My House as a Sanctuary

Boy, things have been crazy around here lately.  I realized today that it has been almost 2 weeks since I have posted anything--yet it feels like just a couple of days. So here is a quick peek at what we have been doing.

Our back room flooded with all the thawing and snow melt and we spent days trying to keep the water level down.  One night more dear husband had to empty the shop vac every 5-15 minutes all night long to keep up.  This room is our main storage area (we don't have a garage or an actual basement) but fortunately we did lose too much.  This biggest hassle is the drywall is all moldy and will have to be removed, but we have to wait until it is warm and dry enough to haul everything outside.  Hopefully we won't discover any new surprises.

The other big project we have been working on is remodeling our main bath.  The tub quit draining last fall and despite repeated attempts to clear the drain, it just wouldn't drain.  A plumber has not been in the budget, so we have been limited to using the shower in the downstairs "dungeon" bathroom (aptly named because it is very cold and dark!).  My husband finally got brave and cut the pipe that goes into the sewer and discovered it was completely blocked with sludge, hair and a couple of razor blades (major yuck!). 
The tub that was in the bathroom was really old, narrow and shallow (it's not a bath if you can't even cover your knee caps in water!), so we have been saving up for months now to replace the tub. 
Getting the old tub out was quite a chore, it was porcelain covered cast iron and weighed A LOT!  The bathroom is now totally gutted and ready for re-construction.

The opening for the new deeper and wider bathtub

View from hallway

I only wish I had remembered to take pictures before we started ripping the bath apart. 

We also ripped up the ceramic tile on our landing because it was cracked and damaged and the water was leaking through.  We were sad to see that they had installed the ceramic tile directly on top of the hardwood floor damaging the floor.  We are going to install some flooring that we found at Home Depot that is supposed to be waterproof and has a 25 year warranty.  Hopefully it is as quick and easy as they claim.

View of landing

Along with all the house projects I have been busy with planning parties, working on projects for the parties (hopefully I will have some completed projects to share soon!), trying to plan a vacation, writing a new ebook, fighting a head cold, and trying to keep up with my kids and my dear husband.


When I start to feel overwhelmed or frustrated with all the projects around the house (especially when they aren't going the way I want or seem more difficult than they should be) I am reminded that when we bought this house we committed to using this house as a sanctuary for anyone who needed it and to serve God in whatever way He chose for us.  We are in a preparation phase and even though I am not quite sure what God has in store for us, I know that He has a plan and the work we are doing now is going to allow us to use this house for His glory soon! 


“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.” 
1 Chronicles 28:9-10