I will admit it - I have never been a fan of keeping up with the Joneses. While my neighbors have beautiful chemical laden front lawns, I have a scraggly brown patch that struggles to grown. While they spent hundreds of dollars each Spring for pink and white flowers to plant over every inch of their front yard, my plants are lucky if they get watered during the height of the summer heat. Flowers just don't stand a chance around here. Honestly, we just put our focus and money elsewhere. We spent a lot of both in the back yard - our garden has come such a long way since we moved in, and with the new garden fence that we put in framing it, it's looking better than ever. Of course, you cant see the garden from the front yard, so nobody gets to see that we really are capable of growing things. We spend our money and time taking our kids camping, to the beach, on grand adventures - not on $300 watering bills and 20 pound bags of chemicals. We just have different priorities, and I havent really let it bother me much in the past. But I felt differently this summer - almost a little ashamed of how un-pretty our yard looks. I started adding things to our to-do list; put in new plants, work on getting the lawn healthier, maybe even some bulbs for the spring and barkdust to add a little extra oomph.
Then, we got some news that had us feeling like sprucing up the place could potentially be a really great idea (more on that in the next post). We decided to take some of the things that we had on our list for next Spring and get them done now. Why do tomorrow what you can do today, right?
So we planted some bushes in the previously bare dirt under the windows (I know they are small now, but in time they will fill the space in much better):
(this picture was taken long after this post was started, which is why there are Christmas lights and extension cords everywhere)
We laid down 7.5 cubic yards of bark dust, and meticulously edged our lawn into a cute little kidney bean shape:
I borrowed a pressure washer from a friend, and proceeded to spend the next two days of my life pressure washing everything that was nailed down within my reach. Behold the differences!
Front walkway:
Driveway:
Side fence which will be replaced next year, but for now just got a makeover:
And for the arachnophobes out there, the biggest spider I have ever had the un-pleasure of seeing - blasted out from his hiding spot behind the gutter drain:
Ewwww. He was gigantic and gross, and not so sadly, blasted into outer space by my high powered jet of water once I put my camera away. *shudder*
The outside wasn't the only place getting spruced up! Our master bathroom (which is so small, its kind of a joke to call it a "master" anything) got some work done to it too. See the sad, sad before picture:
And the pretty, pretty after:
We didn't replace that ugly vanity, but we did replace the plastic trim with Killian's help, while Matthew and our friend Brett tore out the hideous old toilet:
Brett helped Matthew replaced the ugly linoleum, while Angie pressure washed the deck and I rocked baby Callie to sleep in my arms. I definitely ended up with the better end of that deal. And the floor ended up looking amazing!
Angie and I cooked a feast for dinner to quench the appetites our guys worked up installing the new flooring and toilet:
And the next weekend Matthew and I figured out how to install baseboards, which was at the same time harder and easier than I thought it would be. I don't understand how that works.
And then, the bathroom was done! And the outside is pretty! And my garden is still the best in the cul de sac, so it looks like people are going to start having to do some keeping up with us, cause we are most definitely on a roll here! It feels awesome to check so many things off our list. I am actually looking forward to Springtime so we can get back to work and do some more!
Then, we got some news that had us feeling like sprucing up the place could potentially be a really great idea (more on that in the next post). We decided to take some of the things that we had on our list for next Spring and get them done now. Why do tomorrow what you can do today, right?
So we planted some bushes in the previously bare dirt under the windows (I know they are small now, but in time they will fill the space in much better):
(this picture was taken long after this post was started, which is why there are Christmas lights and extension cords everywhere)
We laid down 7.5 cubic yards of bark dust, and meticulously edged our lawn into a cute little kidney bean shape:
I borrowed a pressure washer from a friend, and proceeded to spend the next two days of my life pressure washing everything that was nailed down within my reach. Behold the differences!
Front walkway:
Driveway:
Side fence which will be replaced next year, but for now just got a makeover:
And for the arachnophobes out there, the biggest spider I have ever had the un-pleasure of seeing - blasted out from his hiding spot behind the gutter drain:
Ewwww. He was gigantic and gross, and not so sadly, blasted into outer space by my high powered jet of water once I put my camera away. *shudder*
The outside wasn't the only place getting spruced up! Our master bathroom (which is so small, its kind of a joke to call it a "master" anything) got some work done to it too. See the sad, sad before picture:
And the pretty, pretty after:
We didn't replace that ugly vanity, but we did replace the plastic trim with Killian's help, while Matthew and our friend Brett tore out the hideous old toilet:
Brett helped Matthew replaced the ugly linoleum, while Angie pressure washed the deck and I rocked baby Callie to sleep in my arms. I definitely ended up with the better end of that deal. And the floor ended up looking amazing!
Angie and I cooked a feast for dinner to quench the appetites our guys worked up installing the new flooring and toilet:
And the next weekend Matthew and I figured out how to install baseboards, which was at the same time harder and easier than I thought it would be. I don't understand how that works.
And then, the bathroom was done! And the outside is pretty! And my garden is still the best in the cul de sac, so it looks like people are going to start having to do some keeping up with us, cause we are most definitely on a roll here! It feels awesome to check so many things off our list. I am actually looking forward to Springtime so we can get back to work and do some more!