Gpa Craig's 2011 Projects!

Gpa Craig has accomplished a lot in years past, however, I'd make a bet that none of his projects to date will be enjoyed as much as what he's done this year! This year, it was all about the punks....starting with a an amazing tree house for the eldest punk to enjoy...she calls this her 'reading tree', and hopes to escape from her siblings up here with a good book when it's all done....

After we got the framing all worked out, I purchased this twisty slide to offer a quick exit from this little oasis in the trees...that's how things work around here...I come up with the bright ideas, Gpa Craig busts his hump to implement them....works for me!

Everything seemed to move quickly after that...before we knew it, Gpa Craig was putting up roofing shingles and closing up windows....

I did my part by bringing in another fun element, the hanging tire swing, and Gpa Craig implemented.....we work so well together :)

Here's a shot from the inside looking out of the door...

..and here's a shot of the view out of the side window...each window is covered in a screen to let the air move through while keeping the kids in and the bugs out!

Here's a shot of the ceiling....my goal is to get the inside painted and then add strips of colorful fabric between the 2x4's to make it more homey....whatdoyathink?

Sorry little ones, you aren't big enough to enjoy this space quite yet!

Sissy gets it all to herself.....and her guests....for now.

After the tree house was finished, Gpa Craig focused his efforts on leveling a playground area for a swing set I had purchased for the kids....you'd think that living on a large piece of property would present many outdoor activities for the kids, but you'd only be half right....there are a lot of things the kids would LIKE to get into, but nothing near the home that a mommy wouldn't fret about....we needed something safe to entertain the punks close to the house....so I dreamed this up, and Gpa Craig implemented....notice a trend here? Here's the 'spot'.

First things first, we had to dig some holes to create the retaining wall....and be 'we' I mean 'them'.

Then 'we' added some pressure treated lumber so we could add backfill to level the area...

It was a fairly large space, so this project took some time. Gpa Craig tackled it section by section...

We topped it off with a 3 inch layer of river rock...we chose river rock over mulch or sand in an effort to keep the kids clean as they romped around....

Here's the finished product...level, true, and just waiting for the punks to wear it out!

...and they do!

Of course Gpa Craig filled the rest of his time with his recurring annual projects too....fence fixing, tractor servicing, manure spreader dumping, and all that jazz.....sure do miss the old man when he's not here, but so happy the kids have such a great role model around when he is!