Hello Friends!

Hello blogland! Have you been wondering where I had disappeared to? Thanks for all the sweet, encouraging notes during my absence! I am still here, doing just fine. Being that it is summer and wedding season, I have busy with outdoor projects and loads of photography work. Whenever I manage to find time to sit at the computer inside, I have been overloaded with post-processing, editing work.

Some things have been getting done around the house though. We have managed to finish the top, raised level of the deck, woohoo! Steve finished the stair railings last night actually. Now we have to complete the ground level portion, and then also do the fascia and we'll be good to go. Here is where we are now.

We still have to finish the underpart of the deck/fascia. So you won't be able to see any of the wood under there.

Ahhhhhhh so nice! Pardon the rain, by the way. I am absolutely LOVING how it came out! It has been so nice to be able to go out back and relax while the children all play in the yard. When the lower deck is completed, we'll be putting the picnic tables on it after we re-stain them. Eating our meals under the umbrella on a hot, sunny day has been just lovely. We are really enjoying it so far. Which is great because it has been a LOT of work (and as much as I am frugal and love DIY, this deck has NOT been inexpensive)! 

I am extremely happy with the mahogany color we chose, and the white railings. They look great, feel great, and most importantly, won't need to be stained every summer. FANTASTIC. I like how the baby can roll and crawl around and his sweet baby skin won't get splinters. The composite is extremely solid, which is nice. It also is a LOT larger than I had anticipated. For some reason it didn't seem to look that big when it was just mapped out on the grass or even when it was framed. Overall, I am even more pleased with it than I thought I would be!

So now we just have to secure all the lower deck boards (right now they are all just lying on the framing), do the fascia, and put in the replacement sliding door that we purchased already. Oh and I want to look for a new exterior light. The rusty brass one that resides there currently is just not doing anything for me! Same with the ones on the front porch actually. For some reason though, they seem to always slip my mind anytime we are at Lowes...

Here are some phone shots of the progression!

Steve sledgehammering a huge rock standing in his way of digging a post hole.

Noah in the hole. THAT is how deep they are. He is standing! Annnd Steve dug TWELVE of them.

Holes are dug, posts are sunk, framing going up!

Frame!

Railing posts added.

Holden playing on the "stairs". Boards lying down to flatten.

Steve fastening down the boards. Look at that pretty picture framed edge.

Oh heavens! The table the kids and I put together! Boards done.

Oh goodie! The first railing section.

The boys all helping daddy with the railing.

VIOLA! Our current state.

Now let's see...I owe you a post on wall decor, don't I?? Let's see if I can squeeze that in soon!