The countertop debate.

Since my last post was such a downer {sorry, just had to get it out there}, today’s will be much more uplifting {you’re welcome.} Yesterday, after work I went to a local business networking dinner event where the guest speaker was the inventor of the CD-ROM & DVD. He spoke about how God directed his steps through his inventions and business endeavors even when he didn’t want to do what God was leading him to do, starting his own company. It was also really neat to hear him explain how a CD is made using a large glass piece {called a Master} that has all of the original information on it, a smaller piece that gets the same information from the Master directly imprinted onto it from the master {called the Son}, and finally, the replica which is the CD. I’m sure you can see the clear analogy he drew where we are the replicas & made to share the message of the Master. Pretty cool.

On a completely unrelated note, I also stocked up on groceries & after watching the ca-razy show Extreme Couponing I decided to take the plunge and try out a few coupons at Meijer {cause they double ‘em}. I’ve used coupons before {see this dorky post}, but most of the time I can find better deals at Aldi & I just think couponing is annoying and takes too much time. But I fell for the media brainwashing through the 98%, thousand dollar savings on TLC.

I saved 8 big ones yesterday. Spent $20. I felt like a tiny ant in the world of couponing, but I was pretty pumped about two deals that were purely make-me-happy {and not feel guilty b/c I had a coupon} purchases…

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Did you know these existed? Me neither, but they’re super good. I joked with Eugene that we had to make them last until Easter & he said we’d be lucky to have any left in the morning. :) I also got some Kix. Mmm so good.

Other things that made me happy yesterday:

• Fully filled {guess that’s a bit redundant} cereal jars…

{I heart cereal & I hate that boomerang bowling alley countertop. Sheesh.}

• Clean, dust-free, dog hair-free shiny living room floors…

• The pup staring out the window at pretty weather {see a winter version of this pic}…

• Getting rid of the red accent colors in the living room by switching out the art over the fireplace.

This is just a temporary fix, but I was just really not feeling the red poppy picture anymore since I’m trying to bring in some blue with my new kitchen fabric. So I used this fabric square purchased at Hancock fabrics for $2, threw it in a {slightly too small for this space} Ikea frame, and called it good. I love the colors & the paisley, and it definitely helps me picture the color schemes I want to incorporate.  I’ll probably end up using the fabric to make a throw pillow for the couch some day down.

 

So now onto the promised countertop decision explanation. The boomerangs are in no way, shape, or form staying.

So our decision is between two very different countertops. Option #1: Black Galaxy Granite

 
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Or option #2: Butcher Block

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Things to keep in mind for this decision:

1) We have a green glass mosaic tile to use for the backsplash. We know this will look sweet with the granite, but we’re not sure how it will go with the butcher block. Here’s our tile {left} and maybe what butcher block looks like with mosaic {right.}

 
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2) Obviously, granite is much more expensive. We’re looking at about $1,000 difference, which is tricky because we have the money, but is it wise to invest it into the kitchen and boost the resale, or should we bank the extra bucks & use it for something else {i.e. new windows}? This is really the biggest deciding factor.

3) Installment is also an issue. There’s a really great tutorial on Triangle Honeymoon on how to DIY your own butcher block countertops & they even have an undermount sink, which we want, but we’re just not convinced this is the type of task we’re wise to try on our own without any expertise.

So where does that leave us? Eugene is voting 100% granite. I’m really torn. One second I love the shiny sleek look of granite, the other second I like the homey, casual look of butcher block. I don’t really want to install it ourselves, but I also don’t know if it’s smart to spend that much money on a countertop. Hmm…what do you think? I’d love any/all opinions on this matter!

I’m being followed.

{This may sound like a gross overstatement and ridiculous to people reading it, but this is my blog & my place to write my life, so if you don’t feel up to reading a bit of a emotion purge, just skip today’s post.}

Ever felt like someone was following you? Terrible, awful feeling.

Lately, I’ve been feeling like someone’s following me – namely the Devil. {I realize this sounds crazy.} I’ve felt like this once before. It was right before and during the time when I was laid-off from my previous job. In one week I had a series of experiences {such as a $200 speeding ticket & losing my job in 24 hours} that just plain sucked. I was being tested so hard & I really wished I could just throw in the towel. I will never forget driving in my car, pulling into a parking spot at my office a day or two before I lost my job with a Christian song playing. I vividly remember starting to cry, tears of anger, desperation, heartbrokenness, and a feeling of being broken & helpless. I don’t know why, but I just suddenly & loudly yelled out {sitting alone in my car} “Devil, leave me alone! I will not let you win! Get out of my life, get out of my car, get out of my face, and leave me alone!” I felt that he was so evidently working to beat me up that I even felt the need to tell him off!

