Before and After: Library

Yes, we have a library.

If you know anything about Stephen, you know he loves books.

Not just likes,

Not just enjoys,

LOVES books.

He lives for them.

I have banned him from Borders and Barnes & Noble in an attempt to prevent bankruptcy.

I have had a harder time banning him from Amazon, his dealer of choice.

He has this phobia I have cleverly named bibliodisappearaphobia.

(biblio-disappear-a-phobia)

It's a fear that books will cease to be published so he must buy them now before they are gone.

So for this reason, we have an entire room devoted to his addiction.

Before:



After:



That blank area is where a big comfy leather reading chair will go someday.

Before:



After:




Here are some of the categories we have.

I haven't gotten around to doing the Dewey Decimal System yet, but I will.

Side note from the editor (AKA Stephen): "We will never have the Dewey Decimal System in our house! John Dewey is one of the most destructive Americans in American history. He is responsible for the downfall of American public education. Of course, he's loved by liberals who are more satisfied with kids learning how to put a condom on a cucumber than kids learning who wrote the Declaration of Independence, let alone its contents."

Stephen even said to me "I hate him. Is it ok to hate someone who is dead because they are no longer your neighbor?" (neighbor as in, "love your neighbor")

I think maybe Stephen needs his own blog to rant on.

Anyways, back to the categories.




(soteriology = study of salvation)



His categories also include Puritans, Calvinism, Classical Languages, Commentaries, Systematic Theology, Biblical Languages, Biblical Theology, Christian Living, Conservative Politics, Christian Worldview, Jazz, Biographies, Modern Literature, History and of course all kinds of philosophy.

Stephen was kind enough to let me use some of his bookshelves for my meager book collection.

See those 2 skinny shelves in the corner. Not the short one, or the big one on the left. Just the 2 skinny ones.



Those are mine.

Here are some of my book categories.




I love my Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.


Bradbury and Tolken.

I also have marriage counseling, women's issues, children, doula studies and many psychology sections.

And what library would be complete without a Heresy section?



This section includes the Qur'an, The Teachings of Buddha, multiple Book of Mormons and the Jehovah's Witness Bible as well as some others.

The library is kind of Stephen's "man cave" so it also includes his beer bottle collection.



It's pretty extensive.



He's not a drunk, I promise.

These beers were consumed at a rate of no more than one a day.

Most are really dark stouts that I think taste awful.

I am more of a Blue Moon drinker myself.

I should probably stop before we start sounding like lushes.

Next time I'll show you our wine cork collection (no really, we have one).

In the Mind of a Genius

Stephen and I are reading a book together.

This is quite momentous for us.

You see, I read books like “Pride and Prejudice” and “Jane Eyre” and “Great Expectations.”

Stephen reads books like, “A Christian Philosophy of Education” and “The Geography of Good and Evil” and “Cicero”.

So now that we are reading the same book, I am getting a new glimpse in the mind of a genius.

Which he is by the way.

Most definitely.

How have I done this?

By interpreting the markings.

Let me show you.

We have the usual underline.



Then the pretty standard side squiggle.



Then it starts getting complex.

We have the multiline squiggle.



The circle.



The arrow.



The underline, squiggle and star combo.



Then the writing.

It does take some work to decipher, I did give him some penmanship books, obviously he hasn't used them yet.



This is what I have really enjoyed.

Most of the writings are additional thoughts he has had to add to the topic, always interesting and in depth.

My personal favorite writing he does comes in two forms.

Both are him “talking” with the book.

The first is the agreement.



And then the best of corse are the disagreements.

“Not True”


“Wow, that is absurd.”


Ah, his mind is a deep abyss that I love to poke around in.

I do get lost sometimes though.

Well, actually a lot of the time.

I should get a GPS.

And maybe a flashlight.

Homemaker Day 2

My last post on day 1 was Wednesday. Since then I haven't felt much like a homemaker because Stephen got off early on Thursday and had Friday off. So now here is Monday and I am on for day 2.

