We have this completely unusable deck on the side of our house. It is always blazing hot because it's on the southwest side of the house. We've truly never used it except to store the barbecue. So Ben decided he'd hire his brother, who thankfully is a builder, to come down today and build a nice, shingled roof. They've been working since 7 a.m. this morning, and it's almost finished! I can't believe I almost forgot to take some pictures. I'm sure the neighbors hate us by now for all the pounding and power tools being used non-stop today, but hopefully they'll get over it.
I'm so excited to use our now-usable deck. Thanks Sam! We couldn't have done it without you.
Here's Sam shingling the roof. Makes me a little nervous. He didn't seem to be, though. I think he's used to it.
Here's Ben with his rain-soaked hair going to get more supplies. It was a cool 45 degrees today with off and on again rain. That beats doing it in 100 degrees, right?
Here's a view from the inside. Our dining room will be a lot cooler now that the sun's not scorching it. We'll be able to leave the blinds open. Yay!
Another view from inside. I'm so excited! We'll have to have a deck-warming party.
P.S. Grace is potty training today. It is day 1, so I'll keep you posted. This is our second try. All the kids seem to have a false start before the real thing. Grace is the first kid we've had who actually cried for an hour because she didn't want to give up her diapers. She loves her diapers. I think it's just sheer laziness, but after her fit this morning, things are going pretty well. No accidents. Yet. I'm bribing with Starburst. That seems to be working. Also, there is a new Winnie the Pooh laptop sitting on the counter as a promised present for going three whole days without an accident. I'll keep you posted on that also. And I know, I know -- I shouldn't be bribing. I prefer to use the term "motivation". And a little motivation is good when you've had at least two kids in diapers for 4 1/2 years, and 6 years of single kids in diapers. The earth is groaning as I write that, and so is my bank account.
