Indy

Indy is so ornery!  She was sitting on her ottoman looking very cute and Kristina had the camera out, so she went to take a picture of Indy.  What does Indy do...turn away and stop smiling!  She is as bad as a little kid!  Crazy little dog!

Then Kristina told her that she doesn't give up that easy and zoomed in on her and made her smile. Isn't that a cute little face?!  She is as difficult as her father!  ha!

New Master Bathroom Door

If re-doing a garage isn't enough work for a weekend, Jared used Monday to install our new Master Bathroom Door. Earlier this year we remodeled the bathroom, but we hadn't found the exact door we wanted.  So, we had to find the wood that we wanted and then stain it the color we wanted.  Then we used barn door hardware so we don't lose any space to a swinging door.  It turned out great -- and as usual Jared did a great job.  There are a few things that still need to be finished, but the door looks great and works well.

A MUCH Needed Garage Update

Well, we had a busy weekend in Woodinville.  When we moved into our house almost 5 years ago, we had no time to work on the garage.  It was literally move stuff in as quick as you can and we'll deal with the garage later.  Later arrived and we decided this was the weekend that we were going to "deal" with the garage.

We didn't get a picture taken "before" with all of our stuff in the garage...but trust us, it was FULL! First of all, it is only a two car garage (we had a three car garage in Gilbert) and we now have a riding lawnmower that needs to be stored.  That being said, organization was needed.  And who is better at organization than KRISTINA!

First things first, we emptied out the entire garage on Saturday.  Then Jared wiped down all of the walls and ceilings with a damp cloth.  The garage had probably never seen a damp cloth in its existence.  Next, Jared swept and mopped all of the floors.  All of that just so we could "start".  So here was the "clean slate".

Note in this picture that the Ikea cabinet in the back didn't make it.  It was flimsy to begin with and since it had already been moved a few times, it collapsed when we tried to do it again.

After it was all cleaned up, we painted the walls and the ceilings with two coats of white paint.  It wasn't the best paint job in the world, but it is a garage.  We were amazed at how much better it looked after two coats of paint.  By the time the paint was semi-dry, the day was coming to close.  So we opted for moving stuff to the middle of the garage and organizing on Sunday.  Just doing what we did on Saturday, we didn't get to bed until 1am Sunday morning.  Kristina logged over 28000 steps on her FitBit and we didn't even take Indy for a walk!

As you can see, we have a lot of "STUFF"!

Sunday morning we got up and the first thing that needed to be done was the addition of the pegboards.  Jared bought these pegboards months, maybe even years ago and they were just sitting there.  Now it was time to put them up.  

After the pegboards were installed, we realized we needed more organization stuff...so we made a trip to the Home Depot.  As we were checking out with all of our stuff, the clerk asked, "What are you doing...a garage?".  We said "yup", and paid our $300 in supplies and headed out. And this is what we ended up with...look at that organization!  It will be an ongoing process for a while...for example, the bikes are now on the wall with a rack.  But just look at the space for walking...you can actual move now.

From this shot, you can see our clever hanging job on Jared's pontoon boat.  We inflated it just enough to hang it up and get it out of the way.  The truck will be parked under it, so this turned out to be a perfect solution.

And this is Kristina's wall...she totally organized it.  The paint has never been so neat and orderly, and all of the painting supplies (brushes, tape, etc...) stored with the paint.  What a plan!  And then the double duty rack that holds our tackle boxes, camping stuff etc... on top, and then has a bottom shelf for 2x4's and other lumber.  It is excellent!

From here you can see that we have adequately blocked the back service door of the garage too!  That was our plan.  We never use that door, nor do we want anyone else to use the door.  So we figured if we blocked it, that would keep everyone out.  :)  The wide open space will be where the truck is parked, but for now we had to put the sawhorses back up because we are staining more closet doors!

Our work is never done...

Woodland, WA

Today we took a bit of a road trip.  Jared, Kristina, and Indy piled into the truck and drove south to Woodland, WA.  We wanted to check out the Lilac Gardens that we have heard about for some time.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day and since everything is so early this year, we decided to try and catch the Lilacs.  It is quite an amazing story, so click on the link and read about it when you have time.

The entry is just lilac lined and you have never smelled such a wonderful smell.  You can hear all of the bees buzzing with excitement too!

The grounds are impeccable and there is a little of something for everyone.

Bees were having a great time.  You had to be careful when you went to sniff a flower to make sure that you didn't sniff a bee by accident.

Lots of walkways to keep you on the paths and not in the garden area.  With some many people, you have to try and keep some sense of order.

Many different types of lilacs.  Each tree/bush was labeled with lots of details so you could figure out which ones you liked the best.

They also had some peony bushes.  They hadn't bloomed yet, but they were getting close.  You can see how much further along they are when compared to the ones we have in Woodinville.

Which way should we sniff next?

Tulips are past their prime, but still pretty.

After the Lilac Gardens, we headed to the Cedar Creek Grist Mill.  It is a really cool mill that actually still mills grains today (not as in production, but as in it is still working).

The mill is quite remarkable and a lot has been done to preserve it.  Over the years, pieces and parts of it had been stolen, but the organization that keeps it going has done a remarkable job of keeping everything in tact now.

Some of the inside workings of the mill...

The bottom is available for touring as well and it is some of the inner workings of the mill and how it works with the river to produce its power.

This is the river that runs the mill.

This is a shot from inside the mill, looking down to the river.

The bridge that is crossed to get to the mill is a very cool covered bridge.  The day we were there, there was a couple having some sort of photos taken -- just to give you an idea of how scenic it is.

It was a cool day and nice to get away for a little road trip!