More Deck Building...

Since I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks I just thought it was time to check in again.

Last weekend we were in Atlanta visiting with the family and had a great time. I hope we get to see more folks next visit, but this one was a pretty quick visit... Since Bill blogged about the hunting and the visit I decided to leave it at that. My only contribution is:

The guys had a great time at the quail hunt. I think Dixie had fun too. It took her several days to recouperate from her excitement!!

It has rained most of this week, so that makes for a "not too much" sort of week. It rained all day on Saturday, so there was no deck work to be done. However, Sunday finally dawned clear and we spent the afternoon working on the deck. We finished the railing around the deck and began the railing along the walkway, as far as we could get. The big thing, though, is the stairs. This has been something Steve has done a lot of research and sketching and thinking and figuring about, and he finally took the plunge on Sunday.

Steve poured a concrete footer several weeks ago, then he cut the stringers today and we installed them. There was lots of digging and wiggling, but we finally got them attached. Once we get the stair treads installed we can finish the rest of the railing, and then there will just be a couple of little "cosmetic" details to attend to.

We're going to put an opening in the railing of the walkway so if something gets dropped off the back, we won't have to go all the way down into the yard and hike back up the hill to retrieve it. We still need to add another course of rock on the fire pit to make it a bit higher and some trim around the fire pit on the floor of the deck. Then, last but not least, paint the entire structure and ~VIOLA~ it will be a deck!!!

Of course, as I said before, one project usually begets another, and until we get the other deck enlarged and steps installed, we still have the Olympic Mud Slogging Contest to get to this deck.

After we finished working on the new deck, we relaxed for a little while on the old deck with a fire in the chiminea and a beer (Steve had a beer, I had a Mike's Lemonade).

Since the weather's supposed to be nice this week, I plan to get lots of errands done that didn't get completed last week due to the yucky weather. Today that includes returning a couple of things to a couple of different stores, getting a new watch battery for Steve's watch and getting my long-awaited annual eye exam.....

Hope everyone has a GREAT week.

Love to all.....

Time for an Update!!

It's been a while since I blogged, so I thought I'd do a quick update for everyone....

Last weekend we planned to go to Raleigh for their St. Pat's Parade, as we did last year. Long about Wednesday Jerry Ryan called and sort of "uninvited" us for the weekend. They had a really good reason for asking us not to come. I'll bore you with that incredible story at a later time.

We wound up staying home on a very dreary and rainy weekend. Steve was so disappointed because, not only were we NOT going to Raleigh, but we couldn't work on the deck due to the weather. So, we went to a movie on Saturday....

We heard so much about "The Wrestler" that Steve just wanted to see it. We also had just heard about this great movie theater up by Steve's office. This theater has a full bar, serves sushi and other exotic h'ors douvers and is lots of fun.....Long story short....we went to a matinee, so the bar wasn't open yet, nor was the restaurant portion of the place. We had popcorn and cokes....oh, well, we'll go one evening and see what sort of menu they have. As far as the movie goes...... I'm not sure why it got so many awards and so much acclaim. It was definitely NOT my cup of tea. Not only was the main character a professional wrestler (I was prepared for that), but he carried razor blades in his costume to cut himself and show lots of blood for the fans (yuck). Also, his girlfriend (Marissa Tomei) was a stripper and they left NOTHING to the imagination as far as her "job" was concerned. I really could have lived a very happy life without having seen that movie. So, if anyone is thinking about seeing "The Wrestler", just remember forewarned is forearmed!!

On Sunday afternoon we did some work in the garage. Steve needed to find some things for his hunting trip next weekend, that he hadn't used since we moved into the house. We wound up emptying some more boxes and freeing up some more space in the garage. Since we built the deck this year, we'll have to wait a while longer before we can do the storage building, so the garage is still "storage central" for us.

Needless to say, after two days of rain, drizzle and dreary weather, we had a bit of cabin fever. When the news started at 11:00 pm, we had lots of fun making fun of the newscasters, as well as the folks they were interviewing. Of course I understand that the news is not a comedy show, but we were a bit punchy by then. It's a good thing the weekend was over.....we needed a break.

