The Stairmaster

Where have I been, you ask? Whatever happened to those witty blog entries and breathtaking photographs that used to make you look forward to getting out of bed each and every day? Then (when the novelty of the new blog wore off) helped you to get each week off to a good start. Why is it that now you are lucky to hear from me at all? Well, that would be because we have been working diligently to get this house ready to sell. This week, I have been the stairmaster. Here's what I started with:

Here's what I had after ripping up the carpet and doing some preparatory work:
Here's what came next:
And now...the finished product: Do you think we over-improved for the neighborhood?

OK, that's clearly not true. But I am pleased with the third picture, which is what our stairs actually look like now. On to the next project.

Don't worry, we haven't been neglecting our kids. Grandma's here and we make sure to spend quality time with them every day. By-the-way, if you want to know what's going on in their little world, you can subscribe to Jonah and Andy's blog. If you haven't subscribed to this one, do so. You won't have to keep checking the Internet and being disappointed when I choose home renovation over writing to you. It will e-mail you each time I write a new post. If you're interested in food, and who isn't, you can subscribe to my recipe blog. And for the photo enthusiast, check out my picture blog. Act now and you might even get some Ginsu knives.

Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Natal, Brazil

Look, we realize that you aren't quite as excited about this city as we are, and that you probably already know what you need to know about Natal, but allow me to plant a seed in your vacation-loving brain. I challenge you to take a look at the photos and information on the Wikipedia site and not make plans to come visit us. Sure, we're not there now but we plan to be soon and, before you know it, you can be too. Start saving your pennies and visit your missionaries - or at least send care packages. If you, like I, have never mastered the Celcius scale, the lows and highs in Natal range from about 66 degrees Farenheit to about 89. You can check any temperature on this temperature conversion site.

Our Destination

John found this photo of Natal on the Internet. I just thought you might like to see it.

Our House

This is where we live. If you've never seen it, now you have. So, how does this fit the theme of our blog? Well, considering we plan to move to Brazil in January, we have a lot to do to this place to get it ready to sell. Our household is like an HGTV set this week.