Our Master Bedroom Shower

 Ken and I like to take showers and it is an extremely rare day when one of us wants to take a bath. So when it came to making our bathroom a shower was what made sense. We had thought we would have a shower inset but Ken wanted it to look nice. After visiting with our plumber however he said that the only option through him was a solid color fiberglass. That was not what Ken had in mind. They work perfectly well and we were quite satisfied with that at our last house but that wasn't what he wanted here.

   So Ken says to me - "Do you think you could tile a shower?" I with very little tiling experience wasn't so sure but I went on line and watched a bunch of YouTube videos and hesitantly said "I guess so". Tiling a floor didn't sound to hard as it was flat and didn't need to be waterproof but a shower sounded a little more challenging.

  This was a project the I mulled over in my mind a lot before starting. I also watched a lot of YouTube videos. Some of them over and over again. What really concerned me the most was not actually the tiling but making the mortar pan. All in all - it was (I will admit) a kind of lengthy (around a week or so of quite a bit of work) project and there were times I would have loved to be able to give it up (before I ever got to the actual tiling) but it felt very good to get it done and we are quite happy with it and I love that we have a custom shower for less money (I think) than a fiberglass one would have been. The contractor thinks that I probably saved around $3,000 doing it myself.

Here is the process that we took to get this shower done:

1. The contractor framed the walls in according to our specifications.
2. The plumber put the pipes and valves and stuff that was needed in the walls. He also put an adjustable drain in the floor.
3. Ken framed in shelves for soap and stuff and also put some more framing in around the base.
4. I put down tar paper to keep the moisture from the mortar from absorbing into the floor and causing it to dry to fast.
5. I put metal lath down on the floor.
6. I (with helpers as my back was really troubling me at the time from my fall on the stairs) mixed up mortar (Type S Mortar with 4 parts sand and one part Portland) and put it on the floor of the shower to make a sloping pan. I had to slope it from 1 1/2 inches on the outside down to the drain hole in the middle.
7. After that dried I was then ready to put in the rubber Membrane. When I did the I had to fold corners and then nail the membrane on the edges about 4 - 6 inches up (no nail holes down where it might leak).
8. Then I cut the membrane out of the drain hole and attached the second part of the drain.
9. Then I was ready to put the cement board over all the walls and in the soap shelves.
10. Next I put some tile spacers over the seepage holes on the drain so that they wouldn't fill with mortar.
11. Then I put another 1 1/2 inch thick layer of mortar over the whole base. This of course had to slope too.
12. Now I was ready for tiling. You do the walls first and then the floor. Putting on thin set mortar and then the tile/rock.
13. Grouting comes next.
14. Cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning is what comes after that.
15. Then the grout should be sealed.

When we decided to tile our shower we figured we would just use some of the same tiles as we used on the floor for the shower. Except I realized we would need something smaller for the floor. I really liked the different pictures I have seen of pebble shower floors. They look so neat and natural and so that was what I wanted. Ken wasn't so sure. He was afraid it would be uncomfortable on the feet and also he wasn't sold on the look. But he said I could go ahead.

  So I started checking around to find stones. I didn't need a ton and I didn't want something terribly expensive. I didn't care for the stones "tiles" that were made for a look like that which were at Menards. I figured I could find them cheaper anyway. Ken suggested that maybe one of our local landscaping companies would have some and that sound like a good idea to me. He had heard that they had polished stone and I figured that they quite likely would have just the smooth stones that I wanted too.

  I set up a time to go over and look at their rocks and was a little overwhelmed when I did that. They had barrel after barrel of polished rocks. I had my kids and an extra child with me when I went and they thought it was a blast looking through all the rocks. The owner had said they could climb up and check the upper barrels and they thought that was great fun.

They also just loved seeing all the rocks that were available. These Easter egg (dyed rocks) were a hit in their eyes. Unfortunately what I wanted was quite different from what they loved. And I wasn't finding what I wanted. The rocks were to shiny and to unique. And I was having trouble finding ones that matched my tile.

