Saturday, January 3, 2009

"Any Guesses?" Reveal

***Original Post***

There is never a dull moment at our house. Being that there are a few weeks between semesters, we've got to find something to do around the house. Would you like to take a wild guess at what our latest project is? [Those who already know, you're not allowed to guess!]

Here is a hint:




The second hint (of which I don't have a picture to post): a big-o smile on this Momma's face.


Look forward to more pictures either later tonight or tomorrow.



***Update***

It started when




was introduced to a 60-lb




and went out to the




and made it look like this






[which was exciting to more than just Mommy]




and when Uncle B can to visit, he was included in the festivities.






At the end of day 1, this



then looked like




and after working day 3, our space looked like



There are 3 types of people.

Type 1 - People who have a pool and hate all the things that [always] go wrong with it. Every time something breaks or doesn't function properly, there is always a "piece of ....." comment uttered, whether it be verbally or internally.

Type 2 - People who love having a pool because they hire a pool company to look after it. These people don't mind paying $40+/month for chemicals alone, $8 for EACH o-ring when they break, $250 for a new motor, $100+ for pool sweep repair/replacement, etc. These people generally tend to work so much anyways, they don't always have an abundance of time to enjoy their pools.

Type 3 - People who do not have a pool and really want one. [Clearly they have not spoken to enough type 1 & 2 people to truly understand what pool ownership is like!]


We are type 1 people. We were paying decent money to maintain something that yielded a small amount of satisfaction. We can [could] only use our backyard for 3 months out of the year. We had a stained concrete slab and an over-sized
bathtub play pool crammed into a teeny tiny backyard, and that is it. The remaining 9 months of the year, weeds looking to multiply found refuge out back. And of course a higher electric bill for running the sweep to keep the pool clean for ..... ? [scorpions?] For many months, we had gone back and forth between leaving it as is and ripping it out and making a more 4-boy-friendly environment.

It was around the time fall semester started (and swimming season ended) that our feelings towards parting with the pool grew. Boys need to be boys, and boys need a place where they can be
free and roam play. After weighing the pros and cons, we decided our pool-owning season had indeed come to an end. Hopefully within the next three weeks our project will be complete and we will have some



and I won't feel like
.



In the meantime, this

has become a bad word at our home.


10 comments:

Sandra said...

Wow! don't have alot of words for it... other, than,... it looks kinda fun!! Can't wait to see the finished yard!

Katrina said...

Sooooooo, er, do you just dump the concrete in what was once a pool, then dump a buttload of dirt over it to grow grass? Faux grass? Man, I'd just lay down that indoor outdoor carpeting and call it good. No mowing!

Ben said...

Yay!!! If by fun one means "makes you sore for a few days because of throwing cement around," the yes, it was super fun!! =)

rebecca @ older and wisor said...

NO WAY!!! I called Roger over to the computer and he's like "What the heck did they do that for?" (He doesn't actually take the time to read). So OUR kids are mourning the loss of your pool! But I bet your boys will be in heaven with a big yard to run around in. When we bought this house we said it was perfect except for there wasn't a pool....and then we saw the sellers disclosure and found out there IS a pool....buried. Haha. Never would have known. The kids kept saying "can we dig it up, PUH-LEZE???" Does that mean you never plan on selling? Or is it just gonna be on your sellers disclosure as well ;)

kelly said...

Ahh Rebar! That's how my step dad makes a living. We are the type 3 people, but we'll never have a pool, so I really appreciated this blog.

Paige Hinrichs said...

Hehe...I just happened upon your blog and it's great. You are blessed to have a handy husband. Good Luck!

Bob & Khristie said...

I can't wait to see the finished project. If only real life were like HGTV - your yard would have been done in the amount of time it probably took to put this post together. I love that channel but at the same time its false advertisement for how things really happen.

Reggs said...

Cool, Julia!!! I am glad to say that I got to hang out at your pool before it was no more. This is something most people WANT to do, but never get around to doing. KUDOS!
I won't show this to my husband, or he will want one of those drills to drill SOMETHING apart.
P.S. I LOVE the new picture on your blog of your boys! Cute cute cute! (but I do miss your beach picture).

Abbey said...

Congratulations on (starting to) getting rid of your pool! BTW I totally love your new header pic, that's one of the best I've ever seen!

Pollock Palooza said...

Man!!! I wish we could've transported your pool to our back yard! I think we fall into the pay the pool man category. We loved the old man in Silver Lakes... granted nothing went wrong in the 5 months we were there:)