Home Happenings

Our big project lately has been building a new playset for the kids.  The kids have played and played and played so much on the used one we were given that it's falling apart!  I'd been saving family gift money for quite sometime, so this is what we decided to spend it on.  Rather than purchase a ready to assemble set, we designed our own and are going to have a much nicer set for easily 1/3 of the cost.  :)

I took a couple of pictures when Jim was attaching the swing arm.  Since then, he's built the ladders, a rock wall, and finished the construction for the canopies.  Now we  just need to stain it (I bought the stain today!!) and attach the swings and such.

This thing came out bigger and sturdier than we'd envisioned on paper; it should last a very long time!  It will have a rock wall, two slides, three swings, and monkey bars in addition to the two platforms.

I've had a tired little lady after various excursions lately.  She's so cute.

Logan has been helping with the yardwork this summer by doing most of the edging.

I used to rotate our toys, but since we've lived in this house I haven't been doing it.  Most of their toys are sets that they use regularly, so I figured I'd let them have those in their closets.  Our toy mess had been too much lately, though, and they weren't being as cooperative as they should have been about cleaning it up every day.  (We don't have that many toys in the first place!)  So, we did a thorough clean and sort one day recently, and put it all on the attic landing (which is conveniently a few steps from their bedrooms).  Now we're allowing only two sets or boxes out at a time...one for each bedroom.  It's glorious! 

The kids are all realizing that clean up is easier this way, and their toys are somehow more desirable now that they are pretty much off limits.  It's easy for me to switch them out as well when they want something different.  Win win!

 

 I never tire of our countryside here.  This is the view from my mailbox.  :)