Well, all that to say that I’ve had the terrible, awful feeling that he’s following me again, and I’ve had enough. Eugene & I have failed to catch a break for quite sometime. It’s a combo of a serious suffering experience, things breaking, unexpected costs, and everything requiring us to do things the hard way. For instance, see these guys…

That’s over two grand forked over to the government. It’s not our money, I know that. But it still sucks. We’ve spent over $10,000 in the last couple of weeks. All things that are necessary – a roof, taxes, ceiling repairs, utilities, life insurance, etc, but sheesh that’s a heck of a lot of money for a few days worth of time! {Praise the Lord that we have a big savings stocked up.}

And allow me to introduce you to the straw that broke this camel’s back…

  
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Late last night there were six, yes SIX, spiders in our house. It’s like the Devil’s spawning them in our bathroom or something. Anyhow, I was standing on our bed killing four of the six disgusting spiders before going to sleep when I accidently stepped on our {less than a year old} laptop which was laying on the bed playing music for us. Totally cracked the screen.

Ruined.

Poor Eugene lost a lot of his lesson plans, school work, and baseball details thanks to my mishap. I felt/still feel just awful about it. Seriously, Devil?! Are you done with us yet? I’m tired of the testing. I know I have a blessed, sheltered life. I know I have hope in Christ, cars, house, dog, husband, savings, food, heat, family, friends – so much more than I will ever need. I know my life is great {thank you, God.} Despite knowing all that, I feel like the Devil is following me around & won’t let up, and I’m beyond tired of it. I’d like something to not go wrong, please. Something to be easy for us, please.

Like I said in the first line of this post, I realize this sounds like & probably is an overstatement, and I know I have it way better than so many people, so I hope you won’t hate me for this. It’s my blog & I use it for journaling purposes and to record my life, so these are my feelings today. I apologize to be all Debbie Downer on ya, but I needed to write this. I’m sure tomorrow will be happier. I’ll find my wondrous thing and something great will be on the horizon. I know that “this too shall pass,” but today I’m just trying to push through my breaking point.

A devotional I read this morning is helping:

Perhaps you have been waiting a long time. Maybe you are feeling hopeless that your prayers will ever be answered. Or perhaps you are losing faith that He even hears.

I’ve been there, too. There have been times when I looked into tomorrow and saw blackness as dark as the feathers of a raven. Days when I read a verse like Psalm 147:9, and thought to myself, “Yeah, right. He might answer that bird, but He isn’t answering me.”

And in those times I’ve wondered what I needed to do to get God’s attention. In John 6:28-29 the people ask Jesus what they must do to do the works God requires. They want to please God and they know Jesus holds the key as to how they can do just that. As they wait anxiously for His answer, I imagine they are expecting a laundry list of possibilities, bullet points they can jot down and refer to later.

Instead Jesus tells them that the work of God is simply to believe in the One He has sent. Jesus knew that believing is work. It is heart work. To believe in Jesus even when He seems far away or unresponsive is some of the hardest work we will have to do as we follow Him. But that is all what He asks us to do.

God doesn’t respond based on who we are or what we have to offer. He responds because we are His, plain and simple. He responds because it is in His nature to provide. {see Psalm 147:9 & Psalm 145:16}

And because all those other images in this post are u.g.l.y, here’s a happier picture to end with… :)

I saw this canvas this weekend at a Marshall’s store:

I liked the concept, but I thought I could make it on my own version for a future gallery wall without shelling out the $16 bucks. Here’s my version on one of my pictures with a bit different wording just cause I wanted to…

Today, I’m feeling the ENJOY MORE want less line. :)

So, Devil, I don’t know if you read my blog, but I’d love for you to stop following me, and just leave me a lone. But even if you don’t, I know that God is good. No matter what, God is good. {I win.}

P.S. I’ll get back to the lighter & more enjoyable topic of countertops tomorrow. Pinky promise.

Grab a cup of coffee; it’s a long one.

Ready for another long whirlwind weekend wrap up? Okay, grab a cup of coffee & a comfy seat, this one’s gonna take a while.

Friday after work, I met my best friend Lib & the super cute Griff to watch the Bad News Bears Eugene’s team play. Unfortunately, his team is really young, and while they’ve done awesome so far this season, Friday’s game was far from awesome. They played young and lost badly, but you’ll have that. Give ‘em two years and they’re gonna dominate consistently like old pros. :)

Griff seemed to enjoy his time at the ballpark…

So precious!

 

Gotta love those cheesing chubby cheeks!

So, naturally after my daily does of baseball, I needed my fix of cabinet painting on my Friday night {sense the sarcasm.} Saturday was more kitchen work, and a road trip with Eugene to look at some house stuff in Columbus. I love longer car rides with my husband {so much.} On our way back we stopped at my parents’ house for hot hot chicken wings {made Eugene sweat} for dinner. We walked back their path to see their newest hobby – bee keeping.

