HOME IMPROVEMENT (minus Tim Allen)

I must brag about my amazing hubby again. He just finished laying the hardwood in the dining room and master suite, installed the last ceiling fan, totally reorganized the garage: adding additional shelves, a new work-bench, and strategically placing all his tools into the new tool chest (Question: does one really need ALL these tools!? When I spread them out they cover the entire floor of the 3rd garage!?!). Matt is becoming quite the pro (watch out Bob Villa); it looks phenomenal, THANK YOU babe!
There was one lil hic up….
About 3 weeks ago, I was in the guest bathroom and noticed it smelled funny. Matt had just finished tiling in there, so I assumed it was the sealer. But later that same day, I couldn’t ignore the “something must have died and is rotting under our very own sink stench.” “Matt, I need you; something is wrong.” “Yep…toilet’s leaking….sigh.”
Long story short, we had to take the toilet back off, pull off the baseboard, rip out the drywall (mind you the house isn’t even 2 years old), treat the mold, and then put humpty back together again… I won’t mention what we (ok Matt) cleaned up in the process…
Lesson Learned: Take the time to run to Lowes and grab small items, like new toilet sealers, even if you (or your husband) think the old one will work fine. ...

THIS MADE ME LAUGH

NINE THINGS WOMEN USE

(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' that will bring on a 'whatever').

(8) Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying to h--- with you.

(9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3.

WOMENS CONFERENCE 2009! LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART

One day with Dr. Laura Hendrickson, three sessions, great food, and awesome fellowship!

Session 1: Lev 20:8 “I am the Lord, who makes you holy.”
The first session was my favorite- it reinforced my most recent study on how God wants us to be holy, not religious. Tom Schrader’s equation keeps replaying in my head: a transformed heart + an informed mind = a radical life…
The main point session one was that true change comes from beholding Christ. Second Corinthians 3:5-18, is an awesome metaphor for this point (applying the story of Moses in Ex. 34:29 to us). Verse18 is the theme; “But we all, with unveiled faces, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” The glory of God is, undoubtedly, the most powerful agent of transformation available to mankind. It is so powerful that it transforms those who merely gaze upon it. If you continue reading in 2 Corinthians; 4:6 states: “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” So what is the “light of the knowledge of the glory of God?” I’m glad you asked J….
If we go back to Ex 33, Moses asks of the Lord, “…show me your glory.” The Lord’s answer in 34:5 is amazing, “Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness…” Moses asked to see God’s glory and God revealed Himself by revealing the truth of Himself. Unquestionably, God is THE treasure! We need to see Him in his Word and believe it is true; both what it says about us and what it says about Christ! We should ponder God’s love because it changes us; and we desperately need to preach the Gospel to ourselves every day! Love for Christ is the only acceptable motive for obedience. Fear and duty are inadequate.
Session 2 &3 were all about our emotions. Some things that stood out to me:
Emotions are spiritual resources that the Lord has given us. They help us to see what is going on inside of us. They have a purpose.
Our emotions tell us what we really believe about God.
Our hearts are drawn to what we treasure; as Matt 6:21 puts it “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Our emotions can give evidence to our idols. A great test is: what do I want badly enough that I would consider sinning?
We can change our habitual emotions by changing our core beliefs (Rom 12:2 “do not conform to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”)
God is the sanctifier--what works for fighting sin is loving God so much that we don’t want to pursue/entertain the sin. Focusing on the Gospel gives us the power to not sin!

Think about it: What does anxiety (the universal response to stress) tell you about your belief in God? We worry when we trust in our own abilities, rather than in Christ. Furthermore, those things we stress about tend to be the things that we really treasure. Anxiety doesn’t believe Roman’s 8:28 which states that, “in all things God works for the good of those who love him…”

I’ll leave it there… so much good stuff.

NANNA IN TOWN!

Nanna is a fantastic woman! Her extended Easter trip to CA was such a blessing and we absolutely treasure our times with her…..
Chris packed the calendar (never a dull moment)… Family time is such a blast: whether it’s lunch on the Pier, sitting together at Easter service, walking along the beach, meeting for coffee, or Mickey Mouse faces in rice… Thanks for making our Easter so special!

We love you Nanna… XOXO! And thank you for taking the time to teach me how to knit; it’s something I never learned how to do!