A Prayer Request

Not long ago, our friends Roger and Dot Abbott were murdered in their home and a fire was set to cover up the crime.  This loving couple was in their 80s and would never have put up a fight over possessions.  A very moving prayer was spoken at their funeral, and my family would be grateful if you and your family and friends would pray with us.  Reverend Franch spoke these words:

As we come before God in prayer now, we remember that God knows and understands the things that burden, worry and frighten us and that there is nothing he does not know and nothing he cannot accomplish for us. Ask and you will receive, Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened. We also remember that prayer does work, that prayer accomplishes things when they are within God’s will, and that the prayers of a righteous person are strong and effective. We know that the Lord has counted us as righteous in his saving work on our behalf. So believing that our prayer can accomplish much we approach now the throne of God with our prayers. Let us pray:

 Lord, we know that you see all and know all and that you are a just and righteous God. We know that our friends Roger and Dot are safe with you now.

 Lord, we ask for your blessing and your  power to see, to discover and to know to be poured out on the police who are working on their case. 

We ask that their minds be clear, that they are blessed with discernment and that they are able to find the person or persons who took the lives of our friends. Lord give the police energy, wisdom and courage for their task. Lord, our friends deserved to live out their days in peace and we grieve that their lives were taken from them.

Lord let your justice roll down like mighty waters and your righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. 

Lord may your hand be upon the person who did this to them. 

May they not rest in body or spirit until they confess their sin. 

May they take no pleasure in life until they confess. 

May they profit in no way from their sin. 

Lord pursue them and stop them from any further violence or evil.

Lord make the desire to confess be uppermost in their minds. 

We trust you to do these things for us. We know that you can accomplish this. And we know that you encourage us to pray unceasingly and we do that now. We will pray unceasingly Lord, until justice is found for Roger and Dot.

 O Lord we turn now in our time of deep need to you.  We seek for the things that are sure and certain, and we find them in your love and grace.

We thank you that when we leave this life, no matter how we went, we also go with You, you who have ever loved us and sought us and who knows us by name.  You are our Alpha and our Omega, our beginning and our end, you were there in our coming in, and you will be there in our return to you.

Our Father, we thank you for the great company of those who have kept the faith and finished the race, and who now are a part of the cloud of witnesses who watch over us and cheer us on.  We thank you for those with you who are dear to us, whom we name before you now.  (silence)  Especially today we thank you for Roger and Dot whom you have now received into your loving presence.  Help us to believe even though we have not yet seen, comfort us in our grief and doubt, and help us to trust you to lead us in kindness through our years.  Bring us at last with all your saints into the joy of your Home, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to pray saying,

Our Father who art in Heaven 

Hallowed be Thy name

Thy Kingdom come

Thy will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our debts as we forgive those our debtors

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil

For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory, forever…AMEN.

A Different Sort of Visitor

Look who came to visit this morning!  He was sneaking into the garage when the hubby spotted him.  We all got to say hello before he returned him to the safety of the woods.  It was a nice visit, but I'm hoping that this little fella doesn't invite any of his friends over!

Home Sweet Home

My friends, it has been much too long since I've posted an update.  We moved in to our home on March 20th, and we have truly been enjoying it!  Since then, we've started some grass seed in the back, installed herbs and vegetables around the deck, and realized the need for a dry creek . . .

The wee ones have ample room to play, and the hubby and I are reveling in our success with this design.  Once we finish the playroom upstairs, who knows if we'll ever coax the kids out of it?  The deck is their favorite place to play right now; they both love playing in the water.  Just a few days ago, they rushed out there to dance in the rain!  You can see the beginnings of our lawn behind them :)

Getting the Finishing Touches

This last couple of weeks have been especially exciting.  The carpet was installed on the first of March, then the next day we got an astonishing two-and-a-half inches of snow!  Some of you may be snickering, but getting that much snow in Georgia is a rarity - and definitely a good reason to go home early from school and work.

Stephen and I spent a lot of time spreading pine and wheat straw around the house, as one of the county requirements involves covering any disturbed earth.  Of course, when we chose to move the house forward (out of the sinking mud), we ended up with a much larger cleared area.  So, we covered everything within 20-23 feet of the house and hoped the inspector would show us some mercy.

He came Tuesday of this week, leaving us with a list of twelve items to "correct" before he will grant us our certificate of occupancy (which we need in order to transition from a construction loan to a permanent loan).  Not only did he tell us to cover every bit of ground, he also instructed us to coat the walls and doors of our unfinished bonus room with primer.  He also wanted to see our propane hooked up to prove that the gas cooktop is functional.  I made a valiant attempt to control my breathing as I thought about how we could get it all done quickly. 

