Grass.  Not a familiar term when speaking of my back yard.  At least not until now.  We have grass.  Lots and lots of grass.  This may not be a big deal to you but to me WE HAVE GRASS!!!!  For years two huginormousbig trees dominated the backyard.  That and dirt. Oh and weeds too.  Last summer the trees came down.  We had the yard tilled and added seed.  And more seed.  And more seed.

We are still lacking foundation plantings, which will be coming soon for at least along the back fence.  But for now…we have grass.  The kids have been enjoying the back yard, for the first time they can really run around without the danger of being hurt or being filthy!  The temporary fence we had put up to keep our dog from the back while we were seeding came down.  Moose ran around like a puppy and was rolling in the grass.  So everyone is happy.  See, it’s the little things.

Endless Summer Hydrangea

Not much to look at now but you just wait!

Above, from Left to Right Front - Aglo Rhododendron (Rhododendron Agle”) many Hostas  - 2nd row,- 3Endless Summer The Original Hydrangeas (Hydrangea Macrophylla “Bailmer”) - one on either side and one in the middle, blooming (bought bigger) - climbing clematis - not sure of type as those and Hostas have been here forever.   The Hostas are so big you can barely see the Hydrangea but in a few years that will change.  I thought the Rhododendron had died because shortly after I planted it all the beautiful flowers died.  But look at this next photo - all the green is new growth so I’m sure it’s just fine.  Maybe transplant shock or the bloom time was just over.

Rhododendron

See - looks like it will thrive next year.

Lilac

Common Lilac ((Syringa Vulgaris) planted in the corner next to my neighbors yard.  They have 3 lilac trees on the other side of the fence so this will fill an empty space niceley and make a bigger impact when viewed as a whole.

Viburnum

I thought I had a full size shot of this Raspberry Tart Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum  “Rastzam) but I only have this closeup.  It’s a little bigger than the Rhododendrum right now, it’s supposed to get “showy Raspberry-red fall foliage”.  Should be pretty.    Right now it has these pretty white clusters.

Here are my munchkins enjoying the sunshine and the yard.  I have a lot of work to do still in the back yard - the area with the Hydrangeas needs to be cleaned up and mulched.  I also need to dig out the weeds in  the garden bed along the back fence and in the vegetable patch (not pictured because right now it’s just nasty).  I’ll share some photos of what’s blooming along the back in my next post.  Hope you enjoyed the backyard tour.  Oh and hey, did I mention?  We have GRASS!!

Cov-et :   verb    2. to crave

I covet these lamps from Crate and Barrel, here http://www.crateandbarrel.com/table-lamps/home-accessories/1 and they are very reasonably priced.  I need to see them in person though as they re oval and so is the shade - not sure why but I’m thinking it might be weird.  Or not.  Love the base though.

I seem to be all over the place with wanting things for the house and I seem to be jumping from room to room.  I’m trying to focus on Francesca’s room right now, but I got the Crate and Barrel catalog and fell in love with these lamps.  They also have one in blue that would look so pretty in our bedroom….. okay focus, focus…. although maybe I need to look at the dimensions and see if they’ll be the right size for the living room.  I need to stop looking at catalogs.  Or perhaps I need to land another client for a new project so I can fund some of the items on my “to buy” list.  It’s getting longer and longer.

With Francesca in her own room now and sleeping in the toddler bed it was time to take the crib down from Ross’ room.   I hadn’t realized how sad this would make me.  All this time I’ve been talking the change up to  the kids  - telling them how they’ll each have their own room, Francesca will be in a toddler bed in her new room and Ross will have room for a reading nook once the crib was gone.  I prepared them but I wasn’t prepared at my reaction.   It hit me how quickly they were growing up and that we didn’t need a crib anymore in our house.  In reality, we probably don’t need the toddler bed and the bunk beds either since every one sleeps in my bed anyway, but that’s besides the point.

So now the crib is down and Ross’ room seems much more spacious.  In reality it’s a small room but with the crib gone it looks much bigger.  We moved things around a little and although there are a few more touches I’d like to add - like adding shelves to the wall where the “Ross” painting is, the room looks cute.

The ladder for the top bunk has been removed for now, since Francesca sees it only as a challenge.  When Ross does sleep in his bed, he sleeps on the bottom bunk anyway.  All in all, it looks much more like a big boy room.  I’m sure as he gets older he’ll appreciate the privacy.  For now I think we’re all mourning the intimacy a little.

Oh how I love a bargain - especially when it’s on something I have to buy anyway.  I went to our local shopping area specifically to look for a toddler bed.  This particular area has a large baby store and a large mass retailer directly next to each other so I thought  I might be able to price compare and save a few bucks.  I was wrong, instead - I saved a TON.

I’ve priced toddler beds online and they ranged from $55 to several hundred dollars.  I was looking for a plain white one since I’d rather put the money into Francesca’s big girl bed later one.  The large mass retailer had a white sleigh bed at what looked like an inventory reduction price of $27.50.  It was the only white one there - score!  When I got up to the register it rang up at $13.50.  I think my mouth dropped open and hit the floor because the cashier reiterated the price and then asked if there were any more.  I’d be lucky to pay that for a used one at a garage sale but this is brand new.  I love it when things like that happen.  It’s not that often, but when it does it sure is nice.

I put the bed together with Ross’ help and it’s cute.  I can’t wait to get the room painted and prettied up.  Here is the new toddler bed….

And here it is today - being used for the first time at nap time!

Now I need to get some new bedding - which I am sure will cost more than the bed itself!  I’m good with the sheets since it’s the same crib mattress but now I need some bigger blankets - ones that are NOT character licensed.  So much more work to do in Francesca’s room but it’s coming along.