Before: A 1980's Beach House & Busy

Friends, it has been nine months since I've written anything for this blog! 

The past three years have really done a number on me and I have often wondered if anyone even cares about little things like making a home comfortable and pretty. It seems so trivial to me at times to even consider it in light of the problems of the world so I have allowed it all to keep me quiet... at least through this medium. I've talked to you about these things before here. 

God, however has given me other avenues to express myself. More about that later. Today I will just talk about one of those avenues. 

I took on a big project last fall.  A friend of mine purchased a beautiful, albeit dated (think 1980's) home on the ocean . The home is entered from the side. Upon opening the door the visitor was met with a long hall that spanned more than half the width of the house before being forced to turn left of right. A right turn would then reveal the ocean view. This is noting short of tragic in my opinion! 

The kitchen had only one entrance and was a U-shaped layout. If someone had the fridge, oven or dishwasher open you're trapped. There was a cutout on the left so that you could at least see the view. 

These photos were pulled from the original listing:

                                                                                                                  this is the hall way ^^^

                                                                                           behind those doors was the washer & dryer

Not bad, right? But it was dated and other than the view doesn't really feel beachy to me. 

The winter allowed for much planning time while we waited for work to begin. Contractors have their hands full as the force ages out and not many young ones are wanting to do this type of work. Thankfully, timing and scheduling worked well together on this project. The lag time before beginning allowed for many items to be ordered and stored so they were on sight when the project got underway.

Work to be done:

My main problem with the layout was that if I am at a beach house I want to see the beach! I don't want to be greeted by a long, dark hallway, like a ships hull-I WANT OCEAN! 

Solution: Cut an entrance into the kitchen right next to the main door so you walk in the door and see the sea. 

The next problem is that they are a family of seven and that kitchen was not going to cut it. They needed options. You can't trap people nor leave it that only one person at a time can comfortably work in there. 

Solution: Take down walls and reconfigure the kitchen. 

Full disclosure here-I am not a trained designer, I have no schooling, and no CAD software. I use graph paper and cutouts for furniture and cabinets! It's kind of like paper-dolls but more fun.

And demolition began! Immediately I could see opening up a door in the hallway was the right decision. What a blessing to find that there was a large support beam running the width of the house! That meant the two other walls enclosing the kitchen could come down! Drywall went up quick and it was looking good! 

Well, as it turned out, that beam was not spanning the entire width of the house, it was cut in two, supported by a post in the corner of the wall. A little configuring with the cabinet maker, the contractor, the owner and myself and we ended up incorporating it into what will be an unconventionally shaped  island. 

The sliders all had to be replaced as the seals were broken. We thought we wanted the ones with the blinds inside but that took up several inches of the view! That was NOT the effect we wanted!  

^^^ new slider(bad!)                 ^^^old slider                        ^^^old slider       

Can you see what we were loosing of the view? Plus they were smaller than the original and fixing the wood walls would have been a nightmare. The size we needed to fill the existing openings wasn't available, smaller wouldn't work. The husband took one look at the new slider and said we could go bigger! Whew! 

So, we went bigger! But you don't get to see that yet!

The downstairs, main floor, has two bedrooms with bunkbeds, a full bath, kitchen, living room, and dining room with a large deck facing the ocean. Upstairs in the master bath and bedroom. For this project we are focusing on the downstairs. 

The bathroom is getting a facelift...

So this was the beginning. The next post  will show you how it turned out. From the start of demo to the last photos took about three and a half months. 

I  did tell you I have other things going on that have been keeping me busy, right? So here's what's been going on...  

I got to speak at a women's conference in May about our steadfast God. We were expecting thirty-five women but prepared for fifty. "Who knows what God will do", my optimistic side quipped! Well, He shut my mouth when we had to scramble to find seating for another ten! It is so encouraging to see that so many women find encouragement and rest in the teaching of God's Word, especially in times like these.

But that's not all that is going on...

My youngest daughter got engaged to a sweet young man the day after Christmas! She completed an intense one year nursing program last month and is getting married next month and moving south, as he is in the military. There has been much joy intermingled with reflection, tears, new friends, old friends and new family members.

In a nutshell I haven't been writing much because we have found it essential to do life face to face, intentional, and practicing the "one anothers". 

I promise all the after photos in the next post! Stayed tuned, this is just the beginning! 

I Got Stuck

Stuck.

The craziness of the past two years has had me stuck in a very weird place mentally and spiritually. I think about writing blogposts but then I struggle with "why". I follow the news and have filled my brain to the brim with politics, world news, videos, articles and books. All it has served to do for me is to make me anxious, mad and honestly, a bit hopeless. 

