This Week's House Find (Brought To Me By God)

You may recall that I named this house the Heinz house because of all the ketchup and mustard colors inside. Well, we remedied the ketchup when we painted the front doors and dining room. The mustard room is the kitchen, and that one is still on the To Do list.

The kitchen has an unusual layout. There is a typical working space of island, counters and appliances, but then there is an adjoining sun room with a vaulted ceiling that leads out to the patio.

Our kitchen table really doesn't fill the space well, nor does it provide adequate seating when the family decides to hang out where the food is (and isn't that always the case?).

I want the room to feel more like a sun room and less like a space where we shoved the table and chairs because we didn't know where else to put them. I plan on painting this space a new color soon (of course!), and adding more botanical elements with plants and decor to make it feel more sun roomy.

But how to address the seating problem. I started considering upholstered booths and benches, which were quite pricey. And that's when God intervened.

Our family has been attending a church down the street, and by down the street I mean that we can walk to church most Sundays, it's that close. (But more on church to come this week!)

Every year, the church hosts a big three day rummage sale. The church members donate items, it all gets sorted over a period of weeks, and then gets sold in the gym, with proceeds going to some need in the church or school.

The boys and I walked over to the sale on the first day to take a look. And that was where I found this beauty.

A church pew, original to the church's 1800s site. I spoke with one of the sweet church ladies named Cindy who told me about its history. It belonged to one of the members who was moving into assisted living and decided to donate it back to the church for the sale.

It was totally precious and in perfect condition, and so...I passed it up.

Can you believe it?

I went home, called my Mom, and told her about the pew. I told her the price ($125), she told me it was a bargain, and told me to go back and get it.

I went back the next day, telling myself that if it was still there, then God must be saving it for our new home. And there it was, waiting for me! I was further blessed to discover that it would fit in the back end of Pumpkin Spice (my Subaru Crosstrek) perfectly.

After re-orienting the table in the room, we added the pew to the back. Now, this seating arrangement properly fills the space, with plenty of room to spare.

Not only is this pew the perfect size, but it's also the perfect color!

And look! It even has the racks for the hymnal and communion cards!

It also has the wire racks below, where the men would store their hats and the ladies would store their fans. (Does anyone else remember the days of no air conditioning? I remember making fans out of church bulletins as a child. I also remember the cardboard fans that were often provided, usually advertising the local funeral home.)

I love all of the nicks and chips that show its character. And that shield embellishment is so typically Lutheran that it makes me smile and sing "A mighty fortress is our God, a sword and shield victorious!"

I sent a photo of the pew to my son, John. He responded:

"Woah! Just think of all the holy butts that sat on that pew!"

My thoughts exactly!

I'm so thrilled with this new addition to our home! And here's a real God wink: it came from a church called Immanuel Lutheran Church, which happens to be the same name of the church where I was baptized. I love that!

Don't you just love a good God story?

Blessings on your Sunday, cafe friends!