Improvements by the Yard

Got to some much needed yardwork completed today. Last weekend that was the plan but... so this weekend we caught up (for the most part). It was so BEAUTIFUL outside that I totally cannot complain, it was heaven. I raked and it went pretty fast, this new rake is so much better (the right tools make all the difference). Anyway, it felt like a good workout and made a huge improvement on the appearance of the front of our house.

SUCH AN IMPROVEMENT in fact that I did something TOTALLY out of my character and spent money on further improvements that we don't have- IE: went to Home Depot and bought stuff on the credit card/its not gonna get paid off till December type splurge BUT... it looks like our Christmas bonus should be enough to cover a decent Christmas and then some so I sort-of see that spending as a gift to us in advance. We spent around $80 and got soooo much in return.

A couple of years ago we painted all the wood on our house. It helped update the look alot. We used a latte color and I really like it. We also tore out 85% of the bushes and planted some more (like 20+) to take their place. We bought the cheapest we could find- small box woods and used the most economical border- the green metal and went to town. It was a HUGE undertaking. We have a 80 foot high (something around that anyway) Maple with VERY hard and big and numerous roots that have totally over taken our ENTIRE yard. Digging in our flowerbeds was NOT easy. We used drills and wedges and saws (don't ask) and some of the boxwoods just didn't make it despite our best efforts. We tried some other types- some "took" but the amount of work/time invested never really showed. So now this past year we get a new roof, repaired our fence and I'm thinkin' we're on our way right- well not as much as I wanted, the impact was just below my expectations.

SO TODAY, we go and get some more shrubs (like 7 or so, 3 different types) and we buy tons of dirt (like 250 lbs worth- it is nice having an Excursion) and we build up our flower beds. We uproot some of the boring/dying boxwoods that were all lined up and we put in mounts and w/in the mounds we planted our various selections. The idea was stolen from Mike's coworker that has a yard (and house) that I WOULD DIE FOR. Well, as I was saying- I am so happy with the outcome I want to burst (another $100 and it would look AMAZING but still I think right now it looks good).

No regrets- I just wish we would have done it sooner. The best part was the whole family was involved and we all had a great time working together- no tension, no stress- just happiness. Happy Day.