An illustrated post about yardwork

We have had exactly one warm, sunny, Spring day here in Central Illinois, which was yesterday. Turns out one day is just enough time for me to clear out a flower bed, transplant some day lilies, clean out a planter, trim a couple of evergreen bushes, and get a sunburn on the back of my neck.

It's windy and chilly today with a chance for rain so I'm daydreaming of all the things I wish I could do next in my yard. (Is my middle age-ness showing?)

Some of what I want to do can be accomplished this summer but some will take three to five years to get done. (Insider scoop: Travis got a new teaching job which is super exciting and such good news for our family but we will go one month this summer without any income. We've been Dave Ramsey-ing it for ten months and are trying to save money to cover all the bills and expenses that August brings so that means things like "making the yard prettier" and "swimming lessons" will probably not be happening this year.)

So here's what we've got along with some of what I want to do, if you're into that sorta thing. None of my in real life friends are so I have to talk about all this to someone. Lucky you!

First up, let's talk about bad first impressions.

This is the flower bed in front of our home. It's so welcoming, isn't it?! This Spring I will clean up the edge and lay down more mulch. The bare bush closest to the camera is a pretty hydrangea that I need to move to a shadier part of the yard so it can thrive. I'd like to add another butterfly bush in its place to balance the one we already have on the far end of the bed. We have some old stumps covered up with the mulch that Travis will start to work on clearing out. They go down deep but I'm hoping to get enough out so we can plant more flowers. Right now we have mums, black eyed susans, and some purple flower that I want to divide and spread throughout. I also want to add lavender and yellow yarrrow so there are repeating blocks of colors and textures throughout. I'm hoping we will find the money to buy two lavenders, one yarrow, and mulch. I'm also hoping Menard's will contact me to do sponsored posts for them. Probably neither will happen.

Eventually we'd like to add a sidewalk that runs along the first half of it, curves, and leads to the front door in the center. The other half we'd like to edge with proper stone edging but none of that will happen this summer.


Next up, the spot I worked on yesterday:

 I spent hours making this corner look this good, which seems so incredibly sad looking at the picture, doesn't it? Here I trimmed back the rosebush, shaped the evergreen, cleaned out all kinds of dead, dug up crab grass and weeds, and transplanted some day lilies from another part of the yard. There is a butterfly bush in this corner and clematis grows up the chain link against the porch. I will also plant some zinnia and morning glory seeds in this area. The concrete circle is the bottom of a busted up birdbath that came with the house. I plan to dig it into the earth for a stepping stone since we always step off the porch there. A ground covering takes over this little corner so much mulch isn't needed and eventually the proper stone edging in the front of the house will wrap around to here, too.

Next: the side yard!

I realize that right now this looks pretty trashy. There's dirt, rocks, and bits of a broken bird bath. But I've got plans, folks. Plan #1 - wait for the hostas, bleeding heart, fern, and peonies to grow in because then it'll look really lovely, which you can see here. Plan #2 - bury half of the bath part of the bird bath in the dirt and then plant impatiens on top. Since the ground slopes away from the house this should create a bit of a berm look. Plan #3 - readjust the pump so it is flat on the ground and redistribute the rocks to other areas of the yard.

Now that we've got a big 12 passenger van that won't fit in the garage I'd love to pour an extra big slab here with a sidewalk going off the end, connecting it to the patio around the back. We could store the kids' bikes and toys in the garage (right now they sit out 3/4 of the year, even in the rain which I hate) and we'd park the mondo van here, though all the lovely shade plants and landscaping would stay. I think there's just enough room for it to fit! But, of course, that much concrete costs a lot of money, even if Travis is doing the work, so that also gets moved to the three to five year plan.

Speaking of the patio:

Really our patio is pretty nice but there is a flower bed where the play house and bird bath sit which needs more flowers. We'll see what survived the winter and I think I'll put some cosmos in. Travis has a nice grill tucked back here and we bought a nice, on sale fire pit with gift money that sits by the two chairs. There's plenty of room for the kids to play but we really need to replace the chair cushions. The table and chair set was a hand-me-down - which I am not poo-pooing at all, I am so grateful to have them! - but the cushions are in rough shape.

We need to sand some rusty spots and repaint the chairs (which I plan to do this summer) and then I would looooooove to purchase these replacement cushions (affiliate link) because oh my goodness they are SO STINKIN CUTE! But the almost $300 price tag for the six we need means we will have to find something cheaper and do that in another year.

