Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: No Cost Backyard Revamp

Our old house had a huge backyard with plush grass from corner to corner and a 10 ft. privacy fence. Our new backyard... well, it doesn't. Mostly it's filled with rocks, leaves and acorns. The new yard has a chain-link fence and offers no privacy. But guess what? I wouldn't change it. The lack of fence has provided opportunity after opportunity to meet, greet and chat with our neighbors. Community vs. isolation, and I like that.  We also have a super huge oak that will, one day soon, have an awesome swing.

This is our view from our backyard when we look up. A canopy of leaves... (one word - awesomesauce)

In an effort to make our rock invested backyard a bit more inviting I decided we needed a fire pit. I marked it's location off with a ruler, a stick and what else...rocks. Then I dug and I dug. Then the hubs came into the picture and helped relocate some of those abundant rocks. We now have an extremely cozy and inviting fire pit that has already hosted friends and family. We've rocked the marshmallows, s'mores and hotdogs. Yum. Yum. Yum.

 Total cost of fire pit: $0.00. Yes, I said ZERO dollars spent. I told you we had a lot of rocks.

Now as many of you know, I like my quiet time and my wine. Ha - do those things go hand in hand? In this house they do. So obviously I needed me a cozy patio...

I went dumpster diving the other day (you know how I roll) and found the two big tree stumps that flank the glider. A few days prior, my littles and I scoured neighboring yards for giant acorns and pinecones. I gathered the acorns into a glass jar I had on hand and grabbed an old tea tin and filled it with a candle. To finish off the patio, I used some other odds and ends I had lying around. Done.

Total cost for patio revamp: $.0.00.  Wahoo. That's my kind of revamp. The FREE kind. I love it. It's exactly what I was wanting and spiced up just right for the holidays. Next come the Christmas lights. Ahhh yeeaah. Bring on the wine and the quilts... it's finally starting to get chilly in the Lone Star State.

How about you? Do you use outdoor elements as decor for your home or patio?

PS - If you joined me in fasting and prayer yesterday, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can't tell you how much that means to me. And WOW - fasting is hard. I had never done it before. I'm pretty glad I jumped out of my daily routine and comfort zone to help out others in need. Thanks again friends. xo

Around the House: Backyard Celebration

Yesterday my man celebrated his 37th birthday. Woot! I was hoping to secure a babysitter so that we could have a fun, romantic night for two. Fortunately I wasn't able to find a sitter and had to get creative. A few weeks ago I shared how it was possible to have successful date nights without a sitter and that is just what we did. I saw this photo on Pinterest and was inspired to create a romantic backyard pop-up tent. I stole (borrowed, thanks Ronnie) some sticks from my neighbors backyard, combined them with a sheet, lights, pillows and blankets for a memorable night at home. We had dinner with the boys, followed by the hub's favorite pie and then put the boys to bed, ready for some fun of our own. 

(honestly, it was super windy and much was needed to secure the sticks/poles - uggh, this tent almost didn't happen)

 (a basket filled with goodies and games)

Once the sun set, it was so magical. We had a blast playing games (I learned how to play cribbage - kind of) and talking about the memories this house and backyard held for us. It was bittersweet, as we will move into our new home in less than a month, but it was memorable and loads of fun. But honestly, we could have just laid out a blanket and it would have been just as sweet. The best part of our night was being together and strengthening our marriage through time with one another and laughter. Zero dollars spent, priceless memories made. xo

Around the House: Spring Patio

Happy Monday friends. I have to be honest and tell you that in the midst of writing this I'm a little blah... There's a lot going on right now that I can hopefully talk more about later. For now, I'll simply share that it's got me feeling a bit like I'm riding a roller coaster. I'm currently in the descent part, where your stomach drops and you feel like you just might puke but you know in the end, the ride will be worth it. 

On to happier discussions... Last week I cleaned out my Sanford and Son patio. It had been a state of disaster for far too long. A bunch of stuff was put out on the front lawn for others to take (all of it gone in less than a day - woot!); the rest was organized and neatly tucked away.

Below is my new favorite spot. It's in the shade, the chair rocks and swivels, not to mention the fact that I have a little table to rest my morning cup o' coffee. I scored the chair over 2 years ago at a garage sale for $10.00. Sadly, it sat on the back patio with no cushion and no love. After a quick trip to Home Goods (PS I love that store), I found the black cushion for under $40. Now it's one of the best seats in or around our house, getting lots of love from me and my littles.

After finally finishing the two-seater bench and cleaning up the table, we now have a place to eat outside.

