Tired.

* Two months

* Three power washing attempts

* Countless trips to Lowe's

* Estimated 32 hours of labor

*Estimated $300 cost

Equals: One stained deck.

I am exhausted. I'm almost done staining our deck. I ran out of stain and took some pictures before I ran to Lowe's for more. I'm so tired right now I can't even go take an updated picture.

I mostly took a picture to show a Lowe's employee my problem and to ask their opinion on how to fix it. The stain was rolling on just fine, but the planks are too far apart and you could see the unstained side of the wood... like this:

The employee in the paint section told me to use a disposable foam brush (like what you'd use for Modge Podge) and go in between. More work. I complained but I did it anyway. And it looks great! I don't think I will ever stain a deck again. They say you should re-stain every 2-3 years. Screw that. I wonder how much it costs to pay someone to stain it.

I was far too ambitious today. I started stroganoff (Adam's mom's recipe, takes all day to "brew") and I made cupcakes this morning in attempt to try something like this:

Found on pinterest.com

Adam got me bubble bath when we moved here that had Disney princesses on it. When we used it, we said we were taking a "Princess Bubble Bath"! (Yes, "we" includes Adam.) All I wanted to do when I finished the deck was take a Princess Bubble Bath but the tub was gross and I didn't want to lay in it. I cleaned it then decided the bath was too much work and took a 5 minute shower instead.

All I want to do now is nap. But I have the stroganoff to finish, dirty brushes, a dishwasher to empty, and a load of laundry to start. All before Burn Notice at 8:00.