Yard Clean Up

Last weekend we realized that the pine needles have finished falling for the season and that we were grossly behind on cleaning them up. Instead of filling up over 100 garbage bags (we've come close in the past) Keith rented a UHaul. Our intention was to fill it up quickly, run it to our friend's burn pile, and return the trailer in a couple of hours. It turned into taking over two and a half hours to borrow a wheelbarrow and rent the stupid trailer...HUGE fiasco with UHaul...then 5+ hours to blow off the roof, rake the needles into enormous piles, chase kids, chat with neighbors, load the trailer, drink a Diet Coke, load some more, and repeat. The trailer was OVERFLOWING by the time we were done and we didn't even get close to finishing the flowerbeds. It is was dark by the time Keith finished and it took another hour and a half to dump the needles. My advice? Think twice before buying a home with over 30 trees in the yard.

Keith's Project Du Jour

Keith has been waiting, wishing, no...aching to build an entertainment wall framed around his beloved new flat panel TV. This particular project is stage two of the grand plan, the first being mounting the TV on the brick. The next being cabinets to hide our electronics. He framed our fireplace surround using molding, our existing mantle and some detailed trim. Here is the process:
Before. No frills:
Hanging the cross piece. Painted with an oil based paint. The cords will be hidden behind this:Framing the surround:Almost ready for some finishing touches:Done!
Details, details.
Keith did such a great job on this project. Once he got going it only took two days to complete (after arguing over design details for two weeks.) This is the first time I have given him a strict budget for a project. Because let's face it, we all know how much mischief a man can get into at Lowe's. I don't think he was entirely thrilled, but he actually managed to come in just about $10 over budget. Hooray for handyman Keith!