The Garage

Because we have a lot of stuff, and because the children are generally not good at keeping their rooms clean, we have decided to keep the toys in the garage. The children will bring toys in to play, and return them when they are done playing. So far this has been successful.

I also moved several shelves that we have to the middle of the garage, in between my workbench and the kids toys. I put tarps on the back of the shelves to hopefully limit the amount of sawdust that gets on things.

A box wall is on the side closest to the garage door to create some isolation between the toy area and the garage door.

Workbench

I finished building my workbench last night. It's 8'w x 3'd and 7' tall, has a full bottom shelf, a 12"d middle shelf and a top shelf for my power hand tools. It is very heavy, so hopefully I wont have to move it much.

Kid's Playset

I've finished the design for the playset that I'm going to start building soon. First, I need to do some other things - build my 8'x3' workbench, but a miter saw and buy a drill press.

The playset will consist of a 6'x6' fort, a slide, a rock climbing wall, a trapeze with rings, 2 traditional swings, a 2-person glider swing, a toddler swing and monkey bars.

I will build the playset incrementally. First the fort, then the slide, then the swings, then the monkey bars, then the climbing wall. The rear side will have a built-in ladder.

Fun Weekend!

Rachel is out of town this weekend - she's at a friend's wedding in Clovis, NM. It's fun hanging out with my girls all weekend. We've been watching movies, cooking yummy (not always healthy) food, and enjoying each others company. I love watching my children craft on the table while role playing. Their pretend play is complex and hilarious. We are going to the Lake tomorrow morning.

Cordless Drill

I received my new cordless drill yesterday - my old one was not working well. It's a Dewalt 18v Li-Ion. I'm excited to use it - I will get my chance soon when I build my workbench.

Dark Chocolate Hot Fudge Sauce

Just made this sauce - it is simple and wonderful.

Ingredients:

7T Butter
8T Dark Cocoa Powder
5 oz. Evaporated Milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Method:

Melt butter in saucepan
All all the other ingredients
Cook on low (or use double boiler) until it bubbles
Make sure it is mixed thoroughly
Cool for 30 minutes, stirring every now and then
Keep refrigerated
Heat and serve

Camping Supplies

Our tent arrived! Eureka Copper Canyon 1512. In the last week, we have bought: 3 cots, a tent, a lantern and some upgraded tent stakes. I'm glad we finally have all of our camping supplies.

The civic is loaded - 1 tent, 4 cots, 4 sleeping bags, a propane stove, 2 small propane cylinders, the lantern, a long double skewer for campfire cooking, a tarp, 1 folding chair, 2 folding benches.....That's about it until we pack the rest this afternoon.

I'm so excited for a weekend of relaxation on the lake.