Our Living Hope (John 10:28)

The Farmhouse

Things are still progressing on the house....just slowly.  We have had neighbors stop by and complement on the amount of work we have done.  Paul and I can’t see it, because we are in the middle of it, but the neighbors have really been encouraging to us by reminding us we are making progress.  March & April have been tough.  I have been sanding away on the stairs, stairwell walls, doors, columns and pretty much anything that’s wood.  The stairs were taking forever and so I thought I would speed things up a bit and get out the belt sander.  My usual go to sander is the orbital.   I have never really cared for the belt sander and after it attacked my finger, I will never use the belt sander again.  March 12 while sanding the stair landing my finger got sucked into the belt sander.  

I will spare you the pictures, but it wasn't pretty.  I am still wearing a bandaid over a month later, because my finger looks so bad. Paul has been trying to figure out how I did that and he is still not sure.  I don't know either.  I was sanding away one minute and trying to get my finger out of it the next.  

The exterior doors have all been stained and just need a few more coats of varnish.  We decided to stain the front porch columns, instead of painting them white.  I still have to put varnish on them, but we love the way the stain looks.  Paul got his mom's vintage glider set.  We put it on the front porch and its looks so good!!! I can't wait till I have time this summer to refinish it.  

Paul has the upstairs bathroom put together.  He tiled the floor and shower, set the vanity, installed the vent light in the shower area and plumbed everything.  So we have one working bathroom in the house now!!! We have the upstairs all painted.  We are in the process of ordering doors and should be starting on trim work soon.  Our goal is to complete the upstairs first and then continue downstairs.  Countertops are on order for the whole house and hoping that they will be completed within the next week or two.

Len Bell completed our beautiful wood countertop for our island in the kitchen.  The colors in the wood blend so well with the kitchen.  We love the way it is all coming together.  My mom and dad have come up a couple of times and helped us with a few things.  Mom brought lunch both times.  I promised her I would cook for her when everything in the kitchen was up and running.  We made make shift countertops and ate our first meal in the kitchen with mom and dad.  Everyone pulled up a paint bucket to sit on😂

Paul started putting up screen on the screened porch.  He got 3 sections up and then got distracted with other projects...hoping he will get started back on that soon.

 He has also started working on the powder room downstairs.  We are shiplapping  the walls and purchased a Wall Mount High Back Farm Sink to go in there.  Even though we told the plumber multiple times we were using that sink and it was in the garage if he needed to see it, it still did not get plumbed quite right.  Hooking it up has been challenging and we still are working through a few issues. 

Mowing season has officially started and added to Paul’s "To Do" List. There is always a wide selection of projects to work on at any given time.  

The Animals

Candy decided she needed to get another eye infection.  Same infection as last, but different eye.  Back to the head gate for her and another round of shots.  She is all better now.  

Heidi has turned into a little stinker.  She got out of the fence twice and the last time we caught her, we decided it was weaning time. She has not been a happy camper and has mooed until she is hoarse.  She now makes sounds that makes us think we could be at Jurassic Park.  She got a new halter, is eating treats out of our hands and tolerates being brushed.  Her momma misses her and makes me feel so bad, but it was time for her to be weaned.  They can hang out later once we get Heidi to calm down a bit and act a little nicer.

Britta had a baby boy on April 8th.  She delivered right before Paul got home from work that evening.  We had Britta contained in an area, but not in a stall.  Once Paul got home, he moved mom and baby to a stall.  I was there about 4 hours after he was born and the baby was still not standing and just didn't seem to be acting right.  I called the vet and he said he would meet us at the clinic.  He tubed colostrum into the baby and gave him a steroid shot and antibiotics. The baby slept in the house Friday night in a crate because it was going to be really cold that night.  We had no improvements The next morning, other than he took more colostrum through a bottle and didn't have to be tubed.  Saturday evening we took him back out to his momma.  He has had no interest in nursing his mom and we have given up on that even happening at this point.  He has been taking bottles really well with milk replacement.  We stand him up to feed when we can get him to stand.  We have even propped him up over hay bales just to get him up.  He didn't like that.  He would manage to get his legs up and push himself off the hay bale.  He surprised us one day by taking a few steps.  He started walking more, but the only problem was we had to stand him up.  I talked to the vet again on Friday.  I emailed some pictures and videos to him the night before.  He called and said he would give him a vitamin shot and 3 rounds of steroids, but if there was no improvements, we would have to make a decision on whether or not to put him down.  He made some very valid points and was so tactful in the way he worded it.  Saturday I was discouraged and really thought that we would have to put him down.  But by Saturday night he began helping us stand himself up.  We were not just lifting dead weight anymore.  He is trying and making more effort to stand on his own, but still has a ways to go. Once up on his hooves he is walking better and follows Paul around like a little puppy.  He loves Paul and we are naming him PJ (Paul Jr).  We still have hope he is going to get over whatever is going on with him.  He is the cutest and most loving baby. We sure appreciate any prayers for him to began standing on his own.

The kicker to all of this was, I left work early Friday because I was running fever.  I did not feel like going to TN Friday night and was going to wait till Saturday morning, but after the baby was born, I headed on up there.  I thought I had strep, but Dr. said it was a virus.  Paul started running a fever Saturday night and took him almost the whole week to get better.  Don’t listen to him if he tries to tell you he has superior blood, this little virus about kicked his booty!!!!  Needless to say, between the sick calf and me and Paul being sick....not much work was accomplished that weekend!!

In Columbia, TN

Mario Lopez and Jana Kramer have been in Columbia filming a new Christmas movie for Hallmark!!!  It looks like the filming is around Marcy Jo's restaurant.  Pretty neat for the little city of Columbia, TN.  

Be on the look out for it this Christmas.

This Easter, I thought of something I had never thought of before.  I realized that Jesus told his disciplines many times he would die, but would be raised again on the 3rd day. In Mark 8:31-32 it says, “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.” Jesus tells his disciples the same thing in the next chapter, Mark 9:31-32. And then a third time in Mark 10:32-34. And these are just the times the Gospel of Mark mentions Jesus teaching his followers about his death and resurrection; the other gospel accounts give similar descriptions.  Jesus demonstrated God’s ability to raise people from the dead.  He even raised Lazarus after he had been dead for 4 days, so they had to know he was capable of resurrection.  Why didn’t they expect and anticipate his resurrection???  

I can’t watch “The  Passion”.  I physically can’t watch anything or anyone being tortured.  It breaks my heart and upsets me terribly.  So I can’t imagine having to witness something as horrific, tragic and painful as a crucifixion.  Not to mention, it being someone you deeply love and care for that is having to endure it.   I personally think the disciples were completely devastated, heartbroken, frustrated, scared and stressed.  They were right in the middle of nightmare and I’m sure their emotions were off the charts.  It’s hard to think clearly and remember truths when we go through hard or emotional times.  Praise the Lord we have a patient God who is faithful to continue to remind us of those truths when we can’t or don’t listen because of the noises of life.  He walks through the valleys with us always making a way.  The day Jesus died on the cross was a dark, bleak day.  All hope was lost, but Sunday morning was a new day. Kari Jobe says it best, “Forever he is glorified, Forever he is lifted high, Forever he is risen, He is alive, He is alive!“ Easter is our reminder that there is more to life than what we are currently experiencing. We are always in need of hope and Jesus Christ is our Living Hope!! John 10:28 says, “ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”