Deck and Pergola

In 2008, my husband and I tore off the old dilapidated wooden deck of our house. We expanded it and put an open rafter roof on it. Here are a few photos of the process and final product.

Old deck and rails

Tearing out the old decking

Pouring footings

Setting the upright structure

Rafters in place

Lattice "roof"

Floor joists going in

Laying the deck floor

Steps are done

Completed project from the backyard

Ready for relaxing

Remodeling the Bathroom

My husband and I enjoy taking on remodeling projects around the house. Several of them have turned out quite well. We have saved a lot of money doing things ourselves rather than hiring it done. Here are a few photos of the remodeling of our guest bathroom.

Stripping off the old wallpaper, which had been painted twice.

Patched and primed walls

Wallpaper is up

The final product

Valentine's Project for Children

I enjoy arts and crafts and so do my grandchildren. Therefore, I like to do an art activity whenever we are together. Each Tuesday I have the privilege of caring for one of my grandsons while his parents are at work.This week we created Valentines for his mommie, daddy, grandparents on both sides of the family. No, they are not perfect, but that's what makes them so special. While I did help with creating the background from heart-shaped doilies and construction paper, my grandson added stickers and colored them with markers, the best part is they have his authentic child's touch.

Crocheted Valentine's Heart Gifts

I've been such a busy bee with a crochet hook for the past weeks, I haven't even played Words with Friends. I didn't photograph the hot pan trivets I made for my daughters, or the dragon puppet for Lochy, or the purse for Keilie, or the tooth fairy bag for Mac, but here are a few of the items I made for Valentine's gifts for my kids and grand-kids.

This case keeps the phone from being scratched while in your purse.

These are actually two hearts attached with a woven string. They can be filled with candy, but I'm choosing a more healthy option and inserting individually wrapped tea bags for the adults and a bag of dried fruit for my grandsons.