Cabinets are primed.

Three short words, yet hours of work. I am happy to say that from Friday to Sunday, we have every inch of our cabinets primed. With the suggestion of a Lowe’s associate, we used Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 water-based primer. The can said that you don’t need to sand before applying, but we wanted to make sure we got the best application possible since the cabinets will likely get lots of wear & tear. It also said that it takes 7 days until the primer’s fully adhered, so I’m not able to give reviews just yet. I will say after a day of drying, I was not pleased to realize that my fingernail scratched a mark in one of my cabinets. Hmmm…hoping the full seven days of drying does the job.

Some friends of mine came & helped us prep for this process by emptying, sanding & cleaning all of our cabinets. So Eugene & I painted some of the base cabinets late Friday night.

The final plan of attack we decided on was to first roll the paint on with a small roller & then follow quickly with a brush to smooth out the roller marks. Seemed to work well.

Eugene had what seemed like the longest double header in history on Saturday {over 60 some runs scored…crazy!} so I tackled the cabinets in the morning, headed to his first game, and then painted for the second game only to make it back for the last inning.

I worked out a nice system for the doors. I used paint cans, buckets, and even a mayo jar to hold my doors up so that I could paint the edges and they could dry without getting stuck to the floor. I also transferred cabinet labels to the pain can so that I could paint both sides & still {hopefully} keep track of where the door goes when it’s ready to be hung again.

Nineteen doors, all primed.

 

And Sunday after church, I even got about half of the base cabinets painted with the first coat of white paint. {Yes that’s an empty Corn Flakes box. I’m telling you, my house is a complete wreck of a mess.}

We’re using the same brand of paint we used for the walls. Zero VOC {love} and it goes on great.

 

I feel like I didn’t get as much done on the cabinets as I wanted, but there’s only so many hours in the day. I’m really hoping to have the painting completed by the end of the week.

I snapped the picture below around 11 pm on Friday night when Eugene & I finally stopped for the night. We were watching 24 online, and I looked down to see our paint-covered hands. This is a perfect picture of our marriage right now. Chipped nails, paint covered skin, the dog-chewed coffee table & boxes of baking pans in the background, sports on mute on the TV & a TV series on the laptop, a pen in Eugene’s hand while grading papers. We’re pretty bogged down with life right now. It seems like we just keep finding out about a new trial we have to endure. But you know what? We’re still holding tightly to each other. And because of that, it’s gonna be okay.

On another note, my two verses for today are both from my morning reading in Philippians chapter four. {Emphasis added is mine.}

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”  Phil 4:11-12

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:19

I like that the second verse about God meeting all our needs and also the commonly referenced Philippians 4:13 comes right after the verse about learning to be content whatever the circumstances. That’s no mistake. Contentment is so hard to have in the world we live in, yet it’s so critical to getting to the place where we can see that God’s meeting all our needs already.

I need to strive for that contentment on a daily basis. And so much of that hinges on trusting that God will meet all my needs, without a doubt. He always has. He always will. He knows my heart & He knows what I truly need, so if it doesn’t happen, then I didn’t need it.

  

My daffodils finally bloomed this morning. I brought the two blooms & my fav. Ikea vase in with me to work so I can enjoy their happiness all day. {Lovely.}