SEVEN22 - HMO

The Last 10%!

2009-12-16T11:51:00.000-08:00

Tonight is the night! We are meeting to finish up the last 10%. The sod is ready to be put in, there's a few touch up things inside the house, etc.

We are meeting at 5:30 at the house - 7004 Dale Street. The more people we have, the more we'll be able to get done! I really hope you'll be able to come out and help. We've already seen how many people's lives have been changed - the family, our vendors and of course, our volunteers, just by somehow being involved.

For those of you who are out of town - check back for updates and final pictures soon! =)

Update

2009-12-13T07:23:00.000-08:00

While the 2009 Home Make Over is over...it's not quite over. There have been a few loose ends that needed to be tied up.

Let me tell you about our Septic System - we were told that we needed to update the septic lines - so we were able to get the cost of the Health Department's permit donated by a local non-profit organization. We then had the HD come out and tell us exactly what supplies we would need. And then we put it on the back burner for a week b/c we needed to really concentrate on getting the house finished out.

The other day, we had to call Ensley Septic who had already offered to donate the labor for updating the lines. They had been given a copy of the supply list and we lost our copy. We spoke with them on the phone, and asked them about the list of supplies. Their response? Don't worry about the supplies, we're going to provide those too.

What an amazing blessing! The septic system has now been updated to accomodate the number of people coming in and out of that house.

Now that the septic system has been taken care of, we need to lay the sod. We had planned for a work day this past Saturday, but with the weather we had to cancel it. Hopefully we'll be able to get out there soon and get that taken care of.

I haven't been out to the house in a couple of days, but we were also waiting on some plumbing aspects to be taken care of and the bathroom sinks to be put in. We would also like to do a few other little odds and ends to 'finish' completely.

Cat Country's video is up on our page and we are working on getting ours - we had a few technical difficulties so I'm patiently waiting. :) I'm also working on updating our list of vendors/donors so you will have all their names, phone numbers and websites at the click of a button. I'm praying that I can get it caught up this week. We truly cannot thank these businesses enough. If you have any work in your home that needs to be done, we hope and encourage you to call them. They have gone above and beyond, been honest, and given us great advice. Please make sure you visit them.

So again...while the 2009 Home Make Over is over...we are tieing up all the loose ends. Next month, in January, we will actually begin looking into our 2010 project. We have big plans in store - so please keep checking back. We will continue to update this site with all the information. If you'd like to get involved for next year, please email us at info@seven22.org. We would love to get you plugged in.

Best,
Jen
It has been an absolute blessing to be a part of this project.

Rain + cold = NO work day

2009-12-12T06:18:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone... today, we were going to lay the sod at the Bitzer home. Due to the very cold temps and the rain, I felt like everyone's health would be better off until we wait for a dry day. We will get this rescheduled ASAP.

Love to you all...
Melissa

The Reveal Video

2009-12-07T21:46:00.001-08:00

Check out the video from Cat Country. We'll have our video up in the next week or so - keep checking back =)

See Our Progress

2009-12-07T13:19:00.000-08:00

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DAY EIGHT::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

DAY NINE::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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DAY ELEVEN::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

DAY Twelve::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

DAY Thirteen::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

DAY Fourteen::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

THE REVEAL::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Thank you!!!

2009-12-07T05:15:00.000-08:00

A BIG huge THANK YOU to everyone that volunteered... SEVEN22... This project doesn't happen without you. Thank you for the many hours of lost sleep, the many gallons of gas, the dedication that you brought to this job.

I love you all... See you tomorrow night! :)
Melissa

Today Is The Day!

2009-12-06T09:23:00.000-08:00

In approximately 3 1/2 hours, we will welcome the Bitzer family back into their newly renovated home. What a transformation has taken place, not only within the house, but with all of those involved. We are all different for having taken a little time out of our lives to go and reach out to someone else.

Yesterday was absolutely crazy and while the pictures may not show it - we really got a lot done. Now it's crunch-time. All of the last minute details coming in at once. It looks like total chaos right now - but I promise - it will all be ready...in just a few hours.

We really do hope that you're coming out to join us. Since we are expecting such a great turn out - please try to park at Woodham High School. We'll be trying to shuttle everyone back and forth. just to make sure we have enough room.

7004 Dale Street

Even though the make over will be complete today, please keep checking back. We'll be updating our pictures, adding all the info about our donors and information on our NEXT project. That's right - even now we're beginning to look at our next make over. If you'd like to be involved, please send us an email - info@seven22.org. We would love to have you on board, no matter what your skills or talents, we have a place for you.

See you soon!

Day Thirteen!

2009-12-05T08:42:00.000-08:00

Day Thirteen: Saturday, December 5th -

Woo - we are here! The morning started with us having about 31 hours left to go before the reveal. We have split everyone up - some people are going to different Targets to pick up gift cards, some are picking up the furniture, some are doing the final touches.

We will definitely be ready for 3:00 tomorrow.

