Outside Over There

(Bonus points if you know the title reference.)

It's summer project season!  We made a list of outside projects to complete this summer and I am pleased to say that as of nearly two weeks ago, we finished them all.  Of course we've added a few new ones since but the major things are definitely done.  Let us examine!

The two biggest jobs we had planned were to restain the back steps and the play set.  It was a big job!  We sanded it all and stained them and they turned out great!  Also, while I did do a lot of both steps on the stairs, Drew did all the sanding on the play set and most of the staining.  He gets big high fives.

Before...

Sanded...

After!

It makes the backyard look so much more put together.  We also repainted the back railing, added a screen door and replaced the light cover.  The backyard featured two dead fruit trees (alas!).  They blended in during the winter but became eyesores again in the spring.  So Drewbles took a chainsaw to them and voila:

Much better.  Maybe next summer we will plant some new fruit trees.  One unpictured project was that we painted the mail box post using leftover spray paint from the front lights, and another is all the weeding we did in the beds bordering most of the house.  Again, Drew did a lot of it whilst I managed the munchkins, but I helped!  A little.  Anyway, we weeded the beds and put new mulch down. 

Overall the yard just looks neater.  Yes, it is still covered with dandelions, BUT we have made tons of progress.  We celebrated by buying a fire pit and when it occasionally stops raining we get to roast marshmallows.  (Seriously, this rain!  I love it.  But I want more marshmallows...)

Final project that was done first: I made a wreath for the front door.  It was very complicated.  

1) I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a grapevine wreath and two bunches of fake flowers 2) I cut the flowers apart and stuck them in the wreath 

3) I hotglued spots to keep everything in place 

4) I put it on the door.

Now to go back indoors for our next big project...the kitchen!

(Dun dun dunnnnnnnn!)