MHello All and Welcome Back to our project blog!!
Where we left off:
Six (long) months ago we were remodeling our kitchen and dining room. In December we welcomed our beautiful baby girl Natalia into our family! We are still remodeling our kitchen and dining room... When Natalia was born, all work on the house came to a screeching stop; we have basically been surviving, living, existing, and this so called thing "time" has been non-existent. We left the kitchen almost finished. What remains? - The back-splash, trim, and the French door!
We are finally ready to resume work on our house. Do we have more time...I am not too sure about that but we have figured out our new normal and have been able to begin finishing projects up and starting new projects!
Spring and Summer - Let's Enjoy Our Back Yard!
As warmer weather rolled in, we were more than excited to get outside and have a place to burn off some of the stored winter energy! This is easier said than done.
Our backyard although functional, was less than inviting and was semi-hazardous for anyone with legs of the same length. The old owners must have had a dog who liked to dig. Our yard was very uneven with lots of large dips and holes. Not only did the yard need to be leveled, but the entire yard needed to be regraded around the house to create proper drainage. For anyone that has done these tedious yard tasks you they are time consuming, a lot of work, and there isn't much visual show for them. Jake worked hard for multiple weekends to improve our yard, the terrain, and the drainage!
Now we come to the most unsightly section of the yard, the ferns... Our backyard had hundreds (and I literally mean hundreds) of overgrown, unkempt ferns. They were growing rampant and I can only assume a mosquito and spider haven. Jake and I really do not like landscaping plants, shrubs, trees, etc. We hated these ferns. The work on the ferns started last fall when my mom dug out a bunch to replant. In the spring I dug out a number more for her and then Jake took care of riding the bed of the remaining ferns (hundreds and hundreds of ferns).
The last weekend in May my dad and brother came up and braved the horribly cold and rainy weather to help Jake build a deck! They literally worked through rain all day Saturday! Due to the weather, they did not quite finish the deck, but Jake has been working very diligently to finish it up so that we can enjoy it! Fin has also enjoyed helping dad on the deck! I am not sure what he is going to do now that it is complete. He talks about the deck a lot and every time Jake is outside Fin thinks he is working on the deck!
Jake also did some landscaping work along the back of the house and the side creating an area for firewood, the hose, drainage pipes, and other small yard tools.
We have been unsure of where we will put a garden so this year we planted a few select items in pots. Fin helped me to plant our vegetables and flowers. We added flags and solar lights for a little patriotic flare!
Below are the before and after pictures!! We don't have a table yet, but we were too excited to wait to share!
If you made it this far, you are probably thinking, "Wow this is great! But what about the kitchen?" Well, the kitchen and dining room are still in a standstill. We really wanted to have the yard complete and functional for the summer! They are next on the list! We are hoping to have them done by July as we are having a family gathering and would love to show off our (finally) completed project!
