backyard patio makeover

There are still 3 major projects on our list (master bath, wood floors, replace some siding) after this backyard makeover. We did it ALL ourselves, and still wish that our contractor/landscaper hadn't screwed up and lost our work order to have the granite installed. It would have been $100 well spent.

How we installed the new patio:

Step 1) Call 811 so you don't accidentally cut of your cable or kill yourself (luckily only one happened, and it wasn't our fault because Comcast should have buried the cable 6" instead of 1")

Step 2) Rip out decking. Have hammers, crow bars, sledge hammers, and big strong arms for this.

The chairs the dog ate.

Step 3) Dig out posts. Have shovels and big strong arms for this.

Step 4) Dig small trench along the back edge for the edging (black stuff). Again, call 811 and don't cut off your cable/internet.

Step 5) Level out dirt, and compact it by walking over it and spraying with water. Leave overnight to dry.

Step 6) Lay your liner out. If you're putting in any pavers, put down paver sand & lay out your pavers. Fill cracks with sand, too. (Sand will compact with water, so watering during installation is ideal.)

Step 7) Pay someone else to put in the decomposed granite. Get upset that your contractor lost your order, be happy they can still deliver the material, and prepare to install it yourself.

Step 8) Person One (A) uses wheelbarrow to bring over granite; Person Two (E) levels it with a hoe or rake, and then uses a tamper to stamp it down. Fill entire area.

Step 9) Repeat. Once you do this twice, fill in the areas that seem low, especially toward the house. Water it down and let it dry so it compacts.

Step 10) Wait one day, then water it again, looking for puddles that indicate low spots. Fill it in there, too.

Step 11) Let dry. Then decorate & ENJOY! (Even when it's wet from a torrential downpour and you wish it wasn't so mushy...)

The yard is almost totally cleaned up!

We also added a little garden area in the back in an attempt to hid the utility area. we think it's cute.

Placement. Red Sisters, Daylillies, and later, Begonias.
That is about twice as much mulch as I needed...

Planted!
We later had to move the Red Sister & Begonias. I thought this area
got less sunlight than it did... I'm trying to save them, and have
transplanted them to the front yard.

New plants.
Red sisters and Begonias now live happily in our shady front yard.

Loving our new little oasis! It is so nice to get to sit outside and enjoy it after over a year (almost year and a half) of avoiding a nasty, overgrown backyard!

Next up: MASTER BATHROOM REMODEL! We are in the process of finalizing our quote and sourcing products, so get ready, because in mid-August, we'll have a GORGEOUS new bathroom, just in time for Ethan's First Birthday Party! We're thinking herringbone wood tile, bronze accents, no tub, walk-in shower, moved toilet, adding a second sink... it's going to be a BIG deal, y'all! To see some of our ideas, visit my master bathroom Pinterest page.

xo,

PS - look for Ethan's nine-month post tomorrow!

adventures in tiling

Have you ever had a home project that you were utterly intimidated by? I'm really not sure why I ever thought that tiling the backsplash of our kitchen was a good idea. I never, ever thought I would be the one tiling something in our house, and I don't want to do it again. I think it's a skilled position - even skilled tilers can screw it up, so my inexperienced self could really screw it up.

Pre- that picture falling

When we did our bathroom remodel, we told ourselves that we would put up a backsplash. The wall behind the vanity is concaved because of where the piping is (I don't remember exactly why), so there's a little tiny gap behind the vanity in the center. To keep things clean, I thought we should add a small backsplash. This would also serve to protect our brand-new drywall in there. A month or two ago, we found penny round glass tiles half off/on clearance at Lowe's, and decided to go for it. We paid $10 for the tile, and I already had grout. The grout I have is actually able to be used as the mounting and the grouting... which I'm sure means it's not the best quality, but it's just a backsplash. Right?

Pre-tile

It was really hard to put the grout stuff behind where the faucet is. In retrospect, we should've removed it. I had issues trying to get the tile to "stick" because of that (or getting enough stuff behind the tile).

Pre-grout

Once it had time to dry, I took off the adhesive lining (like a sheet of thick packing tape) that held the tile together. It was nice to have when I was putting the tile up because it made putting the tile up a breeze, but when I pulled it off, it pulled off about 10-15 of the tiles. Not too bad, and probably a plus because I thought of it as identifying weaknesses that I could fix. Better now than in a month when it just falls off, right?

