Powder Room Give and Take

So while I have been getting to know our little Luca, who incidentally really isn't little! She topped out at the Vet at 60 lbs! I guess when she came into the shelter she was 50 lbs. and they never weighed her again. 

But since I am trying to just do small projects while she settles in, I decided to fix a few problems I have been having in the powder room. Sometimes little issues just keep getting pushed to the bottom of the To-Do list because there are so many other big To-Dos. Is that how it is at your house? But I tend to think my best work comes when I have had time to ponder the issue. Then sparks strike and I come up with the solution that has been evading me for so long. 

Slow and Steady is how I roll.

Well, here is our little half bath. Maybe we should call it a quarter bath because you can only make like a quarter turn in there safely.

There are three issues in here that needed to be fixed. The toilet paper holder, that basket of magazines and the sink skirt. The toilet paper roll is standing upright because the screw is jacked and it would droop a bit and the toilet paper always ended up on the floor. So I thought I'd fix that problem by making it like a paper towel holder. Kinda works but the holder eventually gets loose and the paper roll is on the floor.

The basket of magazines. Not sure why I thought having a basket of magazines on the floor was a good idea, especially with two men in the house.  Yes, I am totally grossed out by the pee spray, albeit the little bit if pee spray, that gets on these and I have to clean them every two days.

The sink skirt and the tension curtain rod keeping the sink from falling off the wall. Okay, that is a big fix that I can't get to yet. But the back story is that the guy who installed the sink didn't listen to me when I said he'd have to  tear out a bit of the wall and install a 2x4 to attach the sink to so it would be sturdy. 

Yeah. Don't listen to a woman. 

 He screwed it into lath and plaster. 

So after a few months of use, I now I had a sink that needed a tension rod to keep it upright and it also needed a skirt because the underside is so bad. The skirt I love but it has gotten so dirty that I can't stand looking at it. So I took it away and never put it back on. 

So only two of the problems got fixed. 

I figured, if the toilet paper wants to be on the floor than make it so. This has been life changing if I may say. And that is a small commentary on my life....I might need to get out more. The magazines then got moved to the wall and that was equally life changing. The basket of toddie paper is usually away from the pee zone and under the magazines just so you know. No fear of pre-peed on paper at my house.

I had big plans for building a wood surround that would not only keep the sink up but would hide the pipes by using some awesome table legs I found in the trash.... but they were too short! I was so bummed. But I am still thinking of ways to make it so.

I'm the turtle, not the hare.

So the moral of the story is stay the coarse and be patient. Switching the two problems might actually be your solution!

Any projects that need to get done and just haven't made it to the top of the list?

Any simple solutions that you have come up with to fix a nagging problem?

Please enlighten! I love to hear what you figure out. 

Always being renewed,

Please see the link party page to see where I link arms with those blissfully beautiful bloggers that host every week. So gracious they are along with these other sweet ladies!

Read more at http://diyshowoff.com/2013/04/01/that-diy-party-10/#xgMAcRCgRocl5vmh.99       

 

 

New Addition!

So I haven't been dead or anything, I am sure you are so releived to hear that, just busy getting to know.....

Miss Luca Adelaide!

Can you believe how gorge she is! She is a little (ok 50 pounder!) Pit Bull we rescued from the shelter.

Now before you say are you crazy! A pit bull. They are vicious killers! I am going to give you a link to a quiz and and a website so then I feel like I have provided some education about this sweet breed then I want you to come back here and finish seeing our girl!

We went to the shelter looking to meet three other dogs and none of them were a match for us. We need a dog that is pretty non-reactive to other dogs because we have dogs on either side of us. Our other pit bull used to run the fence with the sheep dogs on our one side but Miss Luca could care less. She sits outside and looks at the sheep dogs going crazy over her presence and I am happy to say SHE is the one who behaves well. SHe lays there and lets them bark. I think I did see a thought bubble over her head that might have read "Sheesh! Have your owners give you some manners training!" But that just might have been me reading too much into it.

