{A Beach Fairytale}

Once upon a time, there was a little girl.

She grew up on the shore of Lake Michigan.

She loved her home like Heidi loved the mountains.

The water and the sand were a part of her.

But the girl grew into a woman and the woman left home to pursue her dreams.

She was gone for 12 long years.

She accomplished many things, but the greatest of these was that she learned to walk silently with the Lord her God and decipher His holy whisper.

The girl became a whisper-seeker and the Lord whispered to her . . . He would give her the desires of her heart. 

So the Lord made a path and He led the girl.  She called him "Abba" (father) because she knew him personally and loved Him with all her heart.  He called her His.

It was a perfect and all-consuming love.

The Lord blessed the girl with her marvelous husband and, in time, their darling babe. 

The Lord took the girl's hand and whispered, "follow me, beloved, out onto the water, where I walk as if on glass:  see where your faith can lead you."

It was a long journey.  There were times when the girl grew faint.  But her hope was in the Lord and He renewed her strength.

He knew her heart and her desires, and she followed him out onto the water . . .

He led her across the water and safely to the shore . . . at home on her beach once again.



And He called her blessed and loved.

"See all that I have done for you," He whispered.



The girl walked hand and hand with her marvelous husband and her darling babe, out onto the sand.  The Lord her God was before her and behind her, around her and within her.

"Hallelujah," breathed the girl.

"Hallelujah."

At last she was home.

We made it!

 . . . safe and sound

. . . the truck is unloaded

. . . now going to fall into bed

. . . and sleep for a few weeks

{or at least 8 hours . . . after which I will be too excited to delay the decorating any longer}

thank you for all the thoughts and prayers!

Moving: A Self-Portrait

Yours truly, two hours into the moving experience:

 

And now, 36 hours in and still going . . .

. . . thought you might appreciate an update!

{It's Moving Day!}

via

Greetings!  

It feels like a dream somehow, but today is finally moving day . . . we are beach cottage-bound!

Please pray for a safe journey {and my sanity}as I will be making the 7 hour drive with Wynn by myself while Mr. Marvelous drives the moving truck!!

Chat with you on the other side . . .

Erin

Just Write.

These last few days before our move are flying past at lightening speed.  I cannot wait to get where we are going but I also had so may things I envisioned accomplishing before the move and as the weeks become days and the days dissolve into mere hours, I am realizing that certain projects may need to be left undone . . . I am never that comfortable with the undone . . .

I am trying to get all of our belongings organized and boxed.  This becomes quite a challenge with a toddler who pulls out 50% of what I have packed each time I turn my back.  Sneaky little goose.  I have turned packing into a great game of chase and tickle monster because it is a lot more fun to laugh than to cry and after all, this is just one big adventure . . .

Moving is such an emotional undertaking for me.  I think it has to do with going through all of my things-especially boxes of photos and cards and things otherwise tucked away-and staring life and loss and love in the face.  It is clearing out all of the cobwebs and forging ahead . . .

I am completely mesmerized by my son.  He is every wonder that is in the world.  His eyes are hazel now and his hair is turning blond and he has a few tiny curls in the back.  He is still nursing and loves to cuddle in bed with us at night.  He is my memory maker.  He is a reader like me.  He will sit and listen to 20 books in a row sitting in my lap and then ask for more.  More than anything he likes to be outside.  I can't wait to show him the beach and all of the wonders that God has set out for him . . .

I found an old table at an antique store.  It was labeled "nine drawer chest."  It has apothecary style drawers and is large enough to be a coffee table, so I bought it for that purpose.  I painted it a bright sunshine yellow.  It needs another coat.  It is one of the things that may end up being left undone . .  .

 . . . unlike me.  and my family.  and this story He is writing with us.  He has promised to see it through to completion. 

He is glorious that way.

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Philippians 1:6



How To Paint Hardwood Floors

We are closing on the beach cottage tomorrow afternoon!  I just cannot believe it.  We won't be taking possession for another week, but my mind has already died and gone to decorating heaven . . .

 via Coastal Living

You might remember from my last post that the beach cottage has original wide plank hardwood floors underneath carpet and one of the first projects we plan to tackle is to pull up the carpet and paint the hardwoods.  I have been researching how-to's for this project.  I can't imagine the mess it would create if we did things the wrong way or used the wrong paint . . . yikes.  Here is what I have found out, for anyone who has some beat up old floors that could use a dose of cottage charm:

What You'll Need

• One gallon (for a 12-by-12-foot room) Pratt & Lambert Withstand Oil Gloss Floor Enamel (or similar floor enamel product)
• Orbital sander ( can be rented by the hour from Home Depot or Lowes).
• Paint roller with 48-inch extendable handle
• Paint tray
• One two-inch-wide roll blue painter’s tape
• One pack 100-grit sandpaper

How to Do It

Step 1: Before beginning to sand the floor with an orbital sander, dust and mop to remove any oil and dirt. Next, close all the windows and doors. Seal the cracks under doors with painter’s tape to keep dust from traveling through the house; to keep it out of your lungs, wear a dust mask. Now you’re ready to sand (if you don’t, the paint won’t stick to the smooth finish). As you go, touch the floor occasionally to check your progress. When the glassy surface is gone and you feel bare wood, stop sanding immediately. Tackle corners and tight spaces by hand with sandpaper, then damp-mop up the dust. Let the floor dry completely. (It will take an afternoon to do a 12-by-12-foot room.)

 Step 2: Mask off the bottom of the baseboards with wide painter’s tape.

 Step 3: Starting at the wall farthest from the door and working with a paint roller in the direction of the floorboards, paint in sections from one side to the other until you’ve painted yourself out of the room. After at least 24 hours (nothing must touch the floor while it dries), apply a second coat. With paint that’s specifically formulated for floors, there’s no need to seal afterward.

{Instructions courtesy of Real Simple.}

I personally think that paint looks best on wide plank or old floors with a bit of groove between the boards so that the entire surface does not end up looking like a bright shiny linoleum.  

What are your thoughts?  Has anyone taken on this project and lived to tell about it?  Would love to chat with you in the comments!

{images with original sources via my cottage heaven pinterest board}