Speaking of - we hope that all of you who are reading will be joining us. We would love to have as many people as possible there to great the family home. You'll be able to walk through the house in small groups and see the finished product. If you do come, we're asking that you park at Woodham High School - and we'll be shuttling people in. As you can see in last night's pictures - just with our cars there who were working, we really have overtaken the neighborhood.

At this point there are 28 hours left - if you have some free time and would like to help - come on out and join us. 7004 Dale Street. We'll be there most all of the night, and possibly overnight.

And just to let you know how great McGuire Electrical was - Mac was out at the house this morning at 3am doing his finishing touches on all the outlets, covers, ceiling fans, etc.

We have been so blessed with this project and I know the family will be blessed.

Check back for updates - I'll try to do it throughout the day. If nothing else, you can always find me on facebook -

*Update* 1:00am - I'm sitting in a finished bedroom!!! Yeah! The trim is in, the paint has been touched up, the ceiling fan installed, the door hung and painted, even the bed is made!

We still have a lot left to do. The vinyl still needs to be put down, the grout on the backsplash is being finished, more trim is being cut, doors are being painted, furniture is being cleaned, doorknobs installed, tub surround needs to be installed, window treatments placed, the toilets put in, lots of cleaning, etc.

While we still have a lot left to do, we are doing really well. I'm so excited about the reveal tomorrow - it really is a completely different home. we are all tired. Some of us have had very little sleep, but we can see the end in sight.

We love how different members of ur community have pulled together to really bless this family. Our electrician is even here doing whatever needs to be done - and he's not even doing any electrical work right now.

Our t-shirts were delivered ealier today. :) Big thanks to Red Iron Design & Robert Gilliard Marketing - they look amazing!

Also - I can't express enough how thankful our volunteers are for having been fed. Whataburger, Wal-mart, O'Charley's and Chili's all took care of us today. It makes it so much easierwhen everyone doesn't have to stop what they're doing just to go get something to eat.

Day Twelve!

2009-12-04T10:01:00.000-08:00

Day Twelve: December 4th -

In the past 4 hours we have gotten a TON of stuff accomplished. Our guys from Four Star Dry wall came in and finished skimming over everything. It looks Fantastic! Then their other crew came in & sprayed the texture on. With the 3 big, industrial heaters we have it should be completely dry in about an hour. (If I can get the breaker to quit popping on the generator - and it gets nice & toasty inside. =)

We had a new piece of glass put in, thanks to Risher Windows this morning and not only does it look great but he did it pretty quick too.

Boyett's emptied our portable toilet & the county trash picked up all the leaves, limbs, etc this morning too.

Professional Roofing company is here working on the roof & Deering's Custom cabinets dropped off our cabinets for both bathrooms. They look beautiful! We're picking up some window casing supplies from Home Depot & getting with a company to see if they are able to donate our trim, baseboards and doors. (They're talking it over :p)

Best Buy had promised to donate a 37" TV, but only if they could mount it. Well, because of our schedule getting pushed back, they're not able to come out saturday when we need them, so...they're giving us a 40" instead. =) I'm ok with that!

Here's where we stand right now - the flooring is going in this afternoon. At this point it's whenever they all get here with the supplies. Rusty's Interiors, Tim Harvell Flooring & one other company (that I'll get for ya later) are going to tag-team it. One is doing the laminate, one the carpet & one the vinyl. Rustyaks Interiors is going to do our backsplash in the kitchen. With all 3 of them working together we should be able to knock it out.

After all the flooring goes in, we'll prep for painting. Hopefully everyone is planning on coming out to help us paint - we have basically 10 different rooms to paint so the more the merrier! We are also hoping to have all our trim by this afternoon & we can paint all of that too & get it ready to be installed tomorrow. By the way - if you can measure/cut/install trim we can certainly use your help saturday. Anyone who's done it before knows that it's a time-consuming, precise kind of job. The more we have that can help out - the better for everyone. Let me know :)

We still need to pick up some our donations - stove, dishwasher, bed frame, couch, loveseat, recliner, table, etc. Hopefully we'll have enough people out here tonight that we can send some out to do those pickups.

This just in - we have window sills from Home Depot on 9mile! Thanks guys!!!

We need our final electrical inspection & get our power turned back on :)

There's a lot more going on tonight so be sure to check back later for more updates. And...tomorrow is saturday & I'm sure a lot of people have the day off, but we could really, truly use your help. We still need to get the trailer back so we can unload it - do a final clean up in the yard, the last minute interior and touch up work.

To be honest - there's a handful of us that will probably be here all day/night tomorrow. If you have free time - maybe you get off work at 10pm & don't have to be up early sunday, you can come help us out. We will be extremely appreciative, albeit very tired.

I'll try to post more later today when I can.

Oh - and a really big thank you to the staff at Mellow Mushroom. They totally hooked us up with amazing pizzas fr dinner for our volunteers. You guys are great - thanks for thinking of all the little stuff too!

Day Eleven!

2009-12-04T00:02:00.000-08:00

Day Eleven: Thursday, December 3rd -

It's all coming together...we had to get down to the Health Department, they came out later in the day letting us know what we'll need to do...we also had to pick up the other supplies for the siding from Norandex so our siding installer could get to work first thing. Our dry wall guys came in and started taping and mudding - they'll be back tomorrow to scrape, go over it again and then spray the texture on. We had hoped to have it all done tonight so that we could paint, but it just didn't come together.

