Busy summer days.

What a beautiful morning today. I think it was right around 50 degrees when I stepped outside to take Sam to school this morning. It was a little chilly, but the sun was shining and the birds were singing. A perfect summer morning. Except that part about having to get up with the alarm clock. But at least the reward of the world saying "good morning" was worth it.

We've been pretty busy around here these past few days. Translation: I've been falling into bed at night, exhausted and with sore muscles from lots of physical activity.

I'm rebuilding our front deck.

Wait. That makes it sound like the deck fell apart. It didn't. Well, not completely. Some of the spindles had fallen off the railing and they were too warped to screw back on. The railing itself was a little wobbly, though I'm sure it hadn't reached safety hazard status yet. Some of the deck boards were splitting or peeling.

It was just plain old and ugly and I wanted a change.

So with the help of a friend (and at times, my children), I dismantled the deck and we are now in the process of rebuilding it. Instead of a new railing, we're building steps running the length of each side. So far we've replaced the top surface of the deck and we have the steps off the front. I love it already. It's amazing what a little spiffing up can do to completely change the look of our home. I'll post pictures when we're done, or at least closer to being done.

In the midst of all this, Steve is pulling up stakes and moving camp. He and his crew are leaving Pennsylvania this week and heading to West Virginia. We're not sure at this point what it means for the holiday weekend and whether he will get a chance to come home, but I'm excited about the opportunity to see another new place when the kids and I go out there to visit him again. I do hope he gets a chance to come home soon, though; if I keep finding things to do to keep me busy while Steve is gone he might not recognize the place when he finally sees it again.