grill shed | home sweet bargeron.

Projects, projects, projects. We love them! We've had a list of projects we hoped to complete since we first moved into our new house in December of 2016. When we first wrote the list, we joked that we'd probably get to the end of list when it was time to move again; but, here we are just over two years later with more things checked off from that list than we dreamed would be at this point. We are so proud to call this home ours, and we have no plans of moving any time soon - if ever. That makes checking things off our list especially thrilling!

The latest project to be checked off is one that wasn't a "must have" when we first made our list. It wasn't even on it, honestly; our initial dream was to have a haven space in our backyard where we could have bonfires and have friends over, and this project was birthed out of that. Most of the material was gifted to us to get it out of their way, so we spent roughly $60 to make this thing come to life. It pays to have a handy husband and a dad-in-law who checks in, y'all! This took us two days of work, and we still need to stain the wood before it is complete. I started to stain it with the little amount of stain we had leftover from our last project, but only made it about 1/3 of the way through before running out. Disclaimer: I am not a fan of staining or painting, but I do love the finished look.

So, here it is, folks. A one-of-a-kind Teesh-made cover for our grill!

The top is what this space looked like last summer when we first completed the stone pad and added the picnic table, and the bottom is the current view:

Every time we mark off a project on our list, I do a little happy dance! It's so exciting to me to make our house a home, a place where we can rest and enjoy each other company, while also being a place where others can come in and feel like they're home, too.

We still have a few little things we hope to accomplish while TJ is home this summer as well as finish our master list for 2019, and then we'll start saving for a biiiiiiiiiiiig project for next year (that will most likely take all year to complete). After that, most of our list will be done! It's hard to imagine that, but I can hardly wait. Before we made our big mindset change in regards to our finances last year, we never dreamed that we would accomplish so much in such a small time frame. It still amazes me! We used to have hopes and dreams, but now we have a plan. That's all it takes! Well, that and a whole lot of hard work and discipline.

One of the financial podcasts I listen to regularly bases her theme on this quote: You can't do everything, but you can do anything. We have lived that truth out this past year, doing one little "anything" at a time. When one is complete, we move on to the next one. Two years ago, it sounded simple but not realistic for "our stage in life." Today, it's not only realistic but actually being done a little at a time. On our terms, as we are able.

Makes me wanna shout, you guys!

table rock | year eight.

We made our eighth-annual trip up to the summit of Table Rock last week, and we did so the way we first began -- just the two of us. After spending ten days with our kiddos on a dreamy-but-exhausting vacation the week prior, we decided that some time together was just what Teesh and I needed. And it certainly was! Grandma entertained Braxton and Bethany for the day while we went on our adventure, and we soaked in those hours. They loooove Grandma, so they were probably having more fun than we were. Haha!

It took us two hours to climb up, about an hour and a half to climb back down, and spent about forty-five minutes just soaking in the beauty from the top. This is my favorite spot in the whole world, so I always lobby for more time on the rock. You'd think that after eight straight years of tackling this beast, the awe and wonder would be worn off by now but nope! Not with this girl, anyway. Especially when the sky is bright blue, the temperature isn't too hot, and the sun lights the way for us the ability to see for miles and miles and miles. Swoon!

Honestly, we loved this trek so much that we're already considering making it a day date next year, too. We love our children and taking them on outdoor adventures, but there was so much sweetness to just be together with my man. It was a good reminder for us of how important it is for us to continually prioritize time alone. Especially when creation is involved.

Hiking will always be my favorite way to unplug. I'm healthiest physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually when I am out on the trails; I always have been. I think I always will be.

Have you ever hiked to the top of Table Rock? If not, you should! If so, isn't it lovely? Not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but worth every huff and puff. We joked on the way up that we should have tackled this beast the week before vacation instead of the week after. We totally blamed the endless ice cream bar on the cruise for our huffin' and puffin'!