 But then we noticed the split agates and started to consider them. They were a great color and they were really pretty cool! They were also a little cheaper than the other rocks. I took a sample home to show Ken and he said to go ahead.

  We are pretty happy with them in our shower. They aren't what I was originally thinking but they are neat, unique and comfortable on the feet and were really easy to lay and I like them!

 I used them as accents on the walls and then for all of the floor.

 The shower is far from perfect but it is functional and we thinking it is pretty and were are pretty happy with it.

 Some of the slices ended up being polished so I tried to put the polished ones on the walls.

 I think diagonal tiling adds a neat look so I want to add that to this shower.

 Water makes the rocks look really cool. They really aren't that yellow - that is just from the nighttime lighting.

 A shower curtain is still up for debate. It works without ones and I like the way it look that way but we are concerned about moisture getting out on the walls and potentially causing mold to grow. We don't want that.

Have you ever attempted a project where you felt overwhelmed at first but after you got going it worked out okay? I would love to hear those stories!

 Thanks to God for His grace and patience with me as I work on projects like this.

Homeschool Highlights - "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"

Not long ago our family had fun watching a neat old movie called "Mr Smith Goes to Washington". I had read about it on Amelia's Blog (a sweet fellow blogger) and then when visiting with my sister I learned that their family had watched it an enjoyed it. We don't watch many movies though so some time passed before we found the time to watch it. I was quite excited to finally watch it and was not disappointed.

Here is a clip from the movie that you might enjoy....

  This movie isn't perfect and there was a little drinking in it as well as exposing lies and deceit that was found in Washington (even in this fictionalized one) and still is (in real life) but it has a pretty neat message and a good reminded of what we truly do need in government.

Here are some reasons that I really liked it from a homeschool Mom's perspective.....

• It reminds us of what the founding Fathers of our nation desired for this country.
• We get to take a (black and white) tour of Washington DC. Our kids have never been there and that was fun for them and for me as I remember my times there.
• We learn what is involved in writing a Bill and having it become law.
• We learn about Filibusters. What we see in the movie makes us curious so then we start doing research - Can you really not even have a break to go to the bathroom?, Who had the longest Filibuster? What have past filibusters been about?, etc.
  

This movie would fit in quite well with teaching on government.  It was enjoyed by all of our family and I think your family would enjoy it too.

Hosting a Potluck "Cabin Fever" Party

  My older brother Peter builds log homes. He got a job a couple years back (after working in this field for quite a number of years in California and all across our nation) at a log home company a little north of here. This company was chosen this past year to do a reality TV show on log home building for National Geographic. The show is called "Cabin Fever" and the first show was this week (airing both Tuesday night and tonight and maybe again sometime).

   My brother is currently down in Texas (with his family) working on a house there but those of us up here wanted to watch the show of course. In our group of friends/family up here we were pretty much the only ones who got that channel. So our house was the spot to have a party for watching it. Mom suggested that we have a potluck supper and though part of me thought - we don't need to potluck- I can figure out something for everybody. Another part of me thought that sounded like a pretty good idea as we didn't know exactly who all was coming and we are trying to rest a little more this week. So a potluck it was.

  A potluck meal is a really simple way to throw a party. Everybody bring something to share - it is not that challenging for anybody and everybody can just relax and have fun. It also relives the financial burden if your finances are tight. We had way more than enough food which seems to be the case usually with potlucks around here.

  Ken set up his projector and screen and we crowded everybody in. We had 33 people here ( a few are not in the picture) and it was a fun time. Lots of company with no stress. A wonderful way to do it!

   Have you ever hosted a potluck meal/party at your place? Any thoughts you would like to share?

Good Posture

 This past week was not a very good one for working on my health goals. We had a lot going on and had company some of the time too. Some goals continued on okay but others not so much. Oh well - we are ready to get going on them again.

  I am also adding another one that in a way is simple because it doesn't add a new routine to our lives but in another way is a lot harder because I need to be aware of it all of the time.

