Freedom Realized

     The latest book I have been working on has been way out of my comfort zone. I know the Lord wanted it written, but I felt resistant. It is Book III of the Nashville Series and deals with one of the characters who ended up in prison. I thought I could move on without telling the rest of her story, but I was wrong. The readers requested that I not end her story with the prison sentence. Doing research on prison life and life after prison is somewhat depressing to me so I had to press on.
      I almost fell into the trap of putting a title I thought would catch the most attention, but again, the Lord dealt with my heart. I thought “Jailbird” would be perfect and catchy, but the more I thought about it, the more I knew it wasn’t right. It might wound someone who was trying to begin a new life, like the character I was writing about.
     As I chatted with another author friend, she confirmed what I was thinking. I began to think about the message I wanted this book to convey. The title was clear as day, “Restored”. God will restore the years the locusts have eaten. He restored the prodigal son and the lost soul who calls out to Him.
     I began writing and was reminded of a dream a famous author said he had of a prison. He was in the prison and felt hopeless and afraid. All of a sudden, he realized that there were no locks on the jail cells. Any of the prisoners could leave whenever they wished. He walked out of his cell and began to tell the other prisoners that they were free. Some listened to him, but most believed they had no choice but to stay in prison.
     Isn’t that what God did for us through Jesus Christ? He took the locks off the doors and offers us freedom. We just have to believe him and walk out of our cell and live a life out of the cell of sin and into the freedom of Salvation. Restoration and Freedom are such wonderful words. Thank God that is what He offers to mankind.

News About "Jailbird"

Well, 11 books are now available with my name as the author. I still can hardly believe it. Right now I am working on #12. If you ordered "The Restless Kansas Wind", there is a page that lists all the titles. I have #12 listed under the title, "Jailbird". Since the first 55 copies were printed, I have changed the title to "Restored". The reasoning behind that decision was the negativity "Jailbird" portrayed. There were also come friends who pointed out the fact that a jailbird was someone who spent a lot of their life in prison. Debbie, our character in this book, was sentenced to one year of prison.

Our son, Marlin, of MarOmega Designs, is working on the cover for "Restored" right now. I have already written 4000 words on "Restored". If you have been following my emails, you will remember that I am doing an experiment with this book to try to gather in a few more readers. The trend in publishing is to release 'episodes' while writing a book. The plan is to release Episode 1 after 10,000 words are written and edited in e-book format. Episode 2 would come after the next 10,000 words and so on. After the entire book is written, all the episodes will be joined together and released as a print book and as an e-book novel.

The idea behind this is that a lot of people don't like t commit to the time it takes to read an entire book. They do purchase short stories and episode type books. If they like the writing, they might purchase a novel. If not, they haven't lost much time or money on trying out a new author.

If you are like me, you like to read and ENTIRE book and not have to wait for the next portion. If that is how you like to read, just wait until the entire novel is released to purchase it. I think this will help me get the books written in a more timely manner. (I hope.)

"Restored" is taking form and living in my imagination. I have reached out to several friends who understand or minister to inmates so that I get an accurate picture of the life of a prisoner. I don't want to write it from the vantage point of a movie watcher. I want to know the real story.

Now, most of the action of this book doesn't take place in prison, but the experience colors Debbie's life. (You know it would.) Pray for me as I attempt to put an interesting and heartfelt story together so that it brings understanding and hope for the readers.

I will let you know when Episode 1 is ready. (just in case you want to see how it looks.)

Two of My Favorite Fellows

Here is the Hubs and Eli. Terry is my living billboard. He wears shirts with the covers of my books all the time. This one is out dated because I had a new cover developed for "Elk's Resolve". Eli loves his blankie and still is attached to his thumb. What a kid!

Trial and Error with Melting Old Crayons into New Crayons

Youngest granddaughter received a heart-shaped multi-colored crayon for Valentine's Day. She was excited and wanted to make some of her own. Meme got out her plastic forms and we took the paper off some old crayons and broke them up into the forms.

There surely were a lot of old broken crayons to use. When we put the plastic forms with the pieces in the microwave, the microwave shut down and had to be reset. Hmmm must be something in the crayons!

