The big picture

Well, here it is. I'm standing on a stool in the family room taking the picture to get everything in.
We spent the weekend putting stuff away, organizing, etc. Went to Target and Bed Bath & Beyond on Saturday to get some organizers and stuff. Also bought the bar stools at BBB. It was really fun.
Two things are left to finish in the kitchen - (1) the cabinet company still needs to come back and fix some doors and drawers that aren't quite right. (2) The "back wall" still needs to be painted. We've commissioned a local artist to do an abstract painting on that wall. We met with her over the weekend to finalize design ideas, and we're pretty excited about it. Obviously I'll post pictures to show how that develops.
Guess that's it for now... Not much more to post, but I'm sure there'll be a few more shots to take so stay tuned...

The deck

Here are a few shots of the new deck. I stained it earlier this week with an oil-based sealant. It turned out darker than I was picturing - I thought I was getting a clear stain and didn't really realize what it was going to look like till I was about 1/3 done. Too late then, so I just kept going.
The railings are polished copper tubing with rebar inside for strength. It has a clear coat to protect the finish and keep it shiny.
My next plan is to put some pots with flowers, a bistro table and chairs, etc to decorate the space. Right now we're just enjoying the pristine beauty.