{Mercy Meadow: Countertops, Garage Door, Final Grade & Floors}

“Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."  Acts 7:33

Countertops are in {except the master bathroom since it got a crack in it during transport...The new stone should be installed tomorrow though!} and all the flooring is DONE!  The ground both inside and out has had it's final touches...with the final grade taking place last Thursday! Our garage door was also installed last Wednesday! 

We are wrapping up loose ends these days...last bits of cabinetry and electric little things here and there.  The final bits of trim being finished and closets being completed.  Thankfully, the heat is on now and we're no longer chilly when we walk in the house.  ;)  I tend to stay a lot longer and do more cleanup work when I'm not cold...so I'm sure our builder appreciates that!

We have a busy week ahead wrapping up the last details.  We are expecting plumbing to be completed this week {can't wait to see all the faucets in!} as well as the stairs finished tomorrow.  Our carpenter should be back early this week, too, to install the rest of the shelves and drawers...and doors, of course.  I know our finishing guys will be throwing on the last touches of paint and working on painting all the exterior doors, too.

We have given our 30 day notice to vacate this tiny apartment and are hoping it all works out to be moving in the next 2-3 weeks!  That seems like a lifetime away right now...and probably because we still have so many little things to get accomplished but it's SO exciting, too!!!  One day at a time and I know our patience will all be worth it! 

 The hub of the home is IN!  One of the things we have wanted most and been most excited about in our new home is the island!  We want this home to be a place of warmth and welcome to not only our family but whomever else possible...and having the opportunity to have such a functional space is a dream come true!  It is 12 feet long and about 4 1/2 feet wide...and I've already got 6 barstools ready to be put to good use!

 The day my husband & I hand-in-hand headed to the funeral home to see our daughter for the first time since her meeting Jesus in March 2008, an enormous butterfly crossed our path causing us both to stop & watch it in pure amazement. A day that was wrought with sadness and goodbyes and things no parent should ever witness in their own child was gloriously interrupted with the most delicate creation that symbolizes life and rebirth with all it has. Since that day, He has given us these majestic little creatures as a reminder of His making her new that day & the promise that He is restoring every broken thing into beauty...including my grieving heart. And, now, in our new home He somehow orchestrated to have our kitchen island stone pieced together in the most perfect of ways...into the very thing that brings smiles of joy to our faces & the promise of redemption with each glance...that brought me to raw tears once again in a mix of the depth of how much I miss her and how much He loves us. 

My countertop steal!  Carerra Marble for the guest bath...we found a remnant piece that was just big enough and just the right price!

This silly girl LOVES to push around the builder's big mop/broom.  It's really not that effective but she thinks she is something! :)