 

We took the crayon pieces out of the plastic forms and put them into my mini cupcake pans. We turned the oven to 400 degrees and waited for it to preheat before we put them inside. I set the timer for 5 minutes. When I removed them from the oven they were melted and looked a little like Koolaide. I put them on the top of the range and we waited until they completely cooled off. (about 20 to 30 minutes)

 

  I didn't know if they would come out easily, so I put about an inch of really hot water in the sink and placed the pans in it.

Some of them came out just by pressing and some of them had to come out with the help of a sharp knife along the edge.

Look at that proud, happy face and those fun multi-colored crayon discs.

She colored and colored all day. I would say it was a success.

 

I Only THOUGHT Babysitting Would Be Easier with Terry's Help!

Terry joined us last night. This morning it has been crazy! He won't settle down. How do you make a grown man settle down? If you know, please tell me. They have been doing this move for about an hour. At least this is one of the more mild moves. I didn't film the other stuff they have been up to. They are now jumping off of things into Bop Paw's arms. Oh dear.

Tomorrow, we turn them over to their other grandmother. Mama and Daddy will come home to some ruined children. lol.

Mother-in-law Challenge

I never set out to be one of those Mother-in-laws who took over and cleaned the house while the kids are gone, but things happen when caring for a two-year-old. This morning Eli brought me a little cup with a little bit of water from the spout on the fridge. I thanked him and he grinned and was very proud of himself.

I heard a suspicious sound coming from the kitchen. He had the dustpan pressed against the spigot and water was flowing on the linoleum over a five foot area. I hurriedly took the dustpan from the chubby little fingers and he ran out of the room crying. Then, I found the Swiffer mop and began mopping up the water.

I mopped the whole kitchen and breakfast nook because there was absolutely so much water to spread out. There is no condemnation as to my sweet daughter-in-law's cleanliness, it's just that when you have that much water to mop up, you mop everything until it is sopped up.

I heard a noise in the master bedroom and ran to check on it. Eli had the pump hand soap and was rubbing his hands together. UK OH....Now I had to chase him all the way to the kitchen. The floor is wet. We slipped and I caught him. I got his hands rinsed off and dried. I ran to the master bedroom and locked that door. Now I know why Maci locks her door when she goes to school. lol

Then I went into the living room and there were orange cracker crumbs all over from the little peanut butter cracker snacks he just had. So we got out the vacuum and got those up. Well, since the vac was out, I finished the rest. As I was doing this I thought of all the times I left my mom with the kiddos and upon returning found the house and her such a wreck, that I wished I had never taken a 'break'. I remember thinking that it would be so nice to have a 'cleaning fairy' show up while I was gone to catch me up.

After watching the kiddos for a few days I understand why we have our children while we are young. I love, love this time with them. I am blessed to be with them and watch them grow. It makes me happy that I can attempt to be a blessing to my son and his sweet wife. I want to do this over and over. I think it is a good thing for a young couple to be able to leave for a few days and come home to their happy children and a clean house. (as clean as it was when they left) Meme has to keep on her toes to make this happen, but I think I am up for it. lol I'll let you know.

Eli Time/Meme Time

Can you tell that Eli is fixin' to get into his sister's DVDs. I had just told him 'no'.

Here, he thinks I may be serious.

Here is where he ignores silly old Meme. Do you notice the salt and pepper all over his mama's table? I didn't either, until I picked up the DVD case and put it away. Sissy is gonna be mad.

This morning in jammies. Sister is already on the way to school. Who says TV is a bad babysitter. It is a Meme lifesaver.

Heaven help us if we lose the blankie and thumb! Curious George to the rescue! It is snowy out and he wanted to play in it. Meme wasn't in the mood. Is that bad? Sissy did go out and get some fresh snow for snow ice cream. It was a good day.

 

The only thing that could make it better would be if Bop Paw could have taken vacation time to spend the week with us. As it is, he is holding down the fort at home. (Funny, the kid's friends used to call our house 'Fort Littau' because of the square tower above the laundry room.) Anyway, we will be seeing Bop Paw on Sunday one way or the other. It all depends on the snow conditions.

