Home Improvements

I'm all about things being organized.  If we were to ever move or build another house, more storage is what I would push for.  I wish we would have sprung for more shelving so someone (a professional) could have put it in, but since we didn't, I got to practice my "handy-mom" skills.

Our washer and dryer are in our pantry in the kitchen.

We have one wire shelf in there and all this extra space above the shelf that was going to total waste.

Since I had already installed another shelf on the other side of the pantry for food storage, I was confident I could do it again.  Thanks to a friend for providing the extra shelving, already cut to perfect size, that they didn't need.  I really love a project to help with organization and one that doesn't  cost much!

BEFORE 

AFTER 

It still puts a smile on my face every time I walk in the pantry and see things in their proper, uncluttered space.

Two "Hip, hip hooray's" go out to grandpa for home improvement project number two.

The boys love the sandbox. 

Mr. Crab we called it.  

It provided many happy outside playing hours last summer and I wanted that again.

Since my boys are always growing I thought we needed something a little bigger to fit them and even a friend or two this summer.

Lucky for me grandpa lives close.  Is retired.  And knows how to handle some power tools and some random ideas from me.  I found some pictures/ideas for a bigger sandbox that I thought would work.  I wanted something simple that had a place the boys could sit on the edge and bigger.

I wanted something that Tate, Blake and Ryan could all be in together one of these days.

Showed my dad the plans and voila....a sandbox.

He's amazing.

He even delivered it for us:) 

Since the sandbox is for the boys I figured it could be a family project.

John picked out the John Deer Green color (I think he was trying to get it to blend in with the grass?)

and me and the boys painted it.  Blake was so put out in the picture because he had to use a paintbrush while Tate used the roller.  Since I had helpers, the painting took a few days.

But that was okay because the weather was still rainy and John was adamant we have a cover for it before it went out back.

He made a nice cover out of plywood and covered it with a green tarp to match the box.

With a little help from Iron Man, we got it finished and put in the backyard.

Yay, for Team Krohn working together (with huge help from Team Grandpa) to get a project done. 

I think so far we have had four boys in it at once and no fighting over space.

Awesome. 

The other side of our yard was feeling left out so I cashed out my points on my credit card and got the "Blue Monster."  It is 14-feet of heaven in my opinion.  At first Blake wouldn't even get in it, but now he usually is the first one out there, figured out how to climb in and out on his own and loves to wrestle on it! 

A few tears have been shed so far over the trampoline, but they are learning how to play together on it.

I'm trying to convince them that I don't have to be on it too every time they want to jump.

Although I was so excited to get it because I love jumping and was the first one to test it out!

Our backyard is ready for some sunshine so the boys can get all their energy and wiggles out.