Last up, my sitting spot:

Again, I know this looks pretty bad right now but if things survived the winter after being transplanted last year it will be a very nice spot. There's a couple of bushes that have always been there, the Rose of Sharon we moved, some hostas I put in the area, and I hope to put the hydrangea from the front here. I've been meaning to re-stain that bench for three years but since I actually have the stain already it will get done this year! The kids' climbing tree is nearby this spot and our garden is just around the corner. This little nook is shady and lovely when everything is green, the perfect spot to watch the kids play or take a rest after weeding the vegetable patch.

Our vegetable garden will have asparagus, peppers, tomatoes, onions, squash, and a couple herbs. Our boys want to grow corn and pumpkins and the girls want to have a strawberry patch. And that's it. Flowers will be all around the house. I'll dig in the dirt, grow food and flowers, make hourly trips outside to pick Japenese beetles off my precious plants and mutter, "Die you bastards," as I toss them into a bowl of soapy water so they can suffer and die without harming all the hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies I'm trying to attract. It's all so picturesque! I cannot wait. Can. Not. Wait.

Now off I go to snuggle on the sofa while it rains outside, daydreaming that we have the money for the mortgage so I can go ahead and buy those cushions...

What's up? Oh you know, bed rest.

This past week and a half was not what I thought it would be. I had envisioned daily walks with the littles during the gorgeous weather. I pictured working in my flower and vegetable gardens. I thought I'd bake some cookies for the kids to eat after school and tackle my To Do list.

And then a week and a half ago I started to feel achy in my lower back, just before dinnertime on a Wednesday. I napped, ate supper, went to bed early, and by 2 am I was in so much pain I could not sleep any longer. It felt like one long, solid contraction that would increase in intensity, making me nauseous and / or making me cry from the pain. Travis took me to the hospital, where I stayed for another day and a half. There were a couple of hard, scary moments but in the end I was able to come home with a safe and healthy 22 week old baby still growing inside.

But then came bed rest.

I didn't do a ton of typing but I did do a lot of internet browsing and when I found this Etsy shop I fell in love and immediately began making plans.

I have a little list of all the prints I'd like to buy, starting with this one:

A nod to OutKast for the bathroom.

This Chesterton print for the boys' room?

This pretty mermaid one

and this Cinderella quote for the girls' room

I'd put this quote in my living room because I so fully believe it and try to live it.

And for the kitchen, a little Julia Childs

and a couple wise words

about making the most out of the day to hang right on my newly bright white soffit.

This morning I'll be heading back to my midwife and I'm hoping there will be an ease-up on the bed rest, allowing me a little more freedom. (You cannot believe the amount of cobwebs I spotted in the house while lying around! They MUST come down!)

If you could all just say a quick prayer, throw a Hail Mary or Glory Be up for me and my unborn baby and our whole family, that would be so wonderful and I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.


Oh and PS - this wasn't a sponsored post, I really do just love those prints!

A May Garden Tour: what I got from a lot of work and a little money

Last week I put the baby down for a nap, slathered sunblock on the other four kiddos, filled up the water sink, pulled the garden rake and spade from the shed, and went to work. For six hours I weeded, transplanted, watered, carried stones, dug, pruned, spread, and arranged. By the end of the day my body was exhausted but I felt fabulous. 

Last Fall the landscaping on the side of the house looked a little like this: 

Now it looks like this:

Obviously the bush is growing in nicely, and we were delighted with the peonies that came up. My neighbor, my mom's friend Patti, and my friend Molly all made some nice donations in hostas and flowers from their own yards. 

This St. Francis statue sits to the right of the stepping stones pictured above. It's supposed to be a fountain but I like it for a planter. He's got a little bird poop on him, poor guy.

The water pump came from our old house, and my husband kindly moved it for me. The rocks came from another friend's landscaping. Last summer they were getting rid of it and offered it to anyone who wanted to move it, for free. Travis spent the better part of an afternoon taking them up and moving them across town. We have enough that I think we can cover all the downspouts, but that job will have to wait for for mulch. 

The hostas in the corner, the peonies, and the ivy on the chimney were all planted by the original owner. I added some more hostas and the stones. Again, we need mulch through this area but I just can't afford that right now. 

Here's the same area but from the backyard:

And here it is now:

Those lilies also "came with the house" and I did cover this downspout with rocks. I love how it looks. Eventually we'd like to put a sidewalk from the driveway to the patio, one with a nice curve, but like the mulch that will have to wait. 

I rearranged the patio a bit, too, did some weeding, and laid down new mulch along the back of the house. I've been doing the mulching in sections - $20's worth here, $20's worth there. I still need to paint the bench, and I'm still not sure what color to use. A dark grey? A fun blue? Right now it gets lost against the red brick - you wouldn't even notice it under the picture window if it weren't for that green pillow.

