Hit the Deck

I want to start this post by saying how thankful I am to have a husband who knows how to skillfully wield a paint brush. He learned from the best - my father-in-law, Denny, owns his own painting company. Andrew did an amazing job staining our decks!


In an effort to continue "beautifying" our home's exterior, we decided it was time to stain both the front and back decks. A task no one wants to do. I can hear the groans of those reading this just thinking about it. Andrew tackled the smaller front deck on his own, to see how it would go.

He power-washed it in the fall, but we didn't actually start staining until Memorial Day weekend. We needed a stretch of weather without rain (and the motivation of summer) to do it. To prep the wood, he gave it a light sanding and swept it really well. 

As you can see, it was in rough shape. It looked so weathered and discolored. 

He used a large paint brush and a small roller to apply the stain.

We used Home Depot's Behr Solid Color Waterproofing Wood Stain, color "Russet." It worked beautifully, and Denny recommended it, so we knew it would be good.

The result was dramatic - what a difference! 

I love the new rich uniform color and the contrast of the sienna/brown against our tan siding.

It looks so warm and welcoming. I actually like to sit on that bench from time to time and take a little time out. 

Now that the front deck was a success, the BIG deck is next...it's only about 8 times the size of the front deck! 

Bye Bye Evergreen Bushes

Welcome to our home. Prior to this past weekend, if you tried to approach our front door, you might not be able to make it up the front steps because evergreen bushes would overtake you. My sincere apologies.

What bushes you ask? These bushes. 

Two giant evergreen type monsters that kept growing out of control, with no pretty way to shape them. 

The more I looked at them, the more they reminded me of Oscar the grouch. It's very possible that a trash can could have been hidden in them. Andrew hated them and has wanted to rip them out for a long time. We both were ready to see them go. 

Our weapons of choice: pruning shears, a knife, "lucky machete" (name that movie), a shovel and a giant crowbar.

Who needs a chainsaw when your husband has muscles like these? He did most of the work. I just helped.

The roots/stumps were the most difficult part. We dug, chopped and hacked them loose. Sweet victory! 

We couldn't believe the difference! Those unsightly bushes were taking up SO MUCH space. 

Now, we can actually see the front of our house (and the steps). We can invest in some more landscaping and hopefully make the existing beds look better. 

We haven't paid much attention to this part of the house, but we would like to. We haven't decided if we want to extend landscaping in front of the walkway, where the new empty patch of dirt is. Or if we want to plant grass and concentrate on the beds that are currently in place against the house.

We also have plans to paint the front door and possibly the shutters, along with staining the deck. What we really want, is to have "Yard Crashers" come help us, but I have a feeling that won't happen. 

Here's a look at the before and after, sans bushes. What an improvement! Now to figure out what to do with the rest of the space...

A Time To Plant

After a looooong stretch of continuous rain, this weekend was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining Saturday morning and I couldn't wait to get outside and do some gardening. We took a trip to Lowes and The Garden Factory to pick up some flowers and herbs, a bag of soil and two bags of grub killer. Yup. Our lawn needs help in the fight against grubs. Yuck.

A couple weeks ago I found this adorable set of three pink metal planters with tray, on clearance for $1.97 at Joanne Fabrics. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. 

Enter fresh herbs. 

Sweet basil, for pasta dishes and caprese salad. 

Italian flat leaf parsley, to make-a-the-sauce-and-meat-a-balls. 

Sweet mint, I have big plans for you. Ever since I saw Rich's post about Minty Mojito's I knew I needed to get some mint and try this refreshing drink recipe. Soon minty leaves....soon. 

Do you like my cute little herb garden? The bright pink against the vibrant green makes me smile. The scent in itself is delicious. 

I also found these eco-friendly turquoise pots at Joann Fabrics, made from recycled materials, for 50% off. They were $6 each. I am done with terracotta pots. I had a couple that broke and I was disappointed I wouldn't be able to use them this year. I like these replacements. 

I did have some other empty containers to re-use as well. 

Bringing me to The Garden Factory is like bringing a kid to a candy store. Row upon row of gorgeous blooms in so many colors. I love flowers. I really do. Each one so unique, exquisite, beautiful. I was in the market for geraniums. They do really well on our deck and bloom for a long time. I seem to have the most success with them, so I was going to fill all my containers with them. Dark red, magenta and light pink. 

They really liven up the deck and our front porch! 

Our deck is one of the things I love most about our house. I try to spend as much time out there as possible. (Don't mind the greenish looking steps, we need to re-stain it) The house I grew up in had a wooden deck with built in seating. I played out there all summer. Mom grew parsley on one side of the deck and some years Dad had a vegetable garden. 

I really enjoy our 12 piece patio set, which was one of our first Craigslist purchases. It came with everything - glass table, umbrella and stand, 6 adjustable reclining chairs, two footrests and a small glass side table. It's held up really well. The table could use a new coat of paint. I love eating meals out there or relaxing with a book. 

Can't forget our little tomato plant from Aunt Mary's Easter basket. Now at home in a bigger pot (that spade came in handy). Hopefully we'll get a couple of good tomatoes! 

I bought a hanging basket for our front porch because I love "fuchsia". These flowers are incredible to me. My Dad used to hang them on our front porch. 

Bright pink exteriors bloom to reveal such purple flowers. What a gorgeous combination! I just learned that this flower was first discovered on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which is now the Dominican Republic and Haiti. We are going on vacation to the Dominican Republic, for the first time. I am CRAZY excited! Maybe I'll see some fuchsia in their natural environment. Along with sandy beaches and swaying palm trees...


Spending time outside gardening with the sun shining overhead was like water to my soul. All this rain and gloom was starting to get to me. I need Vitamin D! There's nothing like digging your hands in some dirt (with gloves on of course), and surrounding yourself with God's beautiful creation.

Spring Yard Cleaning 2011

Our yard took a bit of a beating this winter. There was a lot of snow and strong winds that sent tree branches every which way. And the leaves. Who can forget the leaves?

You may remember the sea of leaves we spent hours raking last fall. Try as we may, we just couldn't get to every single leaf pile before it snowed (can you blame us??). Thus, some were buried all winter long. Until spring came, the snow melted, and there they were again. Surprise. 

We spent some time raking and cleaning out brush in an effort to save our lawn. As soon as  the weather was nice I was ready to get outside, breathe some fresh air and try to make our yard a little more sightly. 

When I laid eyes on this disaster, I had to do something about it. We inherited this rotting wood pile next to our (sad) shed, from the previous owners. It's been on my to-do list for a while. Old boards from when the deck was built, decaying firewood, tiki torches (not from any party we had), a ladder, branches. It looked like a dump! 

Dump no more! In a couple of hours, I hauled everything out of there and raked it clean! It looks soooo much better. 

The next day, I tackled the other side of the fence, where the rotting wood dump continued. That side was even worse because there were vines entangled in everything and stuff had been sitting there longer. Ugh. 

Presto change-o! It feels so good to have that mess out of there! It was a lot of work, I'm not gonna lie. I still have to clean out the area behind the shed, but that's for another day. There is no shortage of work to be done when it comes to our big back yard. But we're making progress!