All dressed up

This is my favorite picture of te house from last fall. I took it one of the first days we brought E home to show her her first home!!

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What a weekend! We repainted the garage, porch, shed and play set. We had a blast even though it was non stop. My dad spent Saturday helping us and E napped like a champ in-between being adorable and CRUISiNG! We finished the weekend by having some neighbors an friends over to BBQ and let the kids play in the pool. Perfect summer night. I love my neighbors and if we do end up selling will miss them. It takes a village to raise children and I really feel like I have that on this block.

They look new! They used to be all white. Now they match the house. My love for all what a new coat of paint can do abounds! The Olympic outdoor paint we used on the play set covered the old warn wood and now it looks like new to. For a little extra pop we spray painted the hard wear to match the green swings. Also spray painted the rod iron on the entry stairs. They look so much better shiny black rather than spotted with wear and rust. Why didn't we do these things 5 years ago?

The ToDo List is still long but it's coming along. We had such a great time working as a team this weekend. Of course we had the inevitable "i think we should paint it this color " fight. But we got to practice resolving conflict maturely. Something's we are pretty good at after 7 years but hey! In the middle of Lowes on a holiday weekend, tired, hungry and a little one getting bored....that'll test the best of marriages! 

I have too big concerns about doing this

1. That it would consume our lives and not allow us to be social and intentional about relationships

2. Health hazards for E

To the first- this weekend was a good reminder that we can invite people in. Friends came to help paint and Brian got to catch up with them. We took a break to eat dinner and had a wonderful 3 hours with friends. B is patching a ceiling in the living room and all our furniture is displaced and tarpped ...bc of this we were able to have "baby races" between the two crawlers . Hospitality is not about  things or perfect large  rooms it's about opening our "homes, hearts, and our lives to others in order to develop loving relationships".

To the second - health hazards for E. we will be doing extensive research about remodeling with a little one before doing anything. I foresee many nights an Grandma's during the worst of it.