Chatter Boxes

I'm participating in Throwback Thursday just so I can share this picture my mom recently found.

The boys had some friends over after school today.  Can you tell?

Here's a look at the kitchen so far.  It makes it look like the trailer is finished.  It isn't. It is coming along though.

Just for fun here's the before...

So...the not so fun part of redoing a vintage trailer has begun.  I've been doing the fun stuff like bringing the dark dingy cabinets to a bright new life, sewing curtains, and shopping for red and aqua kitchen decor.  But John hasn't had a chance to work on it much until now.  We knew there would be water damage to deal with.  The previous owners had covered up portions of the walls with plywood.  And no one ever covers pretty things with plywood.

After some initial investigating we discovered fairly extensive water damage so the plywood and original birch siding had to be removed.  Last Saturday was mostly demolition day.  We've been pulling out rotten wood and insulation since then. I think we've turned the corner so the fun stuff can begin again.

This is something fun...the ice box was painted the same burnt orange color as the cabinet doors so I painted over it with chalkboard paint.  I envision some fierce games of pictionary on rainy camping days.

This is the current state of the back beds.  This is where most of the water damage was.

The front dinette area.  Not as bad as the back but still not good.

After removing the broken water tank and pulling out rotten wood...John's face appeared in a giant hole in the floor.  Not encouraging despite how handsome he is.

I busied myself with recovering the dinette cushions.  I researched buying these online but after seeing the jaw-dropping prices...I moved on to finding an online tutorial on how to recover them myself.  And that's precisely what I did.  You'll have to see the finished product later.  The dinette where they will live is still dismantled.

Seth is helping put the cabinet hardware back on now that the cabinets are painted.  He's been a huge help with this project!

John comes home from work and gets right to work on the trailer.  What a guy!

Current state of the dinette area.  We're installing this wainscoting on the side walls.  I love the way it looks.  It's proving a bit of a challenge since none of the walls or windows are even or square.  Lots of measuring and piecing bits together.

Colin has also been a big help...mostly with painting.  Since he's such a messy painter most of it is done in his underwear.  Hence...no pictures. Rest assured he's pitching in to help.

I can't wait to get it up and running.  The vision in my head looks so cool.  I hope it translates into real life soon.

Thanks for following along.  Hopefully we'll be coasting into a completed project in the next couple weeks.  Camping season is quickly approaching. 

On the hunt!  We enjoyed a beautiful Easter afternoon with the Morozovs and my sister.

Oh what great joy!

It was a wonderful Easter.  John and Alex hid 87 eggs (they said it was too many...I say it was just right!).  The boys enjoyed hours of play time with friends. 

Here's a look back.  2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

Happy Easter!

We've had a few staffing changes at our church recently and John was asked to help preach during our latest sermon series.  I try not to turn this into a boasting blog but here's why I'm proud of this particular endeavor.  There were a lot of people praying for John that day and in the weeks leading up to it.

This is not something he's done all that often and people from our home group and families were praying that he would be well prepared and confident in what he was teaching.

He did an awesome job.  Even the elements of the service that John had no control over seems to mold perfectly into the spirit of the day.  God blessed that service.  John was great but more than that, people walked away blessed and encouraged by the entire service.

I think some people were surprised by how well the morning went.  Our worship team was down a few members for various reasons and the preacher is a software engineer by trade.  Why did it come together so well? All the prayer leading up to it.  Imagine what could happen if churches all over were bathed in prayer the way ours was.  If as many people prayed for our senior pastor on a weekly basis the same as they prayed for John, what a gift.

So my friends, remember your church staff in your prayers.  They work hard to lead you week after week with biblical truths, challenges, and encouragement.

And now...John's sermon for those that might be interested.


The Story - The Hero Arrives - 3-15-15 from Olathe Christian Church on Vimeo.