Remodeling

What a busy last few weeks!

Don't you just love springtime? Doesn't it just make you want to fix up your house, clear out the clutter, get outside, and start anew? So refreshing.

Here lately, the handsome hubs and I have been hard at work on our home. We have been cleaning, painting, planting, and rearranging.....You know, all of those homeownerish things people do this time of year. Since this is our first home and since we have a baby girl coming this summer - we have been buzzing around here getting it all done. Whew.

Last night, as we were wrapping up our painting project in the hallway, I started thinking about all of the things we had improved or redone over the last few months in our house: The kitchen remodel is underway. The carpet was replaced. New laminate was installed. We had to get a new roof. And the list goes on. But then I started thinking - Sure, our home is steadily improving and becoming more like the way we envisioned it when we bought it, but....

what about the people inside?

Hmmm. Are we concentrating at all on improving us, our relationships, our faith? Where are our hearts at the moment? What condition is our faith in? Do we need to do any remodeling and updating in our relationships? Do the walls of our hearts and souls need some fine-tuning? Any improvements needed?

Oh, yes.

So, I've decided to start going through Stormie Omartain's book The Power of Praying Together with my husband. What better way to work on improving our family than to turn to The One that knows how to improve us the best?

Sure. We will certainly continue to work on our house and get things accomplished. But, we are also going to work on us, too: Our relationships with the Lord, our marriage, our kids, our attitudes, our struggles, our prayer life, our friendships, our desires. Sometimes you just have to sit back, slow down, and evaluate where things are at the moment. Because while living in a home that is comfortable and updated is nice - living the life that God calls us to live is essential. We can paint pretty colors on the walls of our home all day long - but if the hardened walls of our hearts and lives aren't tended to on a steady bases (or just torn down completely!) - it doesn't really matter does it?

Revelations 2:19 encourages me onward in all this:

I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.

Yes. I want to be more like that.

I'm looking forward to sharing with you what we learn through all this. I love each of you dearly.

Lord, you know where we need improvement. You know what we need to work on. Please reveal to us the things that you want changed. Make yourself known to us. Be present in our home AND in our hearts. Thank you for being a God who is in the remodeling business. In Jesus, Amen.

The Crater

As if I didn't already feel like a blimp, my almost 3 year old son sealed the deal for me today.....

Since the weather has been warm - my son and I have been hanging out on our back patio...which means I have been frequenting one of our cheap lawn chairs that we inherited from the home's previous owners. I had been noticing that the chair seemed a little loose lately - but didn't pay much attention to it. Today though, as we walked outside - my son walked over to the chair...examined it...and said:

"Whoaaaa Mommy! Did you do dat?"

I walked over to the chair and noticed that my big-as-a-barn pregnant bottom had formed a huge crater in the seat of the chair. Awesome.

So I simply replied, "Yes, Baby. Mommy did do that."

And then I almost cried.

So as if that wasn't enough - as we walked back inside I caught a glimpse of myself in one of the zillions of mirrors in our home - again - that we inherited from the previous owners. And at that moment, I decided that I would not ever look at my backside in a mirror again until this baby girl arrives. Unbelievable.

Don't get me wrong... I'm thankful for this pregnancy and the little diva that is making me grow and grow. Yes. I feel blessed that I am now in the third trimester of this whole ordeal and things are going well. But my goodness. I can't wait to throw on a pair of running shoes and go nuts again. That will be a happy day.

As for me and my large-and-in-charge self -I'm going to do two things until then: 1) take down all these dang mirrors that I never liked in the first place and 2) get a new lawn chair - a sturdy one to get me through the next few months.

Lord, help me.

Your big crater-making friend,
Kate :)

Gardening Girl

Can y'all believe it?

It turns out I'm crazy about gardening.

We started planting our veggie garden this past weekend and I will have you know that I'm totally into it. We planted peppers, squash, broccoli, lettuce, green beans, okra, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and watermelons. I even did some of it all by myself. My husband was swelling with pride in his never-planted-a garden-before-and-had-no-idea-how-to-do-it bride. I've come a long way, kids. The next time you see me, I might even have on a pair of those weird gardening shoes. I wonder if they come in leopard print?

Another thing I'm finding myself interested in? Flowers. Yep - I'm totally amazed. My country bumpkin of a husband has been teaching me all about annuals, perennials, planting and feeding. And I'm not bored. At all. I have even gone so far as to google about flower gardens. I purchased some hanging plants from one of our local farmer's market type places and I'm in love with them. They smell so good and they look so pretty and they just make me happy. I even got a steal of a deal for them. That makes me just love them even more.

Speaking of that....I'm amazed at how much cheaper it is to grow your own produce. It's unbelievable. Where has this whole gardening thing been my whole life? Goodness.

But I know what you might be thinking.... Gardening can be hard work. The weeds. Keeping out the rabbits. Plants dieing. The watering. The canning. I know, I know. I'm sure I'll run into some snags here and there. But I think I'll learn a lot too. Plus - I'm sensing that it will give me all sorts of blog posts ideas. There's so many comparisons to be made between tending a garden and tending a heart for Jesus. I'm getting all inspired and excited just thinking about it.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to water my pink petunias :)