  My new goal is to work on having good posture.  I had kind of thought that I did okay in this area but after looking at a picture of myself I realized that it was something that I really needed to work on.

  I do have pretty good posture when driving anyway but standing, sitting, reading and such can often find me a little slumped and round shouldered. With all of my piano lessons I often find myself slouching on the chair. This is something that I need to work on.

  Why should we work to have good posture?

• We can breath better when we are standing or sitting up straight. And breathing well does a lot to make us healthier in general.
• Our muscles don't get tight and sore.
• We are less likely to have headaches, neck pain and back pain.
• It also says a lot to others concerning how we hold our bodies. With good posture we look happier and more confident.

This goal is going to require a lot of  daily focus. But I am ready to work on it. Is this something that you should work on too?

On a happy note for me - High heeled shoes are very hard on your posture. Thankfully I have never liked them anyway!

  I am feeling so thank-ful for how God put so much thought into creating our bodies. He designed them in amazing ways!
 

A Time to Rest

Carrie, Christy and I. These dear friends and their families stayed with us this past weekend.

 We are moving a little bit slowly around here. I have decided this will be a good week for resting. We have had some very busy and fun times and now it is time to rest a bit from all that business.

   This past weekend we hosted a retreat/rally at our church and had many come from all over to join us. I was so blessed by this weekend and just enjoyed it so very much but I will admit feeling rather tired when it was all over.

  We had so much going on that I didn't get the camera pulled out until people were starting to leave but here are a few pictures of some of the people that were able to come....

 Linda and Polly. Traveled 6 or so hours to come and be with us and we were so glad that their family came.

 Good friends of mine who were always at Retreats when we were kids. Now they are coming with their families. That is so fun!

 Tracy - another childhood friend who brought her family this year.

 Games are a fun addition to the Retreat. Some pretty fun guys here. My nephew, my son, my brother-in-law and his brother.

 Anna and Shelly. Wonderful helpers in the kitchen! Thanks ladies!

 Music is always a very fun part of the retreat. We even enjoy pianists that are just about one year old.

Our theme this year was "Good News!". We had fun learning about, singing about and encouraging one another to read the Goods News, Share the Good News and be Strengthened by the Good News.

"Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah." Acts 5:42

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Is 52:7

"He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." Mark 16:15 & 16

During the week before Retreat started I spent some long days working to get our house ready for company. I thought it would be nice to have another shower so I worked hard on that. I got it done and the plumber hooked it up but when I went to use it on Friday night there was no hot water. That was a bit of a disappointment. It got fixed today but we weren't able to use it while the company was here. Oh well! Such is life at times.

This is a little peak - I will share more pictures later.

Why I Believe Jesus is the Answer for Our Sin Problem

Last week I shared some verses about the problem that all of us face and that is having sin in our lives. We have not lived perfectly and we continue to make mistakes. This is sin that separates us from God.

Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,
    nor his ear too dull to hear.
 But your iniquities have separated
    you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
    so that he will not hear.

Isaiah 59: 1 & 2


I believe that Jesus is the one that can take care of our sin problem. Here are some verses that I would like to share that cause me to believe that:

John 1:29 "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" Words prophetically spoken by John about Jesus.

I Peter 3:4 "You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin." That is the reason that Jesus came to earth.

1 Corinthians 15:57 "But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

Romans 8:1 "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." Oh how I love this verse! What a promise!

Romans 8:10-11 "If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

These verse are just a very few of the verses that talk about this subject. If you wonder if Jesus can take away sins just start reading in the New Testament. You will find this message over and over and over again.  What a blessing! What a wonderful gift!

Beds for Guests

 If you have company come for overnight then you need some place for them to sleep. This is something that has been on our minds lately around here. Our church is getting ready to have a Retreat and we have people come from out of town and we have fun putting them up in our homes. This year it seems like we are having a pretty good crowd come so we have been working to creatively figure out beds for everybody. (My mom has taken over a lot of the "worrying" on that for both of our homes and some of my siblings too - I have been busy concentrating on just getting the rooms finished so that we are ready to put beds in them.)

