Backyardigans

So, one of the things I wanted as a result of working at home was getting the back yard in a good place where a) the kids can play outside and me not have to worry about them getting hurt or into something they're not supposed to, b) a place where we can all relax, c) be outside as much as possible and d) I didn't want to be cooped up inside all summer long. There are quite a few projects on our list as I mentioned in an earlier post and we're tackling them one at a time. 

#1) The first was to create a new space for our garden. Last year when we first put in our raised bed our dogs got into it and ate some of the plants before we had a chance to enjoy the fruits of our labor. So I had the great idea to use the old dog kennel to wrap around garden so we could keep the dogs out and create a cute, little garden area. We got a great deal on a new dog kennel at Costco and moved the old one over the raised beds. We've planted several kinds of tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapenos, zucchini, leeks, arugula, kale, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, parsley, basil, rosemary and chives. We also have raspberries and blueberries planted in pots in the front yard. 


 

Here are a few pictures from the GARDEN project:

  

 

 

#2) The second project was to tear out all the old grass, level it out, bring new dirt in and then plant new grass. It seems that our house is located on an old river bed so there were/are TONS of rocks in our yard, which present quite a problem when you're trying to dig a hole to plant something or put a stake in the ground. We rented a tiller for a day and it worked really well to dig up a lot of those rocks!

Here are a few pictures from the LAWN project:

This is just one of the piles of rocks and it got MUCH bigger!

This rock was big and took quite a bit of work to get out of the ground, phew!

Bags full of old grass

The tilled lawn with most some of the old grass and rocks removed.

 The new dirt with grass seed planted

The grass is growing! 

#3) The third thing on our list was extending our patio and getting the ground ready to pour concrete. With our dogs and the amount of rain we get every year our walls, floors and carpet especially are a dirty mess with all the mud and dirt they track inside so we wanted to get rid of as much dirt as possible and decided to extend our existing 10x10 patio. 

Here are a few pictures from the CONCRETE project: 

This is the side to the right (facing out) of the patio (outside the living room window)

The finished product with our BBQ and furniture. So nice!

The side where the new dog kennel will go once the concrete is poured.

Looking out the dining room window while they were still pouring the concrete.

The finished side with the new dog kennel.

#4) The next thing on our list is to build a covered area for part of the patio to provide shade and some protection from the rain.

So far, so good...the kids and I have enjoyed quite a bit of time outside and we've had several meals on the new patio already. We've even savored a few s'mores on our new fire pit. Ahhh, I LOVE summer!