Kitchen, check.

This room has been waiting to be checked off the "To Do" list for about 8 months now. When we moved in, we debated about leaving the kitchen "as is," but in the end chose to update it a bit, and hoped to also create a vintage feel. The kitchen needed more storage room, and it was not fitted for a dishwasher or standard refrigerator. We decided to fill in a doorway in order to create more space for cabinets and appliances. We lived with it looking like this (see photo below) for many months. The subfloor was very dirty so we just put cardboard over it as our "flooring." I painted the existing cabinets a color called “Quail Egg” and then used a chocolate brown glaze on the edges. We also bought new knobs and pulls (Hobby Lobby, $2.00). We painted the walls “Cappuccino” (a Restoration Hardware color mixed at Lowe's) and Jeff installed the hand-scraped oak floors, crown molding, open shelving, and new light fixture.

There are so many people to thank for their help and expertise on this project:

Scott Reichanadter for his demolition/rebuilding skills, Mark Jones for his design ideas, Jeremy Clay for his cabinet installation, Eric Jensen for installing the countertop and backsplash, Mom for helping me sew the curtains, and Dad for his carpentry skills in building a pantry out of an old armoire door we found!

The kitchen is now our favorite room in the house, and I love working there!

Story

We have been reading Donald Miller’s provocative book, “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.” It has made Jeff and me think about our lives and if we’re really living to the fullest extent the story God is desires us to live out.

The book begins with this: “If you watched a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you wouldn’t cry at the end when he drove off the lot, testing the windshield wipers ... But we spend years actually living those stories, and expect our lives to feel meaningful.”

He says about people, “They are born and spend several years discovering themselves and the world, then plod through a long middle…and then they find themselves at an ending that seems to be designed for reflection. At the end, their bodies are slower, they are not as easily distracted, they do less work, and they think and feel about a life lived rather than look forward to a life getting started.”

"If you aren’t telling a good story, nobody thinks you died too soon. They just think you died."

This has been so convicting for Jeff and me. We want to spend our lives doing things that matter for eternity, and not just get caught up in our house projects or individual pursuits that don’t make for a great story anyway. So often we get consumed with us, our needs, our desires, our plans, our problems, and all the while forgetting that there's a much bigger story being written by the Author of Life. We desire to figure out what the compelling stories are for us to live into here. We're searching for what things God is doing that we can join Him in here in Indy and around the world.

What about you? What story is your life telling? What are you living for?

Window Washing

Yesterday I came home to these two washing windows. You can imagine my surprise though, because Jeff and Emma were all the way UP HERE: I immediately yelled out, "Emma, be careful!" She turned around and waved at me. I guess that's what happens when you have a daddy who is a bit wild at heart . . .

Saturday mornings

We all love Jeff's pancakes. This morning he threw in some buttermilk, and they turned out to be some of the best ever!

Lincoln Park Zoo

We got to be in Chicago for a couple days over Labor Day weekend and watched two of my sister, Audra's volleyball games. We also enjoyed the zoo with Amanda. What a fun place. This deer had some HUGE antlers. Can you imagine carrying this around on YOUR head?Hard to believe this little guy is 3 months old today! We love Hudson Joseph so much.

Next Door Neighbors

We think we have found some of the best neighbors in the world on Broadway Street. We share a lawn mower, eat dinner together sometimes, the moms go walking at night, and our kids play nearly every afternoon. Shelly and I joke that their kids could be interchangeable with ours because they're all blond haired and blue-eyed.When their son Micah was born recently, I got to take some photos of him. He and Hudson are going to be little buddies next summer. Here are some of my favorites.

Compost

This summer we started a compost pile in a corner of our backyard. I'm amazed at how many less trash bags we fill because of it!

Emma is in charge of taking the food out and dumping it on the pile. Then Clay turns the soil with a pitchfork or shovel. It makes me think they're a little like "farmkids" living in the city.

Waiting for dinner

The other night I made a pizza, and Emma was so hungry that she pulled up a stool and sat by the door of the oven to watch it bake. That made me smile.