We're working with Target, applying for some gift cards - hopefully we'll know tomorrow what our status is with them. Speaking of - we still have out wish list through Target. If you go to the Target lists, the names are either Violet or Jimmy Bitzer, in Florida. It should pop up with the items that we still need.

The kitchen cabinets and countertops are in! Thank you Pinnacle and AA Top Shop! So is the microwave!

We cleaned up more of the yard - and a big thanks to the volunteers from Wal-Mart. (thanks so much Melonie!)

Tomorrow will be a long day. The dry wallers come in to finish up, the roofer comes, our electrician does some more work, the flooring gets laid and we finally get a chance to pain.

Make plans to come on out at about 6:30 tomorrow - and wear your painting clothes.

We still are praying for a few big items to come through - mostly the window trim, doors and baseboards. We only have 2 1/2 days left...crazy...it's going to be beautiful!

And The Winner Is...

2009-12-02T21:14:00.000-08:00

We are proud and excited to announce this year's Home Make Over winners!

Jimmy & Violet Bitzer
7004 Dale Street
Pensacola, Fl. 32503

A family friend, Barbara, had the following to say about the family: "The Bitzer family has helped so many people from the goodness of their hearts and I know this first hand. I met the Bitzer's having known their daughter and when our daughter died, an only child, they welcomed my husband and myself into their home over the Christmas holidays. I was born and raised in the UK and didn't have any family here. Mr. & Mrs. Bitzer told us we were now part of their family and proved it over the course of a few years. When my husband fell and broke his neck like the actor, Christopher Reeves, and I was nursing him at home for 6 months. Mr. Bitzer built a ramp so that I could wheel my husband out of the room he was in. I wanted to pay for at least the lumber but Mr. Bitzer refused. I know they struggle for money. The Bitzers helped me through my husband's death last year and continue to treat me like a member of their family. They have very little in life, but share what they have with anybody in need. I am blessed to know them."

Jimmy & Violet's son-in-law, Paul wrote:
"Ever since I married into their family, it amazed me how Mr. Bitzer and his household help anyone and everyone in need. They always seem to make his disability check stretch far enough to share their food with children, grand-children, great grand-children and even neighbors. During the hurricanes, they cook for their whole neighborhood. Anyone who needs a place to crash for a night (or longer) is welcome to their couch. Mrs. Bitzer baby sat dozens of children over the years, and not just family. Right now, two of their grandkids are going through divorices and staying with them temporarily until they find somewhere else to live. On top of that, they are always willing to lend a hand with other peoples yard work, construction or general maintenance. Their house needs quite a bit of maintenance, but the cost always seems to squash their repair plans. I didn't marry into money, but what I did marry into is better than any fortune I know of. Any help you can offer them will be sincerely appreciated, by them and all the people they help."

We at SEVEN22 & Cat Country are so pleased and excited to be able to help this family. We hope you will take some time and join us!

The Best Businesses in Town!

2009-12-02T18:15:00.000-08:00

Check back for a running list of businesses that are donating their time and supplies to make a difference in this family's life! None of these companies have been paid but to show our appreciation, we do try to give them as much advertising as possible. They have been wonderful to work with and we really appreciate their willingness to work with us.

