making the garden grow!

This weekend we had unexpectedly beautiful weather! What a luxury to see the blue skies and sunshine for two whole days in a row without any rain: let's keep that coming Michigan! We also had our first "free" weekend in over a month so we were able to get lots of work done in the yard.

On Saturday we spent a lot of the day weeding the beds around the backyard. We have had lots of rain recently so the garden bags we filled were supppper heavy by the time we were finished! Thankfully most of the big weeds came right out because of the wet soil so at least there was a silver lining. For some reason I only took before pictures of the weeding, probably because it barely looks like we have made a dent; we still have lot's more work to do!

     

Wasn't it just a lovely sight? Those beautiful dated rocks, fill the bed below the biggest tree in our yard and are currently below the swing near our patio. They are a mess: there is barely one layer of rocks left and the weeds just flourish... but are SO HARD TO PULL! Needless to say that was a labor of love.

We also did a lot of work on our garden plot where the shed used to be. On the Saturday before Mother's Day, Rob and I spend a good part of the day hauling dirt from the front of the house to the back to fill the huge hole (which was filled with water from all the rain). But after hours and many many full wheelbarrows we completed filling our new "dirt water bed". Honestly, when you walked on the newly dumped dirt everything around you would shift like walking on a water bed. Hilarious really.

Thankfully after a week of semi dry weather we were able to make leaps and bounds towards our raised garden bed plan! We detoured a little and made some changes, "best laid plans..." as they say, but overall we are loving the progress and can't wait to get some plants in the beds!

     

We actually built the beds last weekend and they have been stacked on our patio for the last week just waiting to find their home! We used treated 2x12's to make the boxes, which is nice and heavy and won't rot once all the soil is dumped. We want these to last for a couple of years so we decided to spend a couple extra dollars to get the nicer option. We ran out yesterday to get some mulch to spread once the beds were in place. We decided on the cheapest option with no added color so our two Australian Shepherds wouldn't get sick or be tempted to eat the mulch. So far so good!

Once we placed the beds and our (once again awesome) neighbor helped us stand on and pound them in to sink them a bit, we were able to lay down the landscapers cloth. It's about 24$ for 100 feet at English Garden's and we have lots left over. We decided to lay this down to prevent as many weeds as possible from sprouting through the mulch.

     

After laying the mulch around the edges of the beds to get the cloth to stay in place we decided that adding stepping stones would create a more substantial feeling for this area of the yard. We had paver stones piled up against the house that had been ripped out of the "original" front yard to make way for our beautiful new walkway. We are so happy that we hadn't gotten rid of these prior to making these beds, we like the way it turned out with them and we also saved quite a bit of cash on the mulch that would have taken their place!

This is what we have so far. Absolutely NOT finished but we are getting there! We are going to mulch out into the yard a bit (where all the "grass" is dead) to make the area look a bit more substantial. More progress should be made this week and we are excited for the final result! Stay posted!!

Side note: Of course the girls had a ball romping through the mud before it was covered; those are some happy pups! 

getting back on the renovation wagon

Well everyone, we are so behind, we've only posted twice this month and that's just crazy. This month has flown by!

We spent the first part of the month working a lot and preparing for vacation so we didn't have much time to start any big projects! From the 14th to the 23rd we were on vacation: we had a great time with Rob's family in Memphis, New Orleans, Gulf Shores and Nashville! We drove a total of 34 hours+ over the vacation but it was worth it for some fun in the sun!

   

      

   

We really enjoyed our time experiencing new places and finding some treasures along the way. I think that my favorite place was New Orleans, it was so full of life and character, I could spend days and days just walking around! Gulf Shores was definitely relaxing, we walked the beach, laid in the sun and ate some delicious seafood. 

I can't wait to get all my treasures cleaned up and decide what to use them for... any ideas!? 

We have some projects in the works for April that we are excited to start (and finish)!

• painting baseboards in the living and dining room
• refinishing the stairs from the main floor to the upstairs bedroom
• creating some new organization in the basement
• tearing down outdoor shed
• building up garden beds and fence in garden areas
• re-finish patio furniture and reupholster appropriate items

We've got some big work to do but it should be very fun! 

spring is sprouting

As I mentioned a while back in our post about our backyard plans, I have been very excited to get our seeds started for our new and improved yard and garden! Even though there is still snow on the ground (and sometimes falling from the sky...boo!) we are hopeful and looking forward to the day when it's all gone! It helps to have little green sprouts starting to show in the basement where we have started our first batch of veggies and flowers! 

Unfortunately, we don't have a great place in the basement for a "sunny" all the time spot as is recommended for most seeds. Our basement is just an underground room with tiny windows at the top of the walls. I looked online for a solution to this lack of light and found an option that only cost us about $25 from Home Depot (fixture plus two light bulbs). 

   

This is definitely not going to be a permanent fixture in our basement as it intrudes into a large portion of our "finished basement" but it's perfect for what we need for the next 8ish weeks. The chain makes the light adjustable as the plants grow and it's big enough that it covers two of the seedling starter trays. 

