Stairway to Heaven

I have dreamt for years about the day when I could rip away the carpet from my stairs and replace the Stairway of a thousand nasty stains with a gorgeous stairway to the upstairs heaven.  That day happened a few weeks ago.  We had been in talks for a while.  I actually surprised myself with how patient I was from the time of the talks to the time of action.  Usually I am one week or less girl.  I like to think it and then act.  Maybe my older and wiser age of 31 is ushering in a more peaceful DIYer that can stop and plan out all angles (cost and all) before plugging in a saw or two.  If only Kevin would know that my brain inwardly is moving a thousand times faster than my body.. he could appreciate the "delay" in projects!

This redo job was going to have to be split up into at least three phases.  Phase one consisted of removal of the old gross stuff... cutting of the new treads and risers, creating my own personal tool to help get the job done better, of which I copied off of another crazy homeowners blog, and sanding, staining, and polying  those steps so the kids could once again walk to bed without danger of falling through the basement ceiling. 

Phase two would include install of our new hip striped runner rug from Dash and Albert, and installing new wood floor on the upstairs hallway (carpet got ripped out due to a multi year ago entire paint can spill). 

Phase three, if I was still alive, if Kevin was still on board, and if I hadn't cut off any limbs from my previous dates with every saw in the garage, was to install wall board, or board and batton moulding alongside the stairway on my huge blank two story wall, currently being filled up by sticky hand prints and the occasional booger slide on the way to bed. 

We are now about to enter Phase two.  The rug is here, but the wood floor is not.  And everything depends on something else. Phase one was largely done while Kevin was out of town in trial for a few days.  I enjoy having late nights and something to do beside making a thousand peanut butter and jelly meals and feeling lonely after 7:30pm.  I thrive on being a bit crazy, sleep deprived, and under a time crunch.  I blame my genes for that.  

This project I mastered a new tool: the Router.  To which I am now a huge fan.  The Table saw, chop saw, and a hand sander were also in the mix.  I've decided though, that I am in desperate need of a few more tools for the garage... there is always something to make the job easier, of that, I am sure. 

Here are some pictures of the progress.  After the rug goes up, I may just take a few naps on my steps to really appreciate the hard work, and the lack of gross vacuuming that will need to commence.  The sheer amount of dirt hiding under that carpet was enough to make my impatient (old) self jump up and remove the rest of the carpet from the rest of the house.  But then I remembered I was calm, and patient.  And I decided to make my brain focus on one destroyed situation at a time.  It makes for a better marriage and a better budget. 

The beginning.. and a cute little boy

This is what 25 year old padding looks like.

Brown pile of sand like substance hiding under every stair. 

Better

My version of "home" school.

Routing while my 5 year old shovels.  Isn't that what normal families do?

I was so impressed by my tool that I am willing to put up this horrible picture of myself, just to show it off. (This is what happens when Kevin goes out of town). 

 





Multiple cuts, sanding, tweaks, staining, and nails later.. this is the mostly finished product

Kevin came home and helped me finish with the final decorative trim

Phase 1: Complete. 

 

 Hopefully Phase II can come quickly.  Bring on the cute new runner that even has Kevin smiling!



While the Cat is Away....

This past weekend Kevin had to be out of town for most of Friday and Saturday.  I decided it was either stock up on wine or create a project for myself to survive.  Once I saw the extra Masonite board and spare trim in the garage, combined with a new stricter grocery budget, I knew a project was the way to go.   The victim, was my fireplace.  It often is.  We have a love hate relationship, mainly because some days I love it, and on others I hate it and want it to change.  So I solved a much needed problem area... the drywall above the mantel.  It wasn't special enough.  It didn't seem a worthy backdrop for my Martha Stewart antique gold glazed mirror and ever changing seasonal wreaths.  Enter table saw, chop saw, construction adhesive, a little math, and a lot of paint. 

This is what we had before:

 

Then this happened...

 

i

Yes I did have my son take my picture while Table Sawing

 

And also a little of this:

My feet were fine Dad

 

So we ended up with phase one:

Wall board with primed trim...

 

Then priming stage:

 

More final paint

 

And then finishing up with all of the décor.  So much more Established looking.  A little less neighborhood standard and a little more: John Adams Historic.  Lovely.

 

 The details are lovely in person, and the white brightens up the whole room.  Which is appropriate considering outside it is now cold and gray. 

