There've been quite a few changes in my life recently not limited to a new job, raising almost $15,000 for cancer research, dealing with multiple different courses of treatment for Tim (and about to start a new one), trying to keep a house together, trying to keep my sanity & trying to keep up a social life, but honestly I just got bored of blogging for awhile (pbly bc I've been keeping up with Tim's blog so much). Still probably won't be back full time but thought I'd catch everyone up on what I've been up to lately!
So here are a few posts you can look forward to reading sometime (hopefully soon):
A new dog bed - constructed by me (& my dad)
My latest obsession - Accupuncture!
Dehydrating Food - aka what not to do
Refinishing a buffet - still can't believe I did it
Some things I'm dreaming about right now
Hanging a flatscreen/hiding the cables
New kitchen rug, trash can (& soon curtains)
New hallway runner(s) & art
New bedroom art
Restructuring the bathroom gallery wall
Curtains for the front door
New art for the den & new (to us) couches
San Francisco Trip
Refresh of the pantry
Little landscaping refresh
Garage Clean-out/Basement Organization
And here are some (hopefully) upcoming projects that will be happening at the hizzay sooner than later:
Cabinets in the laundry room
Replace transom in the laundry room (seriously dad...lets finish this one! :))
Staining/sealing the back deck (yep 2 1/2 years later we still haven't done this)
More landscaping...
Master Bedroom curtains
Hallway Art Project
Master Bedroom Art Project(s)
Front/Back Hall Light Replacements (might as well do it at the same time)
Front Hall Rug
....told you I've been busy.
Showing posts with label Back Yard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Back Yard. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Friday, October 22, 2010
Festivitrees
Ok so just in case you missed it that was supposed to be a play on "Festivities" and "Trees." Now that we have that out of the way check out the picture of these trees in my parents neighborhood. There is one yard in particular that always has some amazing fall colors, so bright and vibrant. I'm pretty jealous!
I'd love to add a lot of trees like this to our back yard so that every fall our yard is bright & beautiful. It might mean a little more work with getting all of the leaves picked up but I think it would totally be worth it.
Ginkgo Trees turn a gorgeous yellow but apparently can have a pretty foul smell as they produce their fall fruit.
Katsura Trees turn that bright gorgeous pinky-yellow color and apparently they give out a pleasant scent that reminds some of brown sugar and others claim to be spicy, sounds good to me either way!
Classic Maple trees turn that always classic bright orangey-red color or we can always get a Japanese Maple which turns the bright red in the fall.
I found a great site that lets you check out what trees work best in your area, seems pretty neat!
I'd love to add a lot of trees like this to our back yard so that every fall our yard is bright & beautiful. It might mean a little more work with getting all of the leaves picked up but I think it would totally be worth it.
Ginkgo Trees turn a gorgeous yellow but apparently can have a pretty foul smell as they produce their fall fruit.
Classic Maple trees turn that always classic bright orangey-red color or we can always get a Japanese Maple which turns the bright red in the fall.
I found a great site that lets you check out what trees work best in your area, seems pretty neat!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
U.G.L.Y.
That is exactly what our yard looks like right now. Ugly. To top it off. I give up for this year. We've mulched half the yard and I may get the inkling to mulch the other half next month but who knows, I'm frustrated with its progress right now. I had all intentions this year for aerating, fertilizing and de-weeding it but have decided to instead call it a year and start over again in the spring. On that note I'll leave you with this parting shot.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Labor Pains
First a disclaimer, that post title DOES NOT mean I'm in the least bit pregnant. Its amazing how many people have been asking when we are going to start having kids. Umm we've only been married about 5 months now.
For a lot of people Labor Day weekend means relaxation by the pool. We got some of that in as well as a little time on the lake but today was all about the house. It has now been cleaned from top to bottom, all of the laundry is done (and will soon be put away). Fresh groceries are in the fridge and meals are planned for the week.
On top of all of that we were able to pull weeds in the ENTIRE yard (the mulched part anyways) and we got one full side and the front mulched. I feel like a rockstar.
We're planning on heading to our alma mater's big game on Friday evening and will be back Saturday night. I'm thinking that we could possibly put out the rest of the mulch or start cleaning out the wooded area next Sunday. Tim doesn't know I have that idea just yet though :)
For a lot of people Labor Day weekend means relaxation by the pool. We got some of that in as well as a little time on the lake but today was all about the house. It has now been cleaned from top to bottom, all of the laundry is done (and will soon be put away). Fresh groceries are in the fridge and meals are planned for the week.
