How was everyone’s weekend? Wonderful I hope

We were able to tackle a project we have had on our list since we moved in. We finally got to work on our backyard!

Since Spring it has turned into a bit of a jungle out back, and the last thing we want are our neighbors thinking we’re “those people on the street” that don’t know how to use a mower or hedge clippers.  So we went ahead and took care of that.

Here are some photo’s to give you a better idea:

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Our lovely yard (and this was the beginning of June)

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Most recently:

We have a little “jungle” issue on our premises

Now, for the weekend-work-filled after photo’s…

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We have ground!

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and even more ground!!

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Also, I think I found OJ’s glove with a broken golf club:

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hopefully they don’t need that glove for evidence because it got thrown into the burn pile we’ve started:

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just don’t look behind the burn pile… we’ve only tackled the front 1/3 of the backyard
(what?! we have a really big yard!)

So what did everyone else do this weekend?   Only 4 more days until the weekend

Last Saturday we finally did it. We did the one thing the weather and our desire to sleep in had been preventing for all the weekends since we moved into our house. Here is what went down:

-We woke up at 7:00

-Had some breakfast

-Went to the store

-Came home, and

-Did lawn work!

Yep, we finally got our yard work done, or well started anyways.  Stephen mowed the lawn and I pulled a ridiculous amount of weeds that have grown WAY too fast! I was so excited to finally get to work on our yard. We have a pretty large lot, definitely bigger than what we had at the townhouse.  Heck, there was a lawn service at the townhouse, we didn’t have to do a thing (although I did enjoy a little gardening).

We have a really deep lot, and currently the backyard is more “woods” like with all the trees and growth. I discovered that we have a persistent growth of blackberry vines. While I LOVE free fruit, I do NOT like blackberry vines. They are spiky, pointy and stabby. What makes them worst is that they grow low to the ground, so they like to stick to your ankles and shins. That’s what I was working on while Stephen mowed. On our morning store run I picked up a pair of landscaping gloves and it was probably the smartest purchase I’ve made in months!

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See those gloves. They definitely weren’t purchased with dirt all over them, but that is how I left them.  You can see a bit of what we are working with behind me in the yard (I’ll post yard pic’s soon!).  If you look toward the bottom of the picture you can see a lack of grass/weeds, it actually just looks like dirt now, but I prefer that over the stickers. Grass/Sod is on a to-do list for down the road!

I gotta show you what Stephen looked like, it’s too funny not to share:

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No, he does not have a bad tan line, he is just as white as his feet. His legs brought on a whole new color after all that mowing, we’ll call the color: dirt. He came to show me before he cleaned up and I was quick enough to snap a picture. Your Welcome!

While I would love to get back in the yard this weekend we have different plans. My little brother is getting married tomorrow!  He is the last of the 4 of us. Mom and dad will have the house all to themselves for the first time in over 28 years. Heck, I should send them a Congratulations card!

So instead of pulling weeds and smelling like insect repellent on Saturday, we will be hanging out with family and enjoying some BBQ at my parents   I think it’s a good trade up!

This is our first Spring having a yard and it’s been fun dreaming up idea’s of what we would like our property to look like.  I was really excited at the prospect of having my own veggie garden out back, but because planting season has kind of passed for most of the items we wanted to grow that will be #1 on our list next year. We just ran out of time to work on the area where we want the garden (that and the extra cold winter may have kept me hibernating indoors…).  While we still plan on trying out a few healthy items out back there is much to be done!

When we bought our home it had just been flipped by a contractor. The old and yuck was ripped out and the new and nice was put in. We were more than happy to enjoy someone else’s hard work on the retro 1970′s look it had going on!  While there is still much to be done, I’m pleased that the indoors are clean and neat, but outside, outside is a completely different story…

I got out there yesterday to trim some stuff down and discovered a few things: 1) It’s officially mosquito season!  2) The previous owners setup an area to play horseshoes  3) My husband does not like the outdoors anywhere near as much as me, and 4) Weeds roots run really deep in the ground!

Now, instead of thinking of all the hard work that is yet to be done, we’re gonna look at pretty pictures instead

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Fun  Potting Bench
image found at CentsationalGirl.com

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This backyard looks like a vacation spot!

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I love Hydrangeas

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This looks almost do-able…

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Planters Boxes!!!

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This is just lovely!  Yes please

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This looks like something from Swiss Family Robinson, love it!

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I’ve shared with you guys before about my hopes for a great DIY potting bench.  Well that is just one of the many things that will look great in our yard.

After work I went by one of our local Farmers Markets and walked through their garden area. It was so relaxing. Kind of like how our yard will be {one day}.

Alright friends, it is well into Spring which means it’s officially Porch Season. I am super excited that we actually have a house this year that we can play with and do as we please. I’m more excited than fishermen in trout season, or a hunter in deer season. Plus there’s the added bonus that I won’t be killing anything… except a few ugly plants and hornets nests that is.

There was no porch with the townhouse, so this is my first time having a home with one. None of my apartments during college had one, and my parents only have a front stoop (although I know they dream of one day having a wrap-around). So my porchless past has brought me to an excited state. Thinking back I did spruce up the front landing nicely this time last year, however this year will be a little different…

Here’s a prime example of why I’m deeming this a Porch Renovation: the holly bush

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I don’t know why they call these holly bushes. Sure they get holly berries on them, but it truly is a vicious and unforgiving plant. It should have a meaner name. Something like Stabalot, Green Needle, or Vader Bush (for the Star Wars fans out there). I don’t care what the name becomes, Holly just sounds too friendly.

Porch Task #1 – Rip out that Green Needled-Vader-Stabalot Holly Bush. Look at the picture, that thing is blocking 1/2 of my friendly front porch. Not only is it painful to touch, it’s rude too.

Now that we know it’s Porch Renovation time at the Ringls, it’s time I get to work. It’s my day off, it’s nice out, and I borrowed my parent’s garden shears.

This has officially become a 2-part post.  I will be back with my progress later today…

Update:

Okay people, that was a lot more work than I ever could have imagined!

Here is the after:

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After cutting out all the branches I started bagging them, that was seriously the most horrible experience so far in homeownership. I tried bagging the branches but had to start cutting them down to forearm-size (girl forearm, not man forearm) so that they would fit into the trash bags.  Let me give you a look at how that went:

Those cheap bags are full of holes. Not just any holes either, holes that I wasn’t expecting that then cut into my legs and arms. Stupid bush.  That last bag (bottom right) is full of leaves that I gathered and scooped with a shovel.  That reminds me, we need a rake…

I was so excited today when the weather finally cooperated with my outdoor plans! It was like the perfect storm, only the opposite – the perfect outdoor day. For my birthday my parents gave me the choice of either getting a new tool, or 2 trees of my choice. Since I got a circular saw from Stephen (yes, I got a tool from my husband TO me, not the other way around), I decided I would go after the tree that I have been seeing everywhere and loving: a Bradford Pear tree

See how happy I am   I love planting !!

Also, I learned that I am in dire need of some good gardening gloves. Yard work tears up the hands, and shovels are just cruel to the skin…

I’m really excited about the placement of tree #1.  The window behind me is the office window, so when I look outside when sitting at our soon-to-be-completed-super-awesome-desk i will get to stare at this:

I am so ready for Spring to be in full bloom, and my bradford pear tree too

What about you guys. Any favorite things about Spring? Maybe you aren’t a gardener but lean more towards cooking, sports, or last-minute tax filing.  All I know is that in the Ringl house the taxes are done, and the gardening has just begun.