"Does anyone really care if I decorate for the new season?" That is one of many questions I replay in my mind. "In the grand scheme of things, doesn't decorating my home seem rather bourgeoise?", I ask myself. People are losing their lives, their loved ones, their jobs, their freedoms. If I manage to muster up some creativity to make a new wreath in this out-of-my-control environment whose going to care? Why bother to decorate at all? 

Maybe, you're feeling a bit like that.  

I was stuck. But, I am a Christian. Words like anxious, mad and hopeless shouldn't be words that describe me. While I have been wallowing in these worthless attitudes far too long God has not been absent. I have been all too eager to engage in conversation with strangers and friends about current events; discussing and commiserating over temporary things that will come and go and not about what is really important-eternal things. Why? It is because of what I am allowing my mind be consumed by.  

But God....

They are my favorite two words in all the Bible! 

But God, in his Word, has told me that I am not supposed to give in to those feelings of anxiety. He speaks to me as he did to Martha, 

Luke 10:41 - But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, (Jolena, Jolena) you are anxious and troubled about many things,

Matthew 6:27 - And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

And then he tells me how to fight that feeling and why I can let the anxiety go...

Philippians 4:4-6 - Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

I forgot, Lord. You are at hand. You are in control of everything that seems to me to be quite out of control.

I still feel mad about the images and stories I see and read, though. I wonder if people are believing things of me based on my medical standing, skin color, economic status or faith that are just not true. I look at their faces, read their comments, hear the false narratives and have conversations in my head. 

But God says...

James 3:8-9 - but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.

Psalm 4:4 - Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. 

Ecclesiastes 7:9 - Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.

Ok, so what is at the heart of my attitude of anger? All the information and divisive rhetoric out there has planted seeds.  Am I looking at complete strangers and old friends as if they are now enemies because of what I imagine they may be thinking about me? I have inwardly questioned the motives of people I have known for decades. This took some real sole searching for me and it brought me full circle to a rather profoundly hurtful situation we experienced several years ago but this time I  am the guilty party. I am supposing the worst of people and friends! How did I let my heart go there?

Lord, help me!

Philippians 2:3b - ... in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

1 Corinthians 13:7 - Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on it's own way; it does not rejoice at wrong doing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Romans 12:10 - Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

And, so what of feeling hopeless? As I look around I am overwhelmed like Peter, not by one colossal wave but by wave-upon-wave and I feel I cannot catch my breath. 

Lord, save me.

But God points gently shows me that I have focused on the wrong things and redirects my gaze. "Take your eyes off the waves. Look at me."

Hebrews 12:2 - looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 -So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

1 Timothy 4:10a - For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God...

Uh-oh, where have I been setting my hope? On government, my country, relationships, science, feelings... I have let my mind, imagination, and heart drift away from truth. 

Psalm 42:5 - Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation. 

God has answered all my anxiety, anger and hopelessness. Today, I am anchored in God's Word and if I stay keep my eyes on him I will not drift. 

Hebrews 2:1 - Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

Psalm 19:14 - Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Friends, as we go forward I hope to have more posts that encourage you to take your eyes from things that not within your control and trust the One who sovereignly holds it all together. 

In the meantime, go ahead-make your homes beautiful.

Open your doors to the weary and have those conversations that really matter.

Encourage one another, love one another. 

Speak truth. 

A Different Christmas 2020

Did you decorate for Christmas early this year? 

Reports around these parts were that tree farms were selling out early this year. At least a week before Thanksgiving I saw many tress in the windows of homes near me. Each one I passed filled me with the warm, familiar glow of hope. I think many of us decorated early attempting to find that nostalgia as we are searching for some semblance of normal, something familiar that gives us comfort.

We've not been to craft fairs, shopping sprees, and Black Friday sales this year. There were no cantatas or Christmas concerts to perform or attend.  Work parties, Christmas parties with friends and loved ones have all been canceled. These things have become traditions in our annual celebrations. What would Christmas be without them? I found myself grumbling and complaining and looking forward to turning the page on the calendar... Maybe I should just hibernate until this chaotic, unsettled year is over. 

Christmas was always a big deal when I was kid. My mother pulled out all the stops. Nothing was left untouched by Christmas magic. Tree decorating was a party night accompanied by a tray of cookies and treats, eggnog and tinsel.

I have kept that tradition with my own children. Even though they all live elsewhere now we still held the tradition this year with two of our daughters coming to spend an evening with us. We gathered around cookies and familiar decorations, each carrying memories and stories. 

