Our Fall Porch 2013

Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend. Today I'm sharing our front porch all decorated for fall! All the summer flower pots are gone, and it's time for pumpkins and fall mums!

I've really been trying to water the mums as much as I can but they seem to be having a tough time. Not sure why! They've been looking really "wilty" for the past couple of weeks but are still hanging in there!

Almost all of the paint has peeled off of the porch floor, which I think we first painted a few years ago - maybe the fall that I moved in? It's in need of a new coat of paint, or something different like stain or tile maybe...but we might have to wait until next year since it's getting colder now. Another thing I can't wait for is to get a new front door. Once the foundation is fixed, I'm sure we'll have many little projects like this to complete...

On to other topics, though....Do you think we have enough pumpkins? :) We got them all from the pumpkin patch at my grandparents' house. They are huge this year! Although there are a couple of fake "imposter" ones in the midst - That white ghost pumpkin and my "welcome" pumpkin in the wooden crate. You can see how I painted it here. A really simple little project!



You can really see how bad the cement floor looks here....makes me want to redo it pronto. Anyone have any tips? I'd hate to redo it or paint it right before winter though..and then it peels off again!

Here's evidence we have been watering these things....

I like to have him do the work for me sometimes. Just easier that way. :)

Oh, and see those stone pavers in front of the flower bed there? We just laid them down temporarily to see what it would look like. I kinda love them, even though they will be set into the ground a little more once they're installed. It does make me excited to make a path that goes to the driveway. It will be a lot of work though and will take a lot more pavers! I think that's another project we might have to wait until spring for.

I really am liking our fall porch decor this year (despite that ugly cement floor of course!). You can see some past fall decor here. Oh yeah, and I'm kind of upset we missed the local Scenic Drive this year (a collection of tons of craft fairs, yard sales, and flea market-type of stuff). It usually takes place the first two weekends in October, and Trent and I were busy both weekends this year. Go figure. Maybe next year we'll make it back again!

Landscaping the Side Yard is Complete!

If you've been following our progress on landscaping the side yard, well, you'll be happy to know that I am calling this project complete! If not, you can visit the posts here, here, here, here, and here to see where we first started to where we are now.

Of course, we plan to do even more here in the future, like create a walking path to the driveway, and plant some more bushes and flowers in the plant bed. But the main part of the job is officially finished!

For a quick recap, here was what we started with back in the beginning of August:

The grass was a lot greener then, but it was not much to look at. We hadn't given this area of the yard much attention since we've been here, but since we park on this side of the house now (you can see my temporary garage-tent in the photo below - the big ol' gray thing behind the house), we walked past this space everyday and started envisioning some nice landscaping here.

I'm so glad we're finally done with the brunt of the work. The next big project (the walkway) might have to wait until next year, considering it took a couple of months for us to finish the plant bed.

Here are the final steps we made to complete the project:

First - We finished filling the end of the bed and leveling it out with dirt. I really helped with this step! Trent tilled up some dirt in the backyard and we both shoveled it into the lawn trailer.

Then emptied it into the plant bed to level it out. Trent also made a slight slope right in front of the house for rain to run off.

Next we just covered the remaining section with landscaping fabric like we did on the other side to prevent weeds from seeping through. This is a two-person job in my opinion, especially if you have a large area to cover and a few plants to go around. It helps if one person unrolls the fabric while the other person is on the opposite end to cut it. I have to say, it was much easier to do it in the daylight! The first section we covered at night, which was a bit difficult even with a spotlight. ;)

Then all we had left was to cover the remaining area with mulch and rock. We used maybe 10 bags of mulch on this side and five bags of rock.

Our final step was pressure-washing the house. I couldn't wait for this step! The grime on the siding was really bugging me. Just look at this photo from earlier - see that green mildewy type of stuff on the house?

I couldn't wait for it to be gone. I watched Trent wash the siding off, and as always, this part is always the coolest part to watch. I seriously love pressure-washers. They work miracles.

Here's the side of the house all clean and shiny!

And that was just the house. Next was cleaning the basement door. This old thing will have to be replaced next year. The temporary bricks stacked on the foundation just ain't workin'! But we're making due with what we have this year.

It's amazing what this thing can do. The dirt washed right off and it was looking brand spankin' new again.....almost. Ignore the shabby bricks on the side. :)

Look at our shiny like-new door now! Washing all the dirt away was really what made the project look "finished."

Here's the finished project. Lots of work and bricks..and more materials. But worth it. It will only get better as we add our walkway and additional plants and flowers. And as the grass greens up a bit. :)

Here's the Total Project Cost Breakdown:

Materials and Costs for landscaping the west side of the house - Summer/Fall 2013:

• Mulch - (had 4-5 bags already on hand) Purchased 10 more bags at approx. $3.67 each ($36.76) then four more bags at $2.99 each (11.96) = $48.72
• Nylon rope 215' = $3.04
• Potting mix/fertilizer (1 bag) = $7.99
• Top soil - 2 bags at $1.19 each = $2.38
• Leveling sand - 5 bags at $2.97 each = $14.85
• 116 Total Landscaping bricks (Most were approx. $1.69 each - we got some on sale for .99 cents) = $162.96
• Weed fabric (1 4x80' roll) = $9.99
• River pebble - 10 bags at approx. $2.73 each = $27.30
• Hydrangea plant = $27.98
• Hostas - 4 at $5.98 each = $23.92

Taxes: $23.96
Total before Rebates: $353.09
11% Mail-in Rebates = - $20.21
Project Total:  $332.88

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All materials were purchased at Menards but the plants, which were from Lowe's. The bulk of the money spent went toward the landscaping bricks. We made several trips back over the course of the two months for more materials. There was an 11% Rebate sale going on for some of the time, so we saved a little there. We also caught a sale on the landscaping bricks where we got them for only 99 cents. Wish we would have been able to purchase all of them at that time! We got to send in 3 Rebate receipts, so we received store credit for those amounts (totaling $20.21), which we were able to use to buy the remaining materials we needed.

