Crazy for Cattails (Typha)

We were driving along when, as he pointed to the side of the road, Rob asked me, "Have you ever lit cattails to keeps bugs away?" 

Am I the only person who has never heard those gorgeous growths of nature referred to as "cattails?"  Used as a bug repellent?  Huh?  This was all new news to me.  As Rob pointed to the cattails all I could think about was how cool they were- I was so intrigued!

I know what you're thinking...of course I've seen cattails before.  It's just that I guess I sort of forgot about them.  I must have unconciously stopped paying attention to them in my surroundings.

A week after the cattail sighting Rob came home from work carrying about 20 in his arms.  I laugh out loud every time I imagine him on the side of the busy road cutting cattails in a suit and tie with a plastic knife left over from his lunch eaten in the car.  Come on- you know that's funny!

I was watering my flowers last night and I noticed the cattails on top of the grill. Rob put them there to dry out before they can be lit.  At that moment I had this crazy idea...cattails in the garden?  Hmmmm.  And just like that I placed Typhas into a vase and set them in the garden.

Typha is versitile, serving as a bug repellent and garden decor, and that makes me crazy for cattails!

Backyard Bliss

I'm happy to tell you that I have crossed off an item from my On the Radar list.  Yippee!!  Woo to the hoo, hoo, hoo!!!  Now - don't think I've been slacking - I know it's been awhile since I've written about a new project.  I promise I've been busy working on four projects at once...I should be writing about them soon enough!

At the time we purchased our townhouse (almost a year ago) I didn't think there was a better feeling than that of having a love nest to call my own - well, "our" own!  I've since discovered there are better feelings than that of owning a home.  It's those moments when I sit back and enjoy the hard work we've put into our space. I love the feeling when I'm sitting on my back porch sippin' Pineapple Mojitos made with fresh mint picked from my very first garden, while Rob fires up the grill and fills the air with the essence of BBQ deliciousness and I stare proudly at my beautiful flowers and garden beds we worked so hard to make pretty.  Now that is a great feeling! 

Let me share with you how we transformed our backyard from blah to bliss. 



BLAH:

BLISS:

Did you notice we did some serious power washin' to the fence and applied wood stain? The pictures just don't do justice. Our neighbors loved how much we transformed our space so they also power washed and stained their fence too!

BLAH:

I'm pretty sure there was 23 years of grit, grim and mildew caked to the fence.

BLISS:

BLAH:

BLISS:

I have to throw at least one Roxy girl picture into the mix...

 

BLAH:

This area (pictured below) was constantly muddy because the drainage piping was laid poorly...it drove us crazy! So much so that one day on a wimb Rob decided to dig a trench across the yard. He put PVC in the trench and ran it down our yard into the wooded area. Now, when it rains, the water flows into the woods. No more swampy wet lands thanks to my handyman.

Really something, huh?

BLISS:

Below, aside from the grass still growing and staining the fence, this side of the backyard is a wrap.

Check out these beauties...right in my back yard.

 

 

First Things First - Part III

Hey Everyone!  I know it's been awhile since I last blogged about my living room makeover.  I've been keepin' busy, now that summer is in full swing, with yard work, refinishing patio furniture, painting dressers and a laundry list of other fun projects. 

I thought I'd post recent pics I took of our living room to show the great progress we've made.  This room makes me so happy every time I walk through the front door.

 

First Things First - Part II

After ripping off all the wallpaper in our living room- the real fun began.  Rob and I spent four days prepping the walls for painting.  We worked hours upon hours on spackling, sanding, scrubbing, and cleaning.  Once the hard work was complete, we were finally ready to have our friend Steve install a chair rail and crown molding. 

I decided to go with a chair rail and crown molding because it's an inexpensive way to dress up a room.  A simple paint job wasn't going to do it in here- I really wanted to bring new elements in to change it up.

Because I didn't know what furniture I was going to buy (and I had no idea what our budget would allow) or how I was going to decorate or the color pallete I'd end up chosing, I played it safe in picking paint colors and went with neutral choices. 

Check it out!  You can view the "before" pictures for this room by clicking here.

Total Cost: $574.00

Materials to Remove Wallpaper:

6 bottles of DIFF - roughly $36.00

Plastic scrappers - $4.00

Tarp - $5.00

Sponges for removing glue and dirt of walls - $10.00

Papertowels - $4.00

Paint Materials:

Paint - $120.00

Rollers & Brushes - $10.00

Tape - $20.00

Tarp - $5.00

Crown Molding & Chair Rail - $360.00

First Things First- Part I

If it wasn't for our dear friend Melinda, we would be living somewhere else. We wouldn't have found our lovely townhouse we live in today and that I've come to love so much. I remember seeing the pictures online of our town house- and although the price was right, the size was beyond perfect, the neighborhood desirable, and it had all the amenities we absolutely had to have- I didn't think twice about having our realtor show us around. I hated it. I couldn't get past the god awful wallpaper. Yuck. I clicked the "next" button on the computer and moved on to other listings. Just like that I'd forgotten about it.

Two weeks later: Melinda rang to notify me of a place that went up for sale on her street- just 5 doors down. I was so excited. When I pulled the listing up online I was disappointed to learn that it was one I had already taken a look at, and had quickly forgotten about. I explained to Melinda that although everything about it was perfect, it was ugly and dirty. Melinda convinced me to look at it anyhow- and we did.

Two weeks after that: Our offer was accepted on the house that Melinda encouraged us to walk through. I gotta give it to her- she was right! Never, ever, ever, ever judge a book by it's cover. The second we walked in the town house I KNEW the place was going to be ours.