Is It Spring Break Yet?

No, I'm not complaining, just amazed at how much homework just two classes can create!  I have a HUGELY renewed respect for my two college girls who are going full-time and complain about their work load.  Now I get it - boy do I get it!  And, unfortunately all three of us have different spring breaks so there will be no little trips downtown or to our favorite, South Haven this spring for us to reconnect and renew our family spirit.

So, about school - a recent homework project of mine involved going online and to a furniture store (that we got in just in time as they were closing early because of one of our recent sleet downpours) to hand draw different types of furniture and to get all of their measurements.  It was an interesting assignment (that took me 5 hours to complete) as what I assumed an item to be judging by its name was no where near what it turned out to be.  My hand drawings left much to be desired with anything having claw feet looking more like it had the paws of a lion that was ready to up and run away and an office chair of a certain type ended up looking like the maid on the Jetsons, according to my loving critic of a husband.  While the process was tedious with a lot of erasing - ALOT of erasing, I learned so much from it!

I am enjoying the Fundamentals of Interior Design class much more and am learning A TON!  We have projects due in that class every week showing examples of what was taught in class and it gets more and more interesting as the weeks go on.  I really respect our teacher as she seems very skilled in this field and passionate about Interior Design.

So to close, I have to share that we are going through one of our business valleys as I write and we keep moving forward trusting that we are exactly where God wants us to be as we never get any whisperings or nudges otherwise.  And, the fact that this schooling idea came out of nowhere and picked up such steam, with doors flung wide open along the way that I could barely keep up that it, just had to be a God thing.  I am loving school and what I am learning so much and can so totally visualize our future with me designing our customer's kitchens and baths and having a showroom of fabulous cabinet displays that we just have to make it through this deep valley.  So if you wouldn't mind shooting up a prayer or two for new jobs and accepted jobs to come our way, I would be grateful!

I'm off to design a floor plan for a kitchen/living room as homework.  Also have a whole house space plan to rough draft this week.  The homework's piling up, but it's fun!

Blessings!

Rebuilding Together

After a week of various serving opportunities, I feel supernaturally at peace today!

Last Thursday, Randy, Chelsea and I went down to Willow-South Barrington to help with seed packing (read more here). On Friday, Brandon and Randy took the work truck to pick up donated building materials to deliver to Cary-Grove Neighborhood Life. Then on Saturday, we got a random team together to help Rebuilding Together's Restore Aurora project - 30 homes in the Aurora area were rebuilt/restored by various volunteer groups.


We teamed up with James Frangella and ServPro of LaGrange Park / N. Riverside and brought down with us one of our employees, Brandon; the husband of one of Women's Group friends, Steve; our daughter's youth pastor, Kevin; a dear friend of our's, Carrie; and our roofer sent down two of his employees. Along with Jim's team, we had a State Farm employee and her boyfriend, and two men who are part of a real estate investment club and one of their daughter's. Like I said, totally random group, but the most awesome group I could have hoped to work with. There was not one ounce of ego or attitude floating around and we got quite a bit of work done in a pretty short amount of time.


Check out our quick photo album from the day on Our Facebook Page.

If serving isn't your thing . . . make it your thing. Your soul will thank you!!!