The Half Bath

The half bath is the first bathroom up and running. :) It is nice to be able to have a "normal" potty. We quickly got rid of the porta potty. :)

This was a vanity we found on sale at Lowes. Really pleased. Since this picture we have finished the baseboard trim. We have also purchased a mirror to put above the sink.

The toilet...Nothing like having a "real" potty to use. :) Thankful for the porta potty but glad it is gone. :)

Cabinets

Another hard decision was cabinets. Oh my...there are so many choices on wood and stain or paint. :( A man that lives close to us was who we chose to build them for us. Below is a picture of the cabinets we chose for the kitchen.

We are very pleased with these cabinets. We chose hickory wood and redwood stain. The cabinets in the kitchen also have a distressed look. 

Here is the master bathroom cabinet. It is maple wood, painted a white with brown glaze.

For the boys bathroom we chose maple painted brown with a darker brown galze.

The girls bathroom is the same cabinet as the master bathroom. 

Along with cabinets being put in the toilets were also installed. 

Washer and Dryer

The first appliances to arrive and be put to use was our washer and dryer.

Here they are waiting to be used! ;)

We chose to purchase Speed Queen brand. They are simple and functionable. No bells and whistles just wash and dry. :) It is a blessing to have a place to do laundry when we need to. Aww...the things we take for granted.

It's Been One Year!

It's has been exactly one year since the fire, it was Sunday December 8th. It has been a long and tough year, but more than that it has been a growing and faith building year. We have seen God give us...Beauty for Ashes, Strength for Fear, Gladness for Mourning, and Peace for Despair. 

We sifted through the ashes that were here after the fire, then cleared those ashes out and now see a beautiful home. Then as we realized there was only ashes left I saw more clearly the beauty of my husband and my children.

For nights we struggled to sleep, the events of that night would replay in our heads and fear was very present but we found our strength in God and HIs word. We are much stronger now than we were a year ago...stronger relationally and spiritually.

Every time we would reacall another item we had lost it was like being kicked in the stomach, we were mourning our loss of the material things in our life. As a family we also mourned the loss of our cat of 8 years that we lost due to the fire. God has brought gladness to our family as He has used others to give us clothes, toys, books, games, pictures, etc. He has also given us gladness through a new kitten (will post about that soon). 

The dictionary defines despair as the complete loss or absence of hope. I will not lie there were times that I felt an absense of hope, despair. God was always faithful to remind me that He was my hope. I am very thankful for the peace of God that He has given me and I can say it is the "peace that surpasses all understanding, (that) will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7.

I want to say Thank You to all those who have prayed for us and ministered to us. God has used you in our lives as a source of blessing to our family in our time of need.