 The grass is long in the left side because I had staged my pondless waterfall there. I still want to put one in but I'm thinking it's less and less likely. We have the stones for it - the stepping stones from the side yard plus the aforementioned rocks - but the pump and liner and electrical running stuff is pricey. My dream is to then put a fire pit to the right of the waterfall, surrounded by flagstones, but again, price.

This little patch of flowerbed is to the right of the patio. The plant on the left was transplanted from elsewhere in our yard. It may not make it. The hosta came from Molly, and the bush was wild when we bought the house but is lovely this spring. This downspout will also be covered in rocks but in a way that ends more like this. 

 Other side of the bush is basically just utility stuff and then a scary drop off to a door that goes into our basement. New peony from Molly, new mulch, and more rocks, and I think it looks nice.  

The other side of the house now has tomato plants, beans, and peas, plus a fence I picked up on from the curb one garbage day. Also, there was a freaking snake in that window-well and when I saw it I screamed so loud my neighbors came running. I was so grateful to the man next door who removed the snake for me and made sure there wasn't a nest.

The yard isn't done yet, but I've made good work on my summer goal extravaganza and I'm really pleased with what we've done for about $40 (that includes the tomato plants!)

And now I'm linking up with Cari because she's one of my blogging role models and I love looking at people's gardens and the work they've invested in them.

My summer goal extravaganza, OR All the simple things I want to do so I like my house and yard more

Here's two things you should know about me:

#1 - I do not have a lot of expendable money. Maybe $10 a week. 

#2 - I am pretty lazy. 

But I am not going to let those two facts get in the way of my Summer Goal Extravaganza! 

I spelled "extravaganza" correctly on the first try, which is amazing because:

#3 - I am a horrible speller. 

But this is me rambling. Back to the topic!

Now that the weather is getting warmer and windows may be opened and 32 degrees a thing of the past I am itching to get a few smallish projects done around the house.

For starters, the kitchen. Now if money weren't so tight I'd gut it and redo it all. White subway tile with a subtle, grey grout. Creamy, grey cabinets. Crisp, white countertops. A stainless steel fridge with the freezer on the bottom. A double oven and a great big stovetop. A new window with a stainglassed panel across the top.

But money is tight so instead I'd like to take down the floral wallpaper on the soffit and paint it white, then change the outlets and light switches for white ones.

Next, I'd like to buy a new storm door; one that doesn't drip grease and allows for a breeze and isn't dingy.

Instead I'll put a fresh coat of white paint on the front door... and maybe splurge for a new storm door anyways.

The main bath was filled with towel wracks and nail holes. It had ugly wallpaper and all I wanted was to take the paper down and paint everything blue. We didn't fill in any holes but everything got painted blue.

A pretty blue, but one that ruins the awesomeness of the tile. And it turns out that the holes drive me crazy. So my next little job is to fill in the holes and repaint the room white, possibly a very light grey. I'd love to rip out the sink and its cabinet and put something else in, add some shelves to the wall, put in a new floor. (We had this in our old house and I loved it. I don't like tile because it's too cold, hard, and difficult to clean. Give me linoleum!)


Now outside.

I want to paint this bench, which has a mate and together they convert to a picnic table. I was thinking of a clever almost charcoal color. What do you think?

From the back patio, which is where this bench sits, up to the sidewalk jutting into the yard below we would like to pour a nice, wide sidewalk. Next to the house I'd like to mulch and plant hostas, bleeding hearts, a butterfly bush, hydrangeas, yarrow, cosmos, snap dragons - a whole flower garden. 

To the right of the sidewalk there is a large oak and grass doesn't grow, as you an see from all the dirt. I'd like to throw down more mulch and place our St. Francis statue. This, in the cheapest version possible, may actually happen. (Depending on how many speaking gigs I'm able to book. so hire me! I'll make you laugh, cry, and praise Jesus, and then I'll plant me some flowers.)

Then there's this corner of the backyard. At the top of the rise is a rec trail so people cycle, run, and walk past our house all day long. And we will soon have new neighbors so we'd like to plant some bushes and get privacy. Evergreens, forsythia, maybe.

And then that nasty bump... well the twiggy mulberry bush needs to die once and for all, the burn barrel needs to be gotten rid of, and I'd be happy  to put up a simple but pretty fence and make it our compost (which it unofficially and rather sloppily already is). Maybe plant a boxwood or two. I love boxwoods.

Here's the back of the house. Not soooooo bad but you're not up close. We need a storage shed to store the bikes and some other toys. I need to get my benches painted, put flowers in some pots, and create a specific seating area. We also need to mulch along the house and to do some landscaping there. I was thinking oregano, lavendar, and a lemongrass with something flowering, too.

