out with the OLD, in the the NEW

Ever since we bought our house, I have hated the kitchen countertops. The previous owners installed them to “update” the house, but they were terrible quality and stained easily. At the time, I told Andrew that they would do, but someday, I wanted something different. Every couple years, I would gently remind Andrew that I still hated the countertops and after talking it over, ‘we’ would decide that other home projects (like a large patio/basketball court) were more important. Eventually I gave up and resigned myself to living with ugly countertops. After all, we’ve been here for 11 years! Then last fall…out of the clear blue…Andrew asked me, “So, do you still want new countertops?” Well yeah!

Thus began the l o n g process of figuring out what I wanted and what fit the amount we were willing to pay. And I’m happy to say, that after many hours of researching, testing, getting quotes and praying, I have a countertop I LOVE.

Aren’t they gorgeous! :) I know, these pictures are so itty bitty, it’s hard to really see them. They are concrete, ground down to expose the aggregate and then polished to a smooth and glossy finish. Bob Salter and crew did a fantastic job of figuring out exactly what I wanted and making it happen. The next couple pics show them off better.

One of the things I love about concrete is all the ways you can make it uniquely yours. I have a small spot to the right of my stove that isn’t used much, so I had a trivet set into the concrete there to set hot pots onto while I’m cooking. I also had them cut out a space for a butcher block to the right of my sink. I knew I would use these features, but wow! I had no idea how much I would love them!

If only every household project turned out this well :).

Do you know Haiti?

We, like so many other families around the world, have been praying for the people of Haiti every night since the earthquake destroyed Port au Prince. Sometimes we pray with the kids individually and sometimes we pray as a family. One night, a couple weeks after the earthquake, we were praying as a family when Alyssa, in the middle of her prayer, stopped and turned to us and asked, "Mmmmm, what's her name?" Now, this is not an uncommon occurrence, so we all started guessing who she might be asking about, "Tess?" "No, she's a big girl, not a little girl!" The names started flying, "Erica? Pearl? Lena? Katie?" All met with resounding no's. Her little face screwed up as she closed her eyes and thought hard. "Member?! She's hurt and sick. She needs food and water." I was stumped. Lucas looked at her questioningly and ventured, "Alyssa, do you mean Haiti?" A huge smile beamed across her face. "Yes!!!" and she continued on with her prayer not seeming to hear her sister & brothers' astonished, "Haiti is a country, not a girl!!" I shot my kids a 'knock it off' kind of look and we finished our prayers.

As I tucked Alyssa into bed that night, I did my best to gently explain to her that Haiti is a country with many people who are sick and hurt and need our prayers. She assured me she understood.

Fast forward to this last Wednesday night. After we got home from church, Alyssa was changing into pjs when she turned to me and exclaimed. "Wow Mommy! Lots of people know Haiti! We pray for Haiti and tonight at church they prayed for Haiti and even on the raido I heard them pray for Haiti!" Then, incredulously, she added, "How do so many people know her???"Ya gotta love it.