Starting out we never really had a budget. We just always try to get the materials little by little as we go. It's always interesting to see the breakdown of costs, though! Doing it ourselves probably saved a little chunk of change, too. We just ended up with a couple of unused bricks and a bag of sand that we didn't use, but it will come in handy when we start on the walkway.

I can't wait to plant more plants and really fill the bed out next year. It will be a challenge, since this is a mostly shaded area. For now though, I'd say a successful outdoor project is complete! I can sleep better at night. :)

Welcome Pumpkin

I have been meaning to post this for a couple of days now. You now how it goes...I can't seem to get any time anymore! But here it is. The first pumpkin I decorated this year:

The pumpkin is fake, although it looks kinda real, huh? I ordered it from JoAnn's on sale. I decided to just do a simple "Welcome" for the porch. I got the template for the lettering from here.

It was really easy...as long as you have a little patience! Here's what I started with:

Then I just printed out the template found at the above link, and cut out the letters. I then taped it onto the pumpkin where I wanted the word to be.

Then I traced the word just like it was a stencil.

And I painted inside the lines with some black acrylic paint. This is where the patience comes in.

And voila, about two episodes of Full House later and I had my own "Welcome" pumpkin!

Here it is sitting on the front porch. Isn't it purdy? (psst- see that little orangish-greenish pumpkin on top of the wooden crate - the one by the fake gord? Yea, that grew in our backyard! Cute little guy.)

P.S. I owe you updated Fall front porch photos. And I will have that ready for you soon. Promise.

P.P.S. Landscaping is complete! Finished project pictures tomorrow. Aren't you excited? I am. :)

Linked to: Tatertots and Jello, Decor and the Dog Pumpkin Party, Liz Marie Blog, The Pin Junkie, Domestic Superhero, Twelve O Eight, Suburbs Mama

Recent Pictures

Can you believe it's October? This year has flown by to me. It's nice to see the leaves on the trees changing, but at the same time I'm sad to see summer going! I'll miss you, warm temperatures.

I've been meaning to post pictures of some fun Trent and I have had over the past month - like Brew HaHa and the River Bandits Championship game (which they won!!) So, behold, some September fun:


It was a gorgeous night at the ballpark. Not too cold and not too hot.

A blurry picture of us with the river in the background. This place has the BEST view. We found our neighbor (and my former coworker) Russell, and his girlfriend at the outdoor bar area and had drinks with them!

The team celebrating on the field when they won the game.

Post-game fireworks that completed the fun night.

And Brew HaHa 2013 (the best local craft beer festival) was a success. You even might have seen my Instagram or Trent's iPhone pictures:

Award for Best Brew went to Bent River Brewery AGAIN! Trent and I both voted for their Jalapeno Pepper Beer, which came in 2nd I think. I can't remember which of their beers came in first. Either way, they're the BEST!

I slept the rest of the day/night when we got home. I was pretty worn out from all that craft beer and specialty cheese. :)

Well, there's a little September fun recap in pictures for ya. Can't wait for some October festivities!

Crafty Goodies

SO EXCITED. Why? Because I finally have these:

Craft nerd alert. 6 beautiful blue vintage style Ball mason jars. Thanks once again, Target! You rock!

I've only been looking EVERYWHERE for these all summer. And by everywhere, I mean Wal-Mart and JoAnn's. Ha. I didn't expect to find them in Target of all places, but lo and behold, Target saved the day again. I have of course seen several authentic blue vintage jars at antique shops (which I still have to pick up), but I wanted to get me some of these too, which I think are a limited edition. I can't remember how much they were for a 6-pack, and I have no idea what I am going to do with them. But I love them.

And not only did I get some shiny blue jars, but I also found this baby:

At JoAnn's...and considerably cheaper than what I have found at Lowe's and Home Depot in the past. Didn't know they made this for crafting now! With my new jars and chalkboard paint, just think of all the crafty projects I can do. This will keep me busy for a while! ;)

Kitchen Organization Update

So, remember This Post where I shared how not-so-organized our kitchen has become, despite all of my attempts? Well, it's time for Part 2.

Here's the new addition to the fridge:

Not the most attractive thing ever, but I was desperate for a solution, since I have no space for a cute chalkboard in the kitchen yet! It's been getting the job done pretty well so far for reminders, and my to-do and grocery lists.

On the other hand......Here's my latest attempt at organizing mail and paper clutter:

You can see how this is going.

I have decided that my new solution will be to buy a new paper shredder and put it in an easy-access place. We used to have one, but it bit the dust.

Needless to say, I will be a happy camper when we get the foundation fixed later this month, because that will mean that we can focus more on renovating the kitchen and the hallway, and make some more sense of the storage space in the house! And all will be right with the world!

My word of the day (courtesy of Google):

:)

We Got Dirt

Today's poorly-grammered-title-post is to show the little teensy bit of progress made on the landscaping yesterday. Yes, folks - where there was once sand....there is now dirt:

I know, I know. Don't all stand and applaud in amazement, folks. Oh yeah, and we also picked up a few more bricks and continued them all the way to the house. So that part's done, too. :)

Heck, maybe next post we'll have grass seed on there. In all seriousness though, it is supposed to rain the next few days which bums me out because I wanted to get done this week. I want to see mulch in there!! :/ Patience, Patience!