 

The Daddy called last night to see how I was holding up. lol. Really, the kiddos don't fight, we laugh all the time, and Mama organized a school pick up ride for both morning and night. We also had a great visit with Mam Ma and the uncles. (Cari's mom and brothers) It is a quiet time and very sweet time to actually watch these precious ones grow.

 

Maci has been reading to me and we have been reviewing spelling words along with all the other homework a first grader has. I have to say, they surely do learn more in first grade these days than we did when I was there. Maci was telling me that she wished we could spend a few weeks together like this because Sierra, Devon, and Zach do in the summer. I think that would be awesome!

"The Restless Kansas Wind" is Available Now.

http://www.amazon.com/Restless-Kansas-Wind-Rescued-Hope-ebook/dp/B00I8NRFCC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1391613529&sr=1-1&keywords=restless+kansas+wind

I am pleased that the 11th book I have written is now ready for purchase. As you have seen in the previous post, #12 is on the drawing board. I think the readers who enjoy Christian Historical Fiction/Romance will enjoy this book.

I learned a lot of things about the area where I live as I embarked on research for this book. One of the things was that there were Native Americans by the name of 'Kansa' who lived in the Kansas area. Here is a link to a non-fiction book about them: http://www.amazon.com/Kansa-Indians-1673-1873-Civilization-American/dp/0806119659/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391614032&sr=1-1&keywords=kansa+Indians
The meaning of their name is 'Wind People'.

The story takes place in two Kansas towns near me. (Meade and Liberal) Also, we revisit the boom town of Tascosa, Texas. I found it interesting that the residents of Tascosa never thought their town would disappear. If the railroad had only laid track a few miles over, we would go to Tascosa to shop instead of Amarillo. As it is, all that is left of Old Tascosa is a plaque at Cal Farley's Boy's Ranch.

The railroad was a blessing to the panhandle of the tri-state area of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Meade and Liberal grew quickly as it came through. These towns are still thriving today. The people who live here today could truly be referred to as 'Wind People' even though most of us aren't Native American. We have a rich history and deep roots that connect us to this land.

I hope you enjoy reading 'The Restless Kansas Wind'. It is book IV of the Rescued...a Series of Hope batch of books. The next book in this series will be about Doris, a girl from Pueblo, Colorado. Her story is still forming in my mind It will come onto the drawing board after 'Jailbird' (Book III of the Nashville Series). I do plan on publishing the comical stories I tell when I give humorous speeches and also a couple other books that are solo books. (not in a series) We will see how that goes.

Plotting and Planning

This morning I woke up almost as soon as I heard Terry's truck pull out of the drive. I had a dream of two different books. My son is already working on the cover of Book III of the Nashville Series. The title is "Jailbird". It is the story of Debbie and how her life progressed after prison.

When I wrote about Debbie Williams I had no intent to make her a lead character in her own book. For a brief moment I thought I could just drop her off in prison and that would be the end of writing about her. However, readers had  different ideas. Several have been, in a word, hounding me to get to this book quickly.  Okay...okay...I'm plotting it.

Whenever I start a new book, I get out one of my journals (one is for Westerns and one is for Contemporary) and cut out little pictures from magazines of my characters. I looked up the characteristics I had written about Debbie Williams in "Christmas in Nashville" and chose the picture to match them. I hadn't plotted her in the journal for "Christmas in Nashville" so I had to search and find her in the document.

I discovered (because my memory is short) that she is a blond and has green eyes. She is a 44 year old widow. Her husband, Curtis, died at age 38. Her parents are deceased so she depends on her former in-laws for parental support. Ned and Alice really do love her.

I listed the things I know about Debbie from the previous book. This helps when I am writing so that I don't have to look up details like this when I am in the throws of writing. (Let me tell you, the words are flung everywhere when I am on a roll.)

I also chose a man or two to be in the storyline...looked at pictures of children and decided whether or not there would be any in her future. I don't know for sure...maybe, maybe not.

