Landscaping Projects Update

I finally have a minute where I can use both hands to type. Yes, it is midnight, but it is the first time Emma has permitted me to set her down today. All day she'd fall asleep in my arms but as soon as I set her down she'd wake up and want to be picked up and rocked again. My back and arms are so sore. I think if this keeps going I am going to have some major guns here pretty soon.

I have been meaning to do this post for some time now. We've made some more improvements on our backyard recently. And can I just say I have THE BEST husband EVER!

Two weekends ago Dan decided he'd like to make drip areas around the hose bibs. We didn't want to deal with muddy, soggy ground over there and Dan wanted to make it easier for when we edge the lawn. He went to Lowes and bought some cheap black edging, and went and got a load of pea gravel.

We then (or I should say he then) pulled up the sod in a half circle, put the edging in, lined it with black weed barrier, and filled the spot with gravel. It looks pretty nice if I do say so myself. I only took a picture of one of the hose areas but he did it on both sides of the house.

When that was all said and done we still had a TON of gravel left over in the back of the truck. So being the ambitious man my husband is, we decided to go ahead and build the fire-pit we've been talking about (mind you we planned on that being a project far in the future). What we imagined would only take an hour or two turned into the rest of the day and evening! Next time we plan a excavating job I think we should rent a sod cutter. Hindsight is 20/20 right?

Anyway, we cut the sod and moved that to the other side of the yard where it used to be bare. We practically have an entire lawn over there now just from where we tore up sod for the garden boxes, and now the fire-pit. Although I think if that was all we had intended to do, seeding would have been far less effort! But that's beside the point.

We used the left over black edging for our pit circle and laid more weed barrier down. Then it was wheelbarrow time. I had the easy job of pushing and raking the pea gravel. That doesn't even compare to the hard job of shoveling, and pushing a wheelbarrow of heavy rock around! My man is amazing.

For the fire ring we just used rocks from around the yard. They are everywhere! Supposedly our subdivision used to be a rock quarry. You can tell too. No wonder planting our apple and peach trees was such a chore! And hence the garden boxes rather than just tilling a plot. This is what we ended up with...

The following Monday we decided that for Family Night we'd make hobo dinners/foil dinner and have smore's. It was so fun and the kids loved it!

But there was still something missing. . .

From the house the fire pit looked pretty lonely and boring. It needed something 3-D. We went around and played with the idea of building benches or stools or something out there but decided that we preferred the low upkeep route.

So tonight Dan called me on his way home from work telling me he was at the gravel yard and wanted to know if I trusted him to pick out the rocks or if I wanted to be there (what a guy!). I told him to go for it.

So tonight we spent the evening hauling in the boulders. . .

Dan and I managed to get the two smallest ones in ourselves but we needed the bigger guns for the other 3. Dan called up his brother Steven and he came over and helped. Thanks Steve!

The kids had fun playing with the cousins and we sat around the fire on our new seats and roasted smore's again. I love nights like this!

Doesn't it look so much better? We have decided the circle is a tad too small so we plan on bumping the black edging about 8 inches all the way around and then back behind towards the fence is where we will plant some grapes and small shrubs to finish off that corner of the lot. I just love it!

Well I'd better head to bed. The house is soooo quiet.That may be due to the fact that it is after 12:00, or maybe it is because Dan and the kids are camping out in the backyard tonight. That too was Dan's idea! The kids were so excited today knowing they got to camp with daddy tonight. Like I said...Best Husband EVER!