discover His plan. 


Take a look...

At the top of the stairs, it was dark and tight. 

We opened up the space by removing a wall. What a difference it makes! And I just had to have a red accent wall just for the fun of it. It draws you into the space.

The bedroom under the eaves was depressing. We removed the radiators and replaced them with electric baseboard heat.

Upon removal of the wallpaper we found
lots of cracks and holes to patch. 

And now, while I still have to paint the walls and finish the flooring, it has already provided us with a cozy room
where guests can comfortably sleep.

The front room was large and cold feeling. And it had more wallpaper to remove...  

And now it is a fun place to hang out, watch TV or play Wii...still needing some color on the walls and a cozy carpet under foot.

 And then there was the bathroom...

Just enough room to turn around in.

While it is still small, we widened it and made everything new. I plan to paint the walls a soothing blue. I was so happy to have this third bathroom the other weekend when we had 4 overnight guests.

Following His voice is exciting. It takes you into new places and situations. Sometimes it may not feel comfortable or practical, but oh how good it is to learn new things about yourself and the world around you!


Get up and get MOVING! Don't sit around and stay comfy. God calls us to MOVE and change. He takes us into new places of dependence on Him. And that's a good thing!

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart. Don't try to figure everything out on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He's the one who will keep you on track." 

 Proverbs 3:5-6 (The Message)

KEYS

Can you believe the end of October is upon us? It will soon be a year that I've been working on this house. Since the day I discovered it, began to explore the possibility of owning it, then purchasing it and renovating it...what a journey of transformation it has been. And it is not only the house that has changed, I have learned through these changes as well.

Last week we had a small group of persons come and pray with us throughout the rooms in this house. We invited God to lead us and show us how he might want to use this property. It is His house and I am so grateful to be the caretaker and steward of this house. 

This is the front entry.

Lift up your heads O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty...Psalm 24:7-10 

 I hung some keys here. They were found in the house so I figured they belong here. 

May the Lord bless this house to be a place where people's hearts are unlocked; where they are handed the keys to the kingdom of God; where they encounter who they are in Christ.

It was an encouraging time with friends learning what is on God's heart for this house. These keys will always remind me to search for the important things in life. The key to life is not found in possessions, but in friends and listening to what God wants. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. 

Keith and I are having fun watching and waiting to see how the future unfolds for us in this house. We have already been honored to host many people here for a visit, a meal or for discipleship. We trust that he will give us, and others who visit, the keys to understanding more about a loving faithful Daddy God. We are grateful.

...on another note, take a look at a few more pictures. I spent last weekend purchasing, sewing and hanging curtains in several rooms. They make the rooms feel softer and more inviting. I had to get a little creative. The windows are larger than average and the cost of simply going out to purchase custom-made draperies is phenomenal. So I thought I'd share some of my "secrets" for curtains-on-a-budget...

In the dining room...I bought 2 matching tablecloths ($9.99 each) and hung them on a rod with rings. No hemming or sewing required. I actually like the look.

In the guest room...I wanted to soften the hard angles of the bay window. The curtain rod is one long rod with two flexible pieces you can adjust to bend to the angle you have. I simply put six sheer panels on the rod and hung them. Simple and easy but it really softens to feel of the room.

The kitchen had three windows; each one was a different size and height. In order to make it appear balanced, I hung curtain rods the same height all the way around. Now your eye doesn't get confused and it's more restful. A typical window valance was way too short; I needed one twice the length. Buying fabric and making them would be easy but too expensive. I discovered some tier cafe curtains for $6.99 a pair. They are really intended to be hung in the lower half of a window, but they were the perfect length for these long windows.

In the living room I wanted to add some color to the tans and browns already there. Again, purchasing a length of fabric to make custom curtains would have been expensive. (I needed 8 yards per window x 3 windows = 24 yards at about $12-$15/yard!) I was on a major hunt for a bargain. Eventually I found the perfect thing at the amazing price of $9.99 a panel. Because the panels weren't long enough, I simply bought two extra panels and used them to add length to the others.

Here's what I learned while doing interior design for this house so far...Don't give up if you're looking for something particular. Keep searching. You will eventually find just the right thing...it will be the KEY to making it all work together. 

OPEN

It's been a busy couple of weeks, but in the midst of life's activities I still found some time to continue painting and put things in order. 

This weekend, I especially enjoyed hosting an "OPEN house" on Friday evening. We sent out an OPEN invitation to our church family to stop by. What a joy it was to experience a house full of conversation and laughter. I was especially blessed to see the children running throughout the house and enjoying play. It is the fulfillment of a vision I saw with my mind's eye ever since we began work on this house. My sense has always been that this house's destiny is to embrace friends and family; to build community; to provide a place of peace and rest.

I know that many of you like to see the rooms as they are "finished". (I've provided several pictures for you below.) I put that word in quotation marks because finished may not be realized for quite some time yet. I still have vision for more decorative touches such as curtains, area rugs, paintings to hang on the walls, house plants, etc. 

The master bedroom BEFORE...

...and from the same viewpoint AFTER.

To the right of our bed is a doorway leading into the master bathroom. It was a smaller bedroom originally but it seemed best to make it into an en suite bathroom. Here's the room BEFORE...

And below you can see the transformation. Those doorways are no longer there. (one led to a tiny pink tile bathroom, the other opened into the hallway) Instead, we put a shower in that corner and the partial wall you see below hides the toilet from view. New windows with privacy glass work well here too.

The living room BEFORE...

and AFTER...

We spent 2 days painting the fireplace mantel and bookshelves. We primed the whole thing one evening while "watching" a couple of movies on TV. That made the monotonous task go much more quickly and it was wonderful to have a husband who didn't mind being my painting partner.

And so, most of the rooms are "finished". However, the four rooms on the 3rd floor are still untouched. In addition, the hallways and stairwells remain unpainted. In spite of that, our front door remains OPEN. Everything doesn't have to be perfect and complete in order for others to stop by.

Isn't that the way life should be? God is teaching me through this house to be real and OPEN. I want to be OPEN to love and bless others; to share life and possessions with others. Let's be real. We have a tendency to shut others out because we feel we're not perfect. We only want others to see the "finished" places in our hearts and lives. But we are all "under construction". Let's OPEN the door of our lives to others even though we aren't finished.