Stain, sun, & sparklers...

Somewhere amidst the pool, beach, cruises in the Jeep, fireworks, sparklers, & all of the good food in the last couple of days I was able to squeeze in a little bit of time to finish the bar top on the porch & eat our first official meal out there.  What's the 4th of July without a backyard BBQ?!?  I'm pretty sure it'll become a nightly thing...holiday or not!

Here's what I started with - dad built the table out of a bunch of scrap (ripped) 2x4's that we had left over from framing up the porch. He screwed a couple of supports to the bottom & it's attached to the porch railing with three shelf brackets.

I used the same dark walnut stain that we did my dining room table in last spring.  (I couldn't resist setting the table...just to see what it looked like!)

Last but not least...a few shots of our 4th of July festivities.  We were pretty low-key this year compared to years past, but it was way too hot to do much of anything but be in the lake anyway!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday & got to spend some time with great friends & family!

The home stretch...

We're almost to the finish line on this porch project!

Things left to do...

• Paint swing framework.
• Paint or stain bar top.
• Prime & paint window boxes.
• Mulch garden around porch. 

Then of course I still need to accessorize!