And I know you can't really see it but the space between the left of the patio and the trunk of the pine tree would be a perfect location for a cute, little pondless waterfall. I have the pile of rocks (you can see them in the bench picture above) so we'd just need to buy some river rock and the pump... and all the stuff to run electricity out there. I'd also like to fill the under boughs with white lights because: gorgeous. This part will not happen this summer, but I wish it could.


Then there's the front.

A few things:

 If the bushes don't start to regrow by mid-summer we will likely cut them down to the ground. I need some kind of edging to keep the yard out of my flower bed. The white columns need to be repainted and flower pots need to be planted and new mulch needs to be thrown down.


Some of those dreams are a bit too big: pretty fences, lots of shrubbery, and pondless waterfalls, but the cheaper versions will probably happen. And that's enough to make me happy. :)

Wish me luck on my Summer Goal Extravaganza and tell me about your goals. Do you have any plans for fixing up and prettying your house now that the weather's warmer?

The kitchen just got bigger (or the little renovation that happened over Christmas vacation)

Remember the playroom?

 Now it's the dining room, which is what it was actually supposed to be. But we were using the (I guess you'd call it a) family room off the kitchen as the dining room because they were open to each other. There was a big pesky wall between the kitchen and the real dining room.

Let me show you.

We we bought the house it looked like this:

Ugly, orange curtains and an ugly old light fixture that I ran into every single time I walked through the room. The wall on the left is the wall that blocks off the kitchen.

And here's the kitchen, as seen when standing in the family room.

And here's looking into the family room from the kitchen. 

Now, for awhile things looked like this:
Home office in the kitchen. The desk is against that darn dining room / kitchen wall.

 The kitchen. Which isn't that bad but is pretty dated.

 Like these glass-paned cupboards, which face the family room. The glass is yellowish; it's pretty ugly, just like the brown paneled soffit above it.

Yet if you peek inside you can clearly see that I'm ready to entertain. Come for cocktails or tea! I'm ready!

Where I spend soooooo much of my time:

The dishwasher was original to the house so we got a new one right away.
If you look at the top half of the window, the darker, wing-shaped part is where hail or debris hit it during the tornado. We do have a replacement in now but really the whole house needs new ones.

I'm not a big fan of the black stove and microwave and the beige fridge. Also, I really, really miss my gas stove.

I do love the open shelf above the microwave. I keep my "Paradise Falls" coin jar, my cookbooks, and my tea kettle.

On top of the fridge is a little filing box, appropriately labeled.

And this is what the room usually looks like. Dishes, dishes everywhere and no one remembers which cup is theirs. 

Now on to the supposed-to-be-a-family-room, which looked like this:

The built-in bookshelves (swoon!) that flank the fireplace (swoon again!) were painted white and the walls were painted a bright blue color that Travis picked out. I picked out the Target curtains which seemed so bold (coral!) at the time but when you compare them to the paint Trav chose they're pretty tame. 

Our custom-built, hand-made with wood from the cherry tree that stood in my parents' yard buffet was put against the wall and doubles as a liquor cabinet and a family home altar. 

On the wall above are some of the prayer prints that Kendra makes. My kids and I learned the Morning Offering by reading that prayer every morning before breakfast. (Thanks, Kendra!)

So that's how things were.

But then Travis had two weeks off of work over Christmas and he decided to take down a wall.

So he did.

Holy smokes! Look at all that room!

I loved having the map, white board, and other prints in the kitchen so I just moved them. I love them there.  

But please excuse the mess. Travis is obviously not done with the mudding. 

The old suitcase and white basket container I use for miscellaneous storage used to sit next to the computer desk. I have them tucked in a corner of the dining room now and I really like them there. 

Here's the view of the updated dining room from the living room. I kept the antique alphabet chalkboard where I had it when the room was a playroom. Underneath I put the buffet, which still doubles as a liquor bar and home altar. 

Back to the other side of the kitchen. The family room now looks like this. I call it the Sitting Room and we love it.

My grandparents gave us a sofa they wanted to get rid of. 

This rocking chair was salvaged and reupholstered by my mom. She did it years ago and it's been sitting in her basement just waiting for me to finally have a spot to put it. I love it. (And I loooove that fabric!)

 Above the chair are Kendra's prints.

 Under the huge window, with a beautiful view of the backyard, sits this desk that my parents have had for ages. The kids, especially L, love to sit there and color.

And one more picture of the fireplace and bookshelves, this time with all the Christmas decorations cleared away and a nice fire lit.

 I love our home!

You can see the bedrooms here, the living and "dining" rooms here, and the outside here.

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