What a beautiful spring day...

Just wanted to share a few photos I took today in the yard...it's the warmest day yet and I've been outside as much as I can be!

Buds and a bird's nest...spring has arrived in my back yard!

              

my adorable new 'fairy door' from Collections, Etc.

One of two crane statues that just came yesterday, also from Collections, Etc.

 I'm hoping they might scare the birds away from the fish in the pond!

I'm also very encouraged that my sun porch is full of seedlings I've started; I'm very proud of myself. It's my first foray into the world of seed starting.  This is what I've got so far:

• cherry tomatoes
• big boy hybrid tomatoes
• cucumbers
• cauliflower
• broccoli
• bell peppers
• watermelons
• blackberries
• strawberries
• dahlias
• delphiniums
• hollyhocks

I've also started assorted herbs- lemon balm, spearmint, oregano, parsely, cilantro, chives, lavender, chamomile, rosemary and of course catnip for my three kitties.

Hubby is making me vegetable trellises to go along the fence, so that I can grow the vined plants vertically and save space. Pictures to come when it's all finished!

Happy Spring!

It's official, Happy Spring!!!

The seeds I planted last Tuesday are starting to grow. I bought Burpee and Jiffy mini greenhouses and so far between the two of them and a few planters, I've started cucumbers, bell peppers, big boy hybrid tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, garlic chives, dahlias and delphiniums in my sun porch. I still have more to plant- maybe I'll do that this afternoon. I've decided that this summer I'm going to try my hand at vegetable container gardening. Hubby is going to build me a raised bed underneath the trellises so our three rowdy dogs can't trample my flowers, but I don't want to put a raised bed where I'm planning on putting the veggies. So- I'm going to try a group of large containers. This is my first time planting veggies, so I hope they turn out! This has all been inspired by the 'urban homestead' trend I've been reading about. The economy's been so miserable and I love the idea of a modern day 'victory garden.' We have a small backyard and we are constantly entertaining so I'm not about to put a chicken coop back there or anything, but a vegetable garden...that's something I can do.

I also really like the idea of vertical gardening- we have a six foot wooden privacy fence around our entire backyard, and I think this would be a great way to beautify it. I saw some really inspiring pictures when I searched the term in Google images.

I've been really motivated lately in the home improvement department. About two weeks ago I used a steamer and removed what felt like a million layers of wallpaper from our upstairs hallway, pulled off the crown molding and painted all of the trim and doors a few coats of glossy white. Hubby's patched the old plaster and lat walls, I'm just waiting on him to finish sanding them so that I can give them a good coat of primer.

The new color I've picked for the living room, dining room, stairway and upstairs hall is "Cloudless" from Behr. It's such a refreshing blue. I love it, can't wait to get it all done!

Spring is in the air!

Encouraged by the melted snow and warmer temperatures last week,
I brought all of my patio furniture and rugs out of storage and had Hubby clean up the koi pond.
A few days later- wouldn't ya know it- snow.

Ten inches!

I don't want to jinx anything again but the snow has since melted (thanks to a heavy rain) and the sun is shining. I took Baby A for a walk downtown in her stroller this morning to get some fresh air, and we picked up some potting soil and seed starters at the hardware store.

I. AM. SO. EXCITED!

Summer is my favorite time of year. When we moved into our house two years ago, our backyard was a blank slate with a small concrete slab patio and an enormous, beautiful tree. Since then, we've ripped out the concrete, put in a brick paver patio and walkway, a custom designed pergola, koi pond with two waterfalls, a row of trellis along the fence with flowering Clematis vines, a grilling station and a fire pit. This year's project...portable horseshoe pits and an outdoor bar along the edge of the grilling station for food prep and extra seating if needed. Hubby is really excited about this one, and I know it's going to look great. He's very handy, and has designed/built/installed every amenity we have in our backyard himself.


one of last summer's beautiful water lilies in our pond-
one of two waterfalls we have-


We entertain outside almost every weekend in warm weather, and I can't wait to start up again.

After what seemed like a never-ending winter, I finally smell spring!