When your husband likes to make stuff and you are moving to Uganda...

When your husband likes to make stuff and you're moving to Uganda, you face a bit of a dilemma. He's made some things that are beautiful (or at least aesthetically pleasing), some that are quite functional, and some that are a bit weird, but sadly, we can't take them all with us. So I thought I'd write a blog post and pay tribute to those creations that will have to be given away, thrown away, or moved into Mark's sister Amy's attic. (Don't worry, Amy, we won't make you store too many.)



Creation #1: Mark welded this globe in college:

Then he tried to teach me to weld - my efforts didn't turn out quite as nice.

Creation #2: I've never been exactly sure what this next sculpture is supposed to be, but it looks nice on our fireplace mantel.

Creation #3: This jungle gym was made from the pieces of our broken trampoline.

Creation #4: We like to use this skull sculpture to scare young children. (Just kidding.)

Creation #5: This one definitely belongs in the weird category. Yes, folks, the cut out hearts do light up.

Creation #6: Having a skateboard half pipe in the basement has been great for tiring out rambunctious children.

Creation #7: This was made during Mark's period of fascination with cast concrete. (Thanks for the book from the thrift store Mom!) It took him a couple of tries to get the mixture right, but in the end we ended up with this really nice (and heavy) coffee table.

Creation #8: Fortunately, this last item has found a good home with some dear friends as a nightlight. Mark and the boys made it with some stuff they picked up at the Durham Scrap Exchange. I think it's pretty cute. The eyes light up :-).