Now, I need to do some research and see what the last week and day of prison is like. I really do work to make the events as factual as possible. (If any of you readers have some insight on this, email me @ elainel45@msn.com)

I am doing an experiment on this book. I want you to be vocal about how you like this. (if you participate in it) I am going to release this book in episodes. The episodes will be available on Kindle. Each episode will contain 10,000 words or so and will be released every three weeks. (hopefully) The first installment may take a little longer. Each episode will be 99 cents. After the book is completed, all the episodes will be combined and published as a full length novel. It will be available both in print and e-book format.

The other book I have on the burner is different than anything I have ever written. It is about a middle-aged woman who has been kidnapped. There is no reason she should targeted because she has no money or influence. I have 3 chapters of this book written, but haven't arranged for the cover yet. That is why "Jailbird" will be finished before "Stolen" is.

I am interested in what you have to say about this post. Comment on my page on Facebook or email me. You can be honest and let me know your doubts and concerns as well as your interest in this. I do care about you guys.

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder (broccoli and cheese)

I am not a food photographer and this is a shot of the leftover soup. I got the recipe from Pinterest. (Didn't I tell you it is one of my favorite sites online?) Here's the recipe:

2 TBLS BUTTER
1/2 CUP CHOPPED ONION
1 CUP FINELY CHOPPED CARROT
1 STALK CELERY, FINELY CHOPPED
1 TBLSP MINCED GARLIC
4 CUPS CHICKEN BROTH
2 LARGE BAKING POTATOES, PEELED AND CHOPPED
1 TBLSP FLOUR
2/3 CUP MILK
2 CUPS CHOPPED BROCCOLI
2 CUPS SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE

(When I chop up the vegetables, I use the food processor.)

Melt the butter in a large skillet and add onions and celery. Saute' over medium heat until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 or 2 additional minutes. Mix flour with water and add to mixture. Simmer until soup is slightly thickened.  Put the mixture in a large soup pot. (I put mine in a slow cooker.) Add milk, broccoli, chicken broth, and potatoes. Cook in slow cooker on low. After the potatoes and other vegetables are tender, add cheese. Serve. I like to make bread to go with this. Some like to make the bread bowls to serve it in. Either way, yum.

My Birthday Flowers

These are my birthday flowers and they are a week old. When the hubs came home with them on my birthday, he was let down. He was upset that the grocery store didn't have any roses when he went in. (I know, grocery store, but that's fine.) He apologized for these pretty flowers. To be honest, I love, love roses, but they wilt a little faster than I like. It makes me feel really sad to see them deteriorate so quickly.
I told him that these colorful daisies were so cool and I meant it. I had no idea they would still be so pretty after a week. This week the weather has been cold and a little snowy. These bright splashes of color were so cheerful and made me think of the thoughtfulness of my sweetie.
The years are passing and as we go through them together, I find our marriage growing sweeter every day.

Robot Wars...Mint vs Neato...funny

The Hubs Repented for His Actions!

I know that most people, if they have read this blog very long, think that the hubs is perfect. (Wait for me while I finish laughing and can type more. I know I'm not perfect either, so don't stone me.) He actually apologized to me for not believing me when I told him about the idea to use the old dishwasher racks.

I had to push it one step further. (I'm a wife. I do that kind of thing.) This is how the conversations went:
Me: So NOW do you feel bad that you threw away the old baby bed?
Hubs: Why?
Me: Pinterest showed how to make a bench out of an old baby bed.
Hubs: Wow, that sounds like a great idea.
Me: I told you that idea when you were loading it into the trailer to take to the dump.
Hubs: I kinda remember that.
Me: I sure wish you hadn't thrown it away.
Hubs: You were right. I shouldn't have. I should listen to your ideas. (or some sort of thing like that...I was too busy trying not to faint!)

See...you can teach an old dog new tricks. Since he saw how well some of those ideas work, he is listening. Of course, there are a few things I tried to do that flopped...I usually don't take pictures of those. Maybe I should. He probably has had good reason for not believing EVERYTHING will work that I suggest. lol

If an Eye Roll Had a Sound...

If an Eye Roll Had a Sound, you would have heard the screeching from my house to where you live from the Hubs' eyes.  As you probably have guessed, I am a fan of Pinterest. (Thank you, Noveta, for introducing me to this great site.) One of the first pins I saw was the one that said to save the racks from your old dishwasher to use in your cabinet.

