Landscaping, Finally!

Thursday after Steven got home I snapped some pictures from the curb of my guys rocking in the new(old) rocker and realized that I haven't shared any landscaping pictures yet!

Below is a picture of the yard in early autumn, when that shrub(formally known as the Beast) had to be hacked down again for the second time. Our yard has looked like this ever since we've lived in our house....so it really wasn't too surprising when we had multiple neighbors introduce themselves to us while we were working and treat us like we'd just moved in. Woopsies! 

"Welcome to the neighborhood!"

"Oh thanks! But actually we've been here almost three years..."

The Beast got all prettied up and we're letting him stay. We added Silver Dragon Liriope around the base and planted two shade-loving Box Honeysuckles called Lonicera Edmee Gold in the Beast's shadow.

Here's a picture from the day we cut the beds out in March...lots of hard work all in one day! Perfect unseasonably warm winter weather to start working outdoors.

I think it's important to note that Steven is wearing the exact same shirt in these pictures doing yard work as the one months ago slicing at The Beast.....I suppose I should mention that as I type this in the sun on our front porch, Steven is wearing the same shirt again..."It's my favorite shirt!" he says.

Here's one of my favorite pictures from that day:

So here we did an assortment of Mediterranean White Heather which blooms in winter and Azaleas called The Robe that have beautiful variegated(thanks for that new word Mom!)leaves.

In the corner we planted a Phantom Hydrangea that will bloom around mid-June and I've heard that the blooms can last almost until September!

I am so happy with our front yard and it was so worth it to get over my fear of putting plants in the ground and them dying on me! So far they're doing great!

We still have some work to do on the right side of the house. Three Holly bushes wait patiently to be planted in the ground! 

Now we're off to the Blue Plum Festival once Finner wakes up! Oh, and remember how I'm a sucker for big stories with impossible feats and when good fights to overcome evil? Snow White and The Huntsman is a great example of my favorite kind of story...if you're anything like me, go see it!

Allison

Recreated Crate

I've been stealing from my son's nursery(can I even call it that anymore? He's getting so big!) a lot lately...first the curtains and now his wooden crate.
I found a pair of these old crates while antiquing with my mom just a few short months before Finn was born. I brought them home and decided to put casters(fancy word for wheels) on one of them.
Then I put it in Finn's room to hold toys and books.

But, after seeing an idea on Pinterest, I wanted the crate for my rosemary! So I took it and lined it with some thin fabric to keep the soil inside. I guess you could use black plastic as well and it would blend in better with the soil.
I used a staple gun to fasten the five pieces of fabric.

I put some gravel pieces on the bottom after cutting a few slits into the fabric so that water can drain easily.

Then I transplanted the rosemary...I'm hoping it'll get even bigger, like shrub size!
I plan on doing the same to the crate's match and using these for little herb gardens to wheel around the back patio before I get comfortable enough planting into the ground...I have anxieties about plants dying once they're in the ground.

Oh, and we started landscaping the front yard-so excited about how "grown up" the front of our house is looking!

Allison

A Lesson on Being Old-Fashioned & a Painted Porch

Earlier this afternoon I decided to give Finn a bath on the front porch in a rubbermaid bin while Steven mowed the yard. I thought this sounded like a wonderful idea.

Then, as cars passed by, I began thinking how redneck it must look. I later convinced myself that it wasn't redneck, but rather the fact that I had my naked baby sudsing up in the front yard for the whole world to see was old-fashioned. I prefer old-fashioned.

Two weekends ago Steven painted our porch.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

We still have work to do on the sides of the porch.

What do you think? Too blue? I've seriously been asking everyone.

Before: Our porch consisted of patchy black raised pieces that were left over from when astroturf used to cover the surface. Can you imagine this house with an astroturf porch?? There were also random sections of cement, gray, and white, which equals barf porch.

cement + gray + white + black + random tufts of green turf = barf porch.

So, really, I don't think there's any way it could look worse. Even if we had painted it fire engine red, at least it would all be one unified color.

I actually think that the sun over these few weeks has toned down the color's brightness and made it more subtle. Either that or I'm getting used to it. Plus, I think it looks better with dusty footprints scattering dirt all around, makes it look worn. In a good way. If worn can be good? I think so, yes. Just like being old-fashioned is the new redneck.

Soon, I can let my son do whatever he wants (well, almost) without clothes on, because we'll have a place to hang out in the backyard. So excited!

Oh, and my son already needs a second haircut. Bad. And we're going to a wedding tomorrow. I decided to write this off as old-fashioned as well...

Same for when he doesn't wear shoes...Or for when I find blades of grass still clenched in his hand right before bedtime.

Oh and I finished Stephanie Nielson's book Heaven is Here. If you're into touching stories told by strong, beautiful real-life women then you should pick this one up. Especially if you're a mother, want to be a mother, are freaked out that you're a mother, need encouragement to continue being a mother, etc etc etc. If you're stuck on the trivialities of life and could use a good shaking awake, Stephanie's story might do the trick.

Happy Graduation!!

Allison

Outdoor Color Scheming

Last week Steven and I picked out the color that we'll be painting the porch. After getting a brand new beautiful solid wood door, we finally decided on Night View by Valspar. (Which looks a lot more gray and a lot less navy online than in real life)

It was around that same time that I ran across this lovely pattern on an outdoor pillow at Bed, Bath & Beyond. With a 20% off coupon I left the store with it for about $8.00. 

With this pattern I established the color scheme for our front porch.

Our old front door was black; so was our mailbox and porch lights. The mailbox got a new coat of paint called Cobalt Cannon. 

I adore Valspar spray paint, it never lets me down!

I took Finn with me to check out a local store called Sparrow's Nest to see what little additions I could find. I got this itty bitty wreath for our new door.

I cut a strip of gray fabric, strung it through the wreath, and nailed it to the top of the door.

These plant hangers came with the house and even though I do love the worn look of them and sage-green color, I thought it was time to add them to the scheme.

Primed and ready to go!

Here's the improved plant hanger in Cobalt Cannon next to its unfinished counterpart.

This year I opted out of planting Sweet Potato Vine, even though I do love it. I grabbed Creeping Jenny instead. I have no idea how it'll do, but I'm hopeful, and I love its bright green color!

I really hope it grows because from the sidewalk you can't even see that there's anything planted in the baskets.

Here's our porch in July last year vs. our porch yesterday:

The porch floor would've been painted by now if the weather had held out for us; so we still have painting to do and new porch lights to purchase and install. The little side table by the chair I purchased for super cheap at TJ Maxx and plan on painting it as well.

I also got two Coleus plants, one for us, and one for our new neighbors who'll be moving in next door soon...yay!

Finn's excited (and it looks as if he's a tad bit uneasy too) about having a girl move in next door who's exactly two months older!

Happy Earth Day!

Allison