Back Yard Progress Part 1...

Last weekend we had our backyard leveled out to make way for a new sprinkler system and grass.  This past weekend, Justin, my dad and I started the first phase of our sprinkler system project.

Justin dug pipe trenches around the perimeter of the yard, about 4 feet in along the left, right and back fence line.  We decided to forgo running a line along the back of the house because we know that next Summer we will be adding a deck, patio and other fun stuff we showed you here.  We also figured in sprinkler heads that would allow all the yard space to be covered so adding that line wasn't necessary.

My awesome Daddio, a seasoned sprinkler system installer, came over to help us since we had NO clue what we were doing.

He brought with him an assortment of PVC parts he had left over from his sprinkler project and picked up the items he knew we would need for our project.  Basically, he's our hero.

We got all the pipes laid out and inserted the "T" sections where we knew we wanted our sprinkler heads. 

Once we got everything finalized, we glued everything in place.

We took the purple primer and spread some on the inside of each coupler and on the outside of each end of the pipe.  We followed the same steps with the glue. 

The next step is to hook up the sprinkler heads, connect it to the water source and see if everything works and to make sure there are not leaks. 

After that we will cover all the pipes, make the ground smooth again and put in grass.  My amazing Dad and Step-mom are gifting us sod for this project! We feel so happy and blessed We love you guys,  THANK YOU!

The sod will give us an instant yard and will free the puppies from their basement confinement much more quickly than seed or hydro seed! 

Stay tuned!!

Celebrating Little Ava.

This past Saturday I hosted a baby shower for our wonderful cousins Tim and Karine and their soon to be bundle of joy Ava. This was the first co-ed shower I have ever thrown and it was a lot of fun! Definitely different from the traditional, all girls party, but still a good time.

We played three different games, one of which was to write a story using these candy names...

We celebrated with pinks and purples, Ava's nursery colors...

We feasted on pizza, bread sticks and salads...





 

Here are all the ladies...

and all the boys!

We had a great time and it was nice to get the crew all together!

Let there be Light!

For the longest time the light above our kitchen sink looked like this...

It has been driving me bananas and we finally did something about it!

We purchased two more sheets of our backsplash from Lowes and a liquid nail thingy and got to work.

First we (and as in we I mean Justin) cut a piece of sheet rock to fit the open space.

Then we cut a hole in the Sheetrock and backsplash (sorry no photos), shoved the light through the hole and attached the sheet rock to the ceiling.

After we got it up, we used the liquid nail to fasten the backsplash to the Sheetrock.

Here is the finished product! I love it and am so happy with the way it looks! 

Street Finds Reveal...

The other day I posted a bunch of fun things I found and purchased in and around our little town. Well now I want to show you what I did with them!

The first pillow I purchased for $1 I decided to just toss it onto our bed.  The golden yellow color matches the curtains and yellow in the photo above the bed perfectly!

The second $1 pillow I scored was tossed onto the chair in the living room corner...

This $4 dollar giant lamp needed to be in a space where its large scale wouldn't take over.

The shelf in the living room was the PERFECT spot for the lamp.  The large scale of it actually fits much better than the lamp I had there before.  It really anchors the area and looks MUCH better!

I'm still deciding on what to do with the black frames, I am leaning more towards using them as as a gift but I'm not sure.... However, I found a home for the "D" I picked up.

You may recall my photo wall? 

Well, I picked up a few more frames from IKEA and added the "D" to extend further left on the wall.  I love it so much and it makes the  wall look more complete.

And this little $20 gem =]

Well I stuck my TV right on it!

We had to prop the TV up on blocks which looks silly but our TV is the Tube/Flatscreen so it sticks out in the back...  If we had a true flat screen it would work perfectly but until then this will have to do.

So that's what I did!

Let's Take it Out Back...

The sun is shining, the Angels are singing and this chick (thumbs point to self) is one happy lady!

For a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time now, I have been posting about doing our back yard. "Were going to work on it soon", "Going to start it soon", "just kidding, were going to work on the upstairs instead", blah blah blahbity blaah!

Well, FINALLY! We have started the process of the backyard overhaul! This past Saturday we hired someone to come out and create a blank slate for us to create our backyard oasis.

