Back to class...

Some days it seems like I just keep forgetting all I know and attempt to take over control of today, of this project, of my life. Yet patiently, day by day, God keeps reminding me to let go and let Him. I had the privilege of going back to class this week and learning this lesson...again!

Monday, I was working myself through a frustration. The exact details are not pertinent, the gist is that I had been depending on someone and they backed out. Plans change, I get that, and I honestly wasn't upset about that. I felt like I was left hanging. I had a plan. I knew what to expect, what was going to happen. Now, all that was gone. I was out of control, not knowing how this was going to affect me.

Crying out to God and so wanting Him to just tell me the answers...instead He gave me another question. When did I stop depending on Him? When did I transfer my dependance to myself and other human beings? And am I willing to give it back?

Wow! What a confrontation! God brought Ben and I together, held this property for us, led us through remodeling the corn crib, blessed us with four healthy children, warned us to get out of the corn crib when it was coming down and has led every step of this build. He knows what needs to be done to finish it, He already knows each step of this process. Why did I doubt for even a moment that He has us covered? That He has this house covered? His ways are better than mine! He makes all things beautiful in His time! He is capable of all my dependance!

Within 24 hours of this "class" we had two volunteers for drywall/mudding this Sunday and two references for reasonably priced mudding help. It was as if God was saying, "Ok, now that you are depending on me again, let me show you what I can do!"

Ok, You have my attention, Lord!

Drywall, part 1

This day has been SOOOO long in coming! Digging and trenching, pouring concrete and setting beams, framing walls and putting up trusses, running electrical and plumbing, and finally ready for drywall! Ben, my brother and a handful of co-workers spent Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday starting the ceiling.




Two lifts, three screw guns, five ladders, one scaffolding, 20 sheets of drywall and eight hours of work =

It looks great! Thanks for all the help...

Plumbing, et all

A lot has changed in construction since we remodeled the corn crib. Pvc piping that is glued together was standard eleven years ago. New plumbing uses pex piping that can be curved and manipulated to run one line from the source to the fixture without joints (which are where leaks are most likely to occur).

Above: Washer hookup in the laundry room. The red lines are hot water, the blue are cold and the white pvc is the drain and venting.

Below: The master bath plumbing looking through to the kids' rooms.

Above: The whirlpool tub for the master bath. I like the simple lines of this one, and it is one of the deepest ones I could find in a regular 60" size to fit in the bathroom.

Below: The "utility" side of the laundry room. All of these lines will be connected to the pressure tank, filtration system, water storage, water softener, and water heater. The large box with black tubing on the ceiling is part of the hrv (heat recovery ventilation) unit.

The hrv unit will let us control the air movement in the house to help prevent mold, mildew and a stuffy house, since we are working so hard to control air leaking for heating and cooling costs. It will also take the place of bathroom vents. Hrv units are very quiet and are another newer piece in construction.

Now it's time to insulate and drywall!