What We've Been Up To

Mike began sanding our hardwood floors upstairs today! We were a little nervous about what we might find underneath the layers of paint and varnish. Besides a few dark spots, the floors looked great. They have alot of character which I am thrilled about. I love all the dents, strong graining, and nails! They all add to the character of the aged wood.

Below is a picture of what looks to be some water damage. I applied some clear polyeurethane so that I could see if their was going to be alot of contrast and there is. So, we thought about just staining the floors a darker color to allow the "black/darker" area to blend in better but I think we will probably just put carpet in this room. It's quite a large spot and in an area where we couldn't really cover it up with an area rug. This is going to be the girls' playroom, so the added insulation will be appreciated I'm sure.

Below is a picture of a sample of floor after I applied a little polyeurethane to it. I'm so pleased with the color of the natural wood. This is only clear coat, no stain. Love the look of it. I definitely do not want to go any darker. It has such a warm undertone.

Mike has also been working on tiling our masterbath shower/garden tub. We decided to keep it very straight-line and simple. We still have to finish off with crown molding and the wall is not finished out yet. But you get the idea. It is about 5 ft wide and will be eventually glassed in.

We went with a smaller mosaic tile on the floor. When this pic was taken Mike still needed to grout the tile on the step. That has since been done.

Still a work in progress.

June is still our goal. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we finish things up.

Asking

Would you pray with us? We are seeing the light at the end of tunnel, the one we've been in for about 2 years now. We are trying to move in to the house by June. We are asking that you specifically pray for us to meet this goal and that the rest of our renovation would go as smooth as God would have it. We are trusting that it is all in His hands, we know His timing is perfect. He has provided for us in countless ways on this journey. We are thankful for loving and gracious parents that have supported and helped us along the way.

We still have quite a few projects to complete before moving in:
1. finishing up the tile work in our bathrooms/laundry area
2. widening the laundry area doorway so that our washer/dryer can fit ;)
3. refinishing the hardwood floors upstairs
4.stairwell/banister
5. trim work
6. kitchen cabinets
7. install remainder of flooring downstairs
8. Painting

There are more I'm sure, but I think I hit the main ones. This is so we can at least move into the house. Once we get in, there will be lots of little projects inside and out that we will tackle.
If you feel led, would you take one of these projects and pray for it specifically? We appreciate you coming alongside us and carrying this burden. We know that through Him, all things are working toward the good.

Tile and Trim

Mike has been working on the tile in our laundry room and 1/2 bath the past two days. This is his first tiling project and he's really done a great job. This is a pic of the laundry room. The window in this room still has the old trim under it, that will be replaced with the new.

This is the upstairs hallway. Our contractor has put up more molding. It still has to be caulked and painted (it is only primed). We chose to keep the molding the same as the original with 4" trim around doors and windows and 6" baseboard. I'm loving the simplicity of it!

I wanted to give you another look at our doors with the finished trim around them.
These are Emma's closet doors.

Lili ~ 3 yrs old

Tomorrow my baby will be 3 yrs old.

There Was Light!

It has been a long road but we now have electricity! What a crazy, long and drawn out ordeal that was and boy did it feel great flipping that switch and seeing luminance.

The doors and trim are in!

Our contractor began hanging them on Wednesday.

The girls enjoyed playing in Emma's closet.

So excited to be seeing progress!

More Reno. Progress!

We've had a bit of a hold-up on the renovation the last few months. The cold weather has set us back as well as a few electrical issues. But nonetheless we are persevering with the help of our gracious God and are making progress yet again. We have been doing some more painting as well as laying flooring downstairs.

Please continue to keep us and our future home in your prayers. We are really hoping to move in within the next few months (emphasis on "hoping"). Our neighbors across the street having been keeping watch over the house for us, it has been awesome seeing how the Lord is already working a friendship there. We are ready to move into our neighborhood and build on the relationships we have there.

Lots and Lots of Snow!

It started snowing last night and within an hour the entire ground was white! But then we woke to this, about 7 to 9 inches of snow! The girls had so much fun! We spent the entire morning outside! And to make things even sweeter, we have our niece Maddie staying with us, so she was able to enjoy it too!

9 AM and ready to play!!!!!!

It was a struggle for the littlest girls to walk in the snow.

This was Lili's first "real" snow.

She had to taste it :)

How much fun we've all had! It's been great playing together all day and then warming up by the fire with hot chocolate :)

Maddie had alot of fun too.

We tried something a little different than a sled......

it didn't work so great.

So we made our way to the edge of the yard...

and did this instead. It was alot easier for the girls to walk and we got to visit with our neighbors.

Us girls having fun in the snow!

Mike and I were engaged in Alaska, of course we love this weather!

Lili following her daddy...

There's a beautiful stretch of woods behind the house...perfect for a nature walk.

I really should get this child a pet....

This is one snowball fight I will not get in the middle of!

And then of course, the snowman!

well, actually snowgirl :)

Our snowgirl, snowbaby, and snowpup. War Eagle!