{front yard overhaul}

{front yard overhaul}

do you ever just get the itch to do something before you lose the nerve?

the other day i was driving home with the sunroof open and the warm breeze blowing in my hair. the sun was warming my skin and my sunglasses were lookin pretty cool... i could not wait to get home and sit on the front porch with my hubby and just enjoy the absolutely beautiful weather.

and then i remembered.. this is what i would be coming home to.

kinda dampened my spirits. and got my brain ticking. {hubby would insert here that this is when he usually runs to hide. he isn't my #1 rockstar groupie fan when i "get a brilliant idea"}

i wanted to work in the yard.              

let me repeat that.

i. wanted. to. work. in. the. yard.

for those of you who know me in real life you know this is a monumental statement. i have never once pushed (or ridden for that matter) a lawn mower. i have never so much as planted a flower. i am not a veteran of being on the business end of a shovel. i don't prefer hot, sweaty, hard working manual labor. but that day i was itching to get it done.

so after a lot of batting of the eyelashes, pleading and a little pouting i had the hubby on board. we were going to just rake the yard and trim back the bushes and call it an evening.

then i tried to rake under my boxwood hedge. this here hedge has been the bane of my existance since we moved in this house. all it does is bully my front porch into shrinking into near non-existence and conceal a whole bunch of trash (hang in there - picture to follow). i got frustrated, got the loppers and then there was a whole lot of this...



if someone could explain the big white square in that picture i'd really appreciate it. :)

 then i had another brilliant idea for this baby - which is what our building was delivered on last summer. (tried and true character flaw in a diy-er - don't throw it away we can make something with it!)

i want to keep it a surprise but it might be a few months before we get it into a fully-functioning mode but let me just say - this is going to save me a lot of headaches!

anyhoo - after an hour or so of lopping, grunting, pulling and a few choice words we were left with this.

holy sweet freedom. i can sit on the porch without that wretched hedge threatening to eat me! however, it was still a pretty nasty ugly spot. so i put my finger on my chin and cocked my head to the side... hmmm... something quick, easy and economical to cover this up.

{cue the husband rolling his eyes at my next brilliant idea}

so while he was tying up loose ends and pulling up roots, working his tail of for the wife he loves so much, i hopped in the truck and dashed to lowes to pick up 8 bags of river rock. our neighbor graciously donated two industrial black trashbags to cover the dirt with and we spread the rocks around when i got home with them.

here is the wheelbarrow of trinkets deposited over who-know-how-long by previous owners or tenants.

pretty interesting array of items. i was especially impressed by the single flip flop. one flip flop. wow. yup.

after about 20 minutes of spreading the rocks around and then a few touch ups here, i added my collection of front porch adornments...

and put the handmade macrame chairs back up there. and now i get to sit here every day after work and relax.

i am so so proud of my new front porch. i have to say we added about a bazillion emotional dollars of curb appeal to the house. this project made me understand the true value of yard work - it is so rewarding.

{we still had a couple places that needed rocks - one quick lunch trip to lowes fixed it right up}

our backs were killing us and we were rubbing the blisters on our hands but to have dinner on the front porch and watch the sun set made it so worth it.

this angel came from hubby's grammie's house before they sold it. it was purchased after chris' older brother died as an infant. it just makes me feel peaceful to have him watching over everything.

when you move to louisiana and sign a contract on a home, there is a section in fine print that requires you to purchase one of the monogram flags and proudly display it in your front yard. {everyone has one} i nearly missed it but my real estate agent was kind enough to point it out. {whew} and this is my dried eucalyptus and it smells sooooo good and i love it. :)

so if you are driving through north lousiana in the next few months and wanna stop by for a chat, a glass of wine, or perhaps just some quiet time, this is where you will find me. i definitely invite you to come join!

linking up to:

the nester's take a risk party
the stories of a2z tips and tutorials party
topsy turvy tuesday
blue cricket design show and tell party
the rhinestone beagle
meet you at the fence
chic on a shoe string
remodelaholic