On top of all of that we were able to pull weeds in the ENTIRE yard (the mulched part anyways) and we got one full side and the front mulched. I feel like a rockstar.
We're planning on heading to our alma mater's big game on Friday evening and will be back Saturday night. I'm thinking that we could possibly put out the rest of the mulch or start cleaning out the wooded area next Sunday. Tim doesn't know I have that idea just yet though :)
Friday, August 27, 2010
Fall into place
So far this year I have learned that gardening (aka simply keeping plants alive) is not an easy task. I have managed to keep a few plants thriving and some have actually grown this year. Whodathunk!
I'd like to keep these little guys alive for next year (when I can hopefully learn a little more about gardening). I have to admit that as much as I hate the cold weather I am SO ready to have a few months off of "oh my gosh is that thing dying too!"
This week I felt the first cool breeze of the fall season which has me starting to think of what needs to be done to get "winterized." We do have a few items to put in order to get ready for the wonderful winter season (blah) so here it goes!
1. Clean up the plants - As I said we've actually had some growth this year in spite of my black thumb. I need to go ahead and trim up the bushes so come springtime when they start growing again they can have a good starting point.
2. Clean up the beds - While we are in cleaning mode we might as well go ahead and clean up all of the overgrown grass, weeds and yes even the tree attempting to grow through the porch (that is one determined little booger as I've chopped it 3 times now). This activity gets us ready for #3...
3. Mulch the beds - I've heard that this works in 2 sources of magic: a. it protects the roots from both frost and heat (maybe I should've done this earlier...); b. mulch is a natural weed suppressor (again, I should've done this earlier this year...grrr). I think this will become a regular activity for our house. Yay!
4. Plant some trees - only to replace the trees I've already killed. I may even move them back a little further (and more into the sun) now that I think about it. According to multiple sites fall is the best time to plant them, wait you mean that June just in time for summer heat is a bad time? Oh my innocence/lack of research.
5. Fertilize & seed the grass - again another place to get weeds under control but I read that we should fertilize, kill weeds and seed now as well as aerate (what the heck?) so we can get some good root growth going before winter.
6. Mow the grass properly - according to the same site instruction me to fertilize and seed the grass now they say you shouldn't give your lawn a buzz cut each time you mow. Good to know. Looks like we will be raising the mower's deck to get the 2-2.5" of grass growth.
7. Prepare the mower and weed wacker for winter - we actually won't be able to do this for a little while but once the grass quits growing it will be time for a good scrubdown, draining of the gas and replacing of the oil.
8. Figure out the safest way to store the gas - Typically we store everything under the house but I'm wondering if it will freeze under there so we may just put the gas into one of our cars and let the buckets just dry out for the winter. Its not like we will be using them anyways.
9. Organize the storage below the house - I just need to hang some hooks for the weed whacker and accessories and maybe construct some bins for gloves and the like. We shall see!
10. Figure out the flaps - are they supposed to be opened or closed for winter? You know what I'm talking about, the little holes in your foundation covered in screen and able to be open or closed. I need to get that straightened out and get it done properly. Supposedly that helps with heating/cooling costs if you do it right!
11. Save the living - Yes I do actually still have some live plants in my planter boxes and I need to get some bigger pots and figure out where I will keep them for the winter. Our garage stays incredible warm so I'm thinking that would be a good spot for the little boogers. Lets see if I can keep this up through the winter.
12. Trim the branches/clean the wooded area - We have some trees that lost branches last year and although we've cleaned out a lot of the wooded area we need to finish it up to make room for what we will lose this year. Plus it will be a big help next spring.
13. Pine straw the edge of the wooded area? - I know this sounds obsessive (I am) but I feel as though it would make everything look so much more structured. I'm not saying I'm planning on putting it throughout the wooded area, just on the edge to define it a little more.
14. Seal the cracks in the holes around the foundation - We have an unfinished portion by the crawlspace door and some caulking for the air conditioner pipes is popping out a little giving a crack there. I've seen enough of Billy the exterminator to know that I don't want those because I don't want furry little critters who want a warm place to snuggle into at night. No siree Bob!
15. Make sure our gutters are clear - with as much construction as I've seen going on next door and as many nails and other objects that I have seen in our yard I think this is pretty important for us to check on. Making sure we don't have any nails, fasteners, etc is probably a pretty important task before winter weather hits (not that we get that much).