  Some people may have a guest room all ready for whenever they have company but that is not something that we have and I know a lot of people don't have that sort of space in their home. Does this mean we can't have overnight guests? Not at all!!! When we rented a two bedroom home when living in Kansas we managed to have I believe it was over 20 people stay with us. Now our family (which was just Ken, Mara and I at the time) did set up our bedroom in the garage but it worked and it was fun!

If we don't have guest rooms and extra beds then what do we use?

• We purchased an air bed - it is simply an air mattress which fits on top of a collapsible metal frame. This is what Ken and I use when we go camping and we have also often used it to turn my office/craft room into a guest room. To make it more comfortable I like to put an egg shell mattress on the top.
• Our couch is a hide-a-bed. We have very rarely used this for couples to sleep on as it is in the living room (so not very private) but kids have slept on it frequently.
• Mara has always had a double bed to sleep on since she was very little. She likes it but the real reason she has it is so that we can kick her out of it when company comes and she takes a sleeping bag on the floor with carpet or a mat or sleeps on the couch. She doesn't mind and actually the boys have been jealous quite a few times that the girls get to have the company in their room and the boys' don't. In our new house we are planning on getting a double bed for the boys' room too. Actually we hope to get/make bunk-beds for both rooms with a double on bottom and a single on top.
• We have lots of camping mats. These are great for providing a little extra comfort for kids sleeping on the floor. An old sleeping bag or folded up bed spread can also help to make a cushion. This makes it so we can turn about any room into a guest room. Quite a few years when we had a house full of company at our Retreat time (we enjoyed 3 families staying with us a few years) the boys (ours and a couple of friends) got to use the laundry room as their bedroom. 
• If you have a mattress (an air mattress, a foam mattress or whatever) but no frame you can throw one together using pallets, cement blocks, five gallon buckets, totes, plywood etc. Just be creative but do make sure it is sturdy and won't wobble around with people on it. If you can make something sturdy it is surely nicer if you can make a bed that is up off the ground for people to sleep on. This is something that both my mom and I have done to make better beds for lots of guests. We have both also used this method to lengthen a regular double bed to better accommodate some of the tall guests we have at times.

Our girls' old bedroom - with the double bed in preparation for company.

I have never actually had any guests sleep in hammocks but I suppose it is a possibility. I bet some kids would find it pretty exciting!

 We have also had a futon before which worked for extra guests. I would like to get one again to have in our basement for both seating and then sleeping.

My sister's family made a cool bed (I think it is called a Murphy bed) that folds up into the wall. It makes it so a room in the basement can be either a play room or a guest room.

  Do you have any additional ideas for providing beds for your guests? I would love to hear how you do it at your house!

Goals For Good Health

How is your family doing health-wise through these winter months? There seems to be a lot of sickness out there! I have had music students cancel lessons regularly because they are ill, people have to stay home from church because they are sick and I hear of friends that feeling pretty miserable. We have had our turns at being sick too. In the last few weeks (we seem all to be pretty much on the mend now) different ones have taken turns having sore/scratchy throats, runny noses, fatigue and congestion. We have been very grateful to skip out on high fevers and vomiting!

  Meanwhile we are trying to continue to take little steps every day to improve our health.

These are the goals we have been working on:

1. Drink plenty of water (at least 8 glass for the bigger ones and at least 6 for the smaller people). This has been going pretty well. I personally have been able to make a much better habit of drinking plenty of water and the kids are getting better at it too.
2. Flossing our teeth everyday. This has truly become a habit with me and the kids are doing good at doing it too but after a visit to the dentist today I do realize that I need to get in there and do it for them some of the time and help them to become more proficient at it.
3. Stretching. We are still working to get back in the habit with this one. We did do it today and at least one other day this week. I have been realizing the need for it lately.
4. Get to bed on time. I am trying and I am making progress but I am not truly good at it yet.

