Lake Time!

So, remember in my last post when I was talking about enjoying the summer days outside....

Yea, about that.

Not going to happen unless it cools down a lot here in the South.

In case you have been living under a rock, we are under a major heat wave. Temps in the triple digits yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Which is why I can't wait to go to the lake!

Some of Will and I's favorite times have been at the lake. Both of our families have lake houses that we are able to use, and we love making good use of them. Below are some of my favorite pictures from our lake times!

We are heading to the lake on Tuesday to celebrate the July 4th holiday. I can't wait! July 4th is the very best time to be at the lake. Looking forward to reading, being with family, and getting some sun!!

Backyard Changes

I love our backyard. Its got a good amount of grass, and tons of trees that make for shady afternoons and evenings. However, our backyard needs some love. One of the biggest issues was the bamboo that was creeping in from our neighbors yard and the crappy section of fence that it was growing through. 

We ended up getting new neighbors in that house, and they asked us if we cared if they took down and replaced that section of fence and cut down all the bamboo, which was taking over about 6-7 feet of their backyard. Of course, we said we didn't care, and it has led to some big changes in the backyard.

I don't have real good "before" pictures, but you can tell from the bamboo behind the trees that it was a pretty effective border between the two yards. 

This is another "before". If you look along the right side of the picture, you can barely see the neighbors storage shed for the bamboo and plant overgrowth. 

Compared to now, where everything has been cleared out. 

This is looking down the former fence line. We still have a long way to go to kill the remaining bamboo, and it will probably require so much Round-Up that nothing will grow there for a while, but such is the price to pay to get rid of it. 

For our first summer in the house I am looking forward to enjoying our backyard/deck area and getting to know what we like and what we want as we look at rebuilding the deck and improving the backyard in the future. 

Sneaky Snake

So, I was walking along in our yard, and happened to look down and see this little guy at my feet. Luckily he didn't move at all and I was able to get Will to come and kill it. (Another key feature of an awesome husband - ability to kill creepy crawlies). 

He stayed pretty still...

...until Will chopped his head off, then it's body went kinda crazy and squirmy. 

And his head kept trying to bite us afterward. Looks like we need to invest in some mothballs...

Handy Hubby

I made no bones about it when I was thinking about what I wanted in a husband. I wanted a handy guy. A "fix-it" man. Someone who could at least figure out what was wrong with my car, even if he couldn't fix it. Someone who could build a deck, or a bookshelf, or a whole daggum house if he wanted. 

I love my dad. But those things, he is not. He is awesome in several other ways that I sometimes look back on and think "why didn't I think of that when making my husband list?" Like, his ability to pick out clothes, or his general patience in women's clothing stores. Those are things I wish I could impart to my hubby. Alas...

But I did get a handy hubby. Will can build just about anything, with the right tools, and he loves that kind of stuff. But where his skills come in handy a lot around the house is in hanging things. Last weekend in particular, Will had to hang me some sconces. 

Will's sister gave us these sconces and I thought they would look great on the mantle. Candles from Garden Ridge gives a little color to this part of the house. 

I love these!

In the dining room, we had sconces that Will's mom had given us from Christmas that needed to be hung. 

I love my new sconces and am so glad to finally have these things hung up thanks to my handy hubby.  It really makes me feel like the house (at least the front of it) is pretty much pulled together!

What Now

Anyone who visited our house within the first 6 months or so got to see our 1 room of crazy.

You always have it when you are moving, that last little room or area that gets unpacked. The one place where if you don't know where to put something, you stuff it in the room full of crap. For us, it was the 3rd bedroom. We didn't want it to be the guest room because we are thinking of remodeling down the road, and maybe this might be our master eventually. 

However, up until about a week ago, it was just a room full of the junk we didn't have a place for. 

This is the room when we first moved in. Basically, if the box didn't say kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom, it went in there. I figured I would sort it out later. 

Several months later, this is where we stood. At least we could see the middle of the floor, and the mess was making it's way to the perimeter of the room. 

Finally, I had extra motivation to finish this room, as lots of new people where coming over to the house last week, so I hunkered down over the long weekend and cleaned this disaster area up!

One of the most fun parts was seeing peoples reactions who had been to the house several times and pretty much expected the room to always look like that go "wow! That room looks awesome!"

So now, we have a big 'ole empty room. Plus, my dining room furniture is done. My two biggest projects are complete, so what now?

Boys and Their Toys

My hubby bought a Jeep.

That's really all I need to say.

It's his new favorite thing, and his new favorite project. I'm calling it "Big Red". Other possibilities for names are "Red Bull" and "Rattling Death Trap". Vote for your favorite.

While I try to learn as little as possible, I know it is an '85 CJ7 with some kinda engine and a neato transmission. It also has really big tires, and I practically need a running start to get in the thing.

Will doing some work. Next thing coming off is that "If you can read this, roll me over!" sticker. 

And the "All Fired Up" Tweety Bird floor mat.

Will bought this Jeep not only for a fun project car, but also to be able to meet and minister to new people. I know he is excited to get into some trail riding and meet some new friends. I am sure that for now, Tweety will keep him company!