Stretch!

It's been a while since we've had a Jared and Bethany update, so I thought, "Hey! Why not today!?"

Jared and I have been almost frantically busy this summer on one house project after another. I think I'll wait to give the long tale of remodelling until I get around to taking some photos. But, just to make a short list of our projects:

1. Paver sidewalk and patio
2. Radon remediation system for the crawl space
3. Kids rooms have been painted and "decorated"
4. Kids bathroom has been gutted of old towel bars, mirror, shower doors, faucets, and now has a fresh coat of paint, shower curtain, new faucet and shower head, as well as new towel bars. A cheap, but effective redo until we want to tear up flooring, vanity, toilet, etc.
5. Master bedroom has had the popcorn removed, took down the vertical blinds, painted and put in a fancy new ceiling fan.
6. Living room and dining room have had the vertical blinds removed and been painted
7. The kitchen has been painted, all new hardware, new deep sink, new garbage disposal, new refrigerator, and range.

Next on the list is all new flooring, some hardwood and some carpet, but it will be a while before we do that. The appliances weren't exactly part of the plan at this point, so we'll be saving for a while before we get rid of the classy blue carpet and cracking tile in the kitchen... So far, though, it's really coming together and really starting to feel like our home. I will be busy sewing this year to make some personal touches, but we have time.

Jared has also started a small group for Dads through our church. The group has been working their way through Chip Ingram's series Effective Parenting in a Defective World and has had some good times together. I'm so thankful that Jared has taken the initiative to start the group that I'm sure will be a blessing to everyone who is part of it.

Jared has also become Mr. Social at work (big surprise!) and has been busy organizing lunches out, as well as a big house party here last weekend. We had a blast! I will be posting some of my winning recipes from that get together next week...

Meanwhile, I have been trying to get plugged in to ministry in my own way. I am on the steering team for MOPS of Brevard this year and am looking forward to getting to know the ladies in the group and serving them however I can. We have a lot of struggling moms here, just like everywhere else, so I'm sure that it will be an exciting year to see how God will work. I'm also a small group leader for the kindergarten Sunday School class. Last week was the first week and I covet your prayers for this new experience. Kindergarten is tough and a class with 3 girls and about 15 boys makes it that much tougher! Pray that God would use me to show these kids his love. Finally, I will be joining a Ladies Bible study Fridays that I am really looking forward to! It's based on some of the Deeper Still material looking at the life of David and should be really fantastic.

So, that's us in a nutshell. Busy, busy, and very blessed.