Summer project round-up

Hello!

It's hard to believe that summer is over and fall is here already. I thought I would take some time today to play catch up on some of the projects our family has worked on in the past few months.

 

All of these projects are outdoor/exterior projects.

 

First off is something I had wanted to do FOREVER which is paint our big backyard shed. The previous owners had stained it red.

It's hard to tell in the photos, but this shed is more like a small barn. It's huge and tall. Painting it was an all day job even with my crew of helpers.

 

Not a completely finished project, but such an improvement already.

 

 

The second project I'm sharing was actually the first thing we've ever paid to have done professionally (cause we're cheap and like doing things ourselves).

 

My husband and I tossed the idea around of doing this ourselves to save money, but sometimes you have to know your limits.

 

Project #2 is a driveway expansion.

Over the summer we added yet another driver to our family. We now have two teen drivers (scary I know). We have a three car garage, but needed more parking space so we decided to make use of our unused side yard.

 

 

 

 

I know its not the most exciting makeover, but this has been such a life saver for our family.

 

Since this post is getting long I'm going to finish up tomorrow with our last outdoor summer project.

 

Hope you enjoyed seeing what I've been up to lately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our backyard

I feel like such a slacker...I haven't blogged much {okay any} since returning from vacation. I have been really busy though working on my daughter's bedroom and I hope to share that with you later this week.

Today I want to share some of our backyard and the projects we've tackled back there this past spring and summer.

I don't think I've ever showed you pics of our backyard before so let me give you a little background. Right now we have what I consider two backyards...we have a fenced in pool area and a nice size grassy yard beyond the fence. Our plan is to eventually fence in our entire yard and then remove the fence around the pool area so it's one large area and not divided up.

This was our pool area in April. I know kind of a hot mess! The previous owners had put mulch all around the pool area and it drove my husband nuts because he was constantly having to clean mulch out of the pool. 

My husband decided to replace the mulch with rocks. We had a truck load delivered and spent a weekend shoveling and hauling rock from our driveway to the back.

Then it was time to open our pool. Unfortunately last summer our pool liner was damaged and we needed  to have it replaced.

It took a couple of days to fill the pool.

This is our pool and backyard now. Still things we want to do in the future like add more landscaping and build a pergola for shade {there's always next year}.

My husband built this towel holder for me.

To add a little color I spray painted some boring plastic pots.

As  I mentioned before there are still several projects we would like to do in our yard. I've learned to be patient {not everything has to be done RIGHT NOW} especially since I know this is our forever home. 

I hope you enjoyed my little tour. Thanks for taking time to stop by.

                                                                                              Amy

linking up this week to...

mondayfunday, thededicatedhouse, craft-o-maniac, diyshowoff, apinchofjoy, ourdelightfulhome

myuncommonsliceofsuburbia, adventuresofadiymom, elizabethanco, thewinthropchronicles

notjustahousewife, abowlfulloflemons, adiamondinthestuff, cornerstoneconfessions

cleanandscentsible, sugaranddots, the36thavenue, polkadotsonparade, housewivesofriverton

somedaycrafts, thewellcraftedhome, 52mantels, embracingchange

theshabbycreekcottage, twoyellowbirdsdecor, livelaughrowe, serenitynow

classyclutter, itsoverflowing

New roof

Last week was our spring break and we were blessed with some nice weather {finally}! We also had a new roof put on our house last week. Four days of loud banging and hammering...so glad it is done.

Our old roof wasn't terrible, but we had a lot of damaged shingles due to the strong winds we had last summer. We were also excited to get a different color and style of shingles.

The house looks so much different now!

Looking forward to some warm weather this week and getting outside to work on some landscaping and garden clean up.

                                                                                          Amy

Bringing the outdoors in

I know what you are thinking!

"Where the heck have you been?"

What can I say? I don't really have an excuse except that it's Summer time!

We are being lazy here. Enjoying our time together because I know the rest of summer break will fly by and my kids will go back to school again. I love having them home with me all day {even though our house always seems to be a mess}. So I haven't done as many projects or as much blogging. Yep, I'm being lazy and loving it!

I did manage to squeeze in one cute little project!

I love these adorable chicks n hens that I have in our backyard and wanted to bring a few indoors.


I started off with this plain little bucket I picked up at Target for $1.00. No, I can't get enough of that store!

I used a nail and hammer to make some small drainage holes in the bottom.

I cut out a square of burlap fabric and used some paint and a foam stamp to stamp on my number.

I used my hot glue gun to attach it to the bucket.

I added some gravel to the bottom.

Then I added my succulents from my garden.

I love how they look indoors. Such a quick project as well!

Have a wonderful day!

                                                                                   Amy

Linking up this week to...

pincushioncreations, romanceonadime, primp, mygirlishwhims

polkadotsonparade, cleanandscentsible, somedaycrafts, thenymelrosefamily,

nutmegplaceallstarsblockparty, thediydreamer, embracingchange

52mantels, the36thavenue, theshabbycreekcottage, 2805, frenchcountrycottage

mandatorymooch, practicallyfunctional, livelaughrowe, twosasters

serenitynow, raisingoranges, herecomesthesun

sassysites, mysimplehomelife, tatertotsandjello

cherishedtreasures, sixsistersstuff

tiered polka dot planters

 Hi everyone! I'm finally back after a long weekend break and some relaxation with the family. We had such wonderful and extremely hot weather this past weekend. My family and I spent most of our time in the pool and as a result I have some very hot pink colored shoulders!

I did squeeze in one little project though!

I've been eyeing some painted polka flower pots that Amy over at positively splendid put together, and decided to make some for myself!

I started off by shopping for three planters in various sizes. I also purchased some potting soil and different types of flowers.

I painted the pots in three bright colors and hand painted the white polka dots.

I put small rocks from our garden in the bottoms of the  planters before adding the soil. My daughter snapped this lovely photo of me as I was adding the flowers. 

My completed tiered planter.

My front porch is finally starting to come together! I'm hoping to add a few more touches and then show you the entire porch later this week.

Hope you have a great day! It is storming here with rain and strong winds so I guess that rules out the pool for today!

                                                                                            Amy

Linking up this week at

elizabeth&co, abowlfulloflemons, thewinthropchronicles, iheartpears, cleanandscentsible, raegunramblings, pincushioncreations, thenymelrosefamily, stringtownhome, myuncommonsliceofsuburbia, notjustahousewife, romanceonadime, sugarbeecrafts, craftyscrappyhappy.net, twoyellowbirds, theshabbycreekcottage, somewhatsimple, crystal&co, houseofhepworths, practicallyfunctional, serenitynow