Today....

Well, Amanda and Andrew got in last night around 1 a.m. And this morning, everyone got busy working on stuff. What we did not realize before they came was just how handy Andrew is. He knows how to do plumbing and electrical, which we were expecting to have to hire someone to do. So, Matt and Andrew headed off to the home improvement store this morning and came back with a truck load of stuff and got started.

I can't tell you how EXCITED I am!! Very soon - MUCH sooner than I was expecting- I will no longer have to go downstairs to do the laundry. In fact, I can no longer use the laundry downstairs because it is all disconnected and changed to the new room upstairs! Oh, I am so happy!

Amanda and I have been busy getting groceries, watching the kids, and cooking. Amanda also organized our office for us and it looks great. I have been wanting that done for some time, but just did not have the energy to get to it. She also began painting the hallway and plans to finish it tomorrow. We are so thankful for Amanda and Andrew being willing to not only take the time to come visit us, but also to spend their time working on our house. What a blessing.

And speaking of blessings, we received a completely unexpected one last night. Once Amanda and Andrew got here, they handed us an envelope. We do not know who it is from (they do) but it contained an gift of money for us. I mentioned last night that we would get as much done as our budget allowed. Well, thanks to this gift, we are able to get pretty much all the laundry room done. Now their goal is to get as much done as time will allow! This was truly unexpected and definitely undeserved, but hardly unappreciated! I wish I could thank this giver in person, but I guess they wish to remain anonymous, so we will have to accept that.

Again, Matt and I are reminded of how God is looking after us, knows our needs, and takes pleasure in giving us what we not only need, but often, what we want. Matt and I honestly had not even prayed about extra money to come in for this project. We just were planning to put a little aside each month until it was all done and paid for. God is so good.

Well, there is our day. Here are a few pictures to show you the laundry room beginning to take shape. I can't believe that this morning there was just a little water tap for an outdoor hose there, and now there is an electrical hook-up for the washer, dryer, as well as hot and cold water hook-ups for them. So cool.

The beautiful sunrise we had this morning behind our house. (Matt took this pic - I was still in bed! :-) )

Hard at work.

This pic is taken standing right outside the door from the kitchen.

There is the door that leads into our kitchen.

Amanda playing supervisor.

Putting in the floor.

The floor is in! They are stopping for the night but will continue tomorrow. I think they are doing a fantastic job!