16. Make sure the excavated part of our property is fixed - Ok technically this isn't "winterizing" but it needs to be done before winter/before the house next door is finished. The way they've added the house next door is a tight fit. I understand this but they took out 2-3 of our trees and we have a festive little mud pile going on where it was once undisturbed forestry. I've been in talks with the builder but need to get everything finalized and confirmed for the replacements I'm insisting upon.
17. Insulate our outdoor faucets? - This is something I kind of remember my dad doing but I need to see if its something we should do this year to prevent frozen/busting pipes.
Whew, that's a lot but some of it is technically stuff we should've be doing already. Oops! I'm sure we will get it all done eventually!
I'd like to keep these little guys alive for next year (when I can hopefully learn a little more about gardening). I have to admit that as much as I hate the cold weather I am SO ready to have a few months off of "oh my gosh is that thing dying too!"
This week I felt the first cool breeze of the fall season which has me starting to think of what needs to be done to get "winterized." We do have a few items to put in order to get ready for the wonderful winter season (blah) so here it goes!
1. Clean up the plants - As I said we've actually had some growth this year in spite of my black thumb. I need to go ahead and trim up the bushes so come springtime when they start growing again they can have a good starting point.
2. Clean up the beds - While we are in cleaning mode we might as well go ahead and clean up all of the overgrown grass, weeds and yes even the tree attempting to grow through the porch (that is one determined little booger as I've chopped it 3 times now). This activity gets us ready for #3...
3. Mulch the beds - I've heard that this works in 2 sources of magic: a. it protects the roots from both frost and heat (maybe I should've done this earlier...); b. mulch is a natural weed suppressor (again, I should've done this earlier this year...grrr). I think this will become a regular activity for our house. Yay!
4. Plant some trees - only to replace the trees I've already killed. I may even move them back a little further (and more into the sun) now that I think about it. According to multiple sites fall is the best time to plant them, wait you mean that June just in time for summer heat is a bad time? Oh my innocence/lack of research.
5. Fertilize & seed the grass - again another place to get weeds under control but I read that we should fertilize, kill weeds and seed now as well as aerate (what the heck?) so we can get some good root growth going before winter.
6. Mow the grass properly - according to the same site instruction me to fertilize and seed the grass now they say you shouldn't give your lawn a buzz cut each time you mow. Good to know. Looks like we will be raising the mower's deck to get the 2-2.5" of grass growth.
7. Prepare the mower and weed wacker for winter - we actually won't be able to do this for a little while but once the grass quits growing it will be time for a good scrubdown, draining of the gas and replacing of the oil.
8. Figure out the safest way to store the gas - Typically we store everything under the house but I'm wondering if it will freeze under there so we may just put the gas into one of our cars and let the buckets just dry out for the winter. Its not like we will be using them anyways.
9. Organize the storage below the house - I just need to hang some hooks for the weed whacker and accessories and maybe construct some bins for gloves and the like. We shall see!
10. Figure out the flaps - are they supposed to be opened or closed for winter? You know what I'm talking about, the little holes in your foundation covered in screen and able to be open or closed. I need to get that straightened out and get it done properly. Supposedly that helps with heating/cooling costs if you do it right!
11. Save the living - Yes I do actually still have some live plants in my planter boxes and I need to get some bigger pots and figure out where I will keep them for the winter. Our garage stays incredible warm so I'm thinking that would be a good spot for the little boogers. Lets see if I can keep this up through the winter.
12. Trim the branches/clean the wooded area - We have some trees that lost branches last year and although we've cleaned out a lot of the wooded area we need to finish it up to make room for what we will lose this year. Plus it will be a big help next spring.
13. Pine straw the edge of the wooded area? - I know this sounds obsessive (I am) but I feel as though it would make everything look so much more structured. I'm not saying I'm planning on putting it throughout the wooded area, just on the edge to define it a little more.
14. Seal the cracks in the holes around the foundation - We have an unfinished portion by the crawlspace door and some caulking for the air conditioner pipes is popping out a little giving a crack there. I've seen enough of Billy the exterminator to know that I don't want those because I don't want furry little critters who want a warm place to snuggle into at night. No siree Bob!
15. Make sure our gutters are clear - with as much construction as I've seen going on next door and as many nails and other objects that I have seen in our yard I think this is pretty important for us to check on. Making sure we don't have any nails, fasteners, etc is probably a pretty important task before winter weather hits (not that we get that much).