The entire patio makeover took me all day to clean and arrange, but the end results make the whole family very happy. The hubs even said, "that's the best the patio has looked since we moved in." I couldn't agree more. Can I get three cheers for thrifty makeovers that make big impacts? Hip hip hooray. Hip hip hooray. Hip hip hooray! xo

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Milk Jug Bird Feeder

One hundred dollars. That's how much the above Anthro birdhouse costs. Pretty huh?  I love it. But there's no way I'm spending that much on a birdhouse. Sorry Tweety. So I thought I'd try to make one myself using some materials I have on hand...

Materials:

milk jug

tape

marker

fabric scraps

wood scrap

drill

sandpaper

spray paint

glue

 Tape off your desired shape and mark it.

Remove tape and then cut with kitchen scissors. Don't forget to cut your little birdie hole too. (I used the milk jug cap to mark that opening.) Once cut, spray paint desired color and allow to dry.

My awesome neighbor, Sarah, has a wood scrap pile that she lets me rummage through - a lot! I found one that was just the right size and sanded down any rough edges. Favorite part about this project - power tools. I used my husband's drill and his 1 1/4 drill bit to make my very crude hole for the rope.

  

I then glued the spray-painted milk jug to my wood scrap using gorilla glue. If I had more time I would have stained the wood for a more polished look. (I did this yesterday afternoon while my youngest napped.)

After braiding my vintage barkcloth straps and tying a knot in one end I was ready to hang my little treasure. It's far from perfect, but it's cute none the less.

Next time I'll use an empty bleach jug (cleaning it out very well first) because it's a nice round shape and already white. I think I'll go the extra mile and stain the wood too. My birds need to shack up in style! I give my first attempt three stars out of five. Hey, ingenuity's gotta count for somethin' right? xo

Snow and Winter Whites

snow

Snow. Again. In Texas? Whaaat? I'm loving it so much; the kids are too. You know it's love when you get all of 1.5 inches and your kiddos are having "snowball" fights. Honestly it was more like iceball fights, but they didn't care in the least. All this wintery goodness has me dreaming of winter whites and coffee. (You didn't see that one coming did ya? I know...I can be predictable.)

kitchen nook (from my new fave blog)

ghost shades

yum

dreamy

lights

outside

Now for a little peek at our own winter wonderland and "coffee talk." My youngest and I shared a little coffee and "warm coco" over a few goods books yesterday. Warning: some images are blurry - sorry, I couldn't resist sharing them.

What do you love doing on a cold wintery day? xo

Around the House: A Simple Dinner Party

Having friends over for dinner is one of my favorite things to do. I get so excited to host friends over yummy food while laughing and sharing life together. Recently I saw some pics on NieNie Dialogues that inspired me to host a dinner outside instead of my typical indoor dining room fare. Now, mine didn't come with special place-seating cards or anything fun like that, but it was fun to decorate outside and use some new Fall decor and garage sale finds.

My scaled down version included tree branch coasters and wedges from my Father-in-law, pumpkins, vintage Vera from garage sales, spiders and a free stamp that I got as a gift with purchase bonus. I soooo wish I had the old record player spinning some lovely jazz tunes in the backyard, but there's always something we long for, isn't there?

The best part... I spent $2.00 on the centerpiece! The "logs", tea tin, acorns and greenery were all free!

The end result was a very fun, intimate, relaxing dinner with friends packed with laughter and a few interruptions from the cutest 2 and 5 year old boys on the planet. How was your weekend? Did you spend it outside? With friends? xo

Around the House: The Constant Gardener

Gardening is not for the faint of heart. Trust me on this one. You have to be committed, love what you are doing and most important be willing to try and fail (says my neighbor Mr. Ronnie.) I love plants. They bring so much life to a space. But only when they are green. When they're brown, they can really suck the life out of a space. Above is my first little garden trial of basil, rosemary and thyme. (They've lasted all throughout the Texas summer, so I consider that a HUGE success.) I'm quite proud. Here's a look at more of my outdoor plants:

Not bad right? But, you can see the progression from good to not bad to sad per image. It's okay to be honest with me. I'm aware of my brown thumb. Here's the problem... once you enter my house, it gets worse. Much worse! I'll show you, again with a progression.

Pathetic. Just pathetic. Why can't I do this? I try so hard and yet... they die. Now to be fair, I have had some of these plants for 5+ years. But plants don't have a life expectancy - do they? I am bound and determined to have a home filled with greenery. The real stuff that provides oxygen and makes a house homey! Back to Home Depot I go with dead plants in hand, lots of questions and high hopes. Do you have a green or brown thumb? If you have any tips for me, would you mind sharing them? Happy Monday! xo