Projects
We’ve been busy over the past few months with various projects. They are all more fun than gutting the kitchen, like we did last year. After the boys’ birthday we got in a vegetable garden. A little late in the season, but better than never. At least we’ll have some homegrown veggies for late summer.
Some of you may remember the groundhog problem the last time we attempted vegetable gardening. This year Josh put up a fence that is sunk into the ground. So far, so good!
I’ve also been planting flowers and shrubs. I’ve planted two white azaleas near the deck, moved the old-fashioned climbing rose to near the deck so it can climb on the railings. Along the side of the house I’ve transplanted hostas from my mom’s, divided irises, and put in a border white impatiens. It’s kind of hard to see in the picture below, but before this it was just a nasty strip of grass. It was especially pretty when the irises were in bloom. Now it’s just green and white, but soon the hostas will bloom. This side of the house doesn’t get much sun, late afternoon/evening.
I’ve experimented with iron-on transfers for the first time and had so much fun. I decorated totes for my mom and sister for their birthdays. Now that it’s dawned on me that I can design my own iron-on transfers, who knows what fun I’ll have. I’m already brainstorming Christmas gift ideas . . .
I have these big pillows covered in brown sweater-like material that’s not summer-friendly. So I found this great fabric and my mom made pillow covers for me that go great with the pillows I already had. The cover we made is the large pillow on the far right. The back is just a solid blue. A easy way to create a new, fresh look without blowing the budget.
This week we’re redoing our bedroom. Josh is trimming out the windows, repairing the walls, and then we’ll repaint. Pictures soon to come. What projects have you accomplished this summer or want to accomplish? Big or small, doesn’t matter.
fun stuff! I love the idea of a vegetable garden (and yours looks so great!). I am attempting tomatoes and a few other things in pots on my back deck. It has been in the 60′s and 70′s here, though, so I’m not sure how long it will be before we have “fruit”.
as far as other projects go, I’m just happy if i can keep the house in some semblance of order, and the flower beds weeded! I did learn (in order to teach my kids) how to make hemp jewelry. I guess that’s a project
. I think it will be a fun thing for the boys to do on rainy days.
I love seeing your little guys in action. too cute!
I wish I had time (okay, I could make time) to plant a garden. Bad enough that I’ve hired one of the teens at my church to mow the spit of a lawn for me.
For me — I spend the summers reading as many books as I can — a lot of ministry related books incorporated. During the school year I’m usually focused on serving in the ministry (teens); so, not as much time to read about ways to better serve and challenge.
So fun. I want a veggie garden next year. I have tomatoes, limes, oranges and blueberries and various herbs but I would love a whole garden. So fun. Yours is beautiful.
I LOVE The pillows too.
Summer projects are fun
My “honey do” list is actually an entire spreadsheet categorized by time and cost. Hey, I can’t let my business major go to waste, right? Poor Steve, haha.
Since we hope to move in a few months, we have re-prioritized all of the “must do” items and deleted all of those long-term projects we thought about doing one day. On the top of the list would be that bathroom renovation that’s been 2.5 years in the making!
Julia
Great projects, guys! Laurie, your hemp making project sounds fun. I love hemp necklaces! -M, I like to read as much as possible in the summer too. Bethany, I’d love to have limes in my backyard! I love them to put in my water and add to lemonade! Julia, you sound like Josh. Where do you hope to move to?
Our bedroom was something I was hoping to complete by summer and I’d say it’s complete! One of the other things was landscaping out front and we did that, too. We put the cutest little lemon cypress tree out front. The last thing we wanted to do (besides build our deck) was to make the basement more of a place we actually “hang out” in, not just keep the kids toys there – plus, it’s cooler and it makes more sense to hang there in the summer. Oh, I am trying my first run at growing tomatoes in a pot out back and also having fun with my mini-roses. Thanks for sharing, your garden looks great!!!
The hosta planting will be so full in a couple of years and add so much color to that side of the house.
We’re looking at a few neighborhoods around Towson. I guess the key is to sell our place first though, and who knows how that’ll go in this market.
Ok… LOVE the totes. I can’t wait to see some of your own designs on them.
The pillows are adorable too!
As for the garden I am so proud of you! I tried to do a flower/hosta garden last year…and I KILLED everything. I kinda forgot to water. oops.
How can you kill a hosta?!!!
One came back this year.
Anyway.
I’m working on our room, and also on the wall on our staircase. I am going to put together frames or something…still deciding.
I also MUST organize our laundry room/pantry.
the list goes on…
Your projects all sound and look great! I am trying to cut down on the clutter, one room at a time. This week I’m going through the kitchen. I discovered that one of my shelves was almost broken, it was so sagged down by the weight of my appliances etc. So a small declutter project turned into a big fix the cupboard project! But it looks great now! Next week on to my bedroom.
Your gardens are inspiring. PIllows, too. How special that your mom did them.
Projects here sort of fall into two categories (I guess like yours). The ‘work” stuff (we are systematically decluttering and it’s going very well…helps that we’re having a grad party here tomorrow!). No garden this year as the soil really needs to be amended. The perennials I planted in bulbs are doing NOTHING in the backyard raised beds (excpet for daylilies). Then there’s the artistic category. I’ve been doing songbirds and florals in soft pastel. Wow. New addiction.
awesome, D! love these! BTW the iron on transfers don’t wash to well. : ) Just an FYI. You have to buy the really nice ones, non-Avery! (or staples brand)