My Countertop Test

I kind of feel that I should do a disclaimer to this post.  
Life takes us all on different roads, around curves we didn’t anticipate and through swamps we couldn’t have guessed.  Sometimes we sense the Lord telling us something that just might not make sense to others.  This is one of those stories.  It might not make sense to you.  That’s okay.  It’s merely my journey and I’m just crazy enough to invite you along. 
*********
As we were building our home after the fire, life was chaos.  If you weren’t stopping by this Place Called Simplicity back then, I invite you to slide over to the sidebar and under special posts you will find “Our Year in Review”.  It’s mostly pictures, but really, it was one of the most crazy years ever.  {We trust. *sigh*}
Anyway, we have built several houses over our 32 years married, but none with {almost} 10 kids and none after a fire while dealing with bonding with two babies and all the trauma the fire produced.  Really, I shudder when I look back.  It was only God’s grace that we got it built without Dw nor I drooling and staring into space for the rest of our lives!!  {We only occasionally do, so that’s really good, huh?!!}.
When we got to the countertops, I really didn’t think.  We had just remodeled {literally, before the fire} and we had put in granite tiles, which weren’t that pricey.  So building the house, I just went to the tile store and picked some reasonably priced granite tile out.  It would do just fine.
All along the Holy Spirit kept saying, “Ask who is installing the countertop tiles.”  I was so busy, I kept forgetting.  His voice said it over and over and I should have tattooed it to my arm, cause I just kept forgetting.    
*silly, overwhelmed me*
Well a few days before we moved in, I came to the house and found the countertop installed.  Oh.  Wow.  That was fast.  Like in one afternoon!  Hmmm.  I’m not an expert, but in homes we have built in the past it usually took a few days.  
Sparing you all the details, it turns out the person who installed it, had not done it before.  Hmmm.  How special.  I asked them when they were going to grout and they said, “You don’t grout granite tiles.”  “Ummm, yeah ya’ do.”  “No ya’ don’t.”  “Ummm, yeah ya’ do.”  “Ummm, no you don’t.”  “Well in two houses I lived in where there was granite tiles, they both were grouted.”  “Oh.  Well I’ll ask the tile store.”  The thing was that this guy had not used spacers.  He had not used a plumb line.  It was crooked and hung over the edges.  Really, if you had seen it you would have laughed.  {Then you might have cried with me.}  
He had not polished the edges, not even one speck!! He had merely sliced the granite and put it in with all sharp edges.  {Not.even.kidding.} It hung over so I pinched my fingers all the time.  It was a fairly expensive nightmare!!  
Dw and I talked and realized that Dw would have to confront him.  He was a nice man.  He had been hired to do the job.  Our builder had given him the stamp of approval to do the job.  Dw had the unpleasant task of confronting him.  He said he probably shouldn’t have tried to do it.  
{Ya’ think?}
Well in no time at all it started to get water between the tiles and within about 3 weeks of living here, the tiles around the sink started to lift.  
The most exasperating part of it all was that we had to rip it out and do something else.  Talk about overwhelmed.  Throw into the mix Jubilee just coming home and Uncle Mark coming to live with us.  Perfect.  We really had nothing else to do but replace a granite tile counter top immediately after moving in!!  
A couple of months passed.  I really, truly couldn’t deal with one more thing.  
The tile lifted more.  
Aye-yi-yi. 
Dw and I talked about what to do.  And somewhere in there I began to think that granite tiles were not for us anymore.  Don’t get me wrong.  I think granite is absolutely beautiful.  But I began to think about all the kids who didn’t even have a bowl of rice for dinner, and here I was fixing our dinner on granite tiles.  
**If you have granite countertops, granite walls, granite floors, granite showers,
 granite ceilings, granite porch rails, granite furniture,
 and even granite undies – you go girl!  
This is my journey, remember?**
And in the midst of all of this I began to talk to the Lord about it.  I finally talked to Dw about it.  Dw loves the look of granite, but he was hearing my heart.   We talked to the kids.  It became a family thing we talked and prayed about.  Graham and Emma both agreed, “Kids are starving and we are spending money on granite.”  For us, it just didn’t seem right.
We looked at laminate.  It is cheaper than granite, no doubt.  But I really love the rustic look best.  
One day, out of the blue, the Lord said, “What about slate?”  
Okay, before all of you say, “Are you out of your mind?”  
Actually, maybe I am.  {But you still love me right?}
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE slate.  
We had had slate on our bathroom counter up on the canyon.  I loved the rustic look.
It cleaned with a brush.  It was fun.  It was crazy. 
Dw wondered about it.  I told Dw that I felt like this was a personal test from the Lord for me.  Would I cave to the pressure of society that says, “It must be granite!”  Or would I do something more reasonable???
When we priced it, it was dirt cheap.  It was fun.  It would free more money for the orphan.  
And so for the last three days they have ripped out my granite tiles and installed rustic, uneven, crazy slate tiles.  They cut them in small pieces and put them behind the stove.  
And we LOVE it.  It is rustic!!
It is striking.  
It is bumpy.
It is uneven.  
It is wild and crazy.
And I am the happiest woman ever!!
I took these pictures a few minutes ago – before it is grouted.  Pete is coming in the morning to grout.  
He did a smashing job.  He bull nosed the edges.  He made it look absolutely gorgeous. 
Whatcha think?

