Weekly Update: 4.5.25
The mind of a person plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9, NASB
Before we began this homesteading adventure, I had a rough picture in my head of how it would go. I had a timeline. I drafted a linear progression of projects. I imagined everything coming together in a logical, orderly manner. I never saw myself finishing our strip of kitchen area before the rest of the living room so that our appliances could be delivered -- but that's what we did last fall. And I never saw myself finishing the small bedroom I will share with my sisters in two shifts, but here we are again -- completing the area beneath the loft before the rest of the room. It feels awkward and piecy, and part of my brain rebels against it, even as I nail plank after plank of flooring into place. It's not ideal. Life never is. But Bonnie-Jean's German Shepherd, Tilde, is having puppies this week, and we need a place for them to be born. The timing is crazy -- but that doesn't mean it won't be fun.
So life continues on, winding its way in unexpected directions like the wild grapes tangling our forested acres. The wild side of providence moves ahead, slow and strong, splashing green onto the trees and upending our plans. All we can do is embrace each day's gifts and give thanks -- even in seasons where we feel overwhelmed. We've learned, again and again, the way to peace is through surrender and gratitude.
So, we began this week with a deep breath and a plunging ahead. Our focus was very much finishing a place for Tilde and her puppies. On Saturday, we picked up lumber for the flooring and trim. At home, Grace and Jeremiah finished siding the three lower walls beneath the loft.
On Monday, Grace and I tackled the blocking between the loft rafters, which ended up being pretty tricky. I used the table saw to mill tiny pieces of wood to afix to the rafters. Then we cut small pieces of plywood to span the gaps.
While Grace and I worked on the room, Bonnie-Jean began sanding planks for our floor. Over the weekend, our dad had used the table saw to cut the plywood into 7 3/4-inch planks. We bought budget plywood -- to save money, but also because we love the rustic look. Bonnie-Jean took on the daunting task of sanding each board, smoothing splinters away and rounding the edges.
On Tuesday, Bonnie-Jean and I worked together to stain the planks. We chose a Minwax water-based stain in walnut. We used a similar stain last month on our entertainment center, and we learned you need to work quickly for an even coat. Bonnie-Jean painted on the stain, and I worked right behind, wiping it off. The color turned out beautifully -- the perfect, earthy brown we wanted.
The stain had just dried when it started to rain outside -- so we hurried and brought the planks into the bunkhouse. We were thankful to have beat the wet weather. I had spent part of Tuesday moving tools and supplies around the bunkhouse, making a little room where we can work inside. The forecast showed rain and flooding from Wednesday through this weekend, so we knew cutting our boards outside just wasn't going to work.
When the rain arrived in full-force on Wednesday, Grace and I spent the day inside, whitewashing the completed walls in our room. When we finished, Grace caulked the blocking under the rafters, and I helped Bonnie-Jean install hooks for twinkle lights. When we wired our room last summer, we installed an outlet up under the rafters for twinkle lights, and we put it on a light switch. While twinkle lights are usually a finishing touch to a bedroom, we installed ours right away so we could have light in our bedroom.
On Thursday, Grace and I installed the flooring that goes under the loft. We began by putting down a layer of roofing felt we had leftover from our roof. This will provide a protective barrier over the subfloor. Then we placed the plywood planks. To make it simple, we used the eight-foot planks in full pieces -- they fit perfectly in our eight-by-twelve-foot room. We lined up and played with the order of the planks, since they have a variety of woodgrain patterns. We nailed them into place using finishing nails spaced every twelve inches. Then we vacuumed the floor thoroughly, and I put on two coats of water-based polyurethane for floors. We chose a satin finish, and we couldn't be happier with how it turned out.
While I applied the poly, Grace found a bit of time to complete a belated birthday gift for Jeremiah. She is building him a little curio shelf for his bedroom.
On Friday, we let the floor cure and turned our attention to siding the rest of the room. It was another rainy day, and we enjoyed sipping tea and listening to the rain on the roof while we worked. We watched the deluge through the windows, wondering at the amount of water that fell. While Grace and I worked on siding, Bonnie-Jean cleaned out what will be our parents' room. Tomorrow, we will move everything from our bedroom loft into that room. As soon as the loft is finished, we will put everything back and begin work on my parents' room. Our dad is supposed to have surgery in the near future, and he needs a real bedroom to recuperate in.
In the middle of the chaos this week, Bonnie-Jean had a birthday. We were too busy getting ready for the puppies to celebrate properly, and Bonnie asked for a raincheck. It's become almost a family joke, that life is always it's craziest around Bonnie-Jean's birthday -- and this year is no exception. So, we wished her many happy returns, and we stayed busy working on our bedroom. Our efforts paid off, as imperfect as they were. Last night, Bonnie-Jean got to set up Tilde's birthing box in the area under the loft. It's very cute and cozy -- even while the rest of the room is still a construction zone. We purchased a can of green paint for the trim and baseboards, which we will begin installing next week.
Each morning and night this week, we checked on our garden starts in the office, turning the grow light on and off as needed. Our tomatoes, peppers, basil, and marigolds have all sprouted. Bonnie-Jean started a flat of melons this week. Our squash, cucumber, and okra seeds arrived in the mail.
So little about this project is happening according to any plan I would have had, but I can look back and see God's ordering hand in the chaos. Even inconveniences and difficult experiences seem, in hindsight, like refining fires in our lives. Things are overwhelming lately, but I notice how we all trust God more easily than we used to. And while some circumstances seem more like spiritual attack than blessings, we know that God uses even these things for our good and His glory. We have our goals, but God has His -- and I've learned that His are often very different than I imagine. They are more about our growth as people than our accomplishments and agendas. As we look ahead to next week, I have several projects penciled onto the calendar. I'm making plans, but I'm so thankful that the Lord is directing my steps -- even if I don't know where I'm going.
