The Backyard

When we built and moved into our house three years ago, we knew that we had a long list of things to do.  Isn't that the beauty of home ownership?  There is ALWAYS a to-do list!  Three years of being pregnant and taking care of newborns will do nothing to cross items off the list, either!  So this year, we created an outdoor to-do list and finally decided to do something about our backyard, other than sinking into the ground when we sit on the patio furniture.  Now, that will help your self-esteem!

Here is the before:

We didn't take a picture of the true before (oops!) but this is as close as it gets.  We have made progress in the past three years (no more gravel and dirt!) but we really wanted an outdoor living/coffee-drinking/entertaining space.

My handyman jack-of-all-trades-and-good-at-it-all hubby built a deck, which my girly and I stained.  We bought new outdoor cushions to match the back door and a fire pit for cool spring and fall evenings.  We added in some plants, including a red geranium for my Granny (they always make me think of her!).  And finally, Zeke strung some lights to create an instant party!

Here is the after:

And an iPhone shot at night:

Our house backs up to the hill, which we love, but there is always the threat of dirt moving, which we don't want!  My Granny and Poppy had put rocks on the hill to serve as a retaining wall when they lived here years ago.  This had always been one of those areas that we considered redoing, but the budget didn't really allow for expensive retainer walls to match the foundation of the house.  A landscaper-friend looked at it and mentioned planting things at the top of the rocks, and IN the rocks--and we were sold!  

Here is a before of the rocks keeping the dirt out of our back door (sorry for the dark iPhone photo!):

Add in a few plants, some good old-fashioned elbow grease to dig and plant, and some pine straw for mulch, and voila!

We are loving our new outdoor space!  We built our house with all of the living areas on the back and lots and lots of windows because we loved this view, and now, we love it even more!  We have enjoyed eating dinners outside, coffee on the deck on cool mornings, and even our wildlife has put a stamp of approval on our project--something with little muddy paws loves walking on it while we sleep.  

Up next?  See that trampoline and swing (on the ground!) in the photo above?  A playground for the kiddos and a raised garden are coming in the next two weekends.  Stay tuned!