A Great Surprise...

On Sunday we took the opportunity to visit Clovis Hills Church, way north out of Fresno in the foothills. We were very impressed. It is extremely casual, with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. I was taken with all the art that was displayed along the hallways. Later, I found out that they had been done as "illustrated sermons" during church services. This info came to me on Monday from one of my co-teachers, Stephanie Wallbridge, that attends Clovis Hills. (She had been at the 1st service.)

Inside is a gigantic hardscape church...No carpet, soft modular seating, and at least a 3 story stage, with 3 huge screens. (I understand the staging is changed with each new sermon series.) The music was upbeat and worshipful with excellent visuals and power point. The sermon was delivered in a casual style that got to the point and made you think.
There were 2 riviting interviews that connected the sermon points and touched my heart.

After Worship and Teaching, while the offering was being taken, the announcments happen. This was the best surprise for Lyle and I.... I heard this familiar voice....even though we did not know a soul in the church....

It was Cory! Yes, Cory....on 2 huge screens! The church had bought his "Tough Questions" video, and there he was! Lyle started laughing. I had to nudge him to quiet him down. No one really knew what had tickled us so much....but God has humor! I love the way he blesses us with little surprises! This was touching and fun to see his video being played...a head shot! Of course I grabbed the camera and took a picture!

When we got outside, Lyle gave Cory a call in NYC and told him we had seen him in church! What fun...a great memory for us. God is good!

Celebrating 9132.5.......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Today we are wishing a Happy Birthday to Cory. The number above is how many days he has been on the planet, or 25 years. I think we all agree the world is better for having known Cory Bruce, and sometimes it seems most of the world has known him at one time or the other. We wish you a very Happy Birthday and many more wonderful days.

I Want More.......

I barely remember how to do this, it's been so long. I hope to get back into the swing of things, as I know you are all crying out for new, creative posts from me to enrich your days.
Anywhoooo, We went to see Oliver last night. I was interested to see how well it went, as this was the first show of the tour after they finished rehersals in NYC. As expected there were some glitches...starting late, spot lights where they shouldn't be but that kind of thing just makes live theater real. Overall the voices were very strong. The orchestra was small and hidden on stage in the props but they put out an incredible amount of great music. The play started slowly but picked up speed and finished nicely. It is Dickens so it tends to the grimer side of life and not necessarily a childrens show. We also had a great time reconnecting with the friends that we have sat with for many years. Next show won't be until January so we wished everyone a Merry Christmas. This felt good and I think I will write again soon.

Rental Renovation Air Conditioner Arrives!

Wednesday, September 3rd, the crain was in place to lift up the AC.....

Yea! The Air Conditioner arrived around 4:30. There were 2 units on the trailer, only the smaller one was ours. (The other was going to The Fraternal Hall on 10th Ave.)
Ron hooked the crane to the unit. LIFT OFF!
FLYING AC!

OVER THE ROOF!
LOWERING DOWN!

Ron and Steve, AC guys and my friend from Hanford Elementary. Good Guys!

Making final attachments and adjustments....
Looking good from the back yard!
Well, Kristian and Taylor are moved in. We are resting for this month before tackling the outside. I know you could see some repairs that need to be made to the rain catchers and finish boards before painting. There is still much work to do, but the AC is in and working. The house is soooooooooooo much better than when we lived there. We are proud of our hard work so far.

There will be more to show in October.

Hope you enjoyed this update.

I'm hot.....

No really, I'm hot.......because the AC unit that was SUPPOSED TO GO IN TODAY DIDN'T GET ORDERED AND DELIVERED. It will be put in tomorrow and it doesn't really matter much, but you wait and wait for that final moment and then poof, it's gone. I can only believe that God protected us from a city inspector driving by on Tuesday between 4 and 5 (the permit didn't get pulled). We're limping to the finish line. The end really is in sight.

