Yard Goals

I'm participating in the Blogging from A-Z Challenge again this year. Today's post is brought to you by the letter Y.

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Around this ole' house of ours, there are a ton of upgrades and improvements that we want and need to make.  Now that spring is here, the yard is where our focus has landed. 

We've started pulling the jungle of weeds that grew since last fall, we've tossed the rotting pallet that once held our pool pump and replaced it with bricks, and we're putting some down where the ladder for the pool is, too.  It's not easy to get much done with a toddler around.  She is into everything and likes to "help", even if it's something that is too dangerous for her to be involved in. That definitely slows our progress by a lot!

This year we have to replace our fence because it's one light breeze away from crashing in around us.  In doing that, we'll be tearing down a middle fence that separates two parts of our yard for some crazy reason.  That fence has never made any sense to either of us, so once our outer fences are rebuilt and secure, that middle one is coming down.  

I personally have my sights set on 2 yard projects: the play structure and one flower bed.  

I am not a green thumb by any means, but we have 3 awesome whisky barrels that are begging to be full of blooming flowers.  For 2 summers I have dreamed of putting some in there, but this year I am motivated to make it a reality.  If we earn enough from our stuff at the yard sale next week, I'm taking a small portion for potting soil and plants.  I'm aiming for hearty and purple plants/flowers.  I'd also like to fill an old, broken fountain we have with succulents.  That part may have to wait because we've discussed rearranging the patio furniture and decor a bit, so I want that fountain to be empty when/if we move it.

The play structure is old and while it's still sturdy, needs some boards added for safety, needs stained like nobodies business, and I want to replace the broken teeter-totter with a tire swing.  (We even have extra tires in the attic!)  This project will be the most time consuming and expensive of the two, but still not anything that will break the bank.  I've had to put it on hold b/c my work is temporarily shut down and therefore I have no income. We had some money set aside for this, but it's going to have to be used to keep us afloat until I'm back to work. Once we have that all figured out, I have my sights set on that play structure.  I want to use a redwood-type stain and plastic spray paint to bring new life to the slide and plastic pieces throughout.  If I won the lotto, I'd add a steering wheel, a climbing wall, and a sandbox for underneath the structure.  For now, I have to settle for the necessities to make it a safe and fun play area for our kiddos and their friends.

Hopefully in the near future, I'll have some before and after pictures of these projects.  Until then, just picture it in your head, and send out some good vibes that we'll get it all accomplished this year, in spite of the challenges we're currently facing.