Yard Work

Wine of the Day:  Fat Bastard - Cabernet Sauvignon

Since we got back from the honeymoon the weather has been warming up and we have been doing a ton of yard work.  Both the front and back yards needed some TLC. 

We started in the front by tearing out three 20 year old bushes and their broken planter box.  The center bush had started to die while the other two became overgrown.  We thought about salvaging the planter to plant something else but it appeared to be beyond repair so the whole thing had to go. 

 

 

Next we moved onto the tree.  For reasons unknown the base of the tree had a mulch area three times larger than necessary.  You can see in the picture how it spans almost from one side of the yard to the other.  We decided to take that down a bit to be a more reasonable size. 

 

We now have a beautifully grass seeded front yard that is starting to be green again!

 

Onto the back yard...

 

This is what we were working with.  A lot of dead plants, old mulch and some sort of ivy that was taking over one corner.  We also had an AC unit that was about 2" underground, but as you can see that was already taken care of.  Our row of houses has been known to flood too so we wanted to elevate more towards the house and have the land slope away gradually.  We also have a deck on the second floor that shades some of the yard too much for grass to grow.  We decided to use the white marble chips around the deck and then have grass our in the yard where it is not as shady. 

 

 

The white rocks give it a much cleaner look and feels like an extension of the deck.  We also added about 20 feet of gutter to keep the water away from the house and drain at the back of the yard.  Last fall we significantly cut back the bush in the corner because it was overgrown and unhealthy looking.  So far it has come back looking great and I can't wait to see what color the flowers are (I think they're purple).  Grass seed has been planted and has started to peak up through the hay!

 

The cats don't go outdoors but they would sit in the windows and watch us work. 

 

 

 

Now we need to invest in a lawn mower and get the decks washed and stained.

 

cheers,

k



Rearranging the First Floor

Wine of the Day:  Vendage - Merlot

Brian and I have slowly been working on finishing touches for the house.  The wainscot is up and painted and completed! 

After seeing how great the final product looked we also decided to rearrange some furniture.  We moved the book shelves out of the dining room and into the back room by the kitchen to create more of a den.  This also allowed us to hang more of our wall art and our wine rack up.  We had been struggling to find the perfect place for the wine rack and the chalk board but now it seems we have found them the perfect homes.

 

 



We also received bar stools we had been wanting for Christmas to create the perfect breakfast bar/ hang out spot.

 

 

The wood color ties in perfectly with our dining room set and bookshelves.  It's also become one of Brutus's favorite places to nap. 

 

We have temporarily moved the loveseat into the living room but plan to rearrange the living room once we finish the basement.  For now we have a cat nap trap...

 

 

 

We've also caught Bria sitting on the chair.

 

And, I came home one day to see this owl perched on our deck railing.





After the wedding we will get all of our new light fixtures hung; also Christmas presents. We also plan to get the basement painted and furnished ASAP!

Cheers, k