You have to wait 24-36 hours to put the grout in, so since I had waited 18 hours to remove the sticky stuff and had to re-adhere some tiles, I waited another day to add the grout. This part made me nervous because I wasn't sure how pretty I could really make this look, and, with most of my projects, I dove in before doing adequate research.

I tried using one of those tiling tools that's meant to smooth out the grout but after I was sufficiently afraid of scraping the glass tiles, I just got in there with my fingers and wiped the grout across it and worked the grout into the cracks of all those little tiles.

Grouted

Then I took a couple of wet junk towels (should have used a damp, large sponge) and wiped it down, followed by wiping with a couple of dry ones. Tomorrow, when it dries, I'll take another wet towel and wipe down any grout on the tile that I may have missed.

Before:

After:

This project turned out much better than I anticipated. What's next on my list? Painting with a sprayer. I need to paint some exterior wood and some 12-odd doors in our house. I'm also dreading this one so... any volunteers?

xo,

P.S: Check out other guest bathroom posts here.

eight months old!

In the wise words of my husband: "You've almost been out as long as you were in!"

Ethan is a BIG 8-month old, bigger than the 12-month-old babies at daycare! He's getting really close to a legitimate crawl; he gets up on his hands and knees and rocks, just before falling to the ground and army-crawling across the room. He moves so fast, too! Bear will let him get fairly close, then move across the room, and wait for Ethan to catch up to him again.

In the past month, Austin and I went to New York and D.C.

At the TODAY Show! We met Willie, Tamryn,
and Savannah.

We took Ethan to the zoo for the first time:

He LOVED it!

We took Ethan to an Astros game for the first time:

Thanks to his Uncle Sam, he also met a
pro baseball player!

Papaw had to choose between buying Ethan ice cream or a new hat.
So glad he chose the hat! I've never seen a cuter hat model.

I was in a wedding, turned 25, I started my new job, and started Ethan at daycare. He loves daycare! He gets excited when he gets there and he sees his teacher and his friends. Fortunately, one of us is usually there to pick him up before 5 pm, and I have Fridays off, so we always have the weekend together.

So far, I like my job, but I have only gone for 4 days! It's a little slow starting but I'm sure more work will come. In early August, I get to decide whether I want to stay on full- or part-time, and until then, just test the waters and see if I like it! I'm really enjoying the flexibility and my new boss is a really nice person, too.

Without further ado, our monthly photos!

Mommy is HILARIOUS.

Really, Mommy is just holding my whale.

YAY! I love my whale.

I'm DONE with this sitting still business. Adios!

And one last one: Ethan admires our art. He didn't touch it - he just looked at it!

Flashback to the last time I used that blanket for backdrop (the one on the left is a little more zoomed in):

 

He is getting so big!

xo,

seven months old!

I have my hands full at the moment - between planning a bachelorette party that starts tomorrow, doing contract work, and preparing for an interview - oh, and raising a baby - I am super busy! (And I am not complaining about it, I love feeling productive!)

Here's a brief update on Ethan's progress as we enter his eighth month:
-He can't sit himself up (go from laying down to sitting up) but he can sit up like a pro if you set him up.
-He can pull himself up if you put him in a sitting positon
-He can stand on his own if he holds something
-He has zero interest in walking
-He can army crawl! Crawling is next
-He WILL throw a fit if you don't let him have the toy he wants (your phone, your laptop, your wireless mouse...)
-He can find his pacifier - even in the dark - and put the right end in his mouth (it's a wubbanub so it took him a while!)

Here are his 7 month pictures!

Real food, real mess.. real stink.

Visiting donkeys at the Harrell Farm

Our Easter picture

Playing in the new pool after I blew it up (it eventually
went outside and he was not a huge fan)

 {wiggle worm photoshoot}

(I guess this is the keeper??
We have a wiggle worm!)

Rolling is much more fun, mom!

I got my Wubbanub and I'm on the move

He's attempting to get my laptop again so this is all for today...

Oh - and our latest project - painting all of our interior trim white - is DONE! The doors are up next, as well as replacing some rotted exterior wood. So fun!

He couldn't get the laptop so now he has my phone. Can't let him out of your sight, folks!

xo,