So this Thankful Thursday…I am so thankful that the guy messed up the tiles
 and I now have slate instead.  I am thankful for the test.
I am overjoyed!!   
And if you come have coffee with me on my porch,
I will show you just how beautiful rough, rustic, and gorgeous a slate countertop is!!  
xo

54 thoughts on “My Countertop Test

  1. I love your disclaimer and sidenotes as much as I love your slate! 🙂 It looks beautiful and props for you to listening to the quiet whisperings of Jesus. I love how he directs you so specifically. I need to listen to Him more like that. Love you sweet friend. Praying for you on your trip this weekend.
    lv, jen

  2. Oh my goodness…I LOVE SLATE!!! I want slate floors in our house if we ever get a chance to build. I think it is beautiful my friend.

    Hey, have your kiddos hop on over to my blog. I am having a contest and I bet they would be great at it.

  3. Linny, I love it! I have a question for you. Maybe you have done a post on this in the past, but I can't find it if you did. Did you guys do any fundraisers for your adoptions? If so, what did you do? God is providing each step so far, but we have to pay a big chunk soon and we are trying to think of creative ways to come up with the money. We are adopting two from Belize! 🙂 Yippee!

    I'd just love to hear your tips on this. Thanks!

    Love and blessings,
    Amber

  4. Ok I loved this post. It took me a little while to get past the slate panties because I couldnt quit laughing. Seriously, that was funny.
    I am the same way about purchasing things. I usually feel a huge sense of quilt when I think about buying something that I dont have to have because I am thinking of those who dont have just the basics in life. So I totally get where your coming from and without sounding corney, Im proud of you, and Im glad you listened. I think you will enjoy your new counter top so much more. ITS BEAUTIFUL!! : )

  5. I'm with you. We built our current house 2 years ago and updated only one thing – tiles behind the counters (like $400.) I got cheap formica counter tops that look somewhat granity, because the upgrades don't affect our way of life – they just affect our ability to save a life.

    I'll have t-shirts made that say, "Just say no to granite; adopt instead."

    Ok, I'm losing it – I'm going to bed.
    Love, Jenny

  6. i love the slate!!! It's absolutely perfect!!! The Lord is so good to provide the answer like that! He is a great Interior (and Exterior) Designer! hehe! EnJoy!! So awesome! No disclaimer needed! The only thing "lifting" on this countertop will be unceasing praise for what He did! <3

  7. Well, my 25 year old laminate is lifting…maybe we can get slate cheap in this state too. Gotta check.

    Wonder if they make slate vans…?
    Yeah, bed time

  8. Ok, I think it looks great! Personally, I have never understood the appeal of granite. But thats just me, I guess. I think the slate fits you to a tee. Have an amazing weekend!

