Another Project? Why yes!

When we bought our home a year ago we knew the front yard was not going to meet our families needs.  For one the rose bushes that divided the small yard was not conducive for the kids to be able to run through the yard.  Second, we weren't in love with the large amount of flagstone.  So being the master of destruction, I set out to demolish the front yard.

Front yard when we bought the house with the small pond that didn't work.

Rose bushes in the middle of the front yard

My nephew Tyson helping dig up the rose bushes to give to my niece.

Strong roots is all I can say.

The house with the rose bushes removed.

 So lets move forward to spring of 2012.  Time to remove the brick wall supporting the flower bed, rip out all the sandstone, and pour a sidewalk to the front door.

Flower bed wall coming down

Neighbors got in the demolition process

Kids always love a good dirt pile

Brick debris mess

Beginning to remove flagstone - man some of this was HEAVY!

Getting ready to make form for sidewalk

What a mess.

Kids were great to help load debris in the truck

New sidewalk going in

Scooping concrete - again HEAVY.

Neil rocked the sidewalk.  This was his first time doing concrete and he ROCKED it.  We also found that we were having drainage problems in the corner by the steps.  Neil dug, trenched, planned, dug and dug some more for a new drainage system.  This was an extra step in the yard makeover I wasn't planning on but in the long run will prove beneficial.  Oops forgot to get pictures of the trench :(  I am so grateful I have such a handy and hard working husband.

This is the current status of the front yard.  Now to get that heavy clay managed.  I cannot believe the amount of clay in the soil.  We hauled in two cubic yards of topsoil, 2 cubic yards of gravel, and for the rest of the plans - line flower bed with flagstone path, plant grass, put in plants etc.  There is so much more work to be done1/2 a cubic yard of sand thus far.  Needless to say, I am sick of scooping and using the shovel. So we plug along and hopefully the rain will not continue to halt work.  I think the TV show on HGTV Curb Appeal should come and finish our yard.

More pictures and another post as more progress is made....hopefully we will be able to plant grass seed this week.  The flagstone path is complete and I love the way it turned out.  I will try to get pictures updated soon.

Easter Fun

I was completely exhausted from St. Patrick's Day and the pesky Leprechauns that visited our house when Easter was upon us.  This year we found a great resource at http://thelatterdaysaintlady.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-easter-lesson.html  

It gives an account of the last week of the Savior's life - cleansing the temple, triumphal entry into Jerusalem, The Last Supper, Gethsemane, the betrayal, crucifixion, and resurrection.  It really helped us keep the right perspective on Easter.

Then of course we did all the Bunny related Easter festivities.   This year we decided to dye eggs with Kool-Aid.  Berry blue was our favorite color as it turned the egg vibrant blue.  All you need is one packet of Kool-Aid and 2/3cup water.  You don't need vinegar because the Kool-Aid has citric acid.  The bonus is you don't have that awful vinegar smell.

We tried a couple different mediums with varying results.  First, we wrapped rubber bands around the eggs but the results were not so impressive.  Second, we  put rubber cement on the eggs.  We found this idea at http://www.crapivemade.com/2010/03/rubber-cement-dyed-eggs.html.  I should have been a bit more patient with letting the rubber cement dry but we loved how they turned out.

Rubber cement dyed egg.

 Another fun idea this year came from http://raisinglittledisciples.blogspot.com/2012/03/glowing-easter-egg-hunt.html.  This was an absolute blast.  We didn't even need to use candy because the kids played with the glow sticks after they hunted the eggs.  This will be in the repertoire next year for sure.

Our night hunting group of kids.

I always joke that I am creative as long as I copy someone else.  This next idea came from http://cjaneblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/cutest-easter-tradition.html.  We planted magical jelly beans.  The Easter Bunny came to our house delivering little bags of magical jelly beans and planting instructions.  Isabel ran as fast as she could into the yard to try to catch the bunny but he was too fast for her. 

The kids loved planting and watering the jelly beans.  We then asked them what they thought would happen with the beans...we got a beanstalk, jelly bean trees etc.  The next morning when Bellar woke up she immediately went outside and you could hear her scream, "You've got to see this the beans grew they grew, they grew lollipops!"  Her excitement was well worth planting suckers in the dark with flashlight at 11:30 at night.  Oops I mean it was worth the Easter Bunny delivering those beans :)

Planting our magical jelly bean seeds

Planting instructions from the Easter Bunny.

The magical jelly beans grew lollipops.

We spent Easter weekend at the annual Fielding Easter Egg Hunt.  I tell you for small town living it is a big deal for sure.  We also had an Easter egg hunt with our family.

Fielding town egg hunt

Kids by their Easter nests.  A tradition to make a nest out of your clothes or blankets.

Isabel fell asleep on the bathroom floor at her aunt's house.

Easter Bunny always leaves bunny tracks in our house each year.

Overall, we had a great Easter experience with hopefully a lot of tradition and fun that the kids will remember!