Fun for me!

Although I lost another tennis match today, Atlas was the recipient of a bagful of balls from Laura, my tennis partner. her dog only likes to play with the can & could care less about the balls inside! It doesn't hurt that she got there early & picked up everything the park district kids missed!

da Porch, da Porch!

I love the red. I love my porch, always did and continue to do so. I am not convinced I have the chairs exactly where I want them, not that there are many options, but we have 2 small tables still being painted black. Mike and I sit on the east side in the 2 chairs, company sits on the west side. It does get hot over there at night, so one day, I will get some outdoor curtains (hint hint mom-white or red from ballard designs maybe) to hang. Or maybe they will be on sale by the end of summer and they can be added for next year!

Pittsburgh

A quick, long weekend trip to Pittburgh actually produced sunshine for the first time for Mike. He has seen snow, rain, & fog up til now. Finally, we had about 5 consecutive days of light & visibility. Nothing spectacular happened, just a calm trip of sleeping, eating, drinking, playing with the dog, and some wild driving around town to go shopping, see the new club facilities, & check out the Three Rivers Arts festival. A nice way to catch up on what we've been missing!

Like new

Like new, but not really. What was that lipstick on a pig phrase? Again, the master plan brings us a new garage. Until then, one gallon on Behr paint (we bought 2 & I just cashed my $10 rebate, no shame here) coated the 7/8 of the garage that is actually visible...noone will ever see the backside, behind the fence, in the corner. Sorry dad, we were a little lazy, hot, tired, and ready for food after drinking beer in the sun all day while working. Hopefully the new coat of paint & fancy trimwork on my part will keep it standing for a little while longer! And the bonus for us was that Atlas went next door to play with Sophie outside for a little while & the neighbors hung out in their yard & sipped Sangria enjoying our fine work from over the fence!

Grass

Surprisingly, all the grass came from seed! I guess that is a cheap way of trying to get out of buying sod, but the timing was right and with a little TLC, the Peterson? brand has grown quite well over the past few weeks. Even Atlas can enjoy the yard when we moniter the side without a fence & keep him occupied with his ball. And yes, even dogs have unflattering poses, but he is still our little shag-a-muffin!

Pasta night

Yes, a regular night for us that will dwindle away now that spring/summer are upon us...well, it is raining outside, again, which cancells grilling time. Anyway, this is a great looking meal and tastes good too! Saute-artichokes, spinach, cherry tomatoes halved, garlic, & shrimp. Add vodka sauce. Top over your favorite pasta & sprinkle with parmesean. YUM! Bon apetite!

the Front Porch

Finally under construction. The stairs have been started but we a short one board. The railings have been looked at but something doesn't seem up to code on this ever-so-fabulous Trex material. I mean, really, can anything just be easy? without a hitch? I think we are definitely on the Wheaton Postal services top 10 nightmare clients between construction, lack of sidewalk, icy stairs, slippery when wet wood, and a giant barking dog. Who really wants to make it all the way to the front door?