I hope that all is well with everyone who was in Irene’s path. We were too far west of the storm to suffer any damage although we did have high winds and received a bit of rain. This morning I peeped out the window to see how many sticks I’d need to pick up post-storm and was…
I have not had the pleasure of mowing grass all summer as we have been without a lawn since the end of May. Instead, I’ve spent many an hour spraying Round-Up trying to get rid of my number one weed enemy, Bermuda Grass, aka Wire Grass. This is tenacious stuff. It spreads with underground runners…
When we added an addition to our home in 2004, we chose two inexpensive lights to go on either side of our kitchen door. Over the past seven years these lights faded from black to gray. (This picture is from February of 2011. Mr. SP installed the new lights too quickly for me to get…
I’ve wanted a Japanese Maple for a long time. I love their shape, their size, and the fact that their lacy foliage often turns a brilliant color in the fall. An empty spot in a small bed beside our screened porch steps became the home to my new Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum ‘orangeola.’ I chose…
A big project has begun at our house. Can you guess what it is? Have you guessed what’s happening? Here is your final hint. We’re having an irrigation system installed. Even with regular watering all of the beautiful new grass that we had this spring died. Weeds took over and the most horrible weed of…
Mr. SP worked really hard this past weekend to get our new door installed. We are both happy that this project is finally complete. The top of the door has an interchangeable panel that can either be a screen or glass. It’s still stinking hot here, so for now we have the screen in place. …
A few weeks ago I posted a list of things that I wanted to accomplish on the side entrance to our home before fall. This list was pretty short: find or make a planter box for the new porch landing, install a new hose holder, and build a path from the sidewalk to our hose….
A couple of weeks ago I posted a list of things that I’d like to accomplish outside of our home to improve its curb appeal. I’ve been able to check everything off of my front porch list except the door and mail slot. I’m holding off on the mail slot because the Chippendale door just…
I love the look of plant markers and made a set of Stamped Metal Plant Markers to label herbs in my herb garden. The metal and wire used to make these is galvanized, so these markers won’t rust and can be used for years to come. How to Make the Plant Markers To make these…
Is there anything more exciting to a gardener than a new flower bed? The idea of a planting space full of fluffy, freshly amended soil ready to be planted made me giddy with anticipation. The new flower bed is actually an extension of a current flower bed that parallels the street. We extended it so…
There are a few a lot of things I’d like to accomplish outside before it gets cold. Two involve improving the curb appeal of the outside of our house. This is our front entrance now. Our new sidewalk and porch landing has made the biggest difference in the entrance to our home. Now for what…