Builder Brian came to our rescue.  After reminding the inspector that we've had a great deal of rain (and some snow, too) since we broke ground, and that we also expect several more days of rain this week, the inspector agreed to lighten up on the straw issue.  However, when asked if priming an unfinished bonus room is a new part of the building code, the inspector snapped at him to "just get it done!"  You take your life in your hands when you question an inspector.

In order to speed things along, Stephen went out to prime the walls that night and I spent the next day filling out paperwork for the propane company and meeting the installer to determine the proper placement for the tank.  I watched in frustration as the pouring rain transformed the driveway and surrounding area into muddy rivulets and pools.  The fresh crush and run (gravel) in front of the garage might as well have been quicksand, inspiring me to call the local tree services to see if we can't get a load or two of wood chips to cover some of the ground on either side of the driveway.

Our propane tank is scheduled for installation tomorrow, and we're hoping the inspector will deign to come out just afterward.  Maybe, if he's in a really good mood, he'll give us our c/o.

Pocket Doors and Progress

Rain, rain, rain! Despite having a roof - and really being "dried in" - the rain continues to frustrate us, not because it keeps us from moving forward, but because we are still sitting in an enormous mud puddle! What appears to be trash in the front of our house are actually strategically placed re-purposed scraps which form a slightly-less-than-muddy path to the front porch. If you haven't heard, let me just go on and assure you: there is no drought in north Georgia.

Today we had the HVAC folks "trimming" the house with vent covers. I was delighted to find that we also have paint on our front door and a bunch of light fixtures on our dining room floor. Once the electricians do their stuff, we should be ready for flooring. The stone for our hearth will also be going in soon.

Last week we got our shutters, mantle, railings and stairs for the deck, garage doors and openers, interior paint, and our pocket doors! And about those pocket doors . . . at first we had only intended to put pocket doors between the family room and the library. However, after talking to Rhonda (our design consultant), we got serious about things that would make our home not only efficient and budget-friendly, but also interesting and pleasant in the long-term. We chose a pocket door for the mudroom / pantry so that we could leave the door open during busy times without blocking traffic in the hall or interfering with space in the laundry area. Although not a space that guests will often see, we spent a lot of time designing this room. Having the right tools, right space, and right layout can make a huge difference in my attitude toward everyday tasks. Along this same line, we also chose a pocket door for the master closet. We'll be able to leave the door open without restricting access.

I can't wait to get lights in the house! It is hard to see the beauty of this color on such a dreary, rainy day. Kudos to Rhonda, again! She helped us find a color that would function as a neutral, while also providing a contrast to the trim and creating an elegant, cheerful ambiance. I'll admit that I'm not quick to make decisions on paint, or any other long-term design element. However, it really isn't easy to start with a blank slate, then coordinate your carpet, hardwood, granite, cabinetry, and paint colors. Well, not on a budget, at least!

I couldn't resist taking another picture of the kitchen now that we have granite. Of course, the granite is still covered in plastic, so it looks a bit dull and it's hard to see any of its beauty. I can't wait to work in my new kitchen! Although it isn't a large area, Rhonda really helped us prioritize. Because of her patience with us - and her determination to make us happy with the design - we have a lot of features that matter to us: an under-mount sink (makes it easy to swipe messes away), an extra large gas range, double wall ovens, and a study area (or recipe center!). We also freed up space in the kitchen by creating a large pantry (in combination with the mudroom/laundry) just around the corner.

The door to the right of the kitchen leads to our master bedroom. We won't be far from midnight snacks! It is also very convenient to the laundry. However, my favorite feature is our view of the woods. I was wary of having the master downstairs (I like private spaces to be separate from public areas), but I also wanted to be realistic about my desire to climb stairs over the next 50+ years. The elevation at the back of the house creates an especially pretty view, and it also keeps backyard visitors from staring straight into our bedroom windows.

Countdown!

Beginning to look like a real house, huh? We'll be getting our shutters pretty soon - maybe this week! The front door still needs paint, but you can see how the main and trim paints work together. We chose Sherwin-Williams "Distance" and "Snowbound."

Wood Hollow (they are out of Dalton) installed our cabinets yesterday. Seeing my kitchen come together is so much fun! James was crying and hiding his face in my shoulder while I took this picture; it seems he has a very healthy fear of table saws . . .

Here's Virginia Ann modeling with our cabinets in the Master Bath. We chose to raise the cabinets to true counter height and I'm really happy with that decision. Not only does it look good, it is a more practical height for adult use. The kids' bath has the same look, but the counter is at the standard height for bathrooms.

Blue Paint!

The kids and I drove out to the site in hopes of finding cabinets today, but instead found painters! Not only did these guys make quick work of the job, they seem to have been very neat and precise around the trim. We can't wait to see how all the colors come together!