To get your business involved, email us at
info@seven22.org

AA Top Shop ~ Kitchen Counters ~ 432-7895
Act 1 Flooring ~ Flooring - laminate, carpet, vinyl ~479-4100
Air Design
Ashley Furniture ~ Rug
Bagelheads - Gregory Street ~ Food for Workers ~ 444-9661
Bagels Del Sol - Davis Hwy ~ Food for Workers ~ 477-4424
Best Buy ~ Flat Screen Television
Boyett's ~ Portable Toilet ~ 944-5536
Bubba Box ~ Dumpster
Chick Fil A - Bayou ~ Food for Workers ~ 484-5521
Clark Sand ~ Sand
Coastal Insulation ~ Insulation for house
Deering's Custom Cabinets ~ Bathroom Cabinets ~ 255-0137
Del's Handyman Services ~ General labor, tools ~ 723-3382
Dominoes Pizza - 9 Mile ~ Food for Workers
Drowsy Poet ~ Coffee
Emeral Coast Building Materials ~ Dry Wall
Emerald Coast Granite ~ Bathroom Counters ~ 437-0747
Ensley Septic Services
Fazoli's ~ Food for Workers
Ferguson Bath & Kitchen Gallery ~ Toilets/sinks/faucets
Food World - Barrancas ~ Food for workers ~ 453-4553
Four Star Dry Wall
Gilmore Services ~ 48' Tractor Trailer for all the belongings ~ 232-3426
Gorman Company ~ Tub/shower kits
Guthries Chicken ~ Food for Workers
Home Depot - 9 mile ~ Lumber
Home Depot - Brent Lane ~ Lumber
Honeybaked Ham ~ Food for workers ~ 478-7702
Kaycan Siding ~ Siding
La Hacienda ~ Food for Workers
Lowe's - Airport Blvd ~ Lumber
McGuire Electrical ~ Brand new electrical for entire home ~ 777-9191
Mathes Lighting & Lamp ~ Lighting supplies for entire home ~ 432-4161
McDonald's Davis Hwy ~ Food for workers
Marcus Pointe Baptist Church
Mellow Mushroom ~ Food for workers ~ 475-7575
NES Equipment ~ Indurstrial outside lighting for project ~ 433-8801
Norandex Materials ~ Dry Wall
Olive Garden ~ Food for Workers ~ 477-6544
Paint Mart ~ Paint for all rooms ~ 438-2399
Pinnacle Cabinets ~ Kitchen cabinets ~ 477-5402
Pizza Hut - Hwy 29 ~ Food for Workers
Professional Air ~ Air Conditioning ~ 393-5052
Red Iron Design ~ t-shirts
Risher Window Works ~ Windows
Rusty's Interiors ~ Flooring Installation ~ 208-1698
Santa Rosa Pest Control ~ 626-8373
SEVEN22
Sherwin Williams - Fairfield ~ Paint ~
Sonic - Michigan ~ Food for Workers
Superior Pest Control ~ 1 year Pest Control + Termite protection
Southern Pipe & Supply ~ Plumbing supplies for entire home ~ 433-4689
Southern Home & Construction
Sterling Tree Services ~ Tree Trimming
Sonney's BBQ - Pine Forest Road - Food for Workers
Target
Tim Harvel Flooring
Tom Thumb - Warrington & Jackson ~ 3 cases of water for workers
TSB Realty ~ Landscaping ~ 418-0618
Walmart ~ $100 Gift Card ~ 455-4320
Whataburger - 9 mile ~ Food for Workers
Whataburger - 9th Avenue ~ Food for Workers ~ 478-0563
White's Housewashing ~ Pressure Washing ~ 982-7379
Woerner's ~ Sod

Day Ten!

2009-12-02T15:52:00.000-08:00

Day Ten: Wednesday, December 2nd -

Are we really at 10 days of work? Today has been amazing. But first, let me backtrack to last night. We had our regular worship service for SEVEN22 and afterwards we all met back at the HMO house to pray and to unload the sheetrock we picked up earlier. Special thanks to everyone who came out, the prayer was the most important - and such a blessing to be a part. We prayed for the home make over, our donors, the rain to stop, the items we still need and of course the for the family.

Can I just tell you that EVERYTHING we prayed about came through today? YEAH! We got the arrangements for the health department permit so we can redo the septic system. I'm going to pick it all up tomorrow morning and get started there. =)

A woman who listens to Cat Country called today and bought our stove AND dishwasher. A friend of of friend is giving us a check (up to $150.00) for the microwave under the cabinets!

The rain stopped last night as we emptied the trailer of all the dry wall. All of the sheetrock is hung and the mud will be done in the morning.

The cabinets are being installed tomorrow afternoon, and tomorrow night we start painting!

Lunch was donated by the amazing folks at La Hacienda!!!! And dinner was provided by Dominoes. I can't tell you how wonderful it is knowing that we can feed these volunteers while they're working and giving back to this family.

We have some possibilities for doors/trim and baseboards. We're waiting on a couple of return phone calls.

Our sod may have gotten damaged with the storms we've had, so that may be on hold for a little while, which is actually ok because we'll need to tear up the ground for the septic system so it may be next week before we're actually able to lay the sod anyway.

Tonight is a night off for everyone, but there have been a handful of people at the house each day - guys doing more of the build outs and doing whatever is needed before the contractors get here. They have put in so many hours when everyone else is working that without them, there's no way we would be this close to finishing...

And we ARE close. Here's a rough schedule:

Thursday -
Dry Wall/Mud finished
Kitchen Cabinets Installed
Lighting Fixtures Delivered
Electrical finished for final inspection
PAINTING!!!!!!

Friday -
Flooring installation
Installing all the final lighting fixtures

Saturday -
More yardwork
Moving the family back in
Final touches

Sunday Morning -
Hopefully, we'll be done =)
3:00 - REVEAL!!!!

Now of course this is just a rough estimate - but keep checking back for more specific info. In any case - we have work days from now until Sunday. I expect everyone to be at the house on Thursday (tomorrow...) at 5:00pm - ready to paint, get dirty, whatever it takes.

We also need to clean the house to get ready for the carpet, vinyl and laminate to be installed. We have 3 crews coming in to work on the flooring and get it knocked out.

The next 3 1/2 days are going to go super FAST! This is the time when it's hard to keep up - so bare with me - I'm going to try my best to keep you as updated as possible. We are heading towards crunch time - and in case we don't mention it over the next few days - we are so THANKFUL for everything you guys are doing. Whether you're praying, giving of your time, your money, your resources, etc., it doesn't matter. The Bitzer family is blessed by your generosity and your sacrifices.

I personally have been blessed and my outlook on life and people in general is completely different than at the beginning of this project.