 

 

So that's what happens in this house when the big guy is gone for a few days.  Any project that doesn't cost a lot is a great project for me.. especially one that comes in at exactly zero dollars spent.  Except if you count the bottle of wine on night two.  But we can't blame everything on the fireplace, it's just not fair to the kids. 

 



Going Public. Again.

I have a secret.  A secret blog, that is.  And it's not so secret after all... it's a public blog.  I just haven't exposed it here.  Because it's a Catholic blog, and it's personal, and I am incredibly leery about sharing it.  But apparently it's been found, I allowed it to be seen on my profile, and now you have been tracked:).  This blog began as my way to remember our story, and now it is my deepest hope that it will be used to make a bridge between varying Christian communities.  I long for Unity, and although I understand that disagreements will arise, it is my prayer that they are discussed with accuracy, not with misunderstandings and unfounded misconceptions.  I hope to dispel some misconceptions with my thoughts. 

Even now, as I am about to post a link, I am nervous.  It's a look into my soul, my journey, and my beliefs.  You can get pretty beat up in today's world for sharing any one of those things.  It's much like walking into a dinner party and asking each guest their political leanings.  We American's frown upon such things, because they are by very nature, personal.  And, even Christians, in a large part, can fall into the belief that my thoughts are mine, and yours are yours, and arguments among believers should be avoided at all cost.  Let the things of highest importance be agreed upon, and the lesser ideas, be left at the door. 

I believe to some extent in that thinking.  Yet I also believe that some things that many might consider "lesser," are in reality the most important issues in life.  And if the Lord has for some reason given me this gift of his Church, I should not be terrified to share it.  I feel the joy of Phillip when he exclaimed, "We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth!"  I want to share how very present he allows himself to become, and to be known, within the Church.  I want to share about his body in the Eucharist, his family of the saints, and the Fathers vast love, for me, and for the world.  I want to explain how the lesser ideas became important, because they illuminated Jesus in a way I had never known him before.

So I say this, if you desire; come, taste, and see that the Lord is Good within his Church.  And read the blog.  If you are looking for pictures, stay here.  They will still be updated.  But if you are looking for a testimony of his Goodness... then follow me, Here:
www.thefullnessblog.com
Start at the beginning, it's a very good place, to start.

Picture Review

There has been a lot going on here in the last couple of months that I have forgotten to write about.  I've redone a few rooms, scraped a large ceiling, spent some time with my favorite electrical twins: the table and the chop saw, Callie started first grade, and became a master soccer star, the boys started preschool, Harry feels like he won the lottery every Mon, Wed, and Friday when he gets every toy to himself; I discovered paying for blond highlights is completely worth every penny, we took a last minute Chicago trip with my parents,  and now we are high into birthday season.  Really, I'm impressed by that paragraph. 
Here are some photo highlights:

Chicago

The Shedd

Architecture River Cruise

The Bean

Sacrificial Love

 

First day of First Grade

First day of the last year of Preschool

Discussing their plan of attack for the class.  Stick together and wear similar clothes.  Its easy to remember, and to launder.

 

Harry was first with a low key neighborhood with bonus Grandparents party.  He screamed until he realized the icing on the cupcake was also, pure sugar, his current core food group, and he went wild for play trucks, Thomas Trains, and some much needed bath toys.  Apparently, it's considered gross to still use your sisters bath toys from when she was a baby; seven years ago.  The toys must have been cool, because for a few good weeks, his older siblings were reverting to toddler brains and fighting the smallest one in the bunch for a chance to push Thomas down the track.   Ahh sibling love. 

You didn't tell me this was SUGAR!

This IS my life, People.  One picture can explain so, so much

Ever exciting Grandma and Grandpa

 

Three families that stick together no matter what. 

Faithful Neighbors: Fran and Ed

The, "I will fight you for this" face

The "Dude, Who took my Toy?" look

We went all out for the boys, who were next.  It was their first official party where we handed out invitations to the entire preschool class, rented a bounce house, and had a Grandpa Bob turned Incredible Hulk as a pie throwing victim.  I even allowed my Mom to bring her darts for a game.  Safety was not, actually first, at this party!

Harry just spotted sugar. 

Our Bat Cave.  Complete with optional capes, masks, and glow sticks.  To fight bad guys; obviously

I require this picture Every Year.  I do not care how big and ridiculous this will be.  It is my crowning achievement.

Beautiful Grandma and Callie... but check Jack in the back

The depth of his love for these boys...

