Summer

We've been quite busy this summer as most people are. This is some of what's been going on at our house.

Stephan made the boat cover shown in this picture. We're hoping he can get into making more similar custom items in the area in addition to running Bosom Bliss. He really enjoys doing it, and so far the first customer is very pleased.

This is a picture of our livingroom floor before we refinished it. We originally were going to use the renewal kit from varethane that uses no sanding. A few hours into our project, it became apparent that our floors were going to need a good sanding. Essentially, the people who lived here before us had put wax on the floors, and it needed to be sanded off before any new finish would stick.

Another before picture, but close up.



Stephan running the sander.

After sanding.

Me laying down the first coat of new finish. We didn't stain at all. Our floors are solid oak, and are original from when the house was built. We went with an oil based finish, that naturally yellows a bit when applied.

After, and while the floor is still drying.

Another after picture. Now we just have 3 more bedrooms to go!

Things to do in summer!

Go to the carnival, and try out the bounce house. Ride the pony's (they wanted to charge 5$/picture, so we don't have any), and enjoy some cotton candy.

Merry go rounds can be a little scary the first time, but they are a lot of fun once you get used to them.

Go hang out with Grandpa and Grandma.

Try fishing for the first time.

Grandpa's a good teacher and helper!

Fishing is hard work. Naps on the boat are highly recommended.

Visit local attractions. For us, tour the Glensheen mansion.

No pictures were allowed inside, but we got a nice one by the garden.

On a hot day, go for a walk to the nearest lake.

Practice poses to be in GQ

Get a little we to cool off

Read a good book with Dad.

Visit with the locals.

Enjoy the perks of being a member at the local zoo, and get up close and personal with the residents.

This is "Dolly" llama, yes that's her name, and she's one of Evan's favorite animals at the zoo.

Learn to drive a boat.

We've also been busy working in our gardens and flower beds. Our cherry trees look set to make a lot of cherries this year, and our grape vine has grown more than we ever expected. We went to the strawberry patch and picked 10 quarts of strawberries for making jam. Evan LOVED eating the strawberries, and got a sick tummy from eating too many. He'd pop them in his mouth and say "Yum!" every time. He's had a big growth spurt recently putting on 1 1/4th inches in 1 month. We did not care for the fireworks at our house unless we could watch them from a distance. The neighbors setting them off scared Evan, and kept us up a bit.

We also had a small bit of excitement at our house when Stephan and Evan were rear ended on I-35. The van that hit them was going about 40mph on impact, and although the jeep didn't look too badly, it needed a good amount of repairs. My boys are ok. Stephan's back was quite sore for awhile, but I think he's pretty much back to normal. Either that or he's just not saying much to me about it.