days go by

Can't believe how fast this summer is going.  Where does all the time go???  Oldest story in the book....anyway, been working on the house:  caulk, spackle, and paint have been my best friends this week as I try to get the trim and touch-ups done on the interior.  Every room has taken longer than usual but as Mom said to me very wisely a couple of days ago, that every home-improvement job 1) takes longer than you think 2) is HARDER than you think, and 3) costs more than you planned on.  So far, all of these things have been true.

Couple of really cool things have come about in this past week.  One is that my Grandma gave Ty and I the coolest porch swing.  It's been in the family for ages - her parents bought it and it hung on the porch of the house she grew up in in Ogden.  My Grandma saw our porch and said she thought of that swing immediately.  It wasn't really being used at out at her place and she really wanted us to have it.  We couldn't have been more thrilled.  Ty has taken it all apart and is working on restoring the metal, while Mom and Dad have taken on the huge task of sanding down and staining the wood pieces.  I'm so excited to see how it's going to look.  Feels great to have something from the family to add to this home......here's a shot of the whole thing taken apart:

 Another cool thing is that Duncan has basically finished up the kitchenette in the Studio out back.  It looks so cool!  He took the scraps left over from the bathroom tile and cut random pieces out to put together for the countertop and it looks fantastic.  I think the whole Studio is shaping up to be quite the sweet guest pad.

After a few minor things get done, the next big project we're looking at is the backyard.  We're really hopeful to get it done this summer, but Lonna's words stated in the first part of this entry come to mind.  I'm really working on the whole expectation thing:)

(backyard as it looks right now - yikes!)