Backyard Upgrades!

Hooray - our backyard is open for business! Every spring I find myself wanting to change something new about our backyard - over the last few years we've done a few things, put in a few new plants, a screen door, a fountain (which no longer works - sad face), a new grill, the garden. This year was the year for patio furniture (ours was 12 years old) and a fire pit area. 

nothing special

blehhhh

garden graveyard

Everyone we've told about the garden turned fire pit was horrified. This is Idaho after all I guess, and everyone has gardens. The garden was always fun... at first. Seeing little plants in nice neat rows, watching them grow and sprout tiny vegetables. It stopped being fun when the plants became giants and bees were everywhere and weeds became uncontrollable. So, a firepit was decided. With the help of the parents we put down weed barrier and rock, moved our black metal patio furniture over and ordered a fire pit from Amazon. I also bought 3 large pots, one for basil, one for mint and rosemary, and one for cherry tomatoes. Those were the things I liked most about our old garden anyway. And free zucchini are a dime a dozen... or I guess free a dozen? Because everyone has an abundance of them. And anything else we can get from Steve ;)

The new patio furniture was purchased at Ikea when we were there over spring break. Yes I'm kicking myself because yes it's too small and yes I was warned. Next time we head that way I'll get the bigger table and a couple more chairs, and just sell this smaller one. But in the meantime it's really pretty and makes the patio look more spacious!

I also power-washed the porch, planted some new flowers in pots, and hung some outdoor lights I'd had for years in the garage. They look SO pretty at night! 

And on Mother's Day Steve brought me two hanging baskets that are hanging in that little space on the right between the wall and the column. It really looks so nice and fresh and clean out there right now! Carolina spent an hour coloring at the new table for an hour the other day. 

Of course projects are never done and I hope to get the fountain working again somehow, and maybe plant some skinny trees so the view out our window isn't just the fence and the house behind us, some curbing around the flower beds would be nice, plus Todd would like a lounge chair. Projects for another spring!