Building, building, building....

I've been dying to post pics of this TV stand I built for Richard! From scratch, using a pile of tools I got for Christmas. I really like how it turned out (not perfect, but I learned a lot) and I have got the building bug again. I guess all those college backstage theatre classes were not a waste! I know tools for sure. But this only finally happened thanks to some awesome, and free, plans from knockoffwood.blogspot.com. You have to go check it out! We saved a ton of money building it ourselves, have been able to adjust it to fit our space, and handmade brings so much satisfaction!


Here it is, all painted (it only took a couple of hours to build, but all the putty, sanding and paint took forever!)

And here it is in place downstairs with Richards new TV (Which I think is silly but he loves) on top! Happy Birthday Richard! It looks so good! I can't wait to build the rest! Some towers on the side and a bridge across the top are coming next!

And, finally, a shot of our beautiful new fence! We have so much privacy now! And it makes our yard look so much better!

Here is a shot of the old fence. Blech.

And here it is all down! The old fence was ripped out rather quickly as the guys discovered that there was no concrete involved and most of the posts were completely rotted. With a little wiggling and a couple of wacks it just sort of fell over. I'm just glad it didn't fall on us earlier!

Richard stained it all (go Richard!) while I built the TV stand and the Grandparents played with the girls (feeding ducks, going to BYU, going out to lunch...)

We hired out someone to build most of the fence, but here are the 3 sections I built! We reused the old posts but tore out the rest (you can see a piece of the old fence on the lefthand side there) and I put it all together! I'm so glad to be able use my new tools. All this building has really made me happy.

What has not made me happy is a pair of stupid bushes. They were enormous and out of control, and though mostly cut down now-I am admiting defeat. They win. These bushes do not want to come out. Can you see what they did to my shovel?! But I'm not going down quietly! I will have my revenge! (just not today...)

So to finish off on a happy note, another shot of our fence with our beautiful Apricot Tree in blossom! Its just past its prime but oh, the Popcorns still popping in our yard! I love, love, love, this tree at this time of year, and Kaitlyn just giggles and joins right in when I burst into song over and over (I looked out the window and what did I see...)

Hope you are enjoying Spring!

p.s. And Mom-though I used saws and powertools, I did follow your instructions and did not play in trees with scissors. I still have all my fingers!