Rental Renovation Continues 5

Wow...it has been a long time since we blogged! Sorry for the delay, but we have been working every day to get our project complete. Not pictured is THE RENTERS MOVED THEIR BELONGINGS OUT OF THE HOUSE! YEA! FINALLY! After filling 4 dumpsters with their rotted junk and our cast offs from renovation, we still need more dumpsters to get it all cleared away. But some may have to wait until October....Lyle is taking September off from the rental! Taylor and Kristian are moving in at the end of this week...so it is wrap-up time inside the house.
Our big news....the Air Conditioner work in the house is complete! Yea! They will be placing the unit on the roof Tuesday at 4:00 pm. It is 1 more hour of work for my friends Steve and Ron. They have done a fabulous job.
Here is the thermostat. This new beautiful return replaces the old cooler vent in the hall by the bedrooms.
Here is a picture of the AC vent in the living room...It looks fabulous to me!
Now, Lyle is working on closing in the wall where the old wall furnace use to be.
It already looks better than before!
Today, my improvement project was to paint the original steps and patio to the back yard. Now it is the laundry room and the entrance to the the back room addition. It was in very ugly condition! When we lived there, we had it carpeted with a burgundy color indoor/outdoor carpet with Z-Brick on the stairs. Over the years...life happened. Bricks got chipped, so we removed them after a couple of renters. There was flooding from the laundry area...and some renter removed the carpet and left the old cement exposed....functional...but ugly!
Well, tonight, I painted! It is by no means perfect, but it is definitely an improvement!
We are thrilled to be winding down on the inside. We made a decision to just clean the back room. I filled in hundreds of holes, washed the walls, washed the windows and the shutters, and vacuumed. I tried to wash the black from the ceiling, but was not successful. We think the last renter used many candles in the south side of the room...but we just don't have time to paint.
In October, Lyle will be working on the outside. The rain gutters need to be removed and some boards need replacement. He is already thinking and planning the new colors to be painted. The patio is cleared off, but there is still a lot of wood in the backyard to be split and moved. The old renters said they would be coming for the swing, old tires, and junk along the south side of the house. I hope that is true.

Just as a parting shot, I took a picture of Clayton and Lyle on Friday. We are working with a financial coach who is helping us to get Clayton qualified for Medical. Clayton is happy that we have found someone to guide us. It is a lot of work for Lyle, but we believe it will pay off in the long run. Please keep Clayton and Lyle in your prayers. We want God's perfect will in our lives and decisions.

Bye for now...

2 Weeks of Renovation + Friends

New innovation for hot water heaters is horizontal...or not. But it is in and tucked up snug into its closet. This was a bear to install! 7 trips to OSH for the right connectors that had all the washers in place! Several drainings because of leaks.....a miserable day and a half! Hopefully, good for another 25 years like the last one!
Lyle is in the attic ready to remove the old swamp cooler return! With his mighty power saw in hand, he made quick work of this old wood shoot!
Don't you love the dust! We have enormous dust in our attic!

Patching the ceiling. Getting ready for the AC to be installed!
Just like new! A beautiful hall renovation!
Door redos and new knobs are in progress. Several to complete!
On to hand sanding the living room hardwood floors. Stripping off the paint from Cory's old room and the tile cement is really fun!

New window treatments for the dining and kitchen.
This completes the pics from the last 2 weeks of work at the rental. Still more to be done. It seems endless!

Now on to the Friends section. A week ago Friday, I, Marlene, was invited to Doris Websters for lunch. Doris is a good friend of my mom. She is 90 something and lives alone, but right across the street from her son, who takes good care of her. My mom, brings Doris lunch every Friday. They enjoy each other's company. Although Doris is nearly blind, she wanted to "see" me before school started. So, I got treated to a sandwich and an ice cream drumstick. Doris gave me the home tour as well. She is a real sweetheart!

Here's My mom and Doris in front of one of her prize antiques she has used to serve from for many a dining guest at her home. She is very proud of the red pieces. Love you Doris and Mom! Next, On Saturday, we went to Dave and Debbie Fox's home to help with his house update. Dave's remodel includes new windows, sliding glass door, and new siding. Glen and Arlene were helping cut the tricky pieces around the windows and chimney. Lyle cut this tricky piece for the other side. It fit perfect the first time! Amazing!

Mr. He Man got the sheet into place! The Old Guy Rules! With the materials running out, the fun had to end. It was getting too hot to be outside anyway.

Boys will be boys when the camera is out! Got your nose Dave!Debbie's Garden is beautiful and full of veggies. We were treated to a nice lunch made by Debbie before heading home to get more things for our projects for this week.

Hope you enjoyed the update. With school starting on Wednesday for Marlene, the progress may slow a little, but we are seeing an end in the the main part of the house. We still have Laundry, Backroom, and Backyard to work on.