Proof that I married the best man ever!

Here is proof that we actually DID get something done on our date week. Between sleeping, going to movies and generally lazing about...we refinished the hardwood floor in our living room. We absolutely love it! Here's what we did.
Step One:  Marry an awesome guy. You won't regret it! (This step is optional, you can do it without being married or being married to an awesome guy, it'll just take more work)
Step Two: Pull up the carpet. This is probably the most disgusting part. I wore a nose and mouth guard to avoid the dust and particles that flew about as we SCRAPED PADDING OFF THE FLOOR. Seriously, carpet is so gross! This just solidified my abhorrence of it!

Step Three:  Scrape the thick paint off. Make sure you wear gloves!!! I actually deadened some nerves in my hand because I didn't wear gloves. And paint stripper is potent stuff!

Step Four:  Clean up scrapings and materials left behind.

Step Five:  Sanding. We rented a sander from Home Depot. The sandpaper was more expensive than the machine was. We were very careful in our use of the sandpaper and used it very sparingly. This is where marrying the best man ever comes in real handy...

Step Six:  Wipe down the floor, removing all the dust particles left behind. DON'T SKIP THIS STEP! If you do dust particles will get into the stain and lacquer.

Step Seven:  Start staining. But first you have to choose a stain. We choose a darker stain because we thought it would made some blemishes in the floor less noticeable. I also knew I didn't want anything with red in it. I think we went with an antique Oak.

Step Eight:  Apply several coats of lacquer, make it all nice an shiny!

Step Nine: Apply a buffer on all hard surfaces that will come into contact with the floor...or your floor will get scratches and dents.

Step Ten:  Move all the furniture back into the room and sit on the couch cuddled up to the guy from step one and compliment him on his handy work.

It feels so good to have done something like this to improve our house. And I love having hardwood. I clean it with my vacuum and a Swiffer wet. It does collect and show a lot of stuff, but it just shows the stuff that carpet hides....and I'd rather see it when it's there and know it's gone when I can't see it. Did you know that the average carpet is dirtier than the street? That's really gross. Especially since I haven't completely convinced my kids to not eat off of the floor!

Keep Your Tongue From Evil, Keep Your Tongue

Tonight, as I stood in line at Target my eyes wondered to the magazine rack. As I read the various headlines, I was saddened by some news of a 'celebrity breakup'. But then I have to wonder, why does anyone read these? One issue they are declaring how in love a couple is and the next they are calling one of them a monster and relating his ongoing fidelity problems. Obviously these people don't really have the scoop, so why do people keep buying and reading that stuff? Why are we so obsessed with 'celebrity gossip', after all, IT IS gossip, right?

Can we really focus our eyes on Christ while dwelling on the lives of people who have no such conviction?

I am particularly prone to gossip, and I have to admit that for a long time I bought into celebrity gossip. But in an effort to remove the encumbrances that weigh me down, I've made a commitment to remove this temptation from my life.

Celebrity gossip isn't the only area where I struggle though. It seems that any situation that arises where there is lot of "visiting" I fall prey. I say something I shouldn't, whether in participating when others start or starting a conversation that shouldn't be had myself.

It seems in groups we always look for common ground, something on which we can build a conversation. But in a group of Christ followers, THAT should be our common ground. We don't need the woman whose neckline is too low, or the man who flirts too much, or the secret Betty Sue told us or the latest baseball game...if our eyes are focused where they should be, CHRIST is our common ground...which means our ENTIRE LIVES ARE IN COMMON. Feeling we have to have something else in common is like a group of art lovers, and particularly Mona Lisa lovers, staring at the Mona Lisa and feeling the need to talk about the latest baseball game. If you are in front of the Mona Lisa, the conversation is most likely going to revolve around it...the majesty...the rarity...and would not bring to mind Betty Sue's bad breath.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with talking baseball...I'm saying that Christ is our common ground, and if a conversation topic is needed, there's no going wrong with Jesus.

Proverbs 10:19
1 Thess. 4:11
Ephesians 4:29