Met Monday

I have been looking so forward to being able to share this post on Met Monday...for we certainly have  had a beautiful metamorphosis from  a  plan tiny Caterpillar of a powder room to a lovely  butterfly of a bath!!!

I am sharing on Susan's blog, Between Naps on the Porch!

When we bought this house  years ago,  we    were glad to have this tiny  second  three piece bath on the main floor of our home,  but we  began hoping then that  the day we renovated  wouldn't be too far in the future..as  many of you know, life happens and it just wasn't in our cards to  get it done any sooner, so we learned to  put up with it...I rationalized, I had seen smaller ones!

 but believe me stepping over the  commode to get to the shower  was no picnic!

Our dilemma was  this bathroom needed space  and there  just wasn't any!

Finally, this past spring things began to fall into place...a solution came to light.. there was a small closet beside the bathroom,  but it  seemed an integral part of the household..  over several years of  putting this and that in there,  it seemed  a necessity. Then while out shopping one day we stepped into the Better Wood  store...  and found  a  wonderful  pantry!

What if we put in an order to  get a pantry made  for  the opposing wall in the hall  that would  replace the closet...

So  we placed an order  and it took 10 weeks  due to a mix up on the  top stain  color.

But as good as our Lord is,  it  arrived just in the nick of time!

As we sorted through the  items  in the closet we found a lot of junk to toss and  now we have exactly what we need at our fingertips!!!

The added space we  claimed from the closet was ample for our needs, too.  It made such a difference!!

We could not believe how quickly the team worked to get the job done... Gabriel was the leader and he was just wonderful...  a amazing man of God and   such a conscientous worker!!!

You can see the about 18 inches we  got  to reset the toilet!

In two days they had the room completely demolished to the studs...  and then  electric and plumbing roughed in.. On the third day  we passed inspection and the shower pan was   put in... I mean  it was all hand done... But the end of the second week  everything except the   accessories was installed and  the shower  was  complete except for the shower door..

I absolutely love my tilt mirror!!!!

I always wanted  handmade wainscoting,   I absolutely  love it!!!  See how the fixtures  now fit back into the new claimed space  and not out in the floor..

 I had a lot of  decisions  denied for lack of being able to find or  get my preferences in decorative tile...  I love what we got , but it is  quite  expensive    and I wish we had more natural light so the iridescent   beads would  glow, but they do  reward the person showering!!  Lovely!!!  

Alas, the shower door panel didn't fit  so it is  to  be  brought later this week...

We chose Kohler Devonshire  fixtures and accessories..  I love them!!! 

All in all the bath minus the  panel  was completed in 21 days!!!!

I will probably get a shelf or two  for simple  decor  

But Sunday we found this  nightlight  where we were lunching....  I absolutely had to have it...  a bit of   bling for  my  beautiful new 3 piece powder room!!!

Happy Homemaker Monday

Return to DOASAHM here

The weather.....

We are experiencing a cold front   with  tons of cloudy, damp days and intermittent showers...  We just had one...  rather dark and  gloomy out...  but I LOVE IT!!!!

Right now I am....

I am enjoying  my fruited yogurt dear Hubs just set before me...  He is  now washing the morning dishes.  I'm one content lady!!

Thinking....I am  sort of  upset with my self for buying into a diet plan  requiring 2 whey shakes  a day for meals...and  then  other  nutritious  items through the day.. problem is  I stood the shakes for a month and then just  had to stop...  Whey  and I just do not jive!!!Problem is I have  2  unopened canisters of  shakes  that  last  for 2 months left over...  but the good news is  I have learned to cut back, eat less, and am  still losing weight...YAYAYAYA

Something fun or interesting that happened....

 I am loving my new bathroom downstairs here on the main level...well, the  shower isn't complete..  the panel  couldn't be  installed so  we still await that but  the rest of the room is  ready to go!!!!

We are so delighted!!!

On my reading pile....

Last week while  we  visited Charlottesville,  I found a used book store...  Both of our are out of business so  I  enjoyed perusing the shelves... I love   stories with a Scottish flair...  Because  tribute to the author caught my fancy, -"

In the style of Rosamund Pilcher" I took a chance of   ALexandra Raife's   book, Mountain Heather.  I love a good storyteller!!!

I also purchased a copy of James Herriot's,  The Lord God Made Them All.  

I read  a borrowed copy of this years ago  and I  decided to have my own copy would be well worth my while!!

Right now I am reading Ann Graham Lotz's book, 

The Daniel Key: 20 Choices That Make All the Difference , a wonderful study for the summer!

On my TV.....

I  have pretty much been watching Call the Midwives  non Stop  last week..  I LOVED IT  so much!!!!  I cried with  happiness,  with nostalgia and  just share the  agony right along with  the  characters...Definitely one of my favorite shows of all time!!!

On the menu for this week....

no plans this week

On my to do list....

 laundry 

vacuum the living room and  dust

Work on 2 bedrooms

In the craft basket....Nothing at the moment.

Looking around the house....

