We're ready to entertain!

This is the view from the patio. My garden is on the left and the firepit on the right. We haven't mowed the grass yet because you have to wait 2 weeks and the mower needs a little work. It's so nice to sit on the chairs when the sun is going down and the backyard is completely shaded. We played kickball for FHE lastnight and I think the girls have forgiven us for giving away the trampoline. :)

We planted a lemon, orange and mandarin tree. There are also african daisies, lantana and marine heliatrope that smells like vanilla. Mmmmm!

In our garden we are growing zuccini, squash, tomatoes, cantaloup, watermelon, strawberries, and red bell peppers.

It's too hot now (supposed to be 100 degrees today!) to light a fire or do any dutch oven cooking. But next season, we'll be roasting marshmallows every night! S'mores with the Moores. :)

Our spring break project

The garden and firepit are done, plants in, rock spread...time for sod! We had to move the trampoline onto the firepit so we could work on the grass. We got the tramp from a brother, abused it for a year and then passed it on to the neighbor. We almost had a mutiny on our hands until the neighbor said the girls could come over and use it anytime. :)

There were over a hundred cuts Scott had to make for the pathways from the garage to the side gate, out to the firepit and to extend the existing patio on our house. It was time consuming, but Scott likes to work with his hands. Where did he learn all this? His dad.

This is how Raegan helps. Scott found her hollowing out a nice little bed for herself in the rock he was trying to spread. She even brought out a little pillow. :)

Finally!!

Oops! Forgot to turn this one the right way. Scott is standing by my almost finished patio/firepit.

We loved the idea of a raised step to the patio. We'd seen it in brochures and been to Scott's cousin's house where they had done it. The block had to be sturdy enough to hold in all the soil and sand, so Scott laid the block in concrete and then mortared the pavers on top.

My garden is raised so I can sit on the edge and weed or harvest when needed. It also adds a nice feature to the rest of the yard. You have no idea how many wheel barrow full's of soil we had to bring in for the garden and the patio. Scott said he lost about 8 lbs working on this project!

Are you guys helping or playing around?

It used to be flat dirt with a trampoline in the middle of it. We dug our sprinkler trenches and added pipes for a garden and fruit trees with a few plants scattered here and there. That was the dream...we'd been designing it for a year, waiting for the funds to be available.