Working in the Yard

One would think I've disappeared I suppose.

Truth is, I've been busy working when what I really want to do is get settled into our new home.

We officially moved in on the 11th of this month, and I still haven't found my silverware, cooking pans, bath towels, etc, etc.

And lest you think I'm kidding, here's the proof.....

I took this today.

Don't worry though, I did what any normal person would do in my situation -

I took a few days off work so I can find all of our necessities.

I plan to make a huge dent in this mess this week.

I've had my feel of tripping over boxes in the dark - and in the daylight too for that matter.

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However, some things just can't wait.

For me, that includes the yard.

We all know, curb appeal is everything to a house, and quite frankly, I've been itching to plant a flower or two so I can stake claim to this here land. :)

I'm not finished yet, but I'm off to a good start (and hired help sure makes it move faster).

After a short meeting of the minds, my yard guy and I decided we'd remove the black (molded) mulch, pull up a lot of the excess bushes (whose roots seemed to be growing together in the ground), and thin out the monkey grass.

Once that project was well on the way, I had to stand and stare at the yard for a while to decide how I wanted to proceed. Decisions had to be made quickly, so red mulch and anything that looked remotely like a wild flower was what I went on the hunt for.

I only had one day to get this done because I was trying to surprise the hubster, so time was criticial.

Thank goodness for my patient yard guy, Kevin. I only changed my mind 14 times before I headed to the local nurseries.

So now, if you'll remember back a few weeks, here's how the yard looked when we took the house.

(Not that bad, but definitely way too green, and too many bushes.)

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Here it is after the black mulch was removed,

the excess bushes, and all the monkey grass.

Ready for all of my new color!

And here's where we are tonight.

A few more things left to do of course, but I'm very pleased with how it's turning out.

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My to-do list still includes:

-Paint the shutters to match the newly painted door- (did you spot that?)

-Pot my annuals and place around the porch-

-Make pillows for the rocking chair and bench-

-Find new solar lights that actually work for the landscape bed-

-Find morning glorys (already growing) to weave into my trellis-

-Get a small birdbath-

-Find all of last year's painted cans to fill and scatter along my bench for color-

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Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, YES, the hubster was surprised, and impressed.

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I'll be sure to srop back in and let you know how it turns out, and the specific plants I used for my color.

I'm excited to see them start growing and flowering.

For all of you green thumbs out there, how about a few tips on what I can do or use  to jazz up my little area?

Linking Up over at my buddy Gina's (The Shabby Creek Cottage), so I can prove I've actually been working!  :)
She's quite familiar with my yard. She's tripped on my porch and ripped her toe open on my steps. I'd show the pic to prove it, but she's threatened my life, so I guess I'll hold off on that! :)