Chris Loehmer Kincaid's Blog, page 46

Remodel post 3 ��� Bathroom Sink and Vanity

Going to make this quick. It���s been a rough week and a half. I���ll get through it, though. Gotta have faith.

 I had thought I might share all the before, during, and after pictures of the bathroom remodel. But then once I brought out the pictures from the first remodel back in 2005, I realized there were just too many. So, I present the vanity first. 

The original vanity when we moved in the house back in 1990. That avocado tile! Hideous!  
The beginning of ripping it up in 2005.
The finished vanity in 2005. Looks good, but what you can't see is that on the left side there was a gap of about three inches because we bought the sink at a great discount. 

And the current remodeling, beginning on December 3. 



The sink hadn't come in yet when we had company over on New Year's Day. Thus the bottle of hand sanitizer!
Ta-da! Love it! 

Remodel post 3 – Bathroom Sink and Vanity

Going to make this quick. It’s been a rough week and a half. I’ll get through it, though. Gotta have faith.

 I had thought I might share all the before, during, and after pictures of the bathroom remodel. But then once I brought out the pictures from the first remodel back in 2005, I realized there were just too many. So, I present the vanity first. 

The original vanity when we moved in the house back in 1990. That avocado tile! Hideous!  
The beginning of ripping it up in 2005.
The finished vanity in 2005. Looks good, but what you can't see is that on the left side there was a gap of about three inches because we bought the sink at a great discount. 

And the current remodeling, beginning on December 3. 



The sink hadn't come in yet when we had company over on New Year's Day. Thus the bottle of hand sanitizer!
Ta-da! Love it! 

Noah's Faith

It was by faith that Noah heard God’s warnings about things he could not yet see. He obeyed God and built a large boat to save his family. By his faith, Noah showed that the world was wrong, and he became one of those who are made right with God through faith. (Hebrews 11:7, New Century Version)

Can you imagine hearing God’s voice telling you to do something as outrageous as building a boat big enough to carry two of each animal on the earth?

Even with today’s technology, it takes a team of experienced boat builders, engineers, and mechanics to create a seaworthy vessel capable of carrying huge loads. Yet, with no experience whatsoever, Noah listened to God’s voice and had faith that God would help him every step of the way.

When you’re faced with a seemingly insurmountable challenge, do you walk away, or do you put your trust in God and have faith that He will see you through?

Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who truly want to find him. (Hebrews 11:6, New Century Version)

Faith, part 2

Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. (Hebrews 11:1, New Century Version)

Last Sunday, I introduced my word of the year – the word which will lead my spiritual walk this year, the word which I hope will bring me closer to God, the word I can turn to when things get rough.

When I shared that word with you last Sunday, I also posed some questions. The main one being – why pick such an obvious word? Well, because it’s important. It’s often all we have. And because sometimes I need – we all need – something so obvious.

Let’s spend some time looking at what the Bible says about faith.  

It is by faith we understand that the whole world was made by God’s command so what we see was made by something that cannot be seen. (Hebrews 11:3, New Century Version)

You basically have to believe that the world and everything in it was created by God. Or you believe in some big bang theory, some scientific postulation as to how the world was formed. As far-fetched as the creationist theory may sound, I think that the evolution theory seems just as crazy. What caused some gaseous matter to randomly start shaping into a planet and how did a bunch of molecules grow into a life form and why would sea creations crawl out of the water and suddenly start breathing air and then shed their scales for skin and grow legs and arms and hair.

I don’t know. I guess you just have to have faith in one theory or another, I just have faith that God made us; I believe in that which I cannot see. 

Remodel Post 2 - Kitchen

I’ve managed to delete twelve of the 212 pictures I took of our house remodel. Down to an even 200, except I still have to get a final picture of the bathroom sink. You’ll get to see that next week.

For now, here is the great reveal of the kitchen. Our house was built in 1969 and I always thought these cupboards were original – sure look like it, don’t they? But then the guys found this note under one of the cupboards when they ripped them up. Interesting, huh? 

Anyway, here it is, almost day by day since November 25.  










This was right after the power was out for 72 hours, which is why there are kettles on the stove for heating water. Thankful for a gas stove and thankful that it wasn't two weeks before when the stove was under a bunch of stuff in the dining room. 

