Tuesday, June 19, 2007

We're All Moved In!

We're not all unpacked yet, but we're here. I got my internet and cable hooked up a few days early, and was glad about that, but was very unhappy with Suddenlink Cable Co. because they put up this ugly black cable all around my house. They couldn't run the cable thru the attic because of the vaulted ceilings and firewalls up there. (Funny, they said this house has never had cable or internet). Anyway, so they ran the cable all around the outside of the house. OK, I could live with that, but when I saw it all finished, I was not happy. We just had the house trim painted Antique White, and .....they ran ugly black cable over it.



Click on the pictures to make bigger and you can really see the cable.



So I called and complained to about 6 or 7 different people today, all told me I just had to live with it or paint it. I called one more time to cancel my service and got the nicest young girl who pulled some strings. Yea! On Monday, they are coming back out to take down the black cable and put up white cable. I have to pay $33 for the cable but I can live with that. I feel better now.

I have some after-pictures too. These are before we moved in. (You wouldn't want to see it right now, with boxes everywhere.) Here they are:















There isn't any glass in the shower yet. It had to be ordered and will be another week. We are using it though, just being careful not to splash too much. LOL.
And we have a stainless oven & microwave sitting in the garage waiting for Bo to install.

Well, that's it. It has been an experience and we've learned somethings, but overall everything went pretty smooth. Thanks for sharing the journey with us!

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Still working on the house, but we're almost finished. The remodeling is all done (except for a couple of minor things), now we just have the clean-up and the move. Tomorrow morning I will start cleaning, along with some help I hired from a cleaning service. There is just so much to clean. Everything is covered in sawdust! And the trim work needs to be polished up, especially now that it is beside the new floors. All the dents and dings really show up. The floors are beautiful though! Then Saturday morning we will start moving.

Last Thursday, Bo & I slipped away for a very quick trip to Tyler. He had some business near there. We only stayed one night, but we enjoyed the trip and the visit. While we were there, sister Mary & I went to a really cool little plant nursery near her house called Blue Moon Gardens. I thought it was just a delightful place. They had some little miniture gardens they put together that they called Fairy Gardens. I thought they were so cool. They are tiny plants and accessories put together in a pot or on the ground. Here's a picture:









I bought some of the plants while we were there and made one myself (not quite so grand as theirs, but I like it):








Next week we will be without internet, cable and the home telephone all week. I called Suddenlink this past Monday to change our service, but they can't get to us until next Friday. Boo.

Well, that's about it for me. My sweet nephew, Michael graduated from the Marines Boot Camp this week in San Diego, CA, and I am just so proud of him. Congratulations Michael!!

Good night ya'll.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Gosh, I've been so busy, I haven't posted in a week. The house is coming along. The painters are finished. The tilers are 80% finished. The wallpaper hanger is finished. The countertops are in. Bo worked hard last weekend installing lighting and ceiling fans. The floor guys are coming back on Sunday to begin sanding and finishing the floors. We move in the weekend of the 16th of June. I will post pictures again when it's done. It looks great, I think.

Last night I listened to a sermon on Sermon Audio by Alfred Chompff called God's Purpose in Predestination. It was such a blessing to me and if you want to hear a good sermon, listen to it. It is quite an humbling sermon focusing alot on Isaiah 43:3-4, talking about God's purpose in reprobation which says:

For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

Also Proverbs 21:18 - The wicked [shall be] a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright.

Reprobation exists in order that election may be realized. The reprobate give their lives (unknowingly) that the elect might live. God's love for his people is so great that he made a reprobate people so that his people might benefit. He was willing to give up people (reprobates) for the glory of his elect. How, you might ask. For one, there had to be sin and reprobates in order for Christ to be crucified. And Christ being crucified is what saves the elect. Also God uses the reprobate and sin to produce trials and tribulation for the elect to learn and grow in this life, and he even uses the actions of the reprobate as a means to bring his people to him, I believe.

Reprobation of some is the price God pays for the higher glory of his elect, that he loves so very much.

This is just amazing and so very humbling to me. Am I worthy of such? No, no, not at all!

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his GREAT LOVE wherewith he loved us. Ephesians 2:4

I know this sermon would be considered very controversial and "unfair" of God by human standards, but I believe it only teaches what the bible says