Flower Power!

The next step in our effort to overhaul our yard was to plant some flowers to give us some more color. So one Sunday morning we went to Home Depot to buy a whole bunch of plants...

 

We ended up buying a lot of annuals, so that the colorful blooms would last all season.  From top to bottom in the picture below you can see we bought a skimmia (the only perennial), geraniums, begonias, petunias, gerbera daisies, a few different kinds of marigolds, snapdragons, and zinnia seeds. We also got tomatoes, hot peppers, mint, basil, and cucumber seeds.

 

Here are the before pictures...

 

 

Take a look at this close up. Our grass is growing!

For the hill in the backyard, we planted 15 groupings of plants. Look at how much more colorful it is!

 

We added a few pots at the corner of the patio with flowers and mint.

On top of the wall, put a box full of petunias. Hopefully as they grow bigger they will drape over the side of the wall.

On the other side of the patio (near the grill) is our vegetable corner. Each tomato plant got its own pot, and we bought a large galvanized tub for the peppers, cucumbers, and basil.

We also moved our little pine tree to a bigger pot and added some new plants to keep it company.

Here are the pictures of the front yard with new plants and fresh mulch.

Our yard looks better already!

Getting dirty!

Two Fridays ago, I came home to this in the driveway:

The plan was to fill in the low spots in the front yard with topsoil, because it was impossible to mow around the tree. We also decided to finally create a proper path from the driveway to the front walkway. When we moved in last year, we took the small pavers that were near the basement door to serve as a temporary path. It only took us one year to find a more permanent solution!

The forecast called for rain all weekend, so we decided to start moving the dirt on Friday evening after work.

In less than three hours, we had moved all the dirt!

 This past weekend, we went to a stone quarry on Saturday morning to pick out new stones for our walkway. We chose Pennsylvania flagstone in 2 foot squares. When we got home, we started to dig out the ground to set the stones. 

First Alan had to chop up a few roots that were in the way. He loved the opportunity to get out the ax!

It took most of the afternoon to get the stones leveled, but in the end we had a brand new path! 

On Sunday, we spread grass seed over the entire front yard and then put down straw on top. 

Hopefully soon we'll have a yard with actual grass!

Just a Little Light Yard Work

Yes, you counted right. That's 11 bags, 2 trashcans, and 5 bundles of sticks!

This weekend Alan and I decided to try and tackle the wild jungle that is our backyard. I couldn't wait to rip out the nearly dead bushes and out of control vines! You can see how it looked last summer in this post.

First Alan ripped out everything around the compost bin and he was even able to move it back a few feet. 

Then we cleared out the middle section. I left a small clump of bushes in the middle...for now.

 We'll see how it looks once all the leaves come in.

Then finally we moved up the hill and tore up everything in sight!  

Some of the plants put up a good fight, but in the end we prevailed! 

There's another big yard project planned for next weekend, so stay tuned. 

Hopefully our backs will be healed by then!

Pinterest Challenge: Yarn Wreath

It's time for another Pinterest Challenge! 

Sherri from Young House Love issued a Pinterest Challenge last week to make something based on an inspirational picture found on Pinterest (my new favorite website!)

I have been eyeing a bunch of yarn wreaths for awhile now, so I thought it would be a fun project. Here is a picture of one that I really liked, which you can buy on Etsy for $30. 

I also fell in love with these felt flowers. I played around with all different types of flowers, but found these instructions to be the easiest to follow.

Here is a picture of my materials. I couldn't find a foam wreath, so instead I used one made of straw. I left on the plastic packaging, so it was pretty smooth. I also bought cream colored yarn, a few sheets of felt, and some creamy metallic berries. I think I spent less than $15 for everything.

 

I ended up only using the purple and gray felt to make the flowers. They were so easy to make! I cut a strip of felt about 2 inches wide, then folded it in half and used a bit of hot glue along one edge to stick it together. Then I made little cuts along the folded edge. I started rolling the felt at one end and adding a dab of glue every now and then to keep it together.

Here is the finished wreath!

I can't wait to hang it up on our front door! 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Cake

Last summer, I was very excited when I went through the pans my grandma had given me to find this teenage mutant ninja turtle pan. When Alan was growing up, he used to re-enact scenes from the movie with his brother, so I decided to surprise him by making him this cake! I also thought it would ease the pain of turning 30 to have a cake designed for a 10 year old.

                    

Here's a picture of the cake while it was cooling. You can see most of the indentations from the pan, which I used to outline all of the different sections. Once I had everything outlined, I filled it in with lots of little stars. 

Here is a picture of the finished cake!

 It took a long time and my hand was tired by the end, but it was worth it. Alan knew I was making his cake, but I wouldn't let him come in the kitchen to see it. I kept it hidden until later that night when we had a surprise party for Alan and Andrew.

Here are the birthday boys!

(They didn't dress alike on purpose.)

Here is a short video of them blowing out their candles:

Alan and Andrew loved their cake! 

I think everyone else liked it too because almost the entire thing was eaten.

Rolled Edge Baby Hat

I just finished knitting a baby hat for my new nephew! 

I found the pattern in a book called 60 Quick Baby Knits. 

 This was my first time using double pointed needles to knit in the round.

Once I started decreasing at the top of the hat, I used a ball of yarn to make sure the size was right. It was the perfect substitute for a baby's head!

Here is Owen wearing his new hat!

Owen is making his best Elvis impression--"Thank you...Thank you very much."