Lean on Me

Our basement project is almost done!  One of the the features is a picture ledge on the staircase landing on the way down.  The idea was inspired by some picture ledges we saw on a trip to Ikea:

Here's our version of the picture ledges made from Lowe's oak lumber, some nails (from my husband's nail gun) and white paint.  They are hung by using double end screws - one end drilled into the drywall/studs and the other gently "persuaded" into drilled holes on the ledges (holes were slightly smaller than the screw).  This did involve a rubberized sledgehammer, but eliminated the need for brackets.

I found a great selection of inexpensive frames form Ollie's (Good Stuff Cheap!) and the Reedsville Flea Market.  There's also some artwork from my brother and Arts Fest this year.  Now I just need to get more photos printed to finish up the project!  It's a really nice touch to the basement, right behind the beautiful glass door that Jon installed from scratch.

I'm A Lean, Mean Running Machine

Happy 4th of July.  We celebrated Emberlie's first 4th with lots of fun activities.  We started the day by participating in the annual Firecracker 4K.  Jon and I ran this in 2006 (where he totally beat an 11 year-old girl) and this year we raced with Emberlie and her speedy stroller.

It was a hot day and there were a large number of participants (over 1,000).  Jon wants to install  wheel spikes like a chariot for the next race.  The Handleys came to cheer us on and Elin wanted to run with us each time we passed her.

 
Our time was somewhere are 24 minutes; we are still waiting for the official results.  We then hit up the Waffle Shop for some delicious breakfast followed by a family naptime.   

  
Afterwards we parked on the top floor of a garage downtown to watch the fireworks.  Of course, we had to have dinner first and then walk around 4thFest.  Jon consumed a 600 calorie cinnamon roll with extra frosting and I found some cotton candy.  All in all it was a great holiday!