Here is the lovely before. Please note the many different types of dead grasses and weeds as well as the graveled section and puppy created dirt pits. It was a doggone mess (no pun intended) and I am so happy were on our way to having an outdoor space we can use and enjoy.

Justin was equally excited about the excavation that was about to take place...

but the pups were a little concerned for the well being of their domain. They sat in that spot for hours until they were allowed to go out and run around with the tractor. :]

The first step of the excavation was to scrape the top layer of crud and bury it.  Jerad (Mr. Excavator) then leveled and feathered the dirt to make nice even ground.

4 hours and $260 later, here is the finished product! The next phase, that will take place this coming weekend is a sprinkler system and after that we will seed the yard and hopefully get some luscious grass!

Fun Fact:  About three feet under the surface of our land the dirt becomes this black sand. Jerad said it was the first time he'd ever seen anything like that! I wonder if its volcanic or something? I love a good mystery.

So after the irrigation system is in and the grass is all strong and beautiful, this is what we have planned... 

Here is a little layout I created on Powerpoint. Most of this will happen next Summer but if weather permits, we can work on it over time until then.  I would like to have a small deck off of our french doors that I could put a rocker or something like that. We are going to lay a patio, create a solid surface area for our table and chairs and build an outdoor seating area surrounding a fire pit.

I am quite the Pinster (Pinning Gangster - Pinterest) lately and have found some inspiration photos.

Our folks are giving us 43 2x2 pavers for FREE and we are going to use them to create our patio space. I know that I want to stain them to a warmer tone (they are a cement grey) and I would like to position them like the photo below.  I love the grass look in between each stone and it will stretch our paver square footage to the maximum since we only have 43.

I also want to incorporate a little DIY into the space. I have been saving wine bottles and think this project would be the perfect way to use them. They would have to be citronella because the mosquitos love me and I want to attach them all along our fence line. Love this idea!

Another DIY project I want to incorporate is a drink cooling area like the one below.  In the picture they have the metal bins in the middle of a picnic table which I like but I also think it would be cool to use the same type of boards to create a more elevated counter surface and have the metal bins running along the back of the counter to create more of a bar setting.... maybe i'll do both!

The big statement piece for the backyard would be a built in bench.  My father-in-law is a mason and I know this could become a reality.  I could then use my novice sewing skills and try to whip up some custom cushions. I want to have it surround a fire pit to create the ultimate campfire setting.

So many things to look forward to in this outdoor space. I can't wait to have a place to entertain and to use as an extension of the house next summer. 

Street Finds

You never know where you are going to find great items for decorating your house. Sometimes you can find them in a dumpster or in someones yard.  For me, its been all the above. The little town of Sumner has been bursting with great street finds lately! I love finding bargains and they seem to be everywhere lately!  Recently, I have found lots and lots of great pieces for our home.

Keep your eyes open. I found this gorgeous red desk sitting on the side of the road and for $20 I had to pick it up! I slammed on my brakes once I saw that gorgeous red and thought this piece would be a great TV stand or even a changing table. Lots of possibilities for this guy!

These great pillows were sitting in my neighbors yard and I snagged each of them for $1!

I love the warm golden color and they fit perfectly with my decor in different areas of the house.

Because of this purchase I will always, always pop into a store that is going out of business. I found this big blue lamp at the Salvation Army during their "Going out of Business" sale. I scored this puppy for $4.00.  This is a huge lamp and the light seafoam green color goes great in our space.

While antiquing with a friend of mine, I found another "D" for my photo wall and these two vintage black frames.  My grand total came to $10.00.   Not sure if I am going to keep the Black frames yet or use them in a gift I have planned for someone... hmmmm what to do, what to do!

The ultimate score was this box.  A friend of ours found this box sticking out of a dumpster behind one of the boutiques down on Main Street and gave it to us!  This baby is full of things I am excited to use to decorate our home this Holiday season...

Two snowmen, poinsettias, autumn leaves, a picture and lots of other goodies resided in this thrown out box...

but the greatest treasure we found was this...

What is that you ask?........  I have no idea.......  an owl coming out of a cupcake?.... 

 If I wanted to purchase this unique little treasure from the store that disposed of it, I would only have to pay $23.00.......  weird. I know.  From now on I will be keeping my eyes on the dumpsters.

Anywho, stay tuned to see what I do with my found treasures :]