I've never started seeds before so when I went to the store to get a "starter kit" I looked at all my options and this seemed like the best one. It has 72 cells and it self waters for up to 10 days. I still check on the moisture level every once in a while but it's nice to know that we can leave and it's still going to be ok for a couple of days! 

So far I have started Tomato, Onion, Eggplant, Sage, Rosemary and two types of flowers that we will be planting with our veggies for maximum pollination, etc. The starter kit comes with grid sheets so you don't forget what you planted where! Aren't they clever? 

It's almost like Spring has sprung seeing some little sprouts popping out of the soil! They look so fragile now but it's going to be so fun to see them grow and eventually get transplanted to our backyard! 

Has anyone else started their seeds? Any wise words for this newbie? Please, oh please, impart your wisdom! 

confessions of a DIY life

We have proverbially broken into the "can of worms" territory! Oh yes, we have. So far we have been quite careful making sure to take things one step at a time but today I find myself elbow deep in that can of worms we tried so hard to keep closed. It was somewhat of an accident (doesn't everyone say that?!) but here we are. 

It all started with the new vanity for the bathroom, which you haven't seen because we are still working in the bathroom (hello can of worms). After installing the vanity with a fair amount of ease we looked around, ok I (Lindsey) looked around, and saw other things that needed some love. It all starts with love... please believe me. 

After deciding to paint the laundry chute, I also decided to take the medicine cabinet apart and sand and paint that, and then to top it all off I took down the shelves from above the toilet to make sure those were sealed properly. ALL really great ideas, but I shouldn't have decided to do them at the same time. My dad always said "one thing at a time, Lindsey" and I should have listened!

   

After the first coat on the medicine cabinet (in the same color as the hallway ceiling) I realized that it was going to take many coats and even a sealant to make this paint job last. These pictures are from one coat (left) and post sanding (right). The difference, even so far, is great! It make the medicine cabinet look much richer and it stands out against the white wall along with the hooks and the soon-to-be-reattached shelves. This should be finished by tomorrow; between drying time and jetting to and from work, this is taking longer than it should have! 

I also got my Polycrylic out to seal the shelves and they are already showing some vast improvement. This picture is from one coat and once they have the proper two (or three depending on how I think they look) they will get hung up and redecorated. WOOT! 

I can't wait to show all of you these minor, phase one changes that create an updated look in our bathroom. It's all coming along. 

Meanwhile, I've also been dreaming of spring and obsessing over our garden plans: you can just call me Nana! 

Enjoy the sun everyone! 

Until next time - L

trying our hand at sustainability

This was me in ACO Hardware yesterday buying seeds for a discount at their changing ownership sale. Rob always laughs at me for getting so excited about the simple things but in reality isn't that a good thing?! Please just say yes. 

I got home and laid out all my packets, knowing I had inevitably bought way too much of certain items but not caring because I am starting from scratch this year! Our (awesome, can't believe we got so lucky) neighbors had a great selection of veggies and herbs when we moved in last fall and after my small attempt to grow veggies on our apartment patio last year, I decided that I would be a big girl this year and start from seed. Also, Greg (one of those awesome neighbors) knows a lot about it and I may have to pick his brain!! 

Last year we bought some already grown plants from the farmer's market near our apartment and transplanted them into small pots on our patio. They did ok but they definitely did not flourish the way they should have. I barely did any research and I bought the wrong dirt, so... that didn't help them at all. What little we yielded was exciting but not necessarily a sustainable process. 

This year we have a YARD! This year I have started my research early! This year we are setting ourselves up for success!

Here is our plan: mind it's hand drawn (pardon my handwriting) and we have to wait to see exactly where the sun falls once there are shadows again but it's a general idea of what we are thinking and dreaming about for our backyard space. Finger's crossed I can get a general idea today because the sun is actually shining! 

The most exciting thing is that we have space to work with and some decent existing plants that will contribute to the overall look and beauty of the yard! 

We are going half-sie with our neighbors on a new fence this spring (just along one side of the yard) to replace the chain link fence that has seen better days! That and tearing down the moldy, dilapidated shed in the back, will be our first steps at rebuilding this yard!  

Bye shed! You're cute, but you are rotting and you smell terrible!

So far we have these seeds: 

• Herbs: Oregano, Basil, Rosemary, Cilantro, and Flat Leaf Parsley
• Flowers: Dalia, Delphinium, Marigold, Zinnia, Alyssum, Hollyhock, and a Wild Flower mix. 

We are looking to add these seeds: 

• Veggies: Jalepeno, Tomato (a couple varieties), Zucchini, Cucumber, Beans (a couple varieties), Spinach, Onion, Garlic, Shallots and Lettuces
• Herbs: Dill, Sage, Lemongrass (in big pots to keep the mosquitos away)
• Fruits (these are all maybes): Cantaloupe, Pumpkin, Watermelon, Blackberries, Blueberries
• Flowers: not sure what exactly we want, but we want it to be beautiful and colorful so we'll pick what ever fits that bill and matches the sun that area will receive! 

I can't wait to get started! Now all we need is a thaw, come on Michigan, you can do it!