My goal that I am starting to work on this week is having us take Cod Liver Oil every day. I am not a supplement sort of gal but in this northern climate that we live in having some good source of vitamin D is rather necessary and this seems to me to be one of the easiest and natural ways in which to do that on a regular basis. Other than being high in Vitamin D, Cod Liver Oil is also an excellent source of DHA (A fatty acid that is essential to the health of your nervous system and eyes and also helps to prevent depression), EPA (another fatty acid that is anti-inflammatory and helps to prevent depression) and Vitamin A (which is good for your eyes, skin and digestive tract). There are a lot of benefits that I don't have time to list here. Here is a good article about it.

 What are you doing to try to improve the health of your family?

Why I Believe We Have a Sin Problem

Adam and Eve may have been the first people to sin as we read in Genesis chapter 3....

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³ but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
⁴ “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it."
... but it isn't because of them that you or I struggle with sin. 

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 - Jesus is the only One who perfectly lived - the rest of us sin.

"So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." James 4:17 - We have chosen to not do things at times (or vice-versa)  that we knew - had the ability to do - we should do. This tells us that would be sin. That was a choice that we made personally.

 "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13 - Temptation is hard and when we choose to give into it that is sin. This verse is so wonderful in the promise that it gives us however.

"For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it." James 2:10

We know that sin is lawlessness, it is missing the mark, it is not leading perfect, holy lives. It is something that we all have to deal with. We struggle with it because of our pride and selfishness.

I am so thank-ful that our struggle with sin isn't the end of the story. It is something that we need to recognize but Jesus came to take care of our sin problem. Praise the Lord. I look forward to sharing verses on that with you soon.

Trying to Finish Things Up on the House

  We have a bunch of company coming to stay with us in less than 2 weeks so I am trying to push to see if we can get everything (at least nearly everything - I know there are at least a couple of projects that are waiting on boards to cure) done in the inside before then. I talked to the contractor and he was agreeable and now we are doing our best to do the things that we are responsible for.

One of the things that the contractor got done this week was some of our stair railings. That was pretty exciting. Not only because we think they look super cool but also because the stairs seem much safer with them. We have had some pretty cobbled together stairs for a while and so we are very happy to have them getting finished.

  Speaking of stairs - A week ago some of the treads weren't done either and one of them had the new tread on it but it wasn't hooked on. I knew it was loose but didn't realize that it wasn't screwed in at all. I stepped on it last Friday evening and it just slipped away with me on top of it. That caused me to fall back on the stair frame (which is pointy) beneath. I hit it with my low back and then slipped again and hit it with my upper back. That was a breath taking experience. I have been sore quite a bit since. I am trying to get into see a chiropractor very soon. So anyway - that leaves me feeling extremely grateful for getting the stairs finished.

 One of the big projects that I have left is tiling our master bedroom shower. This is a project that I felt a little uncertain about and so getting started was a little overwhelming. I also wanted stones for the bottom of the shower but hadn't found what I wanted yet. This week we finally made it to a place where they had lots and lots of stones. I was looking for smooth but not polished stones that looked like they could belong in the river. Though the place we were at had an amazing amount of stones I didn't find what I was looking for. Most of them were far to "fancy" for me. But after not finding what I had gone for the owner and I started discussing the idea of using some split rocks instead. The picture above shows a piece of the tile we are using for most of the shower and a sample of the rocks that I got. I think they match really well and could look pretty cool. Ken was agreeable so I hope to go get what I need pretty soon. What do you think?

 Today I finally laid down the felt/tar paper and the metal lath and then mixed up mortar and made my shower pan. Since my back has been aching Mara helped a fair amount with the mixing of mortar. This project took a while but really wasn't that bad and I think it looks like it is going to work okay.

 I had to carefully slope the mortar so that the shower will drain properly.

Another project that we tackled today was putting up our wallpaper border. The first one that I attempted to put up was in the kids' bathroom and it was supposed to be pre-pasted but the paste was very wimpy and it would not stay up on the wall. So I googled wallpaper paste and found a recipe that used flour, sugar, water and alum. I didn't have alum so I used Tea Tree oil instead to make it mold resistant.

