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Getting Close To Being Finished

We are on the home stretch to completion! We have grouted the backsplash tile, finished the quarter round in the dining room and the foyer, and begun installing the crown molding throughout the living area. I have posted a few pictures for you to see the progress. More to come.

Looking Like Home

We Can See The Light At The End of the Tunnel!

The last four days of working from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. have paid off great dividends! I have posted pictures of the progress from having our formica installed, carpet re-laid, lights installed, tile backsplash laid, and painting the ceilings and walls. Let us know what you think!

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In the midst of my painting the walls Cynthia got our yard cleaned up and I have included a few pics of our azaleas as this is their time to shine. We are very excited to see things coming together. The carpet is set to be cleaned today and we can clean and move the furniture back in. Wow! Five weeks and three days later. We have plans to install crown moulding throughout and touch up the enamel as well as grout our backsplash. A bit more to go but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I will be sure to post pictures of the final product.

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Keeping You Updated

Hooray! The kitchen cabinets are now primed with oil-based Kilz! Once the clean up is complete the formica guys will come install the new counter tops and I can spray the cabinets all over again! LOL! Posted some pictures below for your enjoyment. More to come!

Painting With Tim

Keeping You Posted

We are making progress! Hooray!! Ceiling and wiring is complete but for the final coat of paint. The tile floor is finished with a new piece in front of the fireplace and the patio entrance (something we've needed since moving in). The cabinets are prepped and I will spray the primer on them tonight. The formica is to be installed this week and we purchased the tile for the backsplash that Cynthia and I will install. I have included a picture of the colors we will be using as well as the formica sample, the backsplash tile and one of the six accent tiles we will place as a special touch. We are very much looking forward to completing this project, coming home and sitting down! LOL! More to come.

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Progress Marches On!

I recently entered the dreaded phase of sanding and sanding and sanding and....well, you get the picture. However I can now announce that I am just a little ways from painting the new ceiling! Hooray!!

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Cynthia and I had the foresight (not to mention experience) to cover any entrances with plastic so as to keep the dust in the work area rather than spread it throughout the house! I have posted some new pictures to show this and the progress. Tomorrow my brother Doug and I will start laying the tile in the dining room, kitchen, foyer, in front of the fireplace and at the back patio entrance. Twenty-one boxes of tile! Shew! Of course you may expect both a report and more pictures. Stay tuned.

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The Great Renovation of '08

A great deal has been accomplished since Thursday morning. I tackled the flooring first thing that morning and got the hall and kitchen tile removed, tore out the sofett above the kitchen cabinets, removed the old vent hood and exhaust pipe (as we are putting in a ventless microwave over the stove) and removed the cabinet over the bar. Friday morning Cynthia and I tackled the remaining wood tile in the dining room and got it out as well. Picked up supplies, ran wiring, installed two new light boxes and an outlet.....and basically worked till we were dragging.

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A great big THANK YOU to my Dad who met us at Home Depot and transported our materials home (including 1,000 lbs of tile)! And a great big THANK YOU to our friend Mike Murray who helped us hang a full sheet of sheetrock at a crucial time! (He is also helping us with a difficult compound miter cut, whatever that is! LOL!) Everyone has been so kind and concerned, some even dropping by to visit. A big shout out to Susan (who helped coordinate color and tile choices); my brother Doug (who is helping with the tiling); and our cousin Scott (who gave electrical advice) and all that came by!"

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I have included pictures to show the progress: sheet rock installed, lights wired, outlet installed and wired, mud and tape, and a 8-yard container filled with debris. Amazing progress! More pictures to come as we have decided to paint the cabinets with the high-gloss oil-based white enamel on the rest of our woodwork and the counter man will be here Friday to install the new countertop and stone backsplash. Then the tile throughout the dining room, kitchen and foyer. Finally paint the walls, re-install or replace the carpet and get back to normal! Whatever that is! LOL!

Progress as Promised

"Who Is Speaking, Please?"

