MIA

I've been MIA for a little over a month now. Things just got so hectic that I couldn't stop to think, or write, or be creative. It was overwhelming, and though that feeling isn't over, it's subsided enough to allow me to write a little.

Mostly, I wanted to show you pictures. Pictures of part of what was taking so much time and energy - Our Yard.

It's been a source of yucky feelings for years now. The swamp that was the backyard. The huge flowerbeds that I no longer had time to weed. The grass that was uneven, and usually a source of more weeds. The small mismatched pieces of patio. It all just made me not want to go outside.

But this last month has been the change of all that. It took a longer than any of us anticipated, and of course took more money than we expected. But overall, we have a fabulous new yard and patio. I have garden beds to raise my veggies. Most importantly, my son has an amazing new playspace, and thanks to my sister's spring cleaning, a bunch of new outdoor toys!

Here are the pictures. The before pictures were actually when the yard was looking pretty good - it had been long enough without rain that the yard had mostly dried, leaving everything very green and long, but still too muddy to mow.

The Side yard:

What you may not be able to see is that the landscape now gently rolls, instead of having dips and potholes all over. I'm no longer worried about twisting my ankle walking through it.

The Back Yard:




We moved the hot tub, added bench seating across the new larger back patio, and made the back yard level. It's still a work in progress, because I want to add a table and chairs, lighting, and more plants... But for now, I'm reveling in the fact that I can just open the back door and let LittleFish go play to his heart's desire.