 

Terry had a very difficult time with this concept when we replaced our dishwasher a few years ago. I pleaded with him to save the 'guts' of the old dishwasher so that we could use it in organizing our cabinets. He put the racks in the 'junk pile' next to our storage barn where it stayed until Monday, my birthday.

 

Step aside with me for a minute. I don't like the junk pile. Every year in the spring, the hubs loads up everything from the junk pile and takes it to the dump. I like for even the pasture to look neat and clean.

 

Back to the kitchen: I had a towel rack thing like is used in hotel rooms. I got it from a garage sale and had never really used it to it's full ability. I brought it down stairs and started showing the hubs how we could use it on it's side to divide the big glass serving dishes and large electric griddle. It must have hit him wrong. He said, "I'll go get the racks from that old dishwasher from the junk pile."

Me: "You didn't throw them away?"

Hubs: "Nope, you told me we were going to use them."

Me: "Really? I'm so glad you listened!"

Hubs: "I'll go get them."

I stood with tears in my eyes as I watched him cross past the garage and to the junk pile. I was sort of emotional because I KNEW he didn't think the idea would work.

He came in with the racks. They were a little dirty, but he wanted to prove to me that they wouldn't fit. Low and behold, they fit!!!!! I was almost to cry!

Hubs: "Wow, they do work."

We put the bottom rack in the area under the microwave. Because the pizza stone, glass dishes, and griddle were tall, we used the other rack in another cabinet. After washing them up, we took the utensil rack to put the spatulas and things we use for the gas grill in there. They are big and don't fit in the drawers very well. We need to paint the inside of the cabinet and then we are through. Terry told me he would do the painting because my hands cramped for days after I painted the island. What a man!

 

The other rack in on the bottom shelf of the "blind corner" cabinet. The extra Tupperware and all the lids fit in this rack really nicely. The basket on the top is from the drawer set we took out from under the microwave. (pictured in an earlier post) It didn't fit the area perfectly, so the dishwasher rack was a better option.

I put items that don't weigh much in these two baskets because they are the front rack to the blind corner cabinet. The things in the back/side basket are things I don't use much. (canning stuff and Tupperware cake/pie carriers)

 

This is another basket from those we removed from under the microwave. It is the one with the Tupperware cake and pie carriers.

This is the other side of the blind corner. I had lazy Susan's and put my extra plates and canning jars on them. I use the canning jars to put pinto beans, rice, popcorn, etc. in after I open the bag and use a portion of it. I like to have them within easy reach. These cabinets are old, but they are so well made. They are all wood. (plywood) The doors are plain, but I think the are classic.

 

We still need to finish painting the wall that goes down to the basement. (That will be done soon.) I hung the Heman cake pan I found in the blind corner. We purchased it when the boys were little and I made their birthday cakes with it for years. I like to look at it and think of their little faces. I took the crock pot from the top of the fridge, the ice cream cone cookie jar from the top of the cabinets, the three other cookie jars from the blind corner, the toaster oven from the blind corner, the extra toaster from the blind corner and the waffle iron from the mess in the cabinet under the microwave. See the pinto beans and rice in the canning jars? All the notebooks and books are cookbooks. The step ladder will be painted red and hung in place there with a ladder hanger. I am short and have to use it a lot.

I think the kitchen is pretty much done except that the Hubs did purchase a new microwave and installed it, but the cabinet needs a little trim to meet his expectations. He is a perfectionist and I love him for it.



Duct Tape...Who Knew???

For the past couple of years Terry and I have struggled with our microwave. It is built in a cabinet that we made after taking the wall oven out when we purchased our free standing range. Because of this, we have to make sure the microwave is the correct size for the opening.

This is how it usually goes. I write a note on a scrap piece of paper with the measurements on it and put it in my purse. We go to the store and I can't find it...ever. Sometimes I even use an index card. I think my purse is hungry because it seems to have chewed it up and swallowed it.