16. Make sure the excavated part of our property is fixed - Ok technically this isn't "winterizing" but it needs to be done before winter/before the house next door is finished. The way they've added the house next door is a tight fit. I understand this but they took out 2-3 of our trees and we have a festive little mud pile going on where it was once undisturbed forestry. I've been in talks with the builder but need to get everything finalized and confirmed for the replacements I'm insisting upon.
17. Insulate our outdoor faucets? - This is something I kind of remember my dad doing but I need to see if its something we should do this year to prevent frozen/busting pipes.
Whew, that's a lot but some of it is technically stuff we should've be doing already. Oops! I'm sure we will get it all done eventually!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
The Death Penalty
Thats is what I've regulated anything in our yard to. Death. Our poor flower boxes, deadish, I forgot to water them for about a week during the hottest part of the year. Whoops! The Creeping Jenny (yes its really called that) is doing great besides the fact that it is creeping into everyone else's space as well and killing it all off. Those Jennys, always trouble.
I don't know what happened to these guys but one is dead and the other is almost there
This guy, he died, then he came back to life, looks like he might be back to his death cycle.
The bright spot in all of this is that we have on spot in our yard that is nice and green...
Why yes those are weeds everywhere under the porch and you would be correct in the fact that we have a tree growing up through our stairs. The joys of homeownership continue...
I don't know what happened to these guys but one is dead and the other is almost there
This guy, he died, then he came back to life, looks like he might be back to his death cycle.
The bright spot in all of this is that we have on spot in our yard that is nice and green...
Why yes those are weeds everywhere under the porch and you would be correct in the fact that we have a tree growing up through our stairs. The joys of homeownership continue...
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The Great Outdoors
In honor of a picnic by the lake that Tim & I will be taking tonight where we will get to enjoy a jazz concert I decided to blog about the outside & yard of our humble abode.
You've seen this image before but here is a refresher of the front of our house.
And now the back.
The sides. A friend joked the other day that we shouldn't consider the people moving in next door as neighbors but roommates and that we could add a gangplank between our houses to visit each other, isn't that a lovely idea?
Here is what the view from our front door looks like. They are starting to build some houses across the street. I have mixed emotions about this, I'm pretty excited about getting new neighbors but the idea of enduring hammering, sawing and drilling at 7AM, 7 days a week is not my idea of fun. At all.
Here is what the view from our back deck looks like. Our property line goes all the way down to the corner of the white fence and over through the woods a little. We've got a GREAT backyard that I can't wait to fence in and get a little more use out of although our grass is still working hard to grow!
Things we have left to do here:
1. Get a Fence - This is both for a practical reason as well as aesthetic reason. Practically we need a fence so our curious little one doesn't wander off without us. Aesthetically we can't afford as many trees and bushes as I'd want to make our yard a private little oasis but we are allowed to put up 4 ft of solid fence and 2 ft of lattice and I'll take it. We're planning it putting it about halfway up on the sides of the house and all the way down through the yard to the very end of our lot. This is going to be a ridiculous endeavor to stain but will be completely worth it when its all said and done.
2. Paint the garage door & the vent - We (i.e. I) were pretty specific on the color we wanted our trim to be and the garage door didn't come in that specific color so we've got white. Not a huge deal but at some point I'd like to paint it and the vent way up above the door that is also white the same color as our trim. I don't think it will take that long and I'm pretty sure we still have a good amount of that paint leftover, I just haven't gotten around to it just yet.
3. Landscaping - This is more in regard to the backyard. I'm wanting to add in a ton of trees to give the yard some shade and again more privacy. As much as I'm not a fan of yellows, oranges and reds in my house I love it when trees change so brightly in the fall and want to get a lot of those in there.
4. Flatten out the dip in the yard - You can see it a little in this photo back when the house was still under construction if you look where the line of the shadows is. Its essentially a drainage ditch and I have this feeling that its either very expensive or just not feasible to do but we'd like to put a drainage pipe in and cover it with dirt and sod to make everything a bit more level to install our privacy fence, plus that is the perfect spot for a future firepit.
5. Build a firepit - Cold fall & winter nights (ok maybe not the dead of winter but the beginning & end perhaps) would be made so much better with a firepit to hang around, roast marshmallows in and just relax in front of. I love this one and how its actually almost in the ground. All we'd have to do is place some Adirondack chairs around it, throw some wood in and we'd be ready to go!
