Lucy is a very good helper.

Brian and I long ago decided that it would be best for our marriage if he does the handyman projects and I watch/bring iced tea/leave the room as quickly as possible if things start to go bad. Lucy is still innocent though, and given her extreme love of all things Daddy, she LOVES to help him with his projects around the house. I tried to warn her, but she wouldn't listen and so far they seem to be getting along swimmingly.

As much as we loved our previous make-shift fireplace gate, which was made of colored plastic, it had a number of serious flaws. 1)Lucy figured out how to move it and go behind it to TOUCH TOUCH TOUCH the fireplace about 3 milliseconds after she started walking, and 2)since it was made out of plastic...it had a tendency to be slightly melty when we actually used the fireplace, which seriously cut down on our ability to warm out house since the fireplace is our only source of heat.

Today, Brian and his faithful assistant put up a new and improved gate. Not only does it look better, it is reportedly heat-proof and it is bolted to the wall - Lucy the Destroyer-proof (or whatever).

PS: Please don't mind the hair. I'm feeding her lots of vitamins and hope that someday it will grow out enough to be fixed by a professional. Sigh.