While the world has spiraled out of control outside our front door the things that bind us drew us together to prepare for the celebration of Christmas. 

When my family comes home and shuts the door I want all that other stuff left outside-it can wait. Inside, it is Christmas. 

We don't celebrate because of or to do all those other fun things. Christmas has not been canceled! We keep Christmas because of the very name sake of the holiday-Christ. Our hope is not in our government, our medicine, or our masks. My hope, my reason for celebration, is a birthday celebration of Jesus. And there is where I was reminded of the source of true joy. 

I remembered the turning point for the Grinch in Dr. Suess's How The Grinch Stole Christmas. The Grinch had done everything in his earthly power to destroy the spirit of a people who extravagantly celebrated Christmas. Wasn't he surprised, baffled, and ultimately changed when he heard their voices raise in joy. 

And then in Suess rhyme I penned a new line...

They haven't stopped Christmas from coming! 

It came! 

It came without plays, 

without 

Christmas markets.

 It came without festivals, 

parties,  

or concerts! 

It came!

He came!

Jesus didn't come and sacrifice himself for me so that I could do all those many things that I fill my Christmases with. He came to remove the debt of my rebellion against the one, true God. He came to give me a peace that no earthly Grinch can steal. He came to make me a child a God; an heir of a home that is not of this world. He came to give me a mission and that mission is to glorify Him. I cannot do that grumbling about all the things I think I am missing, For truly, there is nothing missing, nothing I lack. 

He has given me everything I need. 

1 John 5:20 - And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, 

so that we may know him who is true; 

and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. 

He is the true God

 and

 eternal life.

Praying that your celebrations are filled with the miraculous blessing of knowing this 

Christ of Christmas. 

Linking up: 

Grammy's Grid, Finding Silver Pennies, Ducks N'A Row, Follow The Yellow Brick Home, A Stroll Thru Life, Love My Little Cottage, Pieced Pastimes, My Wee Abode, Zucchini Sisters, Grammy's Grid, Shabby Art Boutique

Seeing The Light

Mister and I took what is becoming an annual late winter trip to Texas. It is a three-fold trip. We first hit the Austin area to visit old friends from high school-and this time around we made some new friends!

High-school friend, Lady, and me in New Braunfels, TX

After a couple days we drove north to visit Chip and JoJo's wonderland! We perused Magnolia Market and picked up a healthy amount of cupcakes- like one of every flavor.

Then we headed another three hours north to visit with my dad and brother.

When we left for the trip this year we were just beginning to hear about CoVid19. Since then everything... plans, work, and life have come to a screeching halt. Everybody is home right now. We are six weeks into everybody being home. I have found myself overwhelmed by all I have seen on the news, in our country, in my state and local towns and grumbling at all the changes. Mister is home a lot now. I keep trying to distract myself-and him-with a lot of little things that have been needing to be done in our home.

One of the projects that we've talked about for years is to move a light over the stairs. Our stairs are treacherous! At least, that is how it seems to people who visit. The house is 200 years old this year-at least according to sign on the front of the house.

When the house was built 'codes' weren't a thing. The steps are short and the rise is not to today's standards but we have lived here for 17 years and we're used to them-mostly. Not gonna lie, there are sometimes when the steps just feel a little wonky, especially in the dark. Four years ago (!!!) Mister painted the stairs and walls for me. (You can see that here.)

                               

I purchased a light for the front room a few years ago and Mister has not liked it ever since. I love the light and for several years you could find it anywhere "farmhouse" decor was sold.

                                                            
                                                                                Source

Mister doesn't hate the light so much but rather the height it hangs at. Because it is over my desk area I am fine with it but since everything is feeling 'off ' in the world right now I am questioning everything and so I agreed to change it. But, I still love the light and Mister agreed to move it over the stairs! Seems like a perfect compromise to me.

Well, that is easier said than done but Mister is amazing (in my humble opinion) and did all the work for that which also meant that the attic got all straightened out! SA-WEET!

And.... since we took that light from over my "desk" (which is really a table my grandmother purchased in France after WWII) we had to get a new light for the room....

                                 
                                                                         Source

and...

a new light for over the front door!

                                       
                                                                                  Source

And it all started with the stairs being lit up. Who knew?

I've been spending some of my quarantine time watching Rebecca Robeson videos. Her lighting choices are simply    S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G!

And, this is what I have learned about myself recently... I love lighting, beautiful lighting but I'm on a budget (wah-wah). That doesn't limit me as much as I thought it would. I do have a propensity for locating the most expensive thing available- "Champagne taste on beer budget", my mom used to say. But there are options and I think I have found some reasonable ones considering our limitations.

