I am working on a more “legit” blog from 1 Corinthians 5 that I planned to share this weekend. However, that may need more time, and in between that, real-life seems to be changing left and right. I am not the best at change and am a very routine-oriented person, so this new thing is like WOAH. Birds of a feather flock together, and that is why Brent and I get along so well. God gave me Brent to show me how to relax, and that variety is the spice of life.

“He who is flexible will not be bent out of shape.”

With that said, “We do not always get what we want”. When we focus on the circumstance and take our eyes off His purpose (drinking way too much coffee), anxiety creeps in. Instant thought: The pre-workout meme that says, “I see sounds.”

Having the summer off has given me time to discover hobbies I never considered, such as picking up garbage. I have been working two jobs for years, and it is my first summer off. While I love it, I am thankful to still work with Brent because I would be totally lost and owning a junk yard.

The garbage is not empty Dorito bags, but treasures people do not want anymore. I love thrift stores but never really “looked” at what people were throwing out of their houses. I never considered myself creative or resourceful to renovate anything. One of my good friends can look at anything and come up with twenty different things to do with it, and it is incredible to me. Last week I posted about the scripture sign I passed in someone’s yard while riding my bike. That same weekend, while riding my bike once again, I saw a child’s play kitchen. It was black with hot pink details

If you’re reading this, you are thinking, “Did she strap it to her back?”

Just kidding. I raced home to get my car and moderately sped to get this fantastic find! It was in excellent condition, but why did I want to get it? I am already getting concerned about my hoarder tendencies. I do not know the answer to that, but I could not pass it up. Indeed, I would find a use for it: school, future kids, give it away, family visitors. The possibilities for this thing were endless.

I am assuming the excitement and adrenaline gave me Hulk-like strength to get it in my car because when I got home, I immediately knew that I needed help (mentally and physically). I ran inside to get my dad but did not tell him why. I simply said I needed help while cackling. His response was, “Oh no. What now?”

We get to my car, and his response was what you could imagine: joy at my trash picking.

Just kidding. “What are you going to do with this?!?”
“I don’t know yet.”

I did wonder what is wrong with me but did not have time to dwell on that and the last thirty years of my life, so I quickly texted the mother of the miracle baby and asked if he needed a kitchen. She did not respond until hours later when I already decided to do a “kitchen” renovation, so now he will get a white, sleek modern look fit for a chef.

Brent’s mom is concerned I am having a nervous breakdown and only confirmed it when I told her I learned the Hoedown Throwdown dance from Hannah Montana the night I got unwanted news that sparked this whole kitchen thing. It took me an hour to learn, by the way.

I do not have a profound outlook on life right now, as I am using all those thoughts to figure out my fake marble countertops. Maybe this post is a cry for help? I’m unsure. I’ll post pictures, I guess, when I’m finished. Maybe not.

But, I learned after taking all the hardware off and putting the first coat…

I asked myself why I was even painting the inside of areas because doors go there, and nobody will see it. Then I thought because I’m marking my territory. This is MY project, and I am going to repaint it ALL so that no trace is of the other kitchen. It’s MY party, and I’ll cry if I want to! Just kidding, there was no crying, just remodeling a play kitchen.

And then I realized that is what God does with us. He could leave things well enough alone, but we are HIS, and He is making us into HIS image and likeness. He wants to make us unrecognizable to ourselves. We are new creatures, and while the transformation is a process and hard work and sometimes makes us text our friends, we do not see hope that it will ever come together. The end result is better than we could ever imagine.

Perhaps it is the extra caffeine, but like the title of this post we were trash and God picked us up. He left the 99 to find the one fixer-upper that went astray and left out for the dump.

This evening, I took my dad with me, and I picked up a chalkboard that just needs a fresh coat of paint. 🙂

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” – C.S. Lewis (Not a fan of him, but love this quote)

One man’s trash…

Some people are worth the drive.

The Dr. said <1%… but, God…

‘As iron sharpens iron…’ When God suddenly brings a former friend back into your life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxpDgVbF4Wg