 It is so nice to be able to fix you problems simply and quickly like that.

 Once we had the paste the wallpaper stayed up beautifully.

 We love the way it looks!!

Our only problem is that we didn't have enough. I guess somehow we calculated wrong. Maybe because originally we a had thought we would put it in the middle rather than on top so then we wouldn't have needed it where the shower is or the door. Thankfully I was able to find it and order another roll. It was a close call with getting it as that variety was on clearance with quantities limited.

  Mara and I also put up the border in Ken's office. It looks pretty cool but I guess I will have to share a picture of that another day.

   Ken and Jonathan have been working on our living room window seat and Ken and I also worked a lot on closet shelving and rods. Things are coming along! Hopefully I will have a big report next week as well.

A Beautiful Visitor

 The other day I was visiting on the phone with a friend and wandering through the house as I am prone to do and while doing that was startled to see a beautiful butterfly on our stairway wall.

  What in the world was a butterfly doing here in the middle of the winter?!

Mara supposed that it had built its chrysalis in the fall and was planning on over wintering here as Compton Tortoiseshells (that is it's name - we figured that out after looking in our butterfly book) tend to do. It must have made it in some window frame or on some board or something during our building process and then when it ended up inside in the warmer weather it came out of the chrysalis as soon as it was fully formed. That is our supposition. It won't tell us whether it is correct or not.

 Isn't it a pretty butterfly? When folded up I can see how it could so easily blend in to a tree.

 We feel very privileged to be able to see it so up close and personal. In our learning more about this type of butterfly we went on a site made by someone who photographs butterflies and writes about them and his only picture of a Compton tortoiseshell was one from quite a distance. I guess they tend to be very skittish.

 Mara tried getting sugar water for it to eat put it doesn't seem interested. I guess they like tree sap (willow was a particular one they liked) and rotten fruit and we just don't have any of those things on hand. I am afraid that it isn't going to make it. We have enjoyed it's visit however and if it doesn't survive we plan on giving it a nice resting place in a frame somewhere. But Mara doesn't really think it is nice to talk about that as long as it is still alive. :-)

Have you seen any butterflies recently?

Why I believe the World Was Created in 6 Literal Days

There are a lot of people out there (including many writers of Bible study books) who have chosen to believe that the days of creation are not necessarily 24 hour days as we now know them. I have a problem with that and here is why.....

Let's take a look at Genesis 1 where we read the account of creation:

" In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

⁶ And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” ⁷ So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. ⁸ God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

⁹ And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

¹¹ Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. ¹² The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day." Genesis 1:1-13

Gen. 1:19 "And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day."

Gen. 1:23 "And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day."

Gen. 1:31 "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day."

The argument that is used is that the word day doesn't always mean a literal day in the Bible. I accept that, there are places that it would seem the Hebrew word for day is talking about an indefinite unit of time not a 24 hour day. But when the Bible so clearly states that there was evening and morning (and those only come once in every day but yet they do consistently come once a day) it seems quite obvious that it is saying that each day of creation was indeed just like our normal day now with an evening and a morning.

  Another argument that is made is that how could God have done all that creating (and when we start truly studying the natural world we do start to realize just how much creating it really was!) in 6 normal days. Okay -- It is amazing. It is incredibly hard to comprehend. It is not truly understandable. But the thing is we have a God how can perform amazing miracles. Even if each day would have been 2 billion years - the creation that He did would still have been amazing and incomprehensible. Not matter how hard any of us tried we couldn't have done what He did no matter how long with had to do it. As far as the time that it took God to create - in the Bible it simply says that He spoke the directions and it happened.  We have an amazing God!

 Our time - days, months, years are based on the Sun, Moon and Earth. God planned it that was from the beginning. It says in Gen. 1:14  "And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so." God here is talking about regular Days and Years - why would He be talking about a different sort of day when we are told that it was day 1, 2,3 and so forth.

Exodus 20:11 again repeats what we have already been told that God created the earth in 6 days.

"For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

This is why I believe that God created the Earth in 6 literal days. What do you believe?