Work Week-ends Weber Style!

So, the last few weekends here felt like the good ole DZ work week at the sorority house all over again! HOT HOT HOT and working while sweating your tail off doing random projects around the house!
Since I am still not out of school left (ONE MORE WEEK!) I get weirded out when the weather is summer like, but my 'summer' hasn't started. I go into panic attack mode and feel like all my big ticket summer projects HAVE to get done before my official summer starts or my 'summer' is going to be consumed of all work and no play. So, the projects began last weekend.
Here are our accomplishments:
1. Re-landscaping the front. Pulled out shrubs, transplanted some others and planted 12 others.  Wendy was project lead on this one, Brad was critiquer.

Before picture

 

After

 Close ups.

Check in next year, to see if they are all alive!  

2. Swing set, but was told I was false advertising this one, because it is way more than a swing set according to the guy that helped Brad with it. He said I need to classify it as a big *** play set or jungle gym! Anyways way back at Easter Weekend Brad and brothers, Brian and Casey, help dis-assemble this at our day care providers old house. And it sat waiting for a nice weekend to be put together and of course it sat for a month! 

No before picture sorry. Brad was project head on this one, I will be taking over to sand and stain, and accessorize it. This would be a in-betweener picture.

Ethan will have LOTS of fun for many years, we hope, on this thing. Thanks Brad and my go to handy man, Mark. Brad already has plans to fill this area in with a big basketball court for Ethan when he outgrows this, not sure what I think about that project. 

3. Deck staining/restaining project. This was an unexpected project this weekend. Brad left on Sat. while Ethan and I were out running on the trail. He went to go get a power washer to clean the deck and came back with a GIANT sander. They talked him out of power-washing since our deck had been finished, by prior owner, with a deck solid color stain and not semi-transparent. We took the advice and tired it. I missed the action shots of the sanding, but Brad won't let me put anymore pictures on the blog without his shirt on after the newborn picture of him 'kangerooing' with Ethan and all the chest hair comments he received afterwards. 

So anyways, sanding went fairly well, but after some advice from a couple of our neighbors (we thought we were crazy) we decided we didn't need to get ALL the wood down to the raw bare wood, so that speeded up the project. We just restained over the parts that didn't come up from the sander and this is what it looks like partly done. Would say we are 3/4 of the way done with the floor board. Then after that, ONLY 176 spindles to coat!!! Goal is 20 a day until they are done! No before picture here either. It really did turn out great. Not sure if this picture justifies the project, or our sweat, many conversations had about how much to sand , and if the house was going to fall down with all the vibrating throughout the whole house(neither of us knew what we were doing!).  Brad was sanding master, Wendy staining master, Ethan NAPPING master (3 hours each afternoon!)- total team Weber effort on this one! Gotta love it!

 4. Mini projects, Sprucing the place up! Mowing done by dad and now helper Ethan!

Patio garden planted

strawberries, cherry tomato, and an early girl tomato (I'm so not patient.)

My make-and-take creations I made at the greenhouse this winter. Right when I pick them up is the best they ever look, so I always have to get a shot of them. 

 did a couple hanging baskets

 totally random pot, I started laughing when I picked this up. Can you tell I don't know what the plants are, or will look like big,  when I plant them as plugs? I just laugh when I water it, it's like me, totally random.

 Then my big guy!

 Ethan has been having fun on the deck during these smaller scale projects. I missed the photo of sitting IN his sand and water table!

RUNNING~ our new speed.

LIFE IS GOOD! 

Hope you all are enjoying yours! 

Sorry for the HUGE post. It had been awhile and we were busy!