Back to me... So, I now recognize I have a thing for fabric, pottery, and lighting.

It didn't stop with the entry, stairs and front room. I just purchased another light for what has become my dressing room.... more on that later!

                                                     

                                                                                 Source

What have you been up to? Projects, reading? Art? Teaching? Or, just trying to keep a sound mind with everyone home? My mom used to always say, "It won't always be like this." She was right.

Last week I met with my bible study group online. We had spent the time looking at Hannah's prayer in                    1 Samuel 2:1-10 as she poured her heart out in thanks to God for the gift of her son, Samuel. I could so intimately identify with Hannah's heart attitude in the previous chapter. She was well cared for and provided for by her husband, Elkanah. She lacked nothing. Elkanah abundantly provided for her because he loved her so much and yet for her it was not enough. She had her own idea of what it meant for her to be "complete"; happy and fulfilled. She wanted a child!

I know there are many women out there who can identify with Hannah. Every mom can identify with Hannah's later prayer that "for this child I have prayed". But what got me most is this... Hannah had a preconceived notion of what happiness looked like to her. All that had been provided for her was not enough-she wanted more and because she didn't have it she was visibly stricken, so much so that her husband asks her "Am I not enough?" (My paraphrase.) But God, -aren't those the MOST BEAUTIFUL words?- heard the pleas of her heart and answered her! Now, if someone said to me, "Hey, God heard your prayer and He will provide for you as you prayed", I may walk away a little encouraged but it wouldn't take long for doubt to creep back in and cause me to question and drag my feet. But not Hannah. We are told, "the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad." Oh. My. Goodness!

So, the light bulb went off in my dim brain. Have I been complaining in spite of all that God has provided for me? I'm tired of being in my house, tired of not seeing my friends, upset that I can't be at regular church meetings, painting class, and all the many other things I have been missing out on .... But, God has heard me! I am reminded that I have a home, our bills are being met, I have food (and toilet paper), I have friends and a church family to miss. God has provided for me, abundantly. Hopefully, when my heart is reacting rightly, I will look at the lighting in my house and remember this moment when I could see clearly; when I could recognize my natural bent to not be satisfied with all God has blessed me with. And reminded when the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ once again witnessed to my soul that because I am his my grumbling and discontentment can be repented of and forgiven. I too, like Hanna, can have a face that is no longer sad!

I think my mom had heard from God at some point in her life those precious words; "It won't always be like this." I believe her and more importantly, like Hannah, I believe God. Praying that you are seeing the same light; finding comfort and peace in the God of Hannah during these times.

Linking to these parties:
The Dedicated House, Our Home Away From Home, Blue Sky At Home

When Things Don't Go The Way You Had Planned- Do The Next Thing

 

Friends, do you have those days when you cannot see what the future has for you?

 Do you have seasons you must to walk through and they make absolutely no sense as to how they fit into God's big picture? 

Do you struggle with your plans for the future looking like they are seemingly nothing more than dust caught in tornadic winds? 

Is the fog so thick that you cannot see where to place your next step? 

Sometimes all we can do is the next thing. You may be numb as you take that next step; not able to feel your legs beneath you but step you must. 

God has called us to a particular walk, a definite road, a predestined path. 

Proverbs 16:9

The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. 

The following is an old poem that encourages me in those seasons when the cares of this life make things so murky and obscure my view to what lies beyond this day. 

Do the Next Thing

From an old English parsonage down by the sea

There came in the twilight a message for me;

Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven,

Hath, as it seems to me, teaching from Heaven.

And on through the hours the quiet words ring,

Like a low inspiration: DO THE NEXT THING.

Many a questioning, many a fear,

Many a doubt, hath its quieting here.

Moment by moment let down from Heaven,

Time, opportunity, guidance, are given.

Fear not tomorrows, Child of the King,

Trust them with Jesus. DO THE NEXT THING.

Do it immediately; do it with prayer;

Do it reliantly, casting all care;

Do it with reverence, tracing His hand

Who placed it before thee with earnest command,

Stayed on Omnipotence, safe ‘neath His wing,

Leave all resultings. DO THE NEXT THING.

Looking to Jesus, ever serener,

(Working or suffering) be thy demeanor.

In His dear presence, the rest of His calm,

The light of His countenance be thy psalm.

Strong in His faithfulness, praise and sing!

Then, as He beckons thee, DO THE NEXT THING.