Task #1: Get up at 5:30am.

Check.

Task #2: Get dogs downstairs without scratching floors.

Check.

(I’ve learned that Jack-Jack needs to be walked downstairs by holding his collar, like walking a 2 year old downstairs by holding their hand. Jack-Jack is a toddler. It is much easier to deal with him if that is realized)

Task #3: Walk dogs.

Check.

Its a good thing I walk them early in the morning when no one is around or I may find myself in a super stylish white jacket with extra long sleeves and buckles.

What you might hear me saying are statements such as,

“If you keep pulling, I am not going to walk you anymore!”

“I’m not going to put up with this every morning!”

“If you don’t stop pulling right now!”

“I’ve had enough of this!”

“Now that’s 1! That’s 2! Don’t make me say 3!”

(ok all were true but that last one)

Task #4: Poop Patrol

Check. Kinda.

Balrog the Bee (for those of you who aren’t Lord of the Rings nerds like me, that’s the name of the demon) is still standing guard at his post.

I have since discovered his evil lair is bored into the wooden arbor we have.

I told Stephen about this evil menace and how it is his duty as man of the house to protect his family and vanquish the beast.

He said he liked the bee and doesn’t want to hurt it.

I told him to stop being such a pansy and man up! (not really, but it did cross my mind)

So for the time being the sacred pooping grounds are not going to be picked up by me!

If Stephen likes Balrog so much, he can face his wrath.

Oh, and as of today, I have discover that Balrog has a girlfriend.

Her name is Beatrice.

She likes long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners and shacking up with Balrog to create many minions to attack our home.

Update: As of Tuesday, there is now another huge bee, its yellow. No not a normal yellow bee. A huge scary bee just like the black one but yellow!

Probably the scariest thing I have ever seen.

I am going to have to come up with a really scary name for it.

Task #5: Breakfast and Devotions

Check.

Task #6: Paint the entertainment center.

8:30pm, Check.

It took me all morning to sand the darn thing. Its invincible!

Before:



After:



Task #7: Crawl into bed, covered in paint and all.

Check.

Extreme Makeover Part 6: Side Yard

This weekend we worked on the side yard.

The other side yard.

Our backyard is shaped like a capital H but with a thick horizontal line.

So technically we have 4 side yards. All in need of work.

One is the "farm" as mentioned in previous posts.

The one we worked on this weekend leads out the back and is where we keep the trash cans.

Way back in May, Stephen shoveled out those awful rocks (to see why look back to Part 4) leaving nothing but awful dusty red dirt that they dogs LOVE to dig in and run through and curl up and sleep in.

This wonderful stuff covers everything in my house in a layer of its dust regularly.

It had to be fixed!

Stephen had a wonderful idea to cover it with path stones. So that he did.

He had to first level out the dirt.






Before:



After:



You may be wondering with all these posts of us working hard on the house and yard why you don't ever see the dogs.

Are they helping out and pulling their weight around here?

Uh, no.

Let me show you what these spoiled mutts are always doing while we are hard at work.

This.



And this.


(she likes Stephen's flip flops for some reason, she always has one, but she doesn't chew on them)

Don't let Lilo fool you, she's not getting up, she's just yawning.



But at the end of a hard day, they are nice to relax with.

After: Guest Bath

This is the bathroom you would have the honor of using if you came to visit.

Again I am without a before picture. Which is sad because its a big difference.

I do have a "during" picture though.



This was the bathroom that we had to take all the wallpaper off.

My mom worked all day with a steamer to get all the paper off, it was awful.

So here is the beautiful result.

Thanks Mom.

After: Master Bath

I don't have any before pictures of the master bath but it was a dark green color.

Now it's better.

Trust me.






What's that on the wall you ask?

It's my jewelry holder.



See.



I made it, though I have to give credit where credit is due.

I got the idea from a friend who used to make these and sell them. Her and her navy husband have since been moved to Monterey.

The photo on the wall was a picture I took a long time ago in Napa near my old church Hillside.

I miss film.