“Who is speaking, please?” It is a polite response to the rude caller who failed to identify him or herself. Sorry but proper phone etiquette was stressed in my childhood. A skill I am grateful my parents took time to hone and one that has served me well over the years.
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Something my pastor said during the illustrated sermon depicting the last week of Christ’s life, The Passion Week. At the point where He is inquiring who the people say that He is the community's guesses are tossed out. "Some say You are John the Baptist, others say You are Elijah" and still yet the more vague, "Some say You are one of the prophets." One of the prophets? Really? Sounds like the way I used to answer some of those high school multiple choice questions….All of the Above! This usually was a wrong answer and so it was in the Biblical text I am referencing.
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It was at this point of confusion that Peter blurted out the answer without fully realizing what he was saying, “You are Christ, the Son of God!” At this precise point Jesus gave credit for the right answer to Peter and yet delineated where he had gotten it. Sort of reminded me of acing a test in elementary. The teacher gave me a “A plus” and then promptly walked to my desk, picked up my textbook and flipped to the back of the book to confirm her suspicions—yes I had one of the books with all the answers in it! Jesus told Peter, “This answer didn’t come from man (specifically Peter) but it came from My Father above.”
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“Who is speaking, please?” While it was Peter’s voice it was God who was speaking. I can’t imagine how pleased Peter must have been to get something right when everyone else around him was getting it wrong! But this euphoria didn’t last long. It was just a little bit further in the discourse of that day when Jesus revealed the fate that awaited Him. He was to be arrested, tried and executed for crimes He did not commit. Peter jumped to his feet and protested loudly. He simply would not allow this!! Jesus interrupted him with a stern rebuke, “Get behind Me, Satan!” Ouch! That must have stung, especially in light of his recent rise to the head of the class! Satan? Really? “Who is speaking, please?” In this instance it was Satan speaking even though it was Peter’s voice that broke through Jesus’ instruction.
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While I have reviewed this week too many times to recount and have even skirted around the topic that has me presently intrigued, it is this point that I now contemplate and muse. Two statements. Both from Peter’s mouth. Yet, two very distinct and polarized sources. One statement made by God. One statement made by Satan. Peter’s voice, very different sources. A right answer. A wrong response.
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Many of us closely identify with Peter. He was the disciple held up as hot-tempered, quick to act, and slow to think. He loved Jesus with all his heart but many times fell short of his own expectations in their relationship. One step forward, two backward. So, in our close identification with Peter we must acknowledge we, also, are capable of the right answer at the right time but are just as capable of the wrong answer at the wrong time. Before the sound of our voice breaks the silence of any given moment I suppose we need to revert to proper phone etiquette and ask, “Who is speaking, please?”
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Not wanting to be the devil’s mouthpiece I inwardly asked how we might better know God’s voice so that we could tune out the devil’s. Immediately what Jesus had told His disciples along that line many years ago sprang to my consciousness, “My sheep know My voice.” The inference was clear. I was to hang around my Shepherd long enough to know His voice, to recognize His touch and to sense His presence. If I was “warming myself at the enemy’s fire” as did Peter during that dark night of betrayal, it would be the devil’s voice I was more attuned to, his touch that would be more readily recognized and his presence I was more likely to entertain. In the shadow of man’s natural darkness illuminated by Satan’s presence I would be more apt to give the wrong answer at the wrong time, earning myself, at the very least, a stern rebuke.
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In response to my inner query, intimacy had become the central issue. As a lover readily knows his or her partner’s touch we should strive to know our Lord’s. In so doing we will further assure that we know at any given moment “Who is speaking, pease?”

It Rained Inside The House!

Friday, March 14, I came home to a surprise. Not the good kind. But a surprise nonetheless. As I opened the garage and rode my bike in I couldn't help but notice the water coming out from under the door. To my dismay the water line running over the ceiling to the ice maker had burst! I was greeted with Gracie still standing in the kitchen with rain coming down all around. I am convinced she would stay in that kitchen even if the house was on fire even though the small child gates we put up and merely laying against the wall!

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The light fixture we were so proud of was full of water, the ceiling was sagging and the floor was covered in water. Quickly I shut off the line and began dragging furniture to our garage. Burggraff was out in an hour and stayed until they had cut a 6 foot by 8 foot hole in our kitchen ceiling, tore up the carpet and removed the pad, and placed 8 fans, 2 humidifiers and an air scrubber in our home. Sounded like a 747 Jet Airplane in the living room!! We dried out for a week and have now gathered the necessary estimates and began planning our "forced" rennovation.

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Taking advantage of the opportunity we have plans to remove the delaminated wood floor and lay tile that Cynthia has already picked out in the dining room, the kitchen, the entrance foyer and in front of the french doors and fireplace hearth. We also plan to remove one of the cabinets that separate the kitchen from the dining room hoping to open up the area. I will also remove the panel above the cabinets to achieve the same effect. We will install two drop-down lights over the counter where the cabinet is now. By the time we get done it will look beautiful, hopefully before it is time to put up the Christmas tree!!

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Check out the pictures below and remember that while pictures are worth a thousand words they simply do not do justice to the devestation that we met with. Of course, anyone with a flooded house would scoff at the "light" damage in comparison. We will post pictures of the finished project when completed.

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Cynthia's Grand Daughter, Zoe

Well, I should say Cynthia's adopted grand daughter! Zoe is the daughter of Jamie & Richard and Cynthia works with Jamie. She delighted in their wonderful news of having their first baby and instantly assumed the role of grandmother. She gets her "grandma fix" anytime she can whether Jamie brings Zoe to work, or she visits their home or Zoe comes to see us.

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As you can see, Zoe is a beautiful little girl with a sunny disposition that makes you want to play with her for hours! Of course, we don't see the grumpy side or the dirty side that happens with babies....that helps! LOL!

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Introducing Gracie!

Although she just celebrated her one year birthday recently we thought it time to introduce you to the newest member of our family, Gracie! Gracie is a Golden Retriever with a personality all her own. As you can see from the pictures she came to us as a six-week old puppy whose living conditions were less-than-desirable. Poor thing smelled so bad we had to roll the windows down on the car even though it was a cold February day! First thing she got was two baths--that is right, TWO baths!

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From there she has learned people interaction to the point that if one of us gets up out of bed she wants to take our place to be with the other one. Her antics continue to amuse us each day. She loves socks, playing and chasing the cat.

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Today she weighs about seventy pounds. She should be through growing now.

If you happen over you will notice her right off as she is the first one to the door to greet HER visitors! LOL! Here's......GRACIE!!!