  9. Linny, I love the slate. I am just dealing with the kitchen we've had for 20 years and don't know if we'll ever be able to replace the cabinets. I have decided that we can afford our house and that's what's important. Yes, I'd like to have this manufactured house kitchen redone but I've got appliances that are new. So just gonna see what happens in the future.
    I have learned to listen to the "inner voice" (God) when he tells me something's not right or do a certain thing. It pays! Hugs and thanks for sharing and caring!

  10. Love the slate. I'mgoing to share the idea with my brother in law that remodels kitchens and bath. Do you know how to care for it?
    Do you have to seal it?

  11. It needs to be sealed three times. They sealed it this am…it's a water based enhancer and sealer. It is drying and tomorrow am they will grout. Then after grout dries, it will be sealed twice more. It looks so stinkin' gorgeous!!

  12. Love it Linny!!

    I was gonna mention sealing it BUT you got it covered!!

    Enjoy! It's your home and it should exude who you are!

    You are so slate and I'm lovin it!!

  13. Love the slate! You made me laugh with this post. We have actually joked that our adopted child should have been named Granite Countertops. While our neighbors were upgrading their kitchens, we were upgrading our family. I know we'll NEVER regret it.

    Much Love,
    Kathie

  14. I love it Linny! So stunning. CANNOT believe what you guys ewnt through that year. That was the year I started blogging and yours was one of the first blogs I started following.

  15. I have a slate cutting board from one of our adventures in the wilds of England and I nearly had a conniption when I thought they lost it in the move. I LOVE SLATE! And even better, I love an ever-present reminder from GOD (:

  16. Wow! The slate is just stunning!! Never would have thought of it myself, so thanks for the education!!! May God bless every meal prepared on that beautiful countertop!!!

  17. I LOVE IT!!!
    This is a great idea and I can do this! I saw your note about sealing it. How do you clean it?!

    I am going to mosaic the bathroom counter with handmade tiles!! Hopefully I will have an actual blog to post pictures!

  18. I just moved from the Lake District in England where slate is everywhere! I even had a bird table with a little slate roof that I had to leave behind! Oh how I wish I could have brought it with me.

    I am a big fan of your lovely kitchen! Gorgeous!!

  19. It looks beautiful(and since living in the Lake District it makes me smile even more as we are surrounded by slate)
    Anyway this verse came to mind after reading this : The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4 v 6-7.
    Thank you for demonstrating the need to bring everything to the Lord in prayer and to remember to stop and listen.

  20. It is beautiful, I love it! I have a question, though. Being in the kitchen, with the rough surface, is it hard to clean what with food and such getting on it? We are just about to replace our kitchen countertops and I LOVE the slate, but just wondering if all that bumpiness and unevenness is hard to clean? Thanks, Linny!

  21. You red typing before the actual post….. were you in my bedroom listening to me cry? As my husband said." Gods opinion is the only oe that matters." Straight to the heart of the matter. Love your counters and backsplash.

  22. Beautiful.

    But even more beautiful? The way God can take our "Plan A" and not let it work so we get the opportunity to realize HIS PLAN which is always better. I'm thinking in analogies tonight! 🙂

  23. So, I have struggled with the "stuff" in our home and the updates it needs. I am thinking slate. Going to get My Dear to take a look! Thanks Linny!
    We are going to our first seminar on international adoption on Saturday!!!!! So that slate may never happen and we will just keep the 60s look! It will come back in, right?

  24. The slate is gorgeous! There's nothing wrong with slate in the kitchen AT ALL! 🙂 The color of the slate contrasts nicely with the wood of your cabinets and the stainless steel appliances. Looks good to me!

    By the way, I just love how you and Dw include your children in the decision-making process for such things. Awesome.

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