The hubs will say, "Babe, you got the measurements for the microwave?"
Me, "Can't find that blasted paper I wrote it on."
Hubs, "Oh well."

The next time we are shopping goes something like this:
Me. "I found paper that says the size of the microwave."
Hubs, "We have to wait until payday."
Me, "Grrrr...."

The reason we need a new microwave is because at random times, it sparks and sounds like electrical static. We run to it and open the door to remove the food and hope that it isn't on fire. The other day, the hubs came sauntering into the living room and said, "I fixed it."
"Fixed what?" I asked.
"The microwave."
"The microwave?" I ask.
"With duct tape...I put duct tape over the hole on the inside of the microwave and it works."
"Duct tape? Hole? What?"
"We don't need a new microwave," he says.
"You want to bet!" I say under my breath.
Where is that measuring tape and notepad????

Note from the Hubs:
"Actually, the story began about two or three Super Bowl Sundays ago. I was getting ready to make my popcorn in the microwave, and enjoy the game. It started popping, snorting, and nearly caught fire. Since then, we have experimented with different methods, such as, covering the food with paper towel, or a bowl or plate. I don't know why that works, but it does. I noticed a hole developing up on the side near the top on the inside of the microwave. The hole has gotten bigger over the last 3 yrs. I got the bright idea the other day to try putting duct tape over the hole. Guess what...... it works just fine. A little concerned what affect the tape will have on the food. Hmmmmmmmmm. May have to break down and buy a new microwave." hmmmmm

Did the Rules Change?

Usually my blog posts are funny or light hearted. Today, I woke up with a heavy heart. The first thought I had this morning was a message to my heart. How much have I changed in my walk with God? Have I grown closer or have I edged away seeing how far I could go and still be connected to Him?

I don't want to slip farther away and only touch Him with my fingertips. I want to be drawn close to the heart of God. I don't want Him to have to yell at me so that I can hear Him over the noise of my life. I want to be close enough that I can hear Him sigh or whisper.

It is so easy to distant myself from Him, but why would I want to do that? He is my everything! Life without Jesus would be a nightmare to me. Life at a distance to Jesus is no better. My mother used to tell me to remember that Jesus is always with me and I need to remember not to offend Him. This caused me to know that He hears everything. He sees everything. He knows everything I am doing.

Some may say that is a given. God knows everything, but when you put it personally where He is sitting with you, walking with you, and working with you...it changes your speech, your reactions to others, and your habits.

My heart hurts when I hear of Christian friends who have taken up either cursing or vulgar language. I didn't get the memo from the Bible that this had suddenly become acceptable. Before you stone me, know that I know it is easy to slip into this behavior since the whole world seems to not care about keeping their speech clean. You may scream at me saying, "We aren't supposed to judge each other!" This morning, in the Bible, I Corinthians 5:12 says: "What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside..."

The words around this are about excusing sinful behavior of those who are Christians. We aren't to scream at each other about this stuff, but we aren't supposed to support bad behavior. In chapter 4 of I Corinthians it says: "Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers..." As you know, fathers correct our bad behavior. Just because they correct us, it doesn't mean that love is not the motive. In fact, love is the motive. When a child who is not mine misbehaves, I can walk away and ignore him. If he is my child, I will correct him because I want him to become everything I know he can be.

I know many will misunderstand this post. That's okay. I am a mother and a grandmother. I feel for this generation when the mothers and grandmothers who are Christians have stopped living up to the Christ like standard. We must keep out language clean. We must love others. We must dress modestly. (You can be in style and do this.) We must behave ourselves in a way that others know that we know that Jesus is walking and living right by our side. The rules have not changed. God is holy and we must strive to live close to Him...within whispering distance.

My Head is Swimming! Since the Hubs has Mondays Off, He Gets a Lot Done!

Terry surprised me this past Monday by stopping by the lumber yard and picking up a couple of oak boards. I couldn't figure out what he was up to. I sat in the pickup while he went inside because I had just finished a session with my chiropractor. (My knees has been gimpy etc.)

Anyway, I saw that he had purchased 2 pieces of wood that had knots in it. I said, "What are you going to do with the knotty pine?"
He said, "It's oak. I'm going to trim out the floor next to the patio door."