Due to the boys incredible amounts of toys and fun that were had last Saturday, I now find myself having to continually promise Callie that a really cool party for her will follow.  We have booked Sky Zone, as I have promised Kevin I will not make the party about me and my love for trampolines.  We are currently on a secret mission to find out the selected friend's parents first and last names so that invitations can be sent to their home addresses.  It's against school policy to hand out at school.. so this operation is going to be long, and broad.  And I laugh when I keep having to remind Callie that a "guess" at the spelling of the last name in no way helps me in my whitepages.com search.  

I will update later from Callie's party.. if I can resist the trampolines long enough to act like an adult.  Good thing responsible Kevin will also be helping.  A room full of trampolines is equal to walking into Banana Republic with a boat load of reward points and a 50% off sale.  What normal person could resist that, anyway? 

So that has been our review in pictures.  This house is full of exciting and crazy all day, every day.  But the crazy is my normal, and my happy, and I am learning to be grateful for it everyday. 

Fr. John Riccardo

I had a thought a while ago that I would like to meet at least some of the people who have made an impact on my life, this side of heaven, rather than only thank them once we are all united under Christ, in Glory.  Obviously friends, my husband, and my family are making daily contributions to who I am and who I am becoming, and I can thank them face to face, whenever I please.  But there are always those, who, from afar, and with whom I have no personal relationship, by their dedication to the Lord, through their teachings, writings, and devotion, have reached all the way to my living room couch, and into my heart. 

Fr. John Riccardo, of Our Lady of Good Council, in Plymouth, Michigan, is one of those people.  I was first recommended to view his conferences he has held with a local Evangelical Church near his parish.  They have been published online, and for a convert, the very fact that he has been to, and calls himself friends with, his Evangelical neighbors, is a breath of fresh air.  Like many Protestants who know very little, if at all any Truth about what happens within the walls of a Catholic Parish, many Catholics know nothing of the wonderful happenings within an Evangelical Church, either. The two are sadly divided by a deep canyon that, if ever crossed, is very unlikely to contain a bridge of open communication between the converting members.  This is a huge reason why converts express deep sorrow and even depression during such a conversion process.  It is lonely.  And neither side seems to understand you. 

So when we came across Father Riccardo, and his understanding of this dilemma, we soon found ourselves soaking in anything and everything he had preached.  Thank goodness for iTunes and the internet.  It seems some things online can still be sacred.  This priest has allowed me to grasp concepts of Catholicism that were hard to accept, he explains the deeper reason (there always is one) to why they do what they do, and he simply reveals Jesus to the listener.  If any non Catholic ever questioned if Catholics can have a personal love for Jesus like we Evangelicals do... this man will quench that worry. 

So I emailed him.  A long time ago, just to say thanks.  And didn't think I would get a response.  He's sort of big time around here, on the radio a lot, seems to be good pals with huge influencers in the Catholic world, and frankly, just busy with his own Parish.  When I received an email back, along with a direct contact number, I was excited.  And that was when my dream of meeting at least a few people this side of heaven took place.  

A few months passed, and we continued on with our journey.  We continued to listen, pray, and process many books, podcasts, and Catholic thought.  And then our anniversary approached, and we were planning how to celebrate.  Last year, we celebrated with a trip, a fight, and a diamond ring.  Ten years was rough, because we were selfish.  Year 11 brought in the most difficult life change we've ever known, yet it was the best year of our married life.  So the only appropriate thing to do, in my opinion, was to celebrate an anniversary dinner, with a priest; my favorite priest. But it was a dream, so I began to pray for divine intervention, and Kevin left a message with Fr. Riccardo's office.

A day I will always remember was my answer to prayer.  It was an ordinary Wednesday, I was listening to a anti-Catholic talk recommended to me.  If I want to be able to speak on why I am becoming Catholic, I have to listen to others views on why I shouldn't.  So as I listened, becoming more frustrated with every attack, I finally paused it to ready myself for preschool pick up. 

There are events in my life when I look back, and I know without a doubt that the hand of God was moving something in that exact moment.  A specific answered prayer, a turn of events, or something that was not possible without his direct intervention.  I believe he is always with me, but many times it is a walk of faithful obedience rather than a direct voice in the cloud like the Israelites experienced.  Yet those moments where He speaks so clearly are etched in my mind as a remembrance of his vast love and care for my life.  Such was this Wednesday morning. 