Everything was so topsy -turvy during the renovation,  we finally got the den and dining room back in good shape,  now  for the ones mentioned  above!!!

Prayers for...

The President and his family, and  the administration

Pray that  all the scandals and investigations will finally  be resolved and  justice  meted out.

For the God's best person be  quickly  voted into the  Supreme Court  position

Pray that the scales  that delude so many will fall off  the  many and  that they will find peace, truth, and salvation

Pray  against division and  the hatred  that  runs rampant

Pray for the sick that they might be healed

Devotionals, Bible verses, Worth sharing....

FMF-The Word is Way!

Do you love to write!   I do  but most of my writing was for my fourth graders...  here is an opportunity to stretch!!! Good exercise!

All are welcome to gather each week to write for five minutes flat on a single word prompt . . . so get your timer and your typing fingers ready! If you’re new and you’re not sure how the link-up works, read he easy directions below:

1. Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write.

2. Post your words on your own blog. If you don’t have a blog, you’re welcome to post your five minutes of writing in the comments here each week, or on the Five Minute Friday Facebook page.

3. Include a hyperlink in your post to direct your readers to the Five Minute Friday site so they can join the fun, too! (Example: This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up!)

4. Copy the actual permalink (url) to your specific post (not your blog’s homepage). For example, copy http://katemotaung.com/five-minute-friday/ and not just katemotaung.com.

5. Come back to this post and click the blue “Add Your Link” button at the bottom of the post.

6. Paste your unique permalink / url where prompted by the pop-up window and follow other instructions.

7. Visit the blog of the person who linked up before you and leave an encouraging comment. (That’s the best part, right?)

8. Any questions, feel free to email katefiveminutefridaycom. Happy writing!

This week’s FMF prompt is: WAY

The first thing I thought of when I read the prompt was  one of my favorite verses  from the New Testament..  Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light!  When he spoke those words  he was  simplifing the  Truth of who He  Is,  was, and ever has been... For  Jesus is  aligned with His Father, God,  who stated in the Old Testament when asked who He was  He said, I AM! Completely unlimited by time or space!

When Jesus said he was the Way, He meant  that  all who  wish to be  united into the family of God must follow Him.  Give over to Him their life, their love, their trust and  live  a life  with Him as their model!.. He is our road map through the twists and turns of  each day..He is  our guide through the thickest darkness and   our  tutor  as we  study the Word of God! 

One Thousand Gifts / Joy Dare (824-829)

I used to follow  Ann Voskamp's Joy Dare rather regularly,,, and it kept in  a  very uplifted spirit..  I need to  find that Spirit again!  When I do the dare  activity I added  the items to my 1000 gifts  from her  book,, her first book  I ever read!

Now I am also  adding  some  blessings and    following Ann's  Joy Dare a bit ..  the theme this month is  

"The Art of Really Living and Giving" or
Paying it Forward
824.  I am thankful that God put it on me to   get in touch  with a precious friend, my best friend from High School whom I had lost touch with for 50 years..We got together for lunch yesterday and it was  it proved this adage to a tee!


825.  I am also so blessed by my heavenly Father..I have been   stressing out for the last few months worried about a  regrowth  of a cancer I had removed from my nose last fall which resulted in a skin graft the size of a penny on the top of the end of the nose..  It was  a long ordeal,  several months  went by and come April I was noticing redness right beside the  patch and  my  horrible imagination  had me thinking the worst thoughts about having to  remove the patch and start over .  I went to the surgeon at UVA and he said it looked like natural healing to him,  but he said remember I'm not trained  to recognize  small  sunspots.  So I sent a photo to the dermatologist he sent back he didn't see anything alarming...  so for a time I was relieved  and tried to  forget it. June went by and  there wasn't a change in the way it looked  but  it was  still there and  beginning to burn..I immediately called my dermatologist in Charlottesville  and got an appointment  the next day.. yesterday.. he wasn't convinced  it was  anything to be  too concerned about but he definitely told me and showed it was not  at related to the original  squamous cell  lesion..and one not to take  a chance, he took a biopsy of it...   I will hear back in a couple of weeks,  but  he told in his  awesome experience..  he has done thousands of these..he  said it could be a pre-cancer sunspot or  at most a very  early basal cell but so small he felt  85 % certain the biopsy took care of it  but even I do have more surgery it should not interfere with my   skin graft...  Praise you, Lord, because I understand it was your Holy Spirit pricking me to be  concerned enough to call and take care of it while  it is  so fresh and  easily dealt with...    His love and tender mercies lead us through  this difficult life.. It is good to be attuned to Him and  heed His call to action! 






826.My hubs and I are so happy that our   renovated bathroom will be essentially finished  by this time tomorrow..  except for two  items still on order...We have waited so long to  even start this project and to see it come together    for us is a dream come true.. here is a teaser..  now this we  an enlargement of a 3 piece powder room
Last week it looked like this  

More photos  will posted once it is completely  finished!  