6. Get a hammock - I have the perfect shady spot that will be nice and private once our fence is put in. I'm so looking forward to stretching out on a cool summer day and taking a nap while pup plays in the yard...oh bliss. (The water would be a nice addition but that's not happening)
7. Waterproof the upper deck & screen in the bottom - They have these really neat systems that waterproof the area underneath a deck by grabbing the water and funneling through a channel system and to downspouts. You can then add decorative paneling so no one ever knows the difference. Ever since we saw how amazing our porch was going to be I've been dreaming of leveling out the bottom portion of it, cementing the ground and putting up screening. This is a very long-term goal but I'm already super excited about it.
8. Build in steps - This is actually in regard to the side of the house. Its quite the workout to walk up it much less to have to mow it even with one that is self-propelled. I've envisioned something like this but I'm thinking its way above our price range and we'd never get that investment back but I'm sure we can figure out a less expensive fix to make something similar...eventually.
You've seen this image before but here is a refresher of the front of our house.
And now the back.
The sides. A friend joked the other day that we shouldn't consider the people moving in next door as neighbors but roommates and that we could add a gangplank between our houses to visit each other, isn't that a lovely idea?
Here is what the view from our front door looks like. They are starting to build some houses across the street. I have mixed emotions about this, I'm pretty excited about getting new neighbors but the idea of enduring hammering, sawing and drilling at 7AM, 7 days a week is not my idea of fun. At all.
Here is what the view from our back deck looks like. Our property line goes all the way down to the corner of the white fence and over through the woods a little. We've got a GREAT backyard that I can't wait to fence in and get a little more use out of although our grass is still working hard to grow!
Things we have left to do here:
1. Get a Fence - This is both for a practical reason as well as aesthetic reason. Practically we need a fence so our curious little one doesn't wander off without us. Aesthetically we can't afford as many trees and bushes as I'd want to make our yard a private little oasis but we are allowed to put up 4 ft of solid fence and 2 ft of lattice and I'll take it. We're planning it putting it about halfway up on the sides of the house and all the way down through the yard to the very end of our lot. This is going to be a ridiculous endeavor to stain but will be completely worth it when its all said and done.
2. Paint the garage door & the vent - We (i.e. I) were pretty specific on the color we wanted our trim to be and the garage door didn't come in that specific color so we've got white. Not a huge deal but at some point I'd like to paint it and the vent way up above the door that is also white the same color as our trim. I don't think it will take that long and I'm pretty sure we still have a good amount of that paint leftover, I just haven't gotten around to it just yet.
3. Landscaping - This is more in regard to the backyard. I'm wanting to add in a ton of trees to give the yard some shade and again more privacy. As much as I'm not a fan of yellows, oranges and reds in my house I love it when trees change so brightly in the fall and want to get a lot of those in there.
4. Flatten out the dip in the yard - You can see it a little in this photo back when the house was still under construction if you look where the line of the shadows is. Its essentially a drainage ditch and I have this feeling that its either very expensive or just not feasible to do but we'd like to put a drainage pipe in and cover it with dirt and sod to make everything a bit more level to install our privacy fence, plus that is the perfect spot for a future firepit.
5. Build a firepit - Cold fall & winter nights (ok maybe not the dead of winter but the beginning & end perhaps) would be made so much better with a firepit to hang around, roast marshmallows in and just relax in front of. I love this one and how its actually almost in the ground. All we'd have to do is place some Adirondack chairs around it, throw some wood in and we'd be ready to go!
6. Get a hammock - I have the perfect shady spot that will be nice and private once our fence is put in. I'm so looking forward to stretching out on a cool summer day and taking a nap while pup plays in the yard...oh bliss. (The water would be a nice addition but that's not happening)
7. Waterproof the upper deck & screen in the bottom - They have these really neat systems that waterproof the area underneath a deck by grabbing the water and funneling through a channel system and to downspouts. You can then add decorative paneling so no one ever knows the difference. Ever since we saw how amazing our porch was going to be I've been dreaming of leveling out the bottom portion of it, cementing the ground and putting up screening. This is a very long-term goal but I'm already super excited about it.
8. Build in steps - This is actually in regard to the side of the house. Its quite the workout to walk up it much less to have to mow it even with one that is self-propelled. I've envisioned something like this but I'm thinking its way above our price range and we'd never get that investment back but I'm sure we can figure out a less expensive fix to make something similar...eventually.
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