Ta-da! Here we are in our beautiful new kitchen!

Remodel post 1 - laundry

Since the end of November, I’ve occasionally mentioned – and even shared pictures of – our home remodeling project. As of just this past Monday, it is 98% complete. Well, at least the contractor’s part of things. Hubby and I still need to paint all the ceilings and the walls, but that can wait until spring, or at least until we’ve had a chance to recharge after the hectic month of December.

Starting on Day 1, I’ve been dying to post pictures as we’ve gone along, but I knew I had to wait for the entire before, during and after package. You need to know me well to not be shocked that I snapped over two hundred pictures of my kitchen, bathroom and laundry over the past month. Yes, 212 to be exact. It will take a while to weed them all out.

In the interim, however, here is the smallest part of the project – the new floor, washer and dryer in the laundry. 

I didn't realize that on the very first day, they would take out the old washer and dryer and rip up the flooring. Sad that I didn't get a true before picture. 

Instead, you get the old washer and dryer, sitting in the living room until we sold them on Facebook Marketplace. Of course, half the rest of the kitchen was in the living room as well. 
Kitty on the new floor. 
Rugs and a ladder on the new floor. 
Yeah. New washer and dryer installed. Dino checking them out. Honestly, it was hard getting any picture without Dino or Emma photo-bombing. 


 But the best part is this video. Hope you're able to watch it, with your volume on. And then wait for it. 

Word of the Year 2022

         For you are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. (Galatians 3:26, New Living Translation)

It’s that time of year – yes, the first Sunday in a New Year, which means I have a new word of the year.

After the usual deliberation, and too much thinking on my part, God once again gave me the word to keep close to my heart for the next 52 weeks.

It seems too simple, this year’s word. Like, duh? Shouldn’t this be our word every day for life? Which is so true, but is that what we really do? Or do we fall back on our own ways, our own worries? Do we place faith in ourselves or others over faith in God? And what exactly is faith anyway?

Questions I need to find the answers to. Or that God will give me the answers to.

 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:12, New Living Translation)

          “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12, New International Version)

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” (Matthew 17:20, New Living Translation)

Have a safe, joyous and faith-filled new year. 

Prosperity

             But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity. (Psalm 37:11, New International Version)

I wasn’t going to write a blog today. It’s New Year’s Eve and you all have other things to do than to read my drivel. I also thought I’d written about all the P words already this month. Time to move on, right?

Then I woke up this morning, and God planted the word “prosperity” on my heart.

We might have mixed feelings about that word. What comes to my mind is the Ghost of Christmas present from the 1985 version of A Christmas Carol. The character is dressed in a green, velvet robe, surrounded by a smorgasbord of rich foods, lite candles, and all that glitters. (Sorry if you never saw that particular movie; maybe we are still enough in the Christmas season that you can find it on TV.)

I’m not sure why that’s the picture I have of prosperity, but that’s just what’s in my head. All the food one could what, expensive clothes, a lot of light to chase away anything bad, and silver and gold.

But those are all earthly possessions, things that don’t last, that won’t have any value in the end. What makes us rich is having loved ones around us, having joy in our hearts, and having Jesus as our Savior.  

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11, New International Version)

Yes, I love my new kitchen cupboards, but my family is what makes me feel prosperous. 
 

Perfection

Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, who does not change like their shifting shadows. (James 1:17, New Century Version)

I’ve spent the month of December blogging about words from the Bible which begin with the letter P. I’ve also shared a few snippets of living in a house being remodeled. We are nearing the end of both, but I think the month of P’s will end before the remodel.

The last item which needs to be installed is the bathroom sink, which isn’t set to arrive until the first week in January. You’ll have to wait for the final reveal, with before, during, and after pictures. In the meantime, though, I think everything has turned out perfectly. Maybe not perfect for everyone else – there are the little idiosyncrasies, which some may not like – but to me that’s what makes this house my home.

Speaking of perfection, we all know that only God can make things which are perfect, without flaw. And His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ is the only person who was ever perfect.  

But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you.” So I am very happy to brag about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can live in me. (2 Corinthians 12:9, New Century Version)

Praise

  

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (Luke 2:15-20, New International Version)

Hoping that everyone had a joyous Christmas and wishing you God’s blessing in the New Year.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3, New International Version)