They’ve taken courses, built hives, researched like PhD students, ordered their bees, and are all ready to become master bee keepers…

The colored stickers on the hives lets the bees know which hive they’re supposed to go into. {Crazy.}

  

Theoretically, after a while my parents won’t have seasonal allergies from pollen anymore thanks to the bees & honey. The whole bee keeping process is pretty amazing.

Okay, onto Sunday. The weather was PERFECT! We set a record high in the 80s and it was oh so nice to open the windows wide, play some Needtobreathe, light my favorite candle and begin the long task of putting the kitchen back together.

The pup was in doggy heaven laying outside in the warm weather while I watched him from the kitchen window… {and yes, our yard is still a disaster from the septic replacement months ago – waiting on the company to come back and level it all.}

Oh my word, this is the best smelling Spring candle e v e r. My mom bought it for me exactly a year ago. I stored it safely over the winter & twelve months later it’s still a wondrous thing!

 

And I’m really sick of boxes. I don’t want to see another moving box until I’m 90 years old and moving to a retirement home!

I made a lot of progress in the kitchen – got everything put back in its place after cleaning each item {every last thing was covered in sand from our doorway opening experience}. See? No more plastic shelving or table covered in dishes and hand towels.

Sunday evening, I was ready to put the cabinet doors on, but once I got two up there, I saddly realized I really need to do one last coat on the doors. {ARGH!} I really wanted to be completely done with the cabinets in a week, so it was a major bummer to see that another coat was needed, but I also don’t want to go through all this work to have cabinet doors that don’t look great. All this to say that I’ve got at least another week until the full cabinet reveal, but I’ll give you a current look at the kitchen today…

    

 

{Yes, that’s a mop handle sticking out of the sink…just keepin’ it real.}

 

Notice something here? Or should I say lack of something here?

I finally removed the blue plastic protective plastic from our dishwasher & oven. Woohoo! Looks so much better! You can also get a sneak peak at what we’re thinking of doing for our blacksplash & countertops. {More on that later though.} I also found this beautiful antique bowl that my Aunt Bobby gave me for my hope chest years and years ago. I’ve never used it, but I thought it matched the Fiestaware perfectly. Happy little punch of color to our table this week!

And just for kicks, here’s a door-less cabinet before & after.

 

Like it so far? I think I do. :)

Stuffed Pork Chops.

No baseball game last night, so I took advantage of the extra time to keep working away at painting our kitchen cabinets, and I finally got enough nerve to finish taking down the rest of the wallpaper in our bathroom. I’m not sure why it’s taken me so stinkin’ long to finish the 1/4 of a wall that was left in our bathroom {maybe it was the hideous wolves/evergreens that I was trying to avoid}, but, hallelujah, my bathroom is 100% wallpaper-free now!

And since we didn’t have a baseball game until 9 pm last night, I was determined to have a “real” dinner – not cereal or sandwiches. So I made some stuffed pork chops that were super delish {if I do say so myself!}

 

It was pretty basic, just boxed stuffing & butterfly chops, but I added two ingredients that really made it a bit special.

Stuffed Pork Chops

Stuffing Mix
Butterfly Pork Chiops
Applesauce
Cinnamon
Italian Seasoning

{Don’t freak out about the expiration date on the meat…they were frozen for a while, so it’s no biggy.}

I started preparing the stuffing according to the box on the stovetop. If I had more time & ingredients on hand I would have made my dad’s AMAZING stuffing {which has sausage, apples & other fab. ingredients}, but alas, boxed mix was all I could whip up.

So while that was going, I started to prepare my chops by rubbing Italian Seasoning and cinnamon on them – both sides.

I then added a dollop of applesauce on the pork & rubbed that in with the spices.

Flipped ‘em over and did the same to the other side.

 

Then I simply stuffed them with a heap of stuffing, folded them over & placed them in my greased baking dish.

I added my reaming stuffing all around the pork chops, covered the dish with foil and baked it for an hour at 350 degrees {until my pork measured 170 degrees & fully cooked.}

 

Eugene wanted corn with it, so we had a yellowish meal, but it was really good. Maybe its cause we’re so used to having cereal at 9:30 at night for dinner, but nonetheless, I’ll be making this again someday. :)

P.S. Remember the all white uniform issue this week?  Well, Eugene sent a link to this picture to the website uniwatchblog.com & today they posted about it…

Northwestern High School Baseball Coach: “Because of a delay in getting our new uniforms, we wore white on the road on Tuesday, which left both teams in all-white unis.”

Eugene’s pretty pumped cause he reads that blog every day. {Hmm, why didn’t they mention the photographer’s name or say what an awesome wife that coach must have for standing in the freezing cold to take the picture for him?} ;)

My wondrous thing today is that I’ve made it to another Friday AND it’s a real Friday for me because I don’t have an event to work tomorrow. Praise the Lord! I really it when I don’t have to work the weekend.

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