Darn technological advances!

Before and After: Master Bedroom

Before:



After:



Before:



After:





This is by far my favorite part of the room.



If you are thinking the wall space above the bed looks like it is missing something. Your right and I am working on it.

I plan on making old fashion silhouettes of Stephen and I.

It's really hard to find oval frames anymore though.

If you come across any, about 16 - 20" tall, let me know.

We also hope to put up crown molding someday, depending on how long we stay here, and if Stephen ever gets the motivation to tackle it.

More to come.

First Day being a Homemaker

Task #1: Get up at 5:30.

Fail.

Slept in till 6:30, I guess I can forgive myself this one time.

Task #2: Get dogs downstairs without scratching the floors.

Fail.

Let dogs go and Jack-Jack ran for the stairs then tumbled down them and Lilo came tumbling after.

It was an unfortunate mix of overexcitement and lack of traction and coordination.

Willow, being my graceful yoga pup, gracefully glided down the stairs without a scratch.

When Stephen reads this, he is going to kill me.

He loves the flooring.

May I rest in peace.

Task #3: Take dogs for a walk.

All three at the same time.

This has never been done before.

Took about 10 minutes after I took the leashes out of the drawer to get them calmed down enough to put them on.

All three dogs belong in LPA (Leash Pullers Anonymous) so they have their “Gentle Leaders” which are collars that go around their muzzles so they don't pull.

Side note: Maker of “Gentle Leaders” - I love you.

Jack-Jack is not used to his new collar yet so when I put it on he starts flinging himself about like a 60 pound fish on a line. Not fun.

I managed to get all three collars and leases on then it was out the back gate.

I almost biffed it a few times but as long as I kept walking they had to keep up and keep the shenanigans to a minimum.

While on this walk a car pulled up and and I heard my name. I looked over and it was my boss! I am pretty excited about that because now she will go to work and say that I was up walking the dogs and not, as everyone is expecting, sitting on the couch watching Lifetime and eating bon bons.

Task #4: Poop Patrol

Fail.

I started cleaning up and everything was going fine until I got to one part of the side yard that is a favorite of the dogs to do their business.

Unbeknownst to me, this dog poop oasis was guarded.

As I approached the sacred pooping grounds I heard a funny buzzing noise and find myself face to face with a giant bee. Like the size of a baseball! No not really, more like a quarter, but still scary.

So I did what any good homemaker extraordinaire would do...

ran screaming and left the poop to be cleaned up by my oh so brave husband.

Task #5: Read Bible and Pray

Check.

Read Proverbs 31 for inspiration and prayed that above all that I would fear the Lord and that for my husband I could embody 31:12 “She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.” and 31:26 “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”

Task #6: Clean....everything.

This could take a while.

Got most of the downstairs done.

Task #7: Make dinner

Check.

Enchiladas from scratch from The Pioneer Woman’s cookbook.

Made with local organic beef.

Task #8: Welcome husband home with a hug and a kiss.

Check.

Task #9: Relax and eat dinner with husband.

Check.

Task #10: Blog

Check.

End day 1.

New Job

So I was a victim advocate.

Then I got a great new job as an educator teaching life skills classes to soldiers and their families.

Now I am making another job change starting Aug 18th.

It’s in a similar field.

It involves supporting a soldier and will definitely put my life skills knowledge and my marriage and family therapy degree to good use.

The hours are longer but the pay is amazing with lots of bonuses too.

Oh and the commute is awesome.

Have you figured it out yet?

I am going to be a…..

Homemaker!

Pick up your jaw and give me a chance to explain my not so socially acceptable choice to leave my blooming career of training hundreds of soldiers to folding laundry and handing my husband a beer.

I have always been pretty ambitious and motivated. Heck, I potty trained myself at 18 months! I pushed my way through high school finishing at 16. Finished my bachelors at 18. Finished my masters at 22. All with the goal of filling in the blank in the sentence “I am a _______.”

