According to dictionary.com

• a pallet by definition is a portable platform on which goods can be moved, stacked, and stored, especially with the aid of a forklift.

According to Bethany

• a pallet by definition is a wooden beast that holds onto it’s boards for all it’s worth, that has blown up my Pinterest feed with idea after idea on how to diy and repurpose itself into anything from signs, walls, furniture, shelves, headboards and more.  

It’s a beautiful mess.  

Last week we tackled our first major pallet project by transforming a section of our garage wall into a display wall where I can take pictures of furniture and home decor for my shop.  Major plus is that I don’t have to make lots of holes in the walls inside the house to hang pictures for sale, nor do I have to wait for snow to melt so I can haul the piece of furniture outside in front of the garage door for a picture!  

As most of our projects go, this one was no different. 

1. Bethany gets an idea. 

2. Scotty wishes he hadn’t shown Bethany how capable he is. (He has this great skill of nodding his head yes while saying no when I ask him if he could)

3. Bethany gets the supplies in order and ready to go. 

4. Scotty makes Bethany’s dreams, reality! (God bless him) 

First step was to clean out the area where the wall was being created.  Our trash cans and recycling bins needed to be relocated, a supply shelf needed to be moved, and I attached the hooks to a new wall.  

Next I headed out to the jackpot-of-all-junk-and-fun-things, my uncle’s farm.  He’s always got something interesting that either somebody drops off or he picks up.  In this case, he just so happened to have a box of pallet boards that were mostly broken down and in good shape.  I was able to pick through it and load up the suburban with enough for the space we needed.  

Starting from the bottom, Scotty just began spacing the boards out and attaching them with his nail gun. This is where I gracefully (kinda) bow out.  I knew I would over think the fun out of how they should fit if this color should go next, and all that so I just let him figure it out and of course I absolutely love how it turned out!

Confession? I didn’t wipe the boards off or even remove the mud that was caked on them.   I’m just telling myself “It’s just the garage.” and “it will come off easier with the shop vac if they are dry anyway.” :). There were some that were thicker than others, I love the dimension they give to the wall.  Not all of them were perfectly straight and guess what?  I don’t see the gaps like I thought I would.  

Do you see a lesson for me in this?  I was reminded that no matter how much I find myself lacking in ability, compared to others, my performance, or how big my weaknesses are, nothing is too broken for God to fix. Nothing is too far gone, that can’t be redeemed.  

 A quick story from our project that shows you the difference between Scotty and my personality and the way we think things through.  He’s going to town, nailing those boards in, it took under 2 hours to crack it out.  

At one point I said to him “Wouldn’t it be terrible if we finished this and went inside and the living room wall was full of nails poking through?”  He just looked at me, laughed and went back to work.

I threw down a piece of leftover flooring from our basement and ta-da … it’s finished!  I am so pleased with how it turned out and I am once again so thankful for Scotty and the way he provides and cares for my dreams!  And for the lessons I’m learning and the ways my mind is being renewed in Him.