Bill and Traci

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Garden update

Last week I took some pictures and wanted to share them. So far we have not had any incidents with the bunny. I think the shiny trap scared it off. :-)

Traci used the extra desk stain to stain the border around the garden

Tomato plants

Asparagus

Snap Peas

Bell Peppers and Habanero Peppers

Watermelon

Cucumbers

Corn

Have a great weekend!!

Bill and Traci

A work of art

Well... It took 2 men 3 days to caulk, repair, primer and put two coats on the house. Below are the results of their efforts.

Some of the additional items we added:

- Shutters for front windows.

- Front door painted black.

- Word art added to the front door "Welcome".

- Glass/screen door so we can open the front door without the cats running away.

- New house numbers that we picked up in Tubac, Arizona.

If you need a good and affordable painter, let us know.

Bill and Traci

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Traci and I have been a couple of "busy beavers" the past couple of weeks. Due to the cold winters and hot summers in Kansas, the stain on our deck has taken a beating and was in severe need of a new coat.

Most people we spoke with recommended that we powerwash the desk before apply stain; however, we ended up going a different route after speaking with the paint guy from Lowe's. He recommended some stain remover stuff you sprayed on with the hose and then rinse with water. We went with that option due to not having a powerwasher or the fact that it would only cost $7 for the remover and an hour or so of our time.

The weathered deck

The stairs look horrible

It took us about 6 hours to apply the stain with brushes. Unfortunately, that day ended up being the hottest day of the year and the sun beat down on us the entire time. We went with a darker color and were very happy with the results. We stopped staining so we could go bowling with some friends in our new bowling league (More on that in a future blog) and I resumed staining at 9pm. It was pretty dark out and my only hope was that I didn't miss any big spots. :-)

First the rails

Then the decking

Almost done

In addition to our deck needing attention, our house was hurtin for certain. The paint was hanging off the house in some places and we even had some boards exposed. We had several people come over and give us a bid and ended up hiring a man named Bill who had the best rates, encouraged us to go and look at some of his other paint jobs, and genuinely seemed like he cared and enjoyed doing what he did.

It took him and his crew a day and a half to caulk the house, primer the bare wood and pound all nails in. They then spent another 1/2 day putting on two coats of the base. They have been true to their word and have done an incredible job. Once the house is complete, I will post the finished work.

Caulking and primer

The original color is gray

Now it is sawdust (Trim and door still needs to be painted)

The finished desk and back of the house

Nothing looks better than a fresh coat of paint/stain and we hope you all have some bright colors to brighten your day.

Bill and Traci

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Our garden part duex

Traci and I spent a few nights over the past couple of weeks getting our garden started. We planted some of the same things that we did last year plus a few new ones. We started the following from seeds and clumps of "stuff"- Watermelon, strawberries, onions, cucumbers, snow peas, and corn. Tomatoes, bell peppers, peppers and some watermelon were started a few weeks ago in the house.

The garden is in the back corner of the yard

Where all the magic happens

Last year the cute little bunnies ate up all of our snow peas before they had the chance to grow so this year we put up a small fence to protect the small plants and just to be sure that the rabbit doesn't nibble on anything else, we are setting up a live trap tomorrow night to try and catch it. I will keep you posted on our efforts. We planted two rows of corn just to see it grow and we hope to get a couple of ears from the stalks. :-)

Corn

WatermelonTomato and Peppers

Onions
Asparagus
Snow Peas

We will keep you updated as everything grows and hope your garden brings you lots of veggies this year.

Bill and Traci

Monday, May 25, 2009

Memorial Day 2009

This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend and we enjoyed every minute of it! The time that wasn't spent sleeping was dedicated to floating lazily around Smithville Lake, staring at the camp fire or listening to the Kansas City Symphony play American classics.

After work on Friday, we headed to Smithville lake for a couple of nights of relaxation and sitting around the campfire. Jeff and Jamie have been our camping partners for the past two years and this year was no exception. The weather was hot and muggy and our camping spot about 500 meters from the lake. The camp grounds were completely sold out so we had plenty of company for the weekend.

Our home away from home is the one on the left

Jamie and Traci getting settled in

Now that's a fire

Saturday was spent sleeping, reading, listening to the Royals get beat on by the Cardinals and more staring at the camp fire that night. Traci and I busted out our floating rafts and enjoyed the cool water for about an hour. We got up bright and early Sunday morning and headed for home.

Sunday evening we went to Union Station to watch the Kansas City Symphony play for a couple of hours followed up by a firework show at Liberty Memorial. This was our second time attending this event in the past 3 years. If a touching event for a few reasons: 1.) The purpose behind the event is made known throughout the entire show. It was a tribute to everyone who help make our country free. 2.) The audience was said to be over 40,000 people and of that many veterans were in attendance. 3.) There was a tribute to each branch of the service by playing each of their songs/hymn, having each color guard take center stage and as each song/hymn was played and all service members were asked to stand. The crowd would applaud and cheer as the service members took to their feet.