Of course I wanted to fill the blank with something I could be proud of and people would react with “Oh, really!” Then I could feel fulfilled, smart and successful.

All the while, playing lip service to “seeking God’s will for my life”.

I am not saying that I didn’t genuinely want to become a Marriage and Family Therapist or help people or that that wasn’t part of God’s plan for my life.

What I am saying is that in my search for my “true” identity, I lost it.

I was searching for recognition and a way to feel proud and accomplished in the world’s eyes.

In the end, I was left ashamed by my neglect of my husband, my home, my church, and most importantly, my relationship with God.

I realized it is much more of an accomplishment to be a good wife and mother than a therapist.

I also realized that I had been blind all along to God’s will for my life.

The Bible is perfectly clear in this.

The infamous Proverbs 31 woman is a homemaker. In Titus 2 Paul encourages older women to teach the younger women to be "workers at home". All throughout the Bible you see the great holy women faithfully supporting their husbands and raising their children.

I am not trying to make the blanket statement that women shouldn’t work. I am making the statement that a woman’s first priority is to her husband and children.

All this deep philosophical/theological thinking of course came with some practical experience as well.

I am going to be very honest, it’s embarrassing but, our house is a pig sty. It’s really dirty and really messy, almost all the time.

Stephen and I hate it. But after a long day at work, neither of us want to clean. The dogs don’t get walked or brushed. And everything is neglected.

What really did it was when Stephen’s work became really stressful and he would come home beat and upset. I was too tired from work to deal with him let alone take care of him and help him relax. How silly is it that all my energy and time was going to help strangers deal with stress and have better marriages all the while neglecting to help my own husband.

This reminds me of a quote I recently read that states this well: "Much of the world would agree that being a housekeeper is acceptable as long as you are not caring for your own home; treating men with attentive devotion would also be right as long as the man is the boss of the office and not your husband; caring for children would even be deemed heroic service for which presidential awards could be given as long as the children are someone else's and not your own."

In Genesis it describes the first woman, Eve, as “a helper suitable”. As a working woman, I was in no way being a helper suitable. A clean house, good food and a caring wife is much more help to my husband than a paycheck.

So after much talking and prayer we made the decision that I would quit my job, tighten the belt and stay home. It may be difficult at times but we both feel it is the right decision.

That’s the short answer to the “why?” Did you pick up your jaw yet?

So now inquiring minds want to know, what will I be doing with all this “free time”?

Read my Bible and pray daily

Make things from scratch like bread, pasta, pasta sauce, pesto, humus, peanut butter, ice cream, sorbet…etc

Keep the house spotless (hard to do with 3 dogs, 2 cats and a husband)

Laundry (Stephen has had to do his own since we’ve been married)

Keep up our fruit, vegetable and herb garden

Preserving and canning any extras from the garden

Go to the farmer’s market weekly

Be more involved in church

Walk the dogs daily

Go to yoga twice a week

Run regularly

Become a certified Doula

Become a certified Yoga instructor

Volunteer at the local crisis pregnancy center

Learn to play the violin Stephen bought me for Christmas

Get back into photography

Get back into sewing

Get back into general crafty/artsy stuff

Read more

Put together a detailed family tree/history

Blog more

Be more generous with my time to help friends and others around me

Eventually have beautiful babies that will not have to go to daycare and will be
homeschooled

“Free time”? What free time?

I am excited about this new adventure.

I just hope I am up to the task.

Keep me in your prayers that I may be faithful and persevere as a true "helper suitable".

- Megan - Homemaker Extraordinaire (in training)

Before and After: Living Room

It's the moment you've all been waiting for.

After months of hard work.

The living room is finished.

Here goes!

Before:



After:



Before:



After:



Before:



After:



Now some close ups.

Here is the dining room.



Our beautiful original paintings wonderfully lit thanks to Stephen.



Here is the living room.



Our wedding pictures printed on canvas.



Here is the mini-office.



What are those books you ask?

Our Bible collection.



Pretty nice huh?

We think so.

I am sure we can at least all agree that its better than the "before"!