Lord Build Me a Cabin: Thoughts on our Remodel Project

I feel the need to share some of my thoughts on our schoolhouse remodel project. In the process of our remodel, I've spent a lot of time thinking, dreaming, and planning. I've had a lot of fun doing so and sharing our progress with others. However, I want people to know that our ultimate goal isn't to have a big fancy house that looks like it should be in a magazine. Our ultimate goals are to reduce our debt and to use our home to the glory of God through intentionally raising our children and opening our home to others. In this day and age, there seems to be a great desire for everything to look perfect and to have a certain trendy look to it. It seems to me as though there is a feeling of superiority if we eat organic food or live in perfect magazine/catalog houses with all the right styles and design, when there are people who are starving and homeless. Not that there is anything wrong with eating healthy or having a beautiful home. In fact, those can be very good things. We just need to remember what's really important: are we going to find our identity in those things, or in Christ?  It's easy to get caught up in the temporary things of this world, but I want to have an eternal focus. I want our home to be comfortable and inviting, not perfect. I know this is a random post, and I'm not a great writer, but I wanted to share some of my thoughts. Please know that I'm not trying to preach, just simply share what's going on in my heart and mind. As the song says, "I don't want a fine mansion on earth's sinking sands. Lord build me just a cabin in the corner of Glory Land."

Schoolhouse Remodel In Progress Pictures

As promised, I wanted to share some of the pictures of our schoolhouse remodel in progress. You can see the before pictures here. These pictures are of some of the work that has been done over the last 2 months.

Lathe and plaster were torn off all exterior walls and wood floors were sanded down:

This wall paper was a fun surprise:

The exterior walls and the new walls were all framed and all new electrical was added:

Spray-in insulation was added to all exterior walls:

All of the plumbing was replaced, which meant digging up the concrete in the basement:

New drywall on walls and ceilings throughout the house:

Bedrooms, bathroom and hallway were built into one of the classrooms:

The staircase was sanded down (this picture was taken when only the bottom set of stairs had been sanded):

My husband has accomplished a lot in two months, and there's still a lot more to do. I will be posting more on individual rooms soon.