Day Nine! - Update -

2009-12-01T18:00:00.000-08:00

Day Nine: Tuesday, December 1st -

It's drizzling here at the house and relatively quiet. Ensley Septic Services have already been out & taken care of emptying for us. The lines are not in the best shape, so we're looking at our options.

Air Design has been hard at work since about 7:30 or so - lots to do and we're hoping they will be able to finish up in the next hour. Then we can get the inspection passed. Praying we can get the dry wall here & started.

There's not a lot to update at this point, we're just waiting & praying.

In other news: ABC's Extreme Home Make Over asked us to share one of the nominations we've been given. They're considering that family! How exciting and maybe we'd all get to work on that project too. ;) We'll keep you updated as things progress there too.

Air Design has been amazing. They've run into a few problems and have stuck it out all day long. In fact - they're still there as I type this. We are praying that they're able to finish up tonight. The inspector stopped by twice today - and everything looks good so far - he's already planning for us to call him first thing in the morning.

Our Dry Wall installers will be there tomorrow. We had a little crisis b/c the dry wall supply company said they would not deliver the dry wall until Thursday. And we have to have dry wall up in time for Pinnacle Cabinets to be able to install on Wednesday afternoon. They are going out of town and they won't be able to be back until Monday. So - we found a covered trailer and picked up the dry wall ourselves. We just need to unload it. =)

So - please pray for the dry wall to get on the walls - Four Star is ready to go - we're just waiting on the plumbing to get finished and the actual OK.

We did get a stove and a dishwasher donated!!! Hooray! We're keeping the refrigerator, we just need to clean it up a bit.

Tonight we are having Worship on Tuesday at 7:22pm at Marcus Pointe Baptist - hope you'll all come out. We're planning to have worship, and then we'll re-group a little and then we'll head over to the house for a special time of prayer, blessing. After that, we'll spend a couple of minutes unloading the trailer and making sure everything is ready one last time for the dry wallers to come in tomorrow morning to rock it out. =)

Day Eight!

2009-11-30T09:47:00.000-08:00

Day Eight: Monday, November 30th -

It's not quite noon and we already have a lot going on with the house.

*First off - please pray - we failed the plumbing inspection this morning. I'm not quite sure of the specifics, but it looks like we'll need to start over. Since our plumber came from Gainsville, he's not available to fix anything. So, we have one company coming out to look this afternoon to see if they will get involved and help us knock it out.

* Please also pray - rain is headed our way. Three days of it - including a 'coastal flooding' warning. We've already seen how God has miraculously held that rain off - so we're going to Him once again, praying for no rain at the HMO house. (i'm ok if it rains elsewhere)

* The electrical inspection is also today - thankfully Mac from McGuire Electrical will be here to meet with the inspector so if there's anything that needs to be fixed, he'll be able to do it right then.

* Since the plumbing is on hold - that also means our dry wall is on hold. I'm not sure the dry wallers from Four Star can maybe work on the rooms with no plumbing or if they're going to want to do it all at once. We still have to wait for the mud to dry before we can paint.

* We're still waiting on some of those other big donations to come in...so continue to pray.

As always - if you can help us out in any way - please send us an email or give Melissa a call at 232-1295.

Thanks - will update as we get info!

******************************************************
Well, day eight is officially over. Pictures will be posted tomorrow - but here's the run down of where we are:

* Hooray for Air Design. They came over to look at the project and agreed to help us out. They'll be back at the house tomorrow morning and hopefully down in 4 hours! They've already lined up the inspector so as soon as that's done we can finally get the sheetrock up.

We're excited about having a crew to do the sheetrock this year. We need to get the sheetrock up tomorrow afternoon, because the kitchen cabinets have to be delivered and installed no later than Wednesday afternoon. Pinnacle Cabinets is going out of town, and we're one of the last things on his list.

Our baseboards, doors, trim, and crown molding fell through so now we're starting from scratch there too. The crown molding would have been an extra - but the others we need.

We did get siding donated today! Hooray! And, thanks to Guthrie's for coming through for us at the last minute for dinner tonight.

With the weather and failed plumbing inspection, we didn't have a regular work night. In fact - we canceled it. But then we discovered we needed to put up more deadwood (for sheetrocking) & get all the walls prepped. We really want the dry wallers to walk in and just get to work without having to stop and fix something we did or didn't do.

Some of our guys were all set-up to go watch the big, Monday night football game and instead, they came out to the house. I do believe we let them go early enough that they were able to see the end of the game. They took care of the deadwood, old nails, cleaning, put all the extra stuff in a trailor, etc. Thanks, guys, we really appreciate your sacrifice tonight.

We desperately need the rain to hold off tomorrow, and we need as many volunteers as possible when we can get there. There's still so much to get done, but I'm looking forward to seeing everything come together. As always keep checking back!

Sunday - One Week Out - A Day of Rest

2009-11-30T07:40:00.000-08:00

Sunday, November 29th -

So thankful for a day of rest. Everyone has been working so hard on the project - THANK YOU! Thankfully the electricians were able to finish yesterday - now we just have to pass inspection on Monday morning. After inspection, the dry wallers can start! This year we are so blessed to have a team of dry-wallers from Four Star Dry Wall. They should be able to 'rock' it out pretty quickly! Then we just have to be patient and wait for the mud to dry...that's not always the easiest thing for our group - patience - especially when we are looking at a week!

