Project, Projects Everywhere!!

Our neighbors must think we're "special." You see, we are always doing some type of project. And since we don't have a garage or a shop to do those projects in, the front yard becomes our work bench. So our neighbors always see us doing our various projects, and they'll usually stop and ask us about it. They get this funny smile that says, "they're at it again..." But we don't mind. We like doing projects! In fact, we always have one in the works. I don't really remember a time in my life when there wasn't some type of project going on, and same with Todd.

Our most recent task was putting a bed liner in Todd's truck. It was my Dad's old truck, and the bed got pretty hashed up. So, to stop the rusting, make it more durable, and to make it look better, we used a do-it-yourself kit and painted the entire bed. It took an evening and the following morning to finish it, and we think it looks pretty good. It's a special paint with little rubber bead things in it, so it looks close to real rhino lining, but hundreds of dollars cheaper. Todd also got side rail caps to finish it off. We even did the inside bottom of his tool box. Now he is all set to go be a construction man!

Here are some pictures of another recent project: the tricycle! We sold water, pop, and snacks at the fourth of July fireworks in Idaho Falls this year. When we were getting ready for it we realized that we needed some way to haul all that stuff up and down the street. So, we borrowed Porter's wagon and loaded the drink cooler on it. And for the snacks, it was this wonderful old, wobbly trike! We saw it for sale on the BYU-Idaho bulletin board website and got it for $20. We took it all apart, sanded it down, and repainted it. Todd even put brakes on it so we wouldn't have to use the Fred Flinstone method of stopping. It's still wobbly and isn't exactly a smooth ride, but it sure looks a lot better! It could still use some work, but even in its original condition, it was (and still is) the envy of the neighborhood. We sure got a lot of comments on how funny and cool it is when we first brought it home. It really is the talk of the town, which is really quite funny to us. Who knew? I guess one man's trash really is another man's treasure!!

Well, to wrap it up, I've made a little list of some other past projects:

• The desk--Todd built us a corner desk for our spare bedroom. Middle of winter, can't work on the lawn, so we measured, cut, and assembled all in the back of the truck. Painted it all inside our spare bedroom. But it turned out great! It's perfect for the space we have.
• The dresser--Our dresser originally belonged to my grandparents who had it for years and years and years. (They ordered it from a Sears catalogue.) We sanded that all down, repaired the drawers, painted it, and put new hardware on it (outside this time). It looks so different, and no one would guess it's that old. We'll probably keep it forever.
• The air compressor--This past winter when Todd was doing construction, his boss's air compressor quit working, so Todd brought it home to doctor it up. He took it all apart (in the spare room again), figured out what it needed, ordered the parts, then enlisted my help in putting it all back together again. Our poor upstairs neighbors were probably scared to death every time we turned that thing on---it's sooooo loud. But it works now, and works well. So now Todd has a $300 compressor that only cost him $50 and some hearing.
• Re-organizing--This is a perpetual project. We organize, then re-organize, then re-organize some more. We don't have much storage at all here, so we keep all our seasonal stuff in storage at my parent's house. So when we switch it out with the seasons, we have to re-organize everything in the spare room closet. Besides that, I'm an organizer anyways, so I'd probably re-organize it all the time even if it was always the same stuff.
• Building Up-keep--We try to keep our place looking nice and in good repair even though we don't own it. So we've replaced caulking, put in organizers, and stuff like that a lot. And we occasionally hook together several hoses so we can spray down the outside of our building. I think our bushes are the only ones on the property that have ever been pruned, too. We try to grow plants in pots outside our door, but that's a failing battle in our 100% shade. It's great for us since there is no air conditioning, but not so good for the flowers.
• Everything else--As you can see, there's always something going on. If it's not one thing, it's another. Maybe someday we'll run out of things to do. But as for now, the cars need waxed, the windows need a good wash, and we've gotta get that window AC put in right after we get the gears on the bike fixed...

(The desk Todd built; The dresser we refinished)