february 24th

our dishwasher backed up a little while ago, sending water out underneath our "floating" laminate floor. water bubbled up around the corners and warped the edges. soon an odor filled the kitchen, specifically right next to the sink and dishwasher.
i don't particularly like the look of laminate, the fake wood stands out against the nice honey color of the rest of the wood. i've wanted to replace the kitchen floor since we moved in but the money was never available.
it turns out we're re-doing the floor. when we first realized we'd have to do something about the problem, we panicked. what money were we going to use to replace the floor? how could we afford ceramic, which was really the only way to be sure our floors wouldn't be ruined again? would we need a new dishwasher too? we talked with justin, our flooring specialist (thanks!) and he suggested checking into our home owners insurance. he sent someone out to look at the floor in the meantime, and we started to rip up the laminate, in order to save the rest of the floor from rotting.
the adjuster from allstate came out today and looked at what remains of our floor. we were nervous, but had prayed for God's favor. she checked everything out, measured off the floor, asked us some questions and then told us the news. she can't insure the rot under the floor, we'd have to take care of it ourselves since it looks like it's been happening over a long period of time. she suggested we get a new dishwasher. but she could stretch out the terms a bit and give us enough to cover the cost of the laminate plus installation and whatever else went along with that type of floor. tom asked her to approximate how much that would be. probably a couple thousand dollars, she replied. a couple thousand dollars. praise Jesus, that's more than we expected and probably more than we need to cover new floor and a new dishwasher.
as i prepared big breakfast today, standing on the remnants of the old floor, i read the verse for today: and my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. philippians 4:19. thank you God. you have great timing.

the vortex of chaos (otherwise known as too busy for leah to survive)

here's what we've been doing these last weeks...
we rescued two stray dogs, johnny and steven. here's johnny biting tom's ear. he did nibble just a little while he whispered sweet nothings. tom and mark took the dogs down the street to animal haven. we hope they made it back to their home.

we visited brenden dean wickerscheim, just two weeks old and styling the greatest boots. here's wyatt showing brenden how to do the west merriam sign. it's a little feminine, but hey, we are from Merriam.
then we rescued another stray, this one was following the mailman around the neighborhood when i got home the other day. turns out not all mailmen are afraid of dogs. (and not all mailmen are men, either). also, this dog belongs to the people down the street. he and their other dog, a rottweiler-lab mix escaped and when their owner came to get the boxer (guppy i think his name is) he didn't use a leash to get him home. just picked him up and carried him. he was a bigger man, but it was awkward just the same. wonder if they ever take the pup on walks.
we also forced some paper whites which grew to about two feet tall. not bad for february. they smelled fantastic, which was good since we had them on our dresser, right next to the bathroom.

but that's not all we did...

timing is everything

this last week has been an interesting one.

i know that i'm gifted in the area of service; i was created to help and serve others. i love having people over to our house. i love cooking dinner for people. i love helping people get things done. but i also love having an afternoon to myself, sitting at home, drinking coffee, reading a book or watching tv. i actually need those times to myself. it gets hard serving.
tom and i actually discussed this last week, me venting because "i have so much to do!" i look at my calendar and freak out. of course, then God figures things out and cancels this thing, or moves that thing, brings someone around to help out or gives me enough energy to do it. i was feeling alright throughout this last week.
then paul came over and out of nowhere announced, "i thought a lot about you yesterday, leah." oh really? i got nervous, thinking i've missed the mark on something. he sits down and tells me and tom about his sunday and things he's been learning. then he elaborates for me. "you should dig deep into what being a servant is. look up some verses where Jesus illustrates his servant's heart." he reminds me that i can only do these things when i look for God's hand in it and serve the way Jesus did. and of course, i'm so encouraged by this; it's awesome when God speaks, which he seems to be doing a lot this year. i guess that's what you get for actually listening.