Woohoo! We have a new coffee table and some of the items for the hall bathroom - shower curtain, hooks, etc. And we have brick pavers for the backyard. (Did you see the pictures of the back yard? I can't believe the transformation!)

We meet with the folks from Mathes Lighting and Lamp today to go through and choose the specific items to put up in the house. A huge thank you to them - they've really been wonderful to work with and have great suggestions for what would work best. Make sure that you use them when you need lighting solutions.

There are still some big items that we're waiting and praying about...we need a little bit of vinyl siding, we're not a 100% guaranteed the baseboards and crownmolding and we definitely still need appliances - gas stove, dishwasher, microwave, etc. The weather is also predicting rain and we don't have time for rain. But we're praying and trusting in the Lord for all of it!

All the pictures we have had, have been of people physically working at the house. What we don't have are those that are working behind the scenes, volunteers are taking pictures, going out to businesses and sharing the story to get donations, picking up food, contacting media, keeping records, making phone calls, doing research, etc.

I watched ABC's Extreme Home Make Over tonight and of course cried in the first 5 minutes. How amazing that they can do that in 1 week - but really, they do start out a good 6 months earlier. So much ground work has been laid and without those people going out over the last month or two, we wouldn't have been able to be at this stage in the project. A big thank you to all of those who have been working nonstop behind the scenes.

We'll be working pretty much non stop this coming week. If you have any time that you can donate, trust that we can use you. =) We'd love to get you plugged in. Any questions please give us a call 850.232.1295 and ask for Melissa - or send us an email at info@seven22.org.

Come out and work - you'll be amazed at how your life changes.

Day Seven!

2009-11-28T23:42:00.000-08:00

Day Seven: Saturday, November 28th -

What a fantastic day! So much was accomplished today, unfortunately our pictures are having a hard time being uploaded. I promise as soon as I can get them up, I will, so keep checking back.

Just a little recap of today - our wonderful electricians from McGuire Electrical came back and finished up the job! They have put so many hours into this project and the entire time, they've been so fun to be around. A great group of guys - and can we say, perfectionists? =) That house is going to be amazing!

We had about 25 volunteers come out to work on the backyard. Redoing the landscape, getting the playground area ready for the sand that has been donated, trimming vines, working in the garden, trying to chop out stumps, etc. Our volunteers were great! They showed up early and stayed until after dark.

Special thank you to Whataburger, Pizza Hut and Sonney's for donating food for us throughout the day. It makes it so much easier to keep everyone going and getting a lot more done in the process. The yard looks great, we still have some things to do, but it really is looking fantastic - can't wait to post some pictures from today so you can see the progress and the fun volunteers we had. And in case you were wondering, we do have some fun volunteers.

We're updating our vendor list all the time - so please make sure you're checking out that list and that you visit these businesses. They have been very giving and encouraging and they are making it possible for us to get closer to the goal bringing the family home to live in their newly renovated home!

Also pray - with the reveal a week from tomorrow - we still have so much to do and most of it is contingent on everything else being done. If you'd like to help, in any way at all, please let me know. Lots to do, still need some donations of items, food, and mostly time. =)

Day Six!

2009-11-27T23:15:00.000-08:00

Day Six: Friday, November 27th -

Wow - let me just tell you - it is amazing.

Our electrician, Mac McGuire with McGuire Electrical doesn't even know how he heard about Seven22 & Home Make Over...but he has been wonderful! He decided that he would completely replace ALL of the electrical in the home. Yes, you read that correctly. He estimated it would be about a 3 hour project - except he kept finding problems that need to be addressed. He spent all of Friday, and has had a crew there most of Saturday. There are still a few things that they are working on.

But can you imagine how great the Bitzer's will sleep - knowing that all of their electrical is new, and safe?

Mac was quick to tell me how wonderful Mathes Lighting & Lamp has been. Anything he's needed for the project - they have provided and quickly. Yesterday afternoon, the owners had just gotten home - about an hour away. Mac needed something and they dropped what they were doing, drove back to their shop here in town and took care of us.

How wonderful that these two companies have been able to drop other things and come help us out. We had a couple of people out doing yard work - but the majority of the day was dedicated to our amazing electricians. All of the guys were in a great mood - ready and willing to do whatever it took to get the job done. You don't always find that when working with a vendor.

Seriously - if you ever have electrical needs - McGuire is who you should call first.

Since the guys were here much longer than they expected, we decided to go out and get some food for them. A BIG, HUGE, THANK YOU to Honeybaked Ham, Fazoli's and Bagel's Del Sol for coming through for us at the last minute. We really wanted to be able to feed these guys well - and these companies took care of them.

Having a few issues with uploading pics - but promise they'll be up soon!

