And it begins

Today is my first day of summer!  Hurrah!  This past weekend JJ and Rob, with some help from Steve, built us a new deck.  It is awesome.  And very safe.  JJ started working around 8 and didn’t get finshed until almost 10.  They did stop for meals, though.    And while that was happening, I washed and kindof detailed my car.  I didn’t get to JJ’s.  I need to, though.  Probably this weekend.

Sunday morning Natalie and I made cookies.  It was my first real cooking project with Natalie, even though I have allowed her to do things like put salt in the potatoes before now.  I measured out the flour, and she scooped it and put it into the mixer.  She turned the mixer on and off.  She helped shape the cookies.  All with my help, of course.  The resulting cookies are quite good.  I was a little surprised, I have to admit.

This week’s big project, now that the deck is done, is to create Natalie a playroom.  Right now all her toys are in the living room and they’re taking over.  It’s impossible to keep that room clean because how do you explain to a one year old that EVERY toy has to be put away ALL the time?  It’s really unfair.  So we’re cleaning out the study, moving the computer upstairs to the guest room, painting it blue (I get  a blue room!) and moving her toys in.  By Sunday she should have a place to call her own.  I hope.

In other news I have officially started my half-marathon training program.  By following the schedule I’ve printed out, I’m supposedly going to be ready for a half in about September.  That gives me a little wiggle room for vacation and such.  I’m also glad that the training schedule allows me to work in some swimming and lifting.  That’s my kind of training program.  We’ll just have to see if I can stick to it.  And if I’m lucky, maybe I’ll even lose a few pounds along the way.