Mowing the lawn with dad...

...Henry's morning nap was a struggle yesterday. John gave me some time off by wearing Henry while he mowed the lawn. Pretty cute.

The arch...

...is experiencing plant growth. I can't wait until it is covered!

Around the backyard...

We did a bit of work around the yard last weekend...

The plants are in...

They don't look like much now, but hopefully after we let them indulge in the photosynthetic process we will begin to see our outdoor landscape take shape. I'll fill in the gaps with other smaller plants later on, but I think this is good for now.

Front landscaping...

We used our Lowe's $10 off coupon from our local newspaper today. I figure that if the baby comes late I'd need a bit of a project to keep myself busy. So, a few plants were purchased today in hopes of sprucing up our completely bare front flowerbed. I really have no clue about plants & landscaping, but I figure the best way to learn is to experiment. So experiment I shall. We'll see how it goes.


And I finally got around to purchasing the Japanese Maple tree that I've been eyeing. It's not supposed to do well in the spot I'd like to plant it, but my dad suggested that I buy a small one at Lowe's and give it a shot. Stranger things have happened. I really hope it works. I love these little trees.

Project: Raised Bed Construction...

Last Saturday was a day full of promise and possibility. I woke up excited, John...not so much. He's a good husband though, so he indulged me with his efforts. I started out the day feeling nervous that the rain would hinder us from completing our project, but then began to feel a bit convicted about my selfishness. I mean, we are in desperate need of rain! My raised beds could wait, but water was a necessity. So after I knocked some sense into myself, the heavy conviction faded & the project began.

In the beginning was the wood...

My dad raised up the arch with a frame he welded for me. This arch was made by my dad for Denise's wedding, and then borrowed by Jill for hers. So, it's a bit of a sentimental piece to say the least.

The supervisory board

My dad likes to say that John now has a "PHD" (post hold digger) HaHa.

The layout

Love these post caps. Totally my dad's idea.

The four bricks serve as our alignment markers. We will soon be reusing the old pavers from our original patio (read: free) and will be planting elfin thyme inbetween each paver to try and enhance the look of it all. It's all a big gamble really, it could totally flop, but hey, at least the pavers are free :)

Admiring his handiwork

He's good to me.

On the horizon...

...side yard transformation. I met my dad at Lowe's today, and we picked up all of the necessary supplies to construct the 2 raised garden beds that will flank our side yard. He and John will undertake that project on Saturday. I am now a few steps closer to a backyard garden & I couldn't be happier.

The 12 ft. wood pieces (pictured above) are actually a composite deck material. We decided on using this for the raised beds because we thought it would last longer...

We love our lawn...

John's first trim of the new lawn. I was pretty excited about it. I love seeing my projects reach a point where I can just sit back and enjoy them. There's still plenty left to do in the yard, but at least the sprinkler system & grass are able to be enjoyed.

Stubborn...

A few sections of our seeded area refuse to sprout. Luckily, we are persistent. John has been watering them every day. They are now showing a few signs of life. Hopefully we'll have more to show for our efforts by next week.

Sprinkler Repair...

Due to our massive sprinkler installation project last summer, John has become quite the sprinkler repair man. The two clogged sprinklers (mentioned here) had to be dug up and realigned. John got the job done quickly and easily, and now, all we have to do is sit and wait for our grass to sprout.

For those of you who knew John in his more formative years, you may find his household handyman status as a bit of a surprise, but I assure you, he fills the position quite well. And, being the proud owner of a 50-year old house (and the husband of a wife with an insatiable appetite for all things home improvement related), there appears to be no end in sight. So, I invite you to continue to watch his skills grow over time (as my ideas blossom & flourish :)

Luckily, my dad set us up with these really (really) nice swing joints attached to each of our pop-up sprinkler heads. These joints allow for easy maneuvering when problems such as ours arise.

The sprinklers...working again

John has this thing about footwear while doing projects...he was a little ticked that I chose these shoes to assist him in (In my defense, they were slip on, and right by the back door...)

The backyard has sprouted...

...not without a minor mishap, however. Two of our sprinklers managed to clog themselves, rather handily, and John and I did not notice until yesterday :( Our first clue was the fact that only half of our seeded area had sprouted. Luckily, we noticed this early, and hopefully that dry section will catch up quickly.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I love to watch things grow.

Compost...

...only $22 for a pickup bed full! Too bad the Shafter Bulk Yard is going out of business this week :( Our compost supply is about to run dry.

That grass alongside the pickup...yep, that's ours

The backyard has now been planted...

...hopefully we'll have seeds sprouting within the week.

We affectionately refer to this outfit as John's "Wimbledon suit".

Green is my favorite color...

...I have lots of it in my house, and now, our front yard boasts a splotchy spray of it too. There are a few spots that will need to be reseeded, but so far I'd say 80% of it seems to be filling in quite nicely. We hope to plant the back sometime this next week, so pictures of that will come later. There's just something about growing from seed that makes me incredibly excited. Maybe it's because I'm a farmer's daughter. My dad is one of those farmers that truly loves to watch his crops grow. Beyond the economics of it all, he's still impressed by the potential of a seed, and it's ability to use water & sunlight to sustain growth. God's power & purpose is evident in this process, and I love that! Long live photosynthesis & all of the green that it provides us.