Please, please, please pray for us. Right now I can think of about 4 different situations where we just need to see God work in a mighty way. As Christians, we know that when we are really living and walking out our faith, satan works against us - tries to get us distracted. God is bigger than any situation thrown our way and we are trusting Him to take care of us and this project.

Monday the sheetrock goes up. We still have to do flooring installation, painting, cabinet installation, tubs, toilets, sinks, crown molding needs to be painted, measured, cut and installed, we still need new windows, furniture, appliances, etc...there's still so much that needs to be done. Right now it's so big - and there's soooo much - and it seems like it would be impossible, but I'm trusting, knowing that God has that under control too.

He's such a BIG God. All of this stuff going on around us is easy for Him. But when all is said and done...and we can look back and see how far He has brought us, it will encourage us to keep going forward.

Keep checking back for pictures, updates, wishlists, etc. :)

THANKS!

Wishlist

2009-11-26T13:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

We hope you are all enjoying celebrating with friends and family today. Whatever our political beliefs, we really do have a great country and as you can see from the previous posts, an amazing community. We are blessed to have the freedoms and oppotunities that would never have been possible if not for those who braved the journey to the New World.

If you look to the right, below our list of vendors, we also have a list of items that we would love to be able to place in the home. We are looking for new items to help give the house a new, 'fresh' look. Please take a look and if you would like to help out, please email or call us. We really appreciate it and having spent a good amount of time with members of this family, we know they will be very thankful.

VISIT OUR TARGET WISH LIST:

http://www.target.com/lists/GAWM52LIL3OK

Day Five!

2009-11-25T23:00:00.000-08:00

Day Five: Wednesday, November 25th -

WooHoo!!! We have SOD, a shower, a tub, crown molding, toilets, sinks, faucets, wood, doors, flooring, window trim, paint, a new loveseat, a dumpster, insulation, kitchen cabinets, kitchen countertops, bathroom fixtures, all of our lighting needs, all of our plumbing needs, pressure washing, tree trimming and the list keeps growing!

Did I mention that we all of this with having spent a hefty $175.00. Yes..you read that right! Please continue to check out the list of businesses and people who have donated to this project. Without them - we honestly would have no hope of finishing this project. It's really amazing when everyone works together and gives with no real expectations. I myself am a changed person.

The guys have continued to work on building up the floors in the master bathroom & the laundry room. The plumbers were here all day - and have to head back home to Gainsville tomorrow. We're praying and trusting that they will be finished. They're fitting the entire house with brand new plumbing! I can't even begin to tell you how thankful we are to them for making the long drive, just to donate their time.

Tomorrow everyone has off. It's Thanksgiving afterall! We have so much to be thankful for - this year especially. Please remember us and this project. The reveal is on December 6th! That's only 11 days away, but yet, I KNOW it will all be done!

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Our next HMO meeting will be Friday morning at 8:00am. This will not be a work day - but instead, bring a breakfast item to share and we'll have a bible study with our electrician and his crew. Please make sure you're praying for everyone involved...God knows who 'everyone' is and especially at this juncture they can all use some extra prayer. It's amazing how much your life changes when you know people are praying for you.

Keep checking back for updates. We promise to be faithful in sharing how this project is coming along.

Day Four!

2009-11-24T23:20:00.000-08:00

Day Four: Tuesday, November 24th -

I am speechless - and that's pretty difficult to do!

Amazing things are happening -

Some new walls have been framed out, donations are continuing to roll in (in a BIG way) and we are just looking forward to the finished product. We didn't take many pictures today, but I promise, there is a lot going on!

The great thing about this project is not everyone has to be able to swing a hammer (although, we generally like those people too!) People are going out to our community and asking for donations of time, labor, supplies, food and most importantly, prayer. If you would like to get involved, please let us know. Maybe you CAN swing a hammer, or paint, or wire some electrical outlets, lay flooring, unpack boxes, move furniture, or help feed these hungry workers. Whatever it is, you are definitely appreciated.

We hope that you will also pray for the team working on the Home Make Over. This includes everyone involved. We know that when God calls us to do something, distractions and speed bumps are bound to come our way. But because it's God that has called us to do this, we are trusting Him to work all things out. And in the past week, we have seen just that! Mostly, pray for peace and rest. There is so much going on for everyone. We all have other jobs, responsibilities, families with a major holiday thrown in.

Day Three!

2009-11-23T23:11:00.000-08:00

Day Three: Monday, November 23rd -

Melissa (our project manager) gave everyone Sunday off so that we can rest - and I am so thankful! Today the demo really got underway! After talking with the electrician and some of our vendors and donors - we decided we would be able to tear out most of the inside of the house. By early afternoon a lot of the sheetrock had been torn down. You really should check out the pictures.

Donations continued to roll in - plumbers, electricians, dry wallers, insulation, etc. Check out our list of those who are donating to this project. Without their help, we would not be able to accomplish what God has set out for us! We will continue to add to this list as the project continues. We are SO VERY thankful for their kind hearts and generosity!

Everytime I walk into the house I am amazed at what has been accomplished since the last time I was there. Between the early afternoon adn 6:00pm - the wall between the hall bathroom and the small bedroom was taken down to the studs. I didn't realize it until I looked in the bedroom window from outside. WOW!

