If you’ve landed on this post, I’m assuming that you’ve already read Welcome to Cottonwood Creek.  If not, this post won’t make much sense to you.  This is a chronological blog, being read in over 100 countries.  If you’ve been reading from the beginning…then read on!….

Next was ceiling time.  We shopped around and couldn’t find anything to put up there that we were happy with, or could afford.  We preferred old, aged cedar fence boards, but everyone else wants them too.  Couldn’t find any.  We finally resolved to just settle for painted plywood.  It was the cheapest option…which we needed…because we didn’t have enough money to purchase anything better.

We went to Home Depot, bought the paint and plywood, and got started painting.

As I painted, I just did not feel settled about our decision.  Something wasn’t right.

I stood outside by the plywood…paint brush in hand….and starting talking out loud to God.  I said, “Why have You provided everything else for this cabin, but not the ceiling?  Why is that something we have to buy?  Were we supposed to wait on You?  Did we jump the gun by buying this plywood?  I’ll stop.  I’ll put this project off to the side.  If You have a better idea, or something You intended to go up there, then please let me know within 3 days.  I don’t want to put a timeframe on You.  But, we really need to get this done in a few days.  I won’t budge on this plywood.  I’m waiting on You.  If I don’t get any other directions from You, I will use the plywood.”

3 days later (on the third day…literally) Steve was at the fire station.  He told me he was telling the firemen about the status of the Bed and Breakfast, and that now we needed ceiling.  He told them we were hoping for aged fence boards to keep the “old” look in there, and couldn’t afford newer options.

One of the fireman told him about a place where we could get free, used cedar fence boards!   Steve called and told me.  Both of us were….again…in awe.  Every single step of the way, God had been providing.

2 trailer-fulls later, our ceiling was complete…and didn’t cost us anything.  One more piece of proof that God really did give us this “vision” of a Bed and Breakfast to build, and is in charge of this project.  We loaded up the plywood and returned it all to Home Depot, getting our money back!

My favorite tool and I had some serious bonding time cutting the HUNDREDS of fence boards.  Each end had to be cut off, and then Steve had specific measurements for tons of them.  My buddy-saw and I had a blast (a very very ROASTING HOT blast in 100 degree F heat) cutting away for hours on end, two days in a row.

 

These are just SOME of the boards that I cut on the SECOND day.  This does not count the pile equally as big that I did the day before, that were already burned.  Lots and lots of cutting.

Steve starting to nail them up.

We’re leaving the center empty because there’s going to be a huge stained beam down the middle with a ceiling fan dropping down.

The next post is “What do you get with wire and hollow poles?” It came time to get electrical wiring from the pole to the B&B, through the woods, over 300 feet away.

Or, click on Welcome to Cottonwood Creek to start from beginning of story.  Or read “What is Cottonwood Creek” to see what this blog is about.