You could have knocked me over with a feather! We stripped the old carpet off the floors and uncovered original hardwoods from the 1920s over 5 years ago.

 

Oops, the first picture shows the track before I actually got on my hands and knees and scrubbed the track! Gross! It took a lot of paper towels and a pointy stick to get all the crud out of there.

 

Terry stacked two pieces of oak and glued them together. He cut them to size and then he ran the router over it. I will take a picture of it after he stains and varnishes it.

 

Hmmm...it occurs to me that I really need to get a new throw rug there. That one is threadbare in places and also faded.

 

This is the doorway transition from the wood floor to the ceramic tile in the bathroom. The hubs is almost done with this. He will stain and varnish it to match the floor. This is the last step in getting the wood floor work finished. Yay!

 

That is sort of how our projects have worked. I am not complaining here. We choose to do a little as we can pay for it. Because of this, it has taken many years to get things done. Of course, the trim project took a little long, but that was because Terry is super busy at work and when he is home, the last thing he needs to do is home improvement. (Many times he gets up to go to work at 4 a.m.) He was also looking for premade trim that would work for this particular job. He finally decided to fashion it himself. He is very talented that way.

 

Now that he has every Monday off, he is able to tackle stuff at will. Usually, when we have time to do something, we don't have the money to do it. That is the beauty of small projects, they come in bite sized pieces and don't cost as much as doing big projects. You would be surprised at how inspiring getting through a few small projects are! I feel like I have a new house.

 

Road Runner...the Hubs was After You

Terry chased this roadrunner all over the property on Sunday afternoon. He tried to take a picture of it when it flew into a tree. This is the best of a bunch of pictures of just brown pasture ground. lol.

Roof Flashing Backsplash with Strapping Trim

The hubs decided that since I had painted the cabinet and he had installed the Lid and Pots storage solution, he needed to trim out the backsplash he had installed several years ago.

This is how the roof flashing backsplash looked before the trim.

I Am Stranded on an Island...Sort of...

The island still needs to be painted. (I started and now I have to finish...hmmm) I took the doors and hardware off the base. Then I washed the door in the sink. Somehow, it is easier to get all the stubborn dirt off that way.

I placed trash bags on the counter top and used old plastic bowls to hold the door up off the surface of it so that I could get the edges nicely.

Gloss Cherry...yum. The color reminds me of a shiny new car. It cleans up with soap and water and the finish is really nice. I used a brush and it was easy to get a smooth finish.

A shot of the inside of the island.

The hardware is soaking in soapy water to get gunk off of them.

The drawers are all painted with the scant first coat. I am trying to avoid drips and runs. Knowing my ability, there will still be drips and runs.

I went to town to let this dry. I know me...if I stayed home, I would be trying to add another coat before it was time to do it.

The Island is done! The paint and tools are put away. I will use the dry, paint-splattered trash bags for trash. My kitchen is usable again. In the near future I need to repaint the white cabinets. The paint is wearing off around the handles. They will remain white. I can say that I love my kitchen!

There is a story behind the island. When we moved here, the previous owners had placed a low snack bar right where that pan of Christmas Crack is sitting by the hammer. (I am drying the Christmas crack out because I skipped that step when I had company for Christmas. It was an important step. It tastes better when it isn't sticky.,,,but I digress...)

We didn't like the short snack bar. The whole kitchen was harvest gold. The cabinets were varnished with dark stain. All the walls were white. Anyway....The house we had just moved out of had a nice island. I really missed it and wanted Terry to build one for me. He was covered up with work, so I prayed about it.

In one of the next few newspapers, I read in the list of garage sales that the lady who had bought our house in town had a kitchen island for sale. I was sure it was the one that was I was missing so much. Anyway, we went to the old house and the lady had this island for sale. It wasn't the custom one we had built in the house she bought, but it was just right for this kitchen. I only paid $20 for it. (yes, twenty dollars!) It had a nice cream colored counter top on it, but you read what happened to it. lol.

I knew the Lord heard my prayer for an island! He does stuff like that all the time. This island always has made me smile. I am blessed beyond belief.