By the end of the night they had taken out the iron bathtub (& cut it in half once it was outside) and the floor was missing in the hall bathroom. More paneling and demo throughout the house occurred - getting ready for our contractors and vendors to get down to business.

Tomorrow we'll be framing out some walls and working on raising some of the floors. Our contractors and vendors will also be getting to work.

We WILL have Worship on Tuesday @ 7:22 at Marcus Pointe. We hope you are able to join us as it will be a really special night. Keep checking back here for updates - there will be another work day soon, so please get your rest!

Day Two!

2009-11-20T21:59:00.000-08:00

Day Two: Saturday, November 20th -

We started pretty early in the morning and really transformed the front yard. We moved the coy pong, trimmed all the vines, pressure washed the house, tilled the yard to get ready for sod (that we don't have yet...) replanted the plants and met with the electrician for a 'once-over'.

It was a long, hard day - but I am sooo impressed with the amount of hard work that everyone put into the day. The yard looks amazing and I just can't wait until we get the sod down.

The paneling on the smallest bedroom came down as well. We have already filled dumpster #1 from Bubba Box. We can't say how thankful we are to them for working with us.

Can I just tell you what God did today?

It was 90% chance of rain...90% - that pretty much means you shouldn't go out of the house without an umbrella, especially here in Pensacola. It did not rain one single drop the entire time we were working. Can you believe that? I can! :)

Please be praying for ys - and if you would like to help, please let us know! Next work day will be Monday morning!

Day One!

2009-11-18T22:01:00.000-08:00

Day One: Wednesday, November 18th -

The family has spent the time since we told them that they had won the Cat Country Home Make Over packing up all of their belongings. With 10 people (that's right...10!) living in a 3 bedroom home, they have a lot of things to pack. Today, the family has moved out and when they come home, it'll be an amazing transformation. Our mission is to bless them since they have helped and encouraged and blessed so many other people in our community.

We began by taking everything out of the house and loading it onto a moving truck. We also began the inital demolition on the kitchen, living room, dining room and bathrooms. The paneling, shelving and wall items were all take down.

In 2 1/2 hours the entire house was emptied and as much demo as we could was done. Next is to meet with the contractor and any of our vendors who have already volunteered their services. Their advice, time and labor will determine what our next steps are.

Thank you to everyone who came out to help tonight! We would never have been able to get as much done without your willingness to work...and work hard!

Work is underway!

2009-11-18T07:22:00.000-08:00

Work is officially underway - please keep checking back for updates, pictures and of course ways that you can help!

PRESS RELEASE 11/13/09

2009-11-13T23:56:00.000-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 20, 2009

SEVEN22 and Cat Country announce the 2009 Christmas Wish Home Make Over Recipients

Pensacola, Fl., November 13, 2009 – SEVEN22 and Cat Country are teaming up for the third consecutive year to grant a Home Make Over Christmas Wish to a deserving family in the Pensacola area. Nominations were submitted through both the Cat Country and SEVEN22 websites sharing the stories of many different individuals and families throughout the area. This year, SEVEN22 and Cat Country hope to make a difference in the lives of Jimmy and Violet Bitzer. Nominations were submitted describing the Bitzer’s willingness to help not only their family in times of need, but also friends and neighbors.

SEVEN22 stepped out on a leap of faith two years ago. They had a desire to make an impact in their community, and the Home Make Over was born. Members of SEVEN22 canvassed area businesses looking for donations of product and expertise. At the end of the first two years, over $125,000 in supplies had been donated and two families’ lives had been changed. When asked how she felt about this year’s chosen family, Melissa Vaughn, SEVEN22’s project coordinator for the Home Make Over Christmas Wish replied, “The Bitzer family has been generous with their home and their love. SEVEN22 is looking forward to giving back to this wonderful family!” Now that the Bitzers have been chosen and their needs assessed, members of SEVEN22 have once again begun asking businesses for donations. Many companies that have previously donated are once again giving what they can. It goes to show what a little faith can do, even in an economic crisis.

Cat Country and SEVEN22 will reveal the Bitzer’s newly renovated home on Sunday, December 6, 2009. As in previous years, the entire community is invited to help welcome the Bitzers back home. For those who would like to follow the progress of the Home Make Over or for information on how to help, please visit www.seven22.org. The website will be updated throughout the project with pictures of the progress, areas of need and a list of companies who have donated supplies or labor to this project. The members of SEVEN22 want to encourage the community to visit these businesses who have given so generously.

SEVEN22 is a group of people from all over the panhandle. They attend various churches, but on Tuesdays, they come together for a relevant worship service every week. Their reason for living is to show the love of Christ to the world. SEVEN22 meets every Tuesday at 7:22pm at Marcus Pointe Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fl.

Contact Information:
Jennifer Johnson
Email - info@seven22.org
www.seven22.org
850.529.2613
Facebook – Seventwentytwo Pensacola

PAST HMO PROJECTS!

2008-11-23T11:10:00.000-08:00

2008 Project:

2007 Project: