Heads Up

In the post "Today Is My Birthday", I gave you a sneak peek of a project I believe has changed me more than any other project we have completed, during the house build.

Here is the Heads Up on how it all went down!

From the day we set down with my Uncie, to draw up the new house plan, I have had a vision of a

Heads Up Penny Floor in Flower Boy's Shower!

I wanted to use the slate tile we already had on hand.

I wanted three, yes 3, shower heads in that shower.

I wanted a clear glass shower door.

I wanted that shower to be 4 feet wide and 5 feet long.

I wanted the pennies to be ALL heads up.

I wanted to grout the pennies with black grout.

I wanted to seal the pennies with a water proof sealer to protect them.

Of course, with all the visions I have had going into this house build, I had no idea how to do the project.

Flower Boy stood with me on my vision.

He and I have researched, called, talked to professionals and reviewed different scenarios in our heads.
There were so many nay sayers, with only a few understanding my vision.

Pinterest became our best resource.

I found a photo, there, of a shower with the slate tile and the penny floor.

We spent countless hours attempting to track down the original shower.

We never found THAT shower, but did find a person who did a mosaic shower with a penny floor.

We followed those instructions.

The glue we used is WeldBond.

And boy does it work!

The bottle says it "Bonds Most Anything!"

AGREED!

I smeared some on a pair of pants and it is still there after several washings.

All it takes is one single drop!

Flower Boy set the pattern with the pennies.

Then it was smooth sailing!

For me, this is where everything CHANGED.

I realized with each penny I was picking up, I was focusing on their placement.

Each penny would slide into place without hesitation or problems seating.

I would pick up each penny, making sure to place the drop of glue on the tails side, then push it onto the floor.

As I worked,

I was focusing more on the "In God We Trust" than I was on the actual Heads Up of the penny.

There is a reason I wanted the pennies all Heads Up.

I thought it was due to the fact that Flower Boy WILL NOT pick up a penny unless it is Heads Up.

Now, I KNOW it is because of the words written on the Heads Up side.

"In God We Trust" says it ALL!

Through our entire journey, from the day of the house fire,

We have placed our faith and trust in God to guide, protect and direct us, to where we are today and into our future.

The placement of all 5382 pennies was my confirmation.

Not one single penny was cut to be placed on the shower floor.

After all the pennies were put in place, we allowed it to set for a few days to insure the glue dried and the pennies were set.

We then applied black sanded grout to the floor.

Then we wiped it clean.

You will notice around the drain there are four pennies above and four pennies below.

These stand alone for a reason.

The top four are the birth years of My Daddy, Our Big Kids and Drewman.

My Daddy's birth year is 1941.

This is the only wheat penny on the floor.

The lower four are a 2012, Flower Boy's birth year, my birth year and a 2013.

2012 and 2013 signifying the loss of the old house and the birth of the new house.

The floor will be sealed with a two part epoxy after all the construction is finished in the house.

We want the house to be dust free when the epoxy is applied.

No one wants dust particles or dirt affecting the look of this amazing floor.

We will also add a small bit of grit to the top of the epoxy.

It will prevent slipping but you won't be able to see the grit.

During this project I was reminded of a poem titled

"Pennies from Heaven"

I found a penny today
just laying on the ground
But it’s not just a penny
this little coin I’ve found

“Found” pennies come from heaven
that’s what my Grandpa told me
He said angels toss them down
oh, how I loved that story

He said when an angel misses you
they toss a penny down
Sometimes just to cheer you up
make a smile out of your frown

So don’t pass by that penny
when you’re feeling blue
It may be a penny from heaven
that an angel tossed to you

The poem has added to what CHANGED me.
No other words are needed here.

My Daddy is My Angel

HEADS UP!!