 We also knew we wanted a dog that wasn't jumpy or crazy active. She mostly does this....

 

and this! But when she gets outside, boy will she run and bound with you!

I attempted to get a close up of her cute face but she kept doing this...

and this.....

and this! I am not good with subjects that  move!

 She started to learn come and she already is great and sitting. Laying down did not need to be taught.

 She comes out of her shell every day and I just feel like we got  a diamond that no body could see except the shelter staff. She spent two months there and they suggested we take a look at her and I am so thankful that they did. She was the dog that they took to all of their community outreach events so she is pretty nonplussed by crowds. She is also the one they used to test other dogs on thier dog reactiveness. Did that make sense? So that helped a lot in the decision making process as well. The staff was so happy to see her go home with us.

Can you believe how sweet that face is? 

What do you think?

Always being renewed,

I have a Voice....

What does this picture say to you when you first see it? 

The first thing I noticed were this child's eyes. They are direct and intense. 

This little person is communicating a message using his/her eyes because you can't see their mouth. They are hiding it as if they are ashamed by their state of dress. 

We get all up in arms if our kids don't match their clothing, if they decide to wear stripes and polka dots at the same time. WE have a choice in what our kids wear. Actually if truth be told, we probably have 50 choices of what they will wear....all manner of combinations can be had at our house for sure.

I'm pretty sure he/she only has one....every day.

What he can't say is this....

"I can have a voice if you will sponsor me."

What does sponsorship mean? I am so excited to tell you because you can literally change a child's VOICE and HEART FOREVER through child sponsorship.

It only cost $38/month to sponsor a child. This is what it covers:

Start Sponsoring a Child Today!

Your tax-deductible contribution of just $38 a month connects your child with a loving, church-based Child Sponsorship Program.  

Your support provides:

• Food and clean water
• Medical care
• Educational opportunities
• Important life-skills training
• Most important of all, your sponsored child will hear about Jesus Christ and be encouraged to develop a lifelong relationship with God.

When you sponsor a child, you'll receive your child's photo, personal story and a child sponsorship packet by mail in approximately 15 days.

When children find out they've been sponsored, the joy they feel is indescribable. Just knowing that someone across the globe cares means more than you can imagine. Sponsoring a child will profoundly change the future for your child, and will change your own life as well.

We sponsor two children through Compassion International. Our kiddos names are Mauricio and Madahungwa. They are our kids from Nicaragua and Rwanda. Their parents earn about $9/month. Yes you read that right. $9/month. We love getting letters from our kids and seeing the drawings they take the time to make and send us. We write back to them using email so it couldn't be easier. We can upload photos and send fun background paper. My girls love picking out the paper. It has truly become a family effort. We all read the letter together and we learn about the other country. Our kids have connections to other cultures and it allows them to develop compassion for others. 

The greatest part about our letters and pictures is seeing our sponsored kids blossom. Their first picture was much like the little guy/girl above. No smile....intense eyes from daily shame and poverty.

Each picture showed them opening up a little more. Their stance is less guarded...more relaxed.  Jesus always met need first, then the people were able to hear his message and love set them free. 

I cried the first time I received a photo where Mauricio smiled. 

It wasn't big.....but it was there. 

Now we see eyes with a little spark.

White teeth poke through the lips.

 Hands are not idle or covering their face but busy doing school work and enriching their community through education.

Compassion's goal for Blog Month is to have 3160 children sponsored! If each one of my readers sponsored a child that would be approximately 360 kids given food, clothes, important medical attention and the ability to hear and experience Christ's love first hand!

Please visit the Compassion website and sponsor a child...or two. The absolute hardest thing will not be missing your coffee money....it will be choosing from all the beautiful faces of the children waiting.

 And even better?

 Your life will be changed as well.

Always being renewed,

Please see the link party page to see where I link arms with those blissfully beautiful bloggers that host every week. So gracious they are along with these other sweet ladies!

Read more at http://diyshowoff.com/2013/04/01/that-diy-party-10/#xgMAcRCgRocl5vmh.99