August 5 – “Just clean house”

I waded through some emails and Seaside Christian Academy stuff as fast as I could this morning.  Our painting team from Arlington is scheduled to arrive in Galveston tomorrow around three.  They aren't going to paint tomorrow, though.  Just get settled in at Seaside and maybe go to the beach.  I am desperately trying to get as much of the preparation work done as I can before they get here.  That means more caulking.  After today's task, I am done with the parts around the windows and doors that have to be primed.  This morning was nice, but got really hot in the afternoon.   The tile guys came to build the wall behind the fireplace.  We cleaned all the stuff out of that part of the room so they could work.  Really looks big.  The wall looked like it was going to be a pain.  They had to cut out two sections of sheetrock and replace it with Hardy board, a prefabricated kind of concrete sheetrock.  Then they came back and placed the same kind of tile on it that is on our backsplash in the kitchen.  Then they had to grout the whole thing.  Believe it or not they finished the whole thing in one day.  It really makes the fireplace show up.  I like it a lot.   Our contractor came over to check everything out.  He is also working with Kel & Christina.  He has a meeting with them tonight to discuss options.  What do you do when they say you haven't completed 95% of the work, so you can't get the rest of your money?  How are you to do 95% of the work with no money?   Chris emptied a table today.  She has packed up a lot of the knick knack things, so we moved it outside.  That meant we could re-center the other one under the chandelier light.  We now have lots of room even with the boxes all around the wall and the end table sitting behind the couch.   Chris is excited.  All she wants to have to do tomorrow is clean house.  Just clean house.  No packing, no moving furniture, no stepping over stuff.  I think she might be doing a little dreaming of Pre-Ike-dom there.   Nehemiah 8:10 says: "Nehemiah said, 'Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.'"   Father, I like days of rejoicing.  If every day belongs to you, then we can live every day as sacred to you.  We don't have to grieve.  The joy of the Lord IS our strength.  Amen.