Guest Post: One Woman's Mission

This is a guest post by Amy's husband, Ben.

My wife is committed to her crafts...and has an amazing fashion sense. which is why i was somewhat suprised when i heard a knock at the window and saw this:

she had to get something out of the shed in the back yard and needed my assistance in figuring out how to get the doors open. in her defense, the doors to it are totally messed up and so i had to tell her how i jerry-rigged the doors. this is what i saw upon opening the front door to see what she needed.


after working hard at the ice around the doors with a shovel and much laughter, she emerged victorious with her prize:



the aforementioned fashion sense:



one last look at the spoils of battle:

the state of our [home], part 2

i'm back to show pictures of the kitchen as it stands today. of course, a room is never really "done," and this is no exception—we need to cover the putty holes on the trim, do some paint touch-ups, etc. but the kitchen functions so that's fine with me. :)

when we bought the house, the kitchen looked like this:




it was positively lovely. :) today, it looks like this:

i know it's a lot of white, but don't fear! the other side looks like this:

we love our kitchen. we spend tons of time in it and it just functions so well—tons of counter space, wonderful light. we added a bump-out window over the sink (klaas's idea) and replaced the small door at the back with a slider. we'll get some stools and a proper table and chairs eventually.

ben took an action shot before dinner the other night. here's to good cooking in 2010!

the state of our [home]

as of tomorrow—february 26, 2010—we will officially celebrate the one-year anniversary of owning our home. i remember the day we closed...there was a huge snowstorm and after the closing, we didn't even go up to the house!

that day, i started this blog. i posted this verse:
"unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain."
Psalm 127:1

what a blessing this home has been! God has sustained us through demolition and construction. there was minimal bloodshed. but on top of the physical structure, God has built our home spiritually. ben and i have settled in and we often think about and pray for the children who, Lord willing, we will raise here. just last weekend we were able to host two gatherings and afterward, i was filled with joy about having a warm, comfortable place to host friends and family. wow. Lord, thank you for all you've done for us!

so what's next for our home? i'm so glad you asked. :) well, we're starting the last project that will complete the entire re-do of the first level of our home: the master bedroom. we'll start the demo this weekend.

but before i get into that, i thought it might be a nice time to post some current photos of the house.

today i'll start with the living room. i'm not sure i've ever posted a picture of the changes we've made! let's recap. when we bought the house, the living room looked like this:


today, it looks like this:



one of the first things we did in the house was rip out that carpet. we eventually framed in the wall to close if off from the previous dining room (now the mudroom—layout here). once the drywall was installed and taped, we tackled that eyesore of a fireplace. it was in such sorry shape and kind of overwhelmed the room. we built out the hearth and paid for tile to be installed. (we're beginners when it comes to tiling and because it is such a focal point, we wanted it to be done right!) we also had our cabinet designers make us a mantle. it is huge, but we love it. we got an estimate to install a gas insert, but it was kind of spendy. so maybe we'll save up for it in the future. for now, we've got a chimney balloon helping to stop cold air from coming down.

we don't have any window coverings up yet, but we'll get there. we are borrowing those comfy chairs from ben's sister and her husband. once we figure out how we really want to use the room (tv? computer? etc.), we'll get some new things and i can really "decorate" it. can't wait!

i'll do another entry on the kitchen soon. thanks for sticking with me! it's been a very good year.

a week in pictures: february 14, 2010

this has been a great week. busy, but full of good stuff. we spent time with another couple (who have two darling children) on wednesday night. he's in the military and during their marriage, due to deployments, they've been apart longer than they've been together. they love Jesus. they tell great stories. and they are really patient with one another.

i went to a jewelry party on thursday night with my sister-in-law and my oldest minnesota friend, whitney. another great time!

and what a fun night we had last night! it was ben's idea to have one last hurrah before we start our next renovation. so we invited a few friends over for an "open house" to celebrate our progress and hunker down before we start again. a few friends stayed late—past our usual bedtime. as ben said, he likes that because "it makes him not feel so old."

oh, and i'm also attempting to learn a bit more about photography. i've sought advice and i've been told to just keep practicing with what i have (a canon point-and-shoot), read up, borrow a friend's "real" camera to learn the ropes, and go from there. so i'm attempting to do just that: practice away.

okay, enough with the talky, on to the pictures! they are few but fun.

{making ben's favorite sweet chex mix for our gathering.}

{an old chair was updated in a fun new fabric.}

{cramming for small group tonight, which we're hosting. i'd highly recommend humility. well, both, actually.}

we have touchdown!

anyone else have crazy icicles hanging off their homes? we've been watching one huge one that is near our front door...and today, it officially descended far enough to touch the top of the snow! it's like a stalagmite...or a stalactite...i never could keep those two straight. but it appears to come from both directions now, so it's kind of like both!

i love this time of evening in the winter...everything turns blue and night is coming soon. what can i say, i'm just so emo. ;) pizza, cleaning, and LOST tonight. out!