Today wasn't any better weather wise, but I had to get out to the store for some groceries. I'm very sad tonight because I had to take my little toy to the body shop to get the butt print removed from the back fender. They told me it would take 2 days to finish, so I'm housebound for the next couple of days. I plan to get all my chores done tomorrow and Wednesday, then I can go out and play, once my baby is back home on Thursday!!!

Luckily, the weather is supposed to start clearing up tomorrow, with highs in the 60's and a lot less rain. I'm really ready for that change!!!

At this point I don't know what I'm going to do next weekend yet. When Steve first talked about going hunting, I invited my friend, Malinda, to come and spend the weekend with me. Then, Steve started talking about me going with him and he would drop me to spend the night on Friday at mom and dad's house. So, I'll let everyone know when I find out if Malinda will be able to make it here or not and whether I'll be in Atlanta or not. With the way things are going for us lately, I won't be surprised if Malinda bails on me.....

We invited Kelly and the weather "uninvited" her. Then we invited her for the following weekend and that didn't work out for her either. The next weekend we were invited to Raleigh to spend the weekend with the Ryan's and then we were "uninvited" again. Now I've invited Malinda to spend the weekend....let's see how that goes.....If she doesn't show up, please don't "uninvite" me from Atlanta!!!!!!

Everyone have a great week. I'll let you know when my "baby" gets home from the body shop.

Love to all......

Another Great Weekend....

....In the deck building business!! Steve took off early on Friday to get a good head start on his work for the weekend. He finished the railing around the outside of the deck and the top rail. Then, by the end of the day on Saturday we finally decided on the ingress / egress point for the new deck. He started on the walkway across the top of the hill, but hasn't gotten to the stairs yet.


Along with the decisions on the new deck, he made another decision about the old deck. He's been talking about extending the deck on the back of the house, since it's so small. He's going to add onto that deck and run it over to the bump-out where the fireplace is on the back of the house. This will only add about 3 or 4 feet, but that will make a huge difference on this little deck. Once he extends this deck, he's going to put another set of stairs off the back of the deck that will lead directly to the stairs for the new deck. He's going to leave the stairs that go out toward the driveway and just put a second set on the back. He's got a lot of work ahead of him, but he seems to be enjoying it!!


When we finally get the deck completed, I'll be sure and let everyone know. You are all invited to the "deck warming" party and I can hardly wait!!


Ok, here are the photos from this weekend:

Doesn't it look GREAT?!?!?!?!? I can't wait until we can use it!!!

Love you all........

So, How's the Weather at YOUR House????

I trust we've all made it through the major winter storm we were dealt this week. I took some pictures of the snow here in Lancaster, to share with everyone. But, first....

Steve had to leave for a meeting in Birmingham on Sunday. He left before the storm actually hit here. Of course, the tornadoes and snow had already arrived in Birmingham. His trip was longer than anticiapted, due to the weather. He was due home Monday evening. He called me from the Birmingham Airport and told me he was on an earlier flight, which was "good news".....but when he called, he said he had a confirmed seat on the 1:00 flight which was scheduled to leave around 4:30 at this point.... That was sort of funny.... But, anyway, his original flight was scheduled to arrive back in Charlotte at 7:15 pm. Luckily, he got on the earlier flight, so he landed at 7:30 pm!!! If he hadn't been able to get on the earlier flight, he might not have made it home last night AT ALL!!!

Anyway, I spent Sunday afternoon watching the snow fall as I sat in the recliner catching up on old movies and popcorn. It was a lovely day.... I didn't have to go anywhere and I took full advantage of it!!!

We still haven't gotten above freezing yet. There are small patches of snow in the shady areas, including the new and the old decks. It's currently 30-degrees, but again, I don't have anywhere to go and I've got the crock pot filled with chili for tonight's dinner.

Kelly made a really good decision to postpone her trip. I can't wait to see her later this week, but not driving last Sunday was a smart move!! I'm sure you all heard about the huge tie-up on I-85 over here. People sat for 12 hours overnight Sunday night waiting for wrecks to be cleared up and black ice to melt...... I think they're still waiting for the black ice to go away in some areas.

Anyway, as promised at the beginning, here are some of my snow photos:

I hope everyone keeps warm and safe, and I trust that Spring is just around the corner. One final thought in this record-setting winter storm..... Don't you just HATE this Global Warming thing???? LOL

Be safe...

Love ya!!