827. I  was so blessed at lunch today  when I  took my dish to the  pot luck at church and I arrived with a rather  what seemed like a large bandage on the side of my nose...although it actually just one of small round ones,  but it was so reminiscent of  last fall   ... I had wondered it   would  raise a question or two..  Everyone was so concerned  about my nose  wanting to know all the detains.. hugging on me,,  pampering me with Christian love and  concern...  That is such an important part of church life.. the support and mercy we show to  one another!

828.    A give it forward   idea  from Ann Voskamp is  to  either call a friend just to say hi or send a   friendly note just to offer you best wishes and  concern for  your friend!  I made it my business to get around to the older folks today and make them feel  included,  cared for, and blessed...  Anyway we can give ourselves away  we are pleasing God!


829. Give the gift of forgiveness today... God's word  expressed that   forgiveness from God is contingent on us forgiving one another...  not to hold grudges  against  anyone and  live free from the entanglement of  separation and strife with one another..I have really tried to  judge my own actions and   things I've said  either callously or when I misspeak  to  immediately  ask forgiveness  in humility..  It is to live a life of freedom   and  just  trying to put others first... I  have a  bold  personality and sometimes I do misspeak without thinking and then I think I may have  hurt a feeling or  made someone  not know how to take me...  By immediately asking forgiveness and  trying to explain myself it is teaching me humility and I am finding I learn more about holding my tongue.. My place on earth is not to  speak out in jest to  get a  laugh or response,  because sometimes the response is not at all what I intended.

Wednesday Hodge Podge

Click here to return to Joyce's page.

1. I feel most energized when I am  soon to see our daughter and grands!!!_.

2. Where were you ten years ago?I had just retired in 2003 and  was  still in my honeymoon stage  ---  free time,   quiet serenity, and special daily glory time with God.

3. July 17th is World Emoji Day. Do you use emojis? Which one's your favorite? Your most used?  I love to use emojis.  I most often use ☺😉  and smile with heart like kisses and hearts.

4. What song would you put on a wedding DO NOT PLAY list?Anything rap, suggestive or vulgar, or protest type, punk rock, or country /bluegrass😐

5. What deserves less of your attention? More of your attention?Netflix deserves less attention, and growing more spirituality deserves more of my attention.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I am so excited, today  I am  reconnecting with my best friend from high school...Belinda  and I were almost inseparable  from eighth grade through Junior year..  change was on the horizon.. we both started dating the guys we would eventually marry..  After graduation we each took different paths and sad to say lost contact..I actually ran into her about 20 years ago in North Carolina at the Waccamaw Outlets...but haven't seen her since.  When mom passed her sister  came to  the  funeral  and I was stunned.. but she told me Belinda  wasn't  doing very at that time... since  then we have talked through face book and she has been so  busy  it was hard to get a lunch date  in..  I  cant wait to catch up...  We shared so many wonderful memories!!!

Joy Dare

I am back to counting my blessings in the Joy Dare from Ann Voskamp!

I used to follow  Ann Voskamp's Joy Dare rather regularly,,, and it kept in  a  very uplifted spirit..  I need to  find that Spirit again!  When I do the dare  activity I added  the items to my 1000 gifts  from her  book,, her first book  I ever read!

Last week   I added some to my count  so I will continue from her  Joy calendar  which now is a bit different..  the theme this month is  

"The Art of Really Living and Giving"

In an effort to pay it forward it is suggested that as a form of finding joy in our life  we consider filling out the surveys  as they come our way...my surveys come from UVA Medical Center  and I willingly do so...  UVA MC is the greatest!!

819.Ann suggested this week  one way to pay it forward  is to  be a joyful person..  So I have tried to be  very pleasant and smile every I meet and i have  do this  this week. Some Biblical truths  on smiling are:

“Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”

“Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you’ll start to see a big difference in your life.”

“Lighten up, just enjoy life, smile more, laugh more, and don’t get so worked up about things.”

Doing this has been a great blessing to me!!!

820.  Another way to pay it forward was listed as :  to make up a couple of freezer meals    for a friend so is having a hard time.. I do- a dear friend who just lost her husband could surely  use  some freezer meals at this time... ON my to-do list tomorrow.  I cannot think of a better  form of  sacrifice  of time and love  for  our brothers and sisters!

821. Today I also intend to make it a NO-Complaint day,  and when I feel a complaint coming on,  I will turn it into a blessing!  I confess I  started out today  trying this and for me it is a hard on..  I fear  I  can be a complainer and I was  complaining about nuisance   robot phone calls  before 9am.. I think we had already had 3 of them!  I'll  try for a NO-Complaint Day next week!

I probably would if I had one!

822.  Over this weekend I intend to clean out our bedroom.. to be a GIFT to ourselves!!!!  If I get it done, I will send photos next week!

823.Next week there is a great  gift to share planned for midweek.  I have just recently  relocated my best friend from HS She lives in the next county actually in the same neighborhood where my best friend while teaching lived  so I know the area well!

The plan is to call and take her for coffee and   a scone..I pray it all works out!!