Another Project!

It seems like summer would be a perfect time for one's creativity to take a vacation, to just sit back and relax with a book in one hand and a glass of tea in the other...but that is not the story in my world. It seems like every time I finish one project, I find another one to do! Having an ongoing project has become a norm in my life, which means that I stay really busy!

So, here's how it all started: I have been spending a lot of time on my deck these days, and as I was "working" one day, began to get a vision for some out door lighting. We love entertaining on our deck, but the lighting is really poor. I thought it would be fun to add some bistro lights strung somehow around the deck. And that's when the idea took off thanks to google. I found this picture with a tutorial and used that as my spring board. Of course, mine had to be a little different because it was for a deck and not a patio, but you get the basic idea:

[source: Bright July]

 So, with my new project in mind, I took off to Lowes where I spent about 2 hours being helped by 5 different men! Gotta love Lowes' customer service! :) I picked out 1/2 inch electrical conduit pipes, but the 10 foot pipe was too long, so a really helpful employee offered to cut them to the 8 foot length that I needed.   I rounded up the rest of my supplies and then the real work began. It didn't go as smoothly as I anticipated with the tools I had at my house...

 ...so I went to my parent's house to use some power tools! (I keep having to borrow my dad's drill...probably just need to get one of my own!)

 I measured where I needed to drill a hole for the hook and screw (about 3 inches from the top)

 And then I started drilling...

 My parents were watching my brother and sister-in-law's dog, and he kept wanting me to play fetch while I was working on my project, so I would stop and throw the ball every few minutes...

 This picture cracks me up...the battery was low and it wasn't drilling easily...that's the look of frustration...

 Once the holes were drilled, I attached these hooks...

  Spray painted all 4 poles:

 Once they dried, they were ready to attach to the deck railing. I didn't get a picture of the hardware I picked out, but it worked perfectly. It was a bracket that cuffed the pipe and screwed in on both sides.

 Here is the deck before:

 And here are the poles and lights hung:

 In celebration of summer and the other lighting project complete, I cooked dinner and had some friends over to enjoy the ambiance! Unfortunately I didn't get a picture with everyone here, but I did capture the finished product:

  I love how it turned out!

Looking forward to many more nights enjoying the new lighting!

B-ham Buddies

My mom and I took a quick little trip down to B-town last week to see our little buddies! We had such a fun time catching up and even got to see Thomas at his swimming lessons! These kiddos are growing up so fast!

 Grammie gave him some new trains and he was so excited!

 Swimming lessons:

 Good job, buddy!

 The family:

 So glad Robby could meet us for dinner! Wonderful family time together...

Adventure Club Outing

A few months ago, some friends of mine talked about how much fun it would be to have an adventure club. We all love trying new activities, experiencing new parts of our city, or traveling to new destinations! For this trip last weekend, most of us were members of the group who went to the Grand Canyon last year, so it was a reunion of sorts as well!

We decided to embark on a little day adventure of canoeing down the river! It was a blast! I definitely want to do it again sometime soon!

Missing a few members...

And we're off...

Such a beautiful place!

Taking a break!

We paddled to an island, and got out for a little exploring:

 We wanted to take a group shot, but didn't have a place to set up a timed picture, so being the resourceful person that I am, decided that we could hand the camera from a tree limb! :) I had to press the button, stabilize the camera on the swinging branch and then run over (which is why I look they way that I do in this picture...almost didn't make it in!)

 Exploring the island...

This was the most fun that I have had in a while! So good to just do something totally different from my normal life! :)

Welcome to the world!

Welcome to the world little Elsie Ruth!

 Ivey and I have shared many things as sisters, and one of the things we have shared is a best friend, Rena Carolyn. We became best friends when we lived on the same street as little girls--playing Barbies, riding bikes, and driving the neighbors crazy with our homemade "creations" for sale! Now we are all grown up! Rena Carolyn delivered this precious bundle of joy last week! Praise God for a safe delivery and a healthy little girl!

 Look at that hair!

 So sweet!

 What a good big sister!

 The whole family with the new addition:

Growth

Do you remember these little plants?

 Now they are over 5 feet tall and are taking over my little garden!

I love the picture that they paint for me of how God works and shows his power in creation. I feel like my garden is a reflection of my life in many ways as I see God working in my own heart and producing growth and fruit. I am in a Bible study at church and it has changed my life. We studied the book of Mark this past semester and now are studying the book of Ruth. I am privileged to meet each week with a lovely group of ladies who have prayed for me, cried with me, and taught me so much!! They have become so dear to me. I see God's hand at work in my life, and I am so thankful for how he continues to use the circumstances that I go through to produce the same type of growth that I see day to day as I work in my little garden!

A view from my office...

I have really been enjoying my back deck the past few weeks. I will spend hours out there working on the online classes I am teaching this summer. It is so relaxing and peaceful!

Barn Wedding!

One of my co-workers got married at a beautiful barn in the country and it was a blast! She asked me if I could make a few things for her wedding, and I was happy to do so! She needed bow ties for the ring bearers. I was excited to try! They turned out really cute!

Adjustable velco on the straps:

I also made this pillow for the ring bearers:

And the bean bags for the corn hole game:

Unfortunately, it poured down rain on the wedding day, so we thought we were going to have the ceremony in the barn where the reception was going to be held, but right at the last minute, it stopped raining, so we all moved outside for the ceremony:

Cute!

The bride:

The wedding party:

The barn/dance floor!

The buffet:

Such a beautiful venue!

All dressed up with some of my co-workers:

On the dance floor...taking a picture break!

I caught the bouquet! I believe that it is my 8th one I have caught!! :) I can't wait to see the picture that the photographer took of the catch...she said she had never seen a girl get so much vertical height! :)