Project "Landscape Outdoors"

We have gotten so much done in our yard over the past two weeks and I'm beyond thrilled!! For those of you that aren't aware, 2 years ago, Jet and I bought our third fixer-upper house. He's Handy-man Extraordinaire. And I...well, I can paint. So we've gotten good at turning run-down houses into beautiful homes.


But because they're fixer-uppers, landscaping is always lacking. In fact, to refer to our yards as "landscaped" is a gross exaggeration. Mafia Weeds have killed all signs of grass. Ants of all sizes have made themselves quite at home. Paint is in sorry shape. Tree limbs are wildly askew. Etc Etc.


The first few months, we ATTACKED the inside, while living elsewhere. Being that the previous owners had 12 cats, 2 furry dogs and a bird...the place was in need of seeing a sponge...and a chisel. And while there are still some things that we eventually want to do inside, it is basically finished for the time-being. Project Outdoors has officially commenced.


Now grant it, we HAVE done some pretty major things in our yard over the past 2 years, but it just seems to all be coming together in the past 2 months. For instance, in the very beginning we took M-A-N-Y trips to the dump, to free the yard of the mass debris left by the ever-so-generous previous owners. We took down four major bushes, with roots that most likely touched the fires of hell. (For those of you that don't get metaphors, I'm saying they were DEEP.) *wink* We took down a hugely unattractive carport...that unbeknownst of us, was rotting from woodbee drillings. Jet cut down two large trees...one of which was a walnut tree split in half by the fury of some hurricane. The bitter old tree's favorite pasttime was to litter our yard with walnuts, pelting our dog in the process. And on and on the list goes...


But here recenty!! Our neighbors paid over $2000 to have two very massive trees taken down. (They both were on the property line, though MUCH closer to our home than theirs) The one tree (as pictured) was at least 4 ft. in diameter...and it's branches towered over our three story home. It was over 100 years old, planted when this house was built. Though it was very beautiful, it had to come down. I prayed every time heavy winds went through, being that the girls' room lied next to the tree. So to have our neighbors take care of that was a huge blessing on every realm: no more leaves in our gutters...no more worrying that it'll crash into the girls' room...not having to pay one cent!! :)


About two weeks ago, we finally finished a deck that we've been working on for nearly a year!! Praise the Lord! ...and all thanks to my parents who decided to give us early birthday and Christmas presents by buying us the railing. Can I just say I LOVE IT?!! We were also able to finish a brick patio, put up lattice, get rid of a bunch of rock.....We were on a roll!! Even the girls were outside with their miniature wheelbarrows collecting debris.


AND Jet just took off a couple of days from work, giving us a FIVE day "weekend". While most people would have gone to the beach, we went to the work bench. Hey, when you buy a fixer- upper, you gotta be committed!

We put up screen doors, knocked down one porch's walls, scraped rust off the shed roof and paint off its walls in preparation to re-paint it, put up new chandeliers that we got last Christmas but haven't had time to install, and a bunch more!!!! AHHHH! :) I hope to have some before and after pictures on here in the not-t0-distant future.


Yes, there still is a LONG list of things we want to do to the outside. Probably things that time and/or money will keep us from starting for many, many years. But for TODAY, I'm beyond thrilled that our deck is finished, that the massive trees are gone, and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We are supremely blessed.