In my depressed state, I walked upstairs, unaware of how to deal with my Catholic leanings in view of the recent talk.  In an instant, in a way I cannot explain, everything changed.  I felt encouraged, happy, joyful, and a steadfast peace that I did not have moments before.  I didn't know what it meant, but I knew I would be Catholic.  And I knew it was the Lord when Kevin called me minutes later.  He had been on the phone with Father Riccardo.  That very moment I had become joyful.  We were one, we were connected, and I am sure the Holy Spirit was breathing on us both in that moment.  Father John had suggested to Kevin we meet him for dinner. He had suggested it.  We were meeting Father John this side of heaven.  For our anniversary.  For the year that has meant and been, it all.  I was crying, the Lord was moving, and for a moment, I was sure Heaven was singing, just for me. 

I met Father John last night.  Kevin and I attended Mass at his parish and then shard a bottle of wine with him at his favorite Italian restaurant in Plymouth, Michigan.  We talked about a lot of things, from conversion to contraception and sterilization.  He prayed for us, and encouraged us.  I'm sure I will remember it far longer than he will.  I'm sure he deals with converts like us all of the time.  I am still processing much of what he told us, too much now to write about it.  But a lot to think about in terms of my role should I enter the Church, and what he longs for among the Catholic faithful. 

Meeting father Riccardo was a gift from the Lord.  For me, it was the Lord telling me that He has been watching, He is moving before us, behind us, and with us, even when we are lonely.  And He has placed His voice within obedient leaders to help form His body of believers.  Father Riccardo is inspirational to all... but only if he points me to Jesus.  If I stop at him, I have lost it all, and gained nothing.   As I stared at the crucifix last night during Mass, at my Lord hanging there, all for me, I remembered.  It's not about Fr. John, and it's not about me.  We all have stories, and words of wisdom.  But they are only effective if they point me to HIM.  Because He, is the most exciting one to meet, both here on earth, and in his Heavenly Home. 

A lot of pictures instead of a thousand words...

We are back, we had a great time.  We relaxed, ate a lot, laughed a lot, missed the kids a lot, and saw gorgeous islands that some day if I win the lottery I would consider purchasing.  Other than that, I think it's just better to start the slide show, because that is what really tells the story of our vacation.
Oh yes, and a waiter asked if we were on our honeymoon.  Which, obviously, made my year.  If you think we are that young and you can't tell by looking that I have four kids somewhere across the ocean, even if you just want a massive tip... well yes, I am that shallow, and I would tip for a compliment.  Seven day Date: a Success!

Day 1: Crisis averted, I found my sunglasses

Kevin claimed he was just really excited about endless coffee. 

Interesting towel displays every night

View from back of ship during lunch.  I could get used to that

Oh yes we are that fun

Ahoy!  Land!

Waving to the Land.  After 2 sea days, it was exciting

San Juan Port

Really... land!

Old San Juan

Wall along Old San Juan Port

My, "hey there's a cat in there!" face

Cristo Chapel, San Juan

San Juan Cathedral: Second oldest Cathedral in America.  Of course, really cool for us.  You've read my other blogs, correct?

This place was filled with cats!

San Juan Cathedral and my new Coach purse.  Oh how I love Vacation Kevin

If the economy gets bad.....

After considering being a Barrista, we found the court house

Look, it was bankruptcy court! Kevin could move right in.  Then, we smiled our way into a tour of the court house.  Kevin said it was very "Jan Johnson" of me.  (That's a go getter attitude, mom.  It's a compliment!)

Entering St. Marteen Port

Where's the Ship?

Gorgeous Beach. 

St. Marteen

El Presidente es delish!

No beach is complete without a man selling fresh coconuts out of a wheelbarrow.  And his machete

Trying my first sip of real coconut water.  Not super impressed.  But totally worth the $5 to try

We continued our Catholic Tour of the St. Islands, at St Martin 

Statue of St. Martin of Tours, Bishop, 371 - 397 (who Island was thought to be named after by Christopher Columbus)

Dinner on the Ship

Interesting "world tour" restaurant

St. Kitts... On the Left, Atlantic Ocean.  On the Right, Carribbean

This place was unbelievable

Because when you are on a boat, why wouldn't you think about buying a 1,000 watch that comes with it's own bullet proof case? Then again, who tries to shoot a watch? 

Oh yes he did

Safety first

For my Dad.  Always open Dad, Always available

When a chair looks like this, it just makes you pose

In the "nest" .. a level on the ship for reading nooks

Night Lawyer. And of course we act like this in public.  It's only fitting when our kids are gone

Mid ship. 

Weird art all across ship makes for Mitchell's acting weird