Floor Update

THE MOP -- IT STANDS EVER READY! Jeff put the second coat of stain on the floor last night. This morning I had to MOP the residue off the floor with a baking soda/water combination that neutralizes the acid, or something like that. The next step is to score the floor with a saw.



I'm liking the color of the floor so far. After we score the lines in a pattern, we'll put a quick wash of charcoal stain on the floor to cut down on the brightness of the redwood stain.

Green Bay Group

Hannah Boss, Katherine

One of six concerts performed in Green Bay

"Take these shackles off my feet so I can dance!
I just wanna praise You. I just wanna praise You."

The church rented a truck to haul all the luggage, stage,etc.
Katherine loves to say the word "Penske." Strange kid.

We are so excited! We are on an airplane!

Katherine had a great week in Green Bay, Wisconsin. That girl is very social -- loves going, doing, being in large groups of people travelling, etc. I'm pretty sure I have a picture of her in a cheese hat somewhere. More pics on Green Bay when I can. Gotta get back to "THE FLOOR."

Preteens in San Marcos

Pretty Girl!









We'll just call this "The Flatiron Incident."

OUCH!

Air mattress, sweet air mattress.





Our wonderful 5th and 6th graders took San Marcos by storm last week. Rebecca spent the week with the Green Team, sharing the Gospel at Dunbar Park. There were seven groups of kids in all, who saw 50 salvations during the week, including two adults. It was a wonderful week for kids and adults both.

GO GREEN TEAM!

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Does anyone know where to find any gopher wood? It's time to build an ark! The rain has been unbelievable this year. Right now while I'm typing this, thunder is booming and the heavens are releasing even more water. While it's been wonderful for our grass (and consequently, our water bill) I think I'm ready for it to stop. I came across this poem earlier and thought it was rather appropriate.

If I were as rude as the rain
And came when I was uninvited
And stayed too long and ruined people's fun,
(like going to the baseball game with my dad
and eating hotdogs in the sunshine)
And made children (like me) miserable,
I'd be sent to my room for quiet time,
Until I learned to behave.
--Author Unknown

I hope you're enjoying the weather wherever you are!

And the Mopping Continues...

Even Abigail is being forced to mop the bedroom floor. Not really -- she volunteered. For some strange reason that I cannot even begin to imagine, the child loves to mop. This mopping is to clean the floor before starting actual staining. Jeff and I just returned to Fort Worth from Austin, so no actual work has been done for 2 days. Jeff will float (I think that's the correct term) the holes in the floor left from the tack strips which held the carpet. After that, he will sand those spots and then we can begin staining. Finally!

A smooth, clean floor ready for staining at last...

Nothing much to report on this week. Austin was nice. I hung out at Starbuck's while Jeff did his architect talk. We had a nice meal at Outback Steakhouse last night. The most fun was driving to San Marcos to surprise Rebecca. She was so excited to see us. I believe Jeff and I hugged about 20 kids. It seems that when you're away from home and your parent is not available, someone else's parent will do. I hope to have pics and trip reports from Katherine and Rebecca in the next couple days.

Oh, Our Achin' Backs...

These pictures are taken of our bedroom before we started removing the paint
and various weird spots of who knows what from the concrete floor.

I don't know what this brown stuff is, some kind of glue, I think.
It came up much easier than the paint.

Here's a hard-working young man using Prosoco's Fast Acting Stripper
on the paint around the edge of the room. (A plug here for the products
our company sells.)

Not a picture that you see very often -- me on the end of a mop.
This is the most I've mopped in years!

You've heard of waiting for paint to dry. This is waiting for paint to
remove itself from the floor. First, you brush on the product, wait, spray on water,
then wait, then wait some more, and then get a mop and go over it until the paint
is gone. It seems like it takes forever.

Other than our hurting muscles, it doesn't seem we have a lot to show for today's work. However, if we didn't clean the floor properly before staining, it would definitely show in the final result. We're taking a break for now to go over to the James' house and work on another floor. Hopefully more pics tomorrow of our floor -- all sanded, smooth and ready for the acid stain.

Reunion Weekend

Jeff spent the weekend in Madisonville at the home of Todd and Teresa Faries. Several of the ol' Buna High School gang gathered to reminisce about the "good old days." Everyone had a great time. (Although I am concerned about Scott...who is apparently still harboring anger about Jeff winning the Math Award.)


The gang's all here...looking pretty good for 24 years out of high school.
Scott, Jeff, Mary, Todd, Teresa, Carla, Kevin, Renee


Mary and Jeff...proof that Longhorns and Aggies can get along

On Mission

We just returned from dropping Katherine off at church where she is headed to Green Bay, Wisconsin for 8 days with our youth group. They will be ministering to the youth of that area in several ways next week. Tomorrow afternoon, Rebecca leaves with the preteens for San Marcos, Texas. They will be working in conjunction with Calvary Baptist Church, leading Bible studies at apartments in the area. Both girls will return on Saturday, June 30. Please pray for their safety and well-being this week. Pray that God would use them to change lives, and for their own to be changed as well.

Abigail and I will be busy this week at home. We have a couple sleepovers planned with her friends. Jeff and I will be acid staining our bedroom floor, too. Pics of that will be forthcoming, I'm sure.

Have a blessed week!

Car Trips and Country Cousins

These are random photos of our weekend trip to Buna. The drive (6 hours) always seems to take forever. This trip was RAIN the entire way. Katherine took this picture out of the car window. Pretty much the view for most of the trip -- tall, straight pine trees blurred by rain.

Rebecca and her pal, Houston (I think?)

Are ya'll hungry or what? Waiting for gumbo from left to right:
my sister, Amy; her daughter, Ashlee; Katherine, Abigail,
my niece, Madi; my sister-in-law, Shanna

Ashlee, Katherine, Madi, Seth
The kids had a great time playing together.
We don't get them together as often as we should.

The award for most effective use of an iPod goes to Katherine and Abigail:
one set of ear buds in 2 different ears.
Rebecca in the back seat being the perfect child!

Father's Day

We traveled to Buna over the weekend to see our dads for Father's Day. Jeff's dad was waiting for us on the porch when we drove up. He was so excited to see us. On Sunday we went to church with them; Jeff to the Methodists and Genny to the Baptists. It was great to see people that I had not seen in years. We ate lunch, or dinner as they say in Buna, with the Holmes: one of my favorite meals -- fresh corn, beans, and potatoes all from Jeff's dad's garden. We had dinner, or supper, with the Martin's -- Stella's Cajun gumbo with potato salad. My sister made fresh banana cream pie. Yes, I gained about five pounds this weekend!
Jeff with his dad, Bobby, and brother Gary

Genny with her dad, Will Martin