(source unknown)

Whatever today brings for you, whatever tomorrow has in store- fear not beloved for you are His. 

Love, Jolena

Coastal Retreat

I am a beach girl. Not sure why, or how it happened. I didn't discover that about myself until I was well into my.... well, let's just say I was older. Perhaps it was the time I spent as a kid at Hickam Air Force Base that planted that seed deep down in my DNA. Now, I know there are some who prefer lake-life and lakes are beautiful in their own right but for me there is just something awe inspiring about the ocean. There are others who hate the summer and the heat, preferring the spring or fall and both have their good points but oh, the warmth of the sun on the skin and the smell of sun lotion! Then there is winter.... I got nothin'. Honestly, it is so far from my mind right now that we'll just not talk about that right now.

Summer is the perfect time for the beach but I love the beach year round. You'll constantly hear me say things like "a foggy day, (rainy day, cloudy day, windy day) at the beach is still a day at the beach". It is my happy place. It is a time to clear my head and my sinuses. It is where I feel small next the the expanse of water before me. It is where I notice the small things like the bazillion grains of sand, tiny crabs, little fish, beach glass and sandpipers. It is where I see the faithfulness of God and contemplate His provisions and promises.

A few months ago I was blessed to spend some time with sisters God has purchased for me through Christ. (*I didn't grow up with sisters and didn't go away to college so this is a relatively new experience for me.) We were celebrating the birthday of one of these beautiful women. As a treat we got to spend it at a beach home nestled in what was an old Portuguese fishing village in Tiverton, Rhode Island.

While this was not set on the open ocean it did boast water views along the Sakonnet River that leads to Newport and the Atlantic Ocean. The minute we walked in the door we all gave out a huge exhale of content mingled with relief because sometimes you're just not sure if the rental is going to match the photos on the website. This place did not disappoint!

We were greeted with a beautiful table set with a charcuterie board filled with local treats and prosecco.
Um...yes, please!

Fresh flowers and live plants were scattered throughout the home.

White slipcovered furniture and warm blankets to cuddle up with begged us to sit and talk.

The master bedroom and ensuite took up the entire top floor with a huge window that led to a deck and sitting area which provided views of the water. A board and batten feature wall serves as a headboard. White linens and an overstuffed club chair make this a true retreat.

The house was sandwiched between the ocean before us and the salt marshes behind us.

Two smaller bedrooms were dressed with luxury linens in crisp, cool whites that beckoned me to jump in and snuggle down... and shiplap!!!

Each bed was adorned with a guest basket filled with fluffy white towels and slippers. Our hostess was mindful to place a black washcloth in each basket for women to use to remove their makeup, so smart!

The owners bought this property as a rental. They did all the work themselves. Here's a before photo.



You'll hear me say this a lot; never underestimate the power of paint! I know many decorators are saying that the grays are going out of style but at the beach I think the combination of grays and whites is timeless.


                                                   (Photo take from VRBO listing)

Our host and hostess stopped by to meet us and invited us to their other home on the next street over. (Who does that!? Nicest people!) It is a smaller home, 750 square feet. I believe they will be renting that one also at some point. I fell in love with this space. It does not feel small at all. It is an excellent use of space, color and glass.

before photos 

after photos

brilliant way to hide the tv

The weather was not "great", drizzling the day we arrived and and overcast and cool when we visited Carolyn's Sakonnet Winery and Tiverton Four Corners for shopping.

The weather did not stop us from walking and talking and enjoying the time together. The day we left the sun rose bright and beautiful waking me before the others were up.

I grabbed my camera and headed to the beach.

We joked about a blog post and how it may mean we never get to stay here again if it gets too popular. It is a beautiful, quiet location and we left feeling rested and blessed.

As I said before there are somethings you shouldn't underestimate; a can of paint, a good cup of coffee....,

 fellowship of the saints...,

and drawing near to the God who delights in giving His children good gifts.

The Salt Marsh Beach House was a such a beautiful treat. I would highly recommend a stay. You can find their listing here at VRBO. *Tell them you heard about it here!

Thanks for spending time with me. I hope your summer provides you opportunities to enjoy the beach, lake or whatever provides you those times to relax and enjoy the world around you.

* An after thought.

Linking up to these parties:
Shabby Art Boutique, The Cottage Market, Finding Silver Pennies, Create With Joy, Pieced Pastimes, DIY Showoff, The Painted Hinge, Ducks 'N A Row, The Dedicated House, Lou Lou Girls, Our Mini Family, Marilyn's Treats, The How To Home, Our Home Away From Home, April J Harris