Company Girl Coffee 5.15.09 "Project Back Yard"

Hi girls! I didn't have much time for coffee yesterday because I was busy in the back yard! We have lived here for almost 5 years now and nothing to show for it in our back yard. To my husband's credit, we did try to grow corn and strawberries our first summer here. The problem was, I was very pregnant, (with three toddlers running around already) and he was very busy! The garden got a bit neglected and the heat got the best of it.

Anyway, this new "project" of ours was sort of forced by a collapsed shed this winter. Luckily, we didn't have anything of significance stored in it at the time! After having the insurance company come out and investigate the damage there and in our attic, we began to research our possibilities. Considering that we never used our shed, we made a list of the other things we could do with the space. A new garden spot? A sand box/play area for the kids? A patio? The possibilities are endless.

Two things we knew for sure: We wanted the old shed torn down and hauled away, and we wanted the lilac bushes removed. I have two other lilac bushes in my yard, so no quarrels from me. Thus began the hard work! The shed was torn down thanks to our friend Tim, and the lilac bushes were removed with a little "joint effort." The truck and chain method worked really well! As a bonus, they took out the three bushes in the front by the driveway that have been nothing but a pain since we moved here! My job through all of this was to keep the kids corralled while the men worked. (It's harder than it sounds, since we have five curious helpers!)

I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking!
The last picture here is my DH spreading new grass in the cleared out space. I am amazed at how much bigger our back yard looks now!

Next project: Assemble the new swing set that we purchased for the kids so they have something to do in our big back yard this summer. :)

Have a great weekend all!
-Melissa