A Zamboni for Pond Hockey

January 14, 2016 No Comments

…Or lake hockey.

DIY zamboni

Right after the first snowfall Joe was looking for deals on hockey nets. And it’s about time we got some snow! Everyone has been waiting on edge to get out there.

We have a pretty slick four-wheeler plow attached to the front Joe’s dad’s four-wheeler that we use to shovel the driveway. Wayyy faster than snowblowing. So we used that to shovel off an oval-shaped area for the rink on the lake, just offshore.

But when Joe told me he was making a zamboni, I honestly thought the idea was one big joke. He’s not actually serious, right? Silly me. I should know better by now… He already had the blueprints in his mind within minutes. So, now we have a redneck ice resurfacer.

The Supplies

It only took him 4 hours. Here’s the materials you will probably need:

Outdoors

Operation Dock Extraction

October 23, 2015 1 Comment

You know it’s been a great summer when it’s still summer weather in October. It was in the 60’s this week and it’s almost Halloween! I can’t believe how lucky we’ve been to have this. But, we know it won’t last, so we’ve started winterizing. Yes, the W word. Last weekend we had a farewell to summer sendoff and started cleaning up the yard.

You know you’re a Minnesota home owner when… Most of these hit too close to home. Especially 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 12.

Landscaping, Outdoors

Ring of Fire: Building a Bonfire Pit

September 17, 2015 1 Comment

How to Build a Bonfire Pit

One of the second things Joe wanted to do after moving in was build a backyard fire pit. It was one of the easiest projects to date, and took less than a day! We love the bonfire pit kits – I know it’s not 100% DIY, but there is still plenty of elbow grease that goes into this.

Here were the steps:

Collect the materials
Build a perimeter around the area to fill with sand
Build a fire pit in the middle
Fill the area with sand
Enjoy bonfires

Simple enough, right?

Crafts, Décor, DIY, do it yourself, Furniture, Leah, Outdoors, Sewing, Thrifty

Patio Pillows

July 30, 2015 No Comments

Outdoor Pillows

It was about time we decided to set up a patio table on the deck outside our bedroom. And pillows were the most exciting part! It was actually my first project that I had planned, even before we moved from the old house. I had bought fabric weeks before we even moved. Call me crazy, but it was my #1 project idea since May.

There are so many fun and funky patterns of outdoor fabric, why would you buy them from the store? And I think they’re a little overpriced if you buy them from a Target or Home Goods. So I headed to Joanne.com to find a few patterns I liked. Luckily there were many! And a few cute ones in-store too. They were even all 40% off! All I needed to do was buy some stuffing and I used my sewing machine to do the rest.

Mix’n & Match’n

Here’s what I found on my first round of shopping in Joanne.

In love with the geometric one.

I ordered these three on Joanne.com.

Engineering, Outdoors

Concrete Jungle

October 15, 2014 4 Comments

Concrete Slab

It’s a Jungle Out There

And by out there, I mean in the back yard. Hey life is what you make it – maybe it’s just a simple pile of hardened dirt, but it’s pretty darn exciting to us. The yard is really coming together! And you may even notice a new addition out there…

This task involved a lot of 2×4’s, H₂O and this:

DIY concrete slab

Just for fun, Outdoors, Trips

OR WA

October 11, 2014 1 Comment

Joe gets very excited about window seats on planes. Here’s our obligatory touchdown video. It’s gets boring after :45 seconds, but feel free to watch.

Pacific Northwest

Here’s a brief tour of our Seattle/Portland adventure. We’ve had a crazy week post-trip and have both been scrambling to get caught up. Overall, it was 100% worth going. As you probably know, Joe was there for a week-long class on building automation. He passed his class with an A+ and is fully certified to use this particular software.

Just for fun, Life Hack, Outdoors, Thrifty

Fall Funsies

September 8, 2014 2 Comments

falling for you

(Almost)

Holy smokes- it’s only 2 weeks away! Are you ready for the cool down this week? It’s sure feeling fall to us. And that’s 100% ok. I’m a summer baby, converted fall aficionado. Loving the crisp air.

fall decor

I’m ok with fall, but are they selling Halloween costumes already? I draw the line here.

I don’t have any grand updates, but just some day-to-day stuff that I’ll fire off.

Updates

For instance, did you know it was Joe’s 5 year anniversary at work awhile ago?

Fixes, Holidays, Just for fun, Outdoors

Labor Day Weekend

September 3, 2014 1 Comment

lake life is the good life

Laboring Days

Did you have a restful weekend? As much as Joe tried (or I tried to coax him) to relax, he found ways to work. We snuck away to my grandparents’ cabin in Wisconsin for a couple days and soaked up the summer/fall goodness.

Activities included the mandatory games of Phase 10, walking around the lake, boating, giant garage sale in the city of Siren, Shell Lake Days, and plenty of stories and laughs. But by Sunday afternoon, we were right back to fixing up the yard and boat.

Just for fun, Outdoors, Water

S’more Summer Ventures

August 27, 2014 No Comments

summer

Hold on!

It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.

These days, we’re trying to get the most out of each summer night. We’re on the lake 2-3x/week and squeezing in any and every outdoor activity possible.

Although I love summer, I love fall just as much and can’t hold back my excitement for all things autumn. Look, the foreign exchange students are already back in my building! Saint Paul Prep School is now in session.

foreign exchange students

I got the first day of school jitters this morning just seeing them 🙂

Back to summer…

Landscaping, Outdoors, Plants, Water

YardWork

August 20, 2014 1 Comment

backyard cleanup

Putting the Yard to Work

At last! You may remember that we put in irrigation a couple months back. And we did reseed the back lawn as well. But that’s about it. It already looks better, but was in a pretty sad state. We always brainstorm such great plans for the back, but they never seem to come to fruition. The back is primarily the hangout for bonfires, hammock nights, and the bunnies’ playground. Yard work is now underway! (I know, I know. Summer’s almost over. shhhh. Don’t tell the lawn.)

backyard clean up

Leah and Joe: Home DIY Projects & Crafts