Old Ways

We...really I...decided we'd had enough of the carpets and they had to go.  It took me awhile to convince Russ, but I finally accomplished that and we started ripping up the master bedroom carpets.  My one acquiescence was allowing Russ to do a small portion in the front half of our bedroom.  So 2 weekends ago I told him the plan was to knock out the bedroom carpet.  Friday night was a bust...then Saturday was a bust...come Sunday night I was chomping at the bit so hard Russ finally relented and we started this little project at I think 7:30pm.  He started cutting carpet and decided I'm not moving the dressers or the  book shelf or your knick knack trailer park style shelves so we're cutting around those too.  This was the after picture.  It still needed the countless staples the moron who installed the carpet put in the carpet pad.  (Much more than was actually needed!) And it still needed to be swept and mopped, but we had our first glimpse of what was beneath the carpet our pets had used and a training pad.  (BTW their all fully potty trained and use the outdoors like they should, but one dog has seizures so it's uncontrollable and then another decides...ahh he does it so it'll be okay.  Which makes seizure dog go to the bathroom in the house cause the other does.  It's a vicious cycle and I have one dog that doesn't potty in the house.  I love her to death for that!)  So that portion just so happened to be the worst part of the carpet.  It stunk...it was gross feeling and when I shampoo'd the carpet in that spot it all came back within a week.  It was nasty and had to go. 

It's been two weeks since we pulled that up.  We've gotten another small portion beside my side of the  bed pulled up....but my house does not smell like a potty anymore!  That in and of itself was completely worth it...worth all of it.  But on top of all that, I got to play with a hammer and sort of chisel to pull up the tack boards along the outside of the room.  And pull all the staples by myself...I'm feeling like the accomplished renovator.


A week after this happened Russ got a new job.  He works days now...which is so amazing, but now we start a period of readjustment.  We're trying to get back to our old way of life where I'm cooking most nights and we spend time together and I think we're both finding it hard because we want to spend time together, but at the same time we need some apart time that we've become accustomed to.  I've also tried dragging our friends back into it too because we used to spend almost every day with them.  We were the dynamic four and people could call one of us and reach everyone.  So it's a period of readjustments for everyone.  I'm finding I have to meal plan again and cook more...and frankly at the moment that is just messing with me.  (I think it may have something to do with my next 2 weeks being crammed full of too much stuff to do.)  This weekend I am helping my bestie with her wedding and I have to make 150 cupcakes...which haven't been started and find Russ a suit to wear and look and try to find a different dress for me to wear because I'm not particularly comfortable in the one I have now.  Then I have to finish deep cleaning my house because almost the entire family will be descending on my house for Thanksgiving.  Plus, start Christmas shopping, put up the decorations after Thanksgiving, decide if we're doing photo cards this year, make sure we send out Christmas cards, find the perfect wedding gift for Russ' sister, try to find a serger for my mom and get back into the swing of sewing again.  Actually clean up my sewing room then get back into the swing of sewing. 

New Adventure

Follow your heart...that is the refrain I've been hearing for awhile now.  I've never really known what exactly that entailed until about a month, month and a half ago. 

We've started attending a new church earlier this year and I've been struggling to find where I fit.  I didn't want to fall into the same old same old because I truly feel that's part of the problem with me and church.  But with Grace I was determined to wait...be patient...and wait until God calls me. 

At the end of service awhile ago they told us about a new program called Stephens Ministry.  It's where folks in the church go through training to council others.  I immediately felt excited with this because I felt it was perfect.  But I waited, researched, and prayed.  Was this what God wanted me to do?  I'm still unsure if I will be good enough to help people, but after an interview I had this week with the two Stephens Leaders it just kinda solidified what I'd been feeling.  I'm not perfect.  I'm just human.  But I'm a great listener and have a heart that wants to be a servant. 

Stephens Ministry trains lay people to serve for 2 years as councilors.  They give one hour a week with someone who just needs someone to talk to.  They give us all the tools we need to get us going and even match us up with our care receivers.  The best part to me...is not ever care receiver will be from your church.  This gets us and Christ's love out into the community.  From people with lifelong illnesses to grief to working through huge hurdles that have been thrown at them there is someone for everyone. 

If you know of anyone that could benefit from a service like this...let them know about it.  That way they can seek out a care giver.  And if your interested in learning more about Stephen Ministries just click on the link.