Yard Crashers or I <3 Ahmed Hassan

One of my “new” favorite shows is Yard Crashers with Ahmed Hassan. I am only hoping that once I have signed that contract, Ahmed finds me at Home Depot, Menards or Lowes… or what ever hardware store he hangs at. I will say YES, you can follow me home. On a side note, if he asked me to follow him home and help him in his yard, I would probably say yes to that as well. 😉 My new yard is pretty small, but I have some wonderful ideas.

If I could have my dream backyard, I would love an outdoor kitchen, an outdoor soaking area, a deck/patio area, a fire pit and a nice garden area with both edible and flowering plants.

The outdoor kitchen is similar to what I like, but a little big for my little house. I would want it built to scale for my house and my life. This picture is out of Texas where everything is bigger. What I like is it has the grilling/kitchen area, and the fire pit all in one.

This teak tub is something I cam across one day, and while I like the material, and it would be great for soaking, it isn’t big enough for socializing. I would love a larger teak soaking / hot tub, but I hope the hot cabana boy comes with it. If I wasn’t able to have this, I would like a swim spa that allows you the current to swim against.

Raised beds and container gardens are a great asset to a small garden and is also something I would like in my garden/yard area. Lots of containers around the outdoor kitchen filled with fresh herbs, tomatoes and peppers.

So while I have lots of ideas, and the willingness to do the work, I personally am lacking the “skill” to do it all myself and since I am just buying the house, I will be lacking the funds to create my dream yard. So if you know Ahmed and the crew of Yard Crashers… PLEASE send them my way.

*** Just a note… none of the above pictures are mine, if you click on the pictures, they will take you to the links of the product, company, or person where credit is due. A big thanks to google images and the individual websites to help me find pictures of what I am looking for.

Walking the Labyrinth

Today I went on a journey, like most travels, I had great expectations, but sadly, while I enjoyed it, I am not sure my expectations were met. This was my first time walking the labyrinth, and when I entered the room, I was unsure of what to do. Thankfully, there was a “guide”, she introduced me to the labyrinth and started me on my way.

First, you had to determine your purpose for walking – to answer a question or to attend to a life issue. You could also grab a scripture for inspiration. I realized I had a lot going on, I have questions and life issues that need “answers”. I grabbed a scripture (two came to me) the first – Thank you God for… and “And now faith, hope and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love” (1Cor. 13:13). As I read these, I connected to them right away and know why these starters came to me. I know that while I thank God for everything he has provided me, I know I can do better. Also, 1Cor. 13:13, made me think about my life… the greatest thing is love… I had to really reflect on this, it is hard to remember that while I have my parents love, I have the love of friends and I have to love of God, I don’t have a partner, someone I can count on to be there when I am sick, when I have a bad day, or when I want a foot rub. Is it ok, sure most days I know that there is a plan and when it is supposed to happen, it will. However, there are those days that make me wonder…

So I start on the path of the Labyrinth, and while this is supposed to be a time to “let go and let God” I can stop my mind… there is so much going on in my life, so many questions, so how do you quiet your mind? During my journey, I couldn’t, so I focused on Thanking God for the Many gifts he has given me.

Another thing that I found interesting, you can not get lost in the Labyrinth, if you stay on the path, you walk your way in to the center and follow the same path on the way out. While it looks like you could get lost, there is no way, the path is clear. Interesting when you think about the path to God… except it is easy to get lost on the path to God, so many things distracting us in the real world.

So walking the Labyrinth was a great experience, but I am not sure I got everything out of it I should have. For more information check out The Labyrinth Society

Wordless Wednesdays

“Curosity”

Sepia Sunday – Toes

One of my favorite pictures, even better in color because you can see the pretty red on my toes. This picture takes me back to the summer. This was at a Joliet Jackhammers Game, sitting out on the lawn, on a blanket, toes out. Even though there is no sand makes me think of the song Toes by the Zac Brown Band. I am ready for spring… I hope to have a nice long spring and a great summer to have my toes out in flip-flops and sandals.

What are you most excited about for spring and summer?

Garden Girl

One of the most exciting things for me is I will have a garden… I am also scared. I have cared for a ton of house plants, but a whole yard… makes me nervous. I can’t wait for this cold weather to be done, I can start buying plants and making my yard, mine. Looking forward to doing some container gardening, some vegetable gardening and some flower gardening.

Some of the plants I will definitely have are as follows:

Lavender, rosemary, basil
Tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers
Brown Eyed Susan’s
Columbine
Various Daisies
At least One Rose Bush (to honor my Grandma)
Some climbing vines
Some decorative grasses to add height.
A “Christmas” tree, to decorate during the season.
I’m sure as I get to do some shopping, I will find more. What would you add to my list?