Demolition Part 2

I'm wondering how many"parts" these Demolition posts will require... They always say that house projects take WAY longer than you would think. Here are the kids "helping" tear down green and purple wallpaper in Clay's room. Mostly this means that Mommy does the hard work and they rip off the big piece when I'm finished! (Notice the hardwood floors that are looking very nice, thanks to Dad Rack and Jeff's hard work on refinishing them recently.) :)Here's where I found Scott for a few days this week. He was working on the roof, cleaning out gutters that smelled like dead squirrel, and patching up holes on/under the roof. I love the scaffolding that he built coming out the windows of the master bedroom. No need to rent it when you can do that! He's ingenious!

Our life seems to have quickly become CRAZY again. Our days consist of Jeff's UPS job and training school, my tutoring job and homeschooling the kids, packing and cleaning the temporary house, working on projects at the new house, lots of trips to Lowe's, and meeting with drywall guys, electricians, plumbers, and a foundation expert who is doing some work on a corner of the house.

I find myself so often saying to the kids when they ask where something is, "Probably in a box somewhere. We'll find it soon." We are all excited to move and unpack these boxes (some which have been packed for 15 months) next week!

Demolition

Scott (Jeff's brother) and Jayme have been here helping us with this house project. We are pulling down ceiling tiles in a few rooms, refinishing hardwood floors on the second floor, tearing out a wall to make the master bedroom bigger, and painting trim this week. Here is the doorway from the master bedroom to the adjacent room . . . And now here is the master bedroom with the middle wall totally out! It almost doubled the room's size.Here are some of my favorite points of this 1912 house. I love the built ins and the character. We are planning to move in about two weeks, and we can hardly wait!

Winter Snow

Last week we went to a park on Jeff's birthday. It was just gently snowing and Jeff and I both said the word that kept coming to our minds was "Peace." We sense a season of peace in our lives right now, which is a welcomed thing for our hearts, as the past several months have been shaky and tough, with so many unknowns. We are thankful for seasons of life, and for what each one teaches us.

This song is one we just got introduced to this winter, and has quickly become one of our favorites. We are so thankful for Christ, and how He came for each of us.

Could've come like a mighty storm
With all the strength of a hurricane
You could've come like a forest fire
With the Power of Heaven in your flame

But you came like a winter snow
Quiet and soft and slow
Falling from sky in the night
To the earth below
Click here to listen:"Winter Snow" by Chris Tomlin, with Audrey Assad

May you sense the peace of Christ in your heart today.

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

Wherever we are, whether an apartment in Pasadena, a cement flat in India, or a fixer-upper in Indy. . . I'm happy to be by your side. Thank you for the amazing dad you are to Clay and Emma, for the way you laugh with them and act crazy, tell fun bedtime stories, sing silly songs, listen, challenge, call them to greatness, and show them a beautiful picture of their Heavenly Father.

Thank you for the incredible husband you are to me . . . for listening, caring, dreaming, playing, cooking, and leading our family. I love you to the moon and back. You are the BEST!

Photos by Leila, www.shelahphotography.com

Snowy Days

We loved being in Elkhart for the "Winter Wonderland," and spent lots of time outside enjoying the beauty of the newly fallen snow.

Hope you're staying warm and cozy wherever you are!

Cassia's Party

Cassia is the oldest grandchild and is turning 13 in a few days. So, we needed to do something special to celebrate. The table was set . . .

The guests arrived in their finest attire . . .

This is one of my favorite photos of Emma. I put her hair in sponge rollers so she could be "fancy" for the festivities.

And, a few more photos. I can't believe how grown up my little girl looks!

Cousins . . . Cassia, Emma, and Ashlyn

We had such a beautiful evening. We went around the table and shared memories from when we were 13 and any advice for Cassia. Then we prayed for her. I hope this day will be one that she can look back on with great fondness and know how much she is loved. Cassia, may the Lord bless and keep you and make His face to shine on you.

Reichanadter Christmas

Last weekend we were in Elkhart with Jeff's family, celebrating Christmas and ringing in the New Year together. We took a picture of all the kids in front of the cabin. This will be an annual thing, because then we get to see how much they grow and change from year to year!
When we arrived at Grandpa and Grandma Rack's house, the grandsons came to the front door bearing wreaths. (Jeff and I had gone "dumpster diving" in Indy at an Opera House right after Christmas and we rescued these live wreaths. They made the van smell so good as we transported them!)

Everyone made hats for New Year's Eve. Here are the men, sporting their lovely creations. Most creative could be Dad Rack's "Mailbox" or Grandpa's "Dog House," or maybe Eric's "Tower." The boys were a fireman, sheriff, and police.As for the ladies . . .most of us were fancy princesses or queens. Grandma made a puppy dog hat, to appropriately go with Grandpa's "Dog House." :) Even Dolly, the dog on Jayme's lap, had a princess hat.We shared delicious food and lots of laughs around this table. It was a wonderful weekend.