text: Amidala: in the dirt.
  are you ready for the most anti-climactic before-and-after ever in the history of before-and-afters? because i've got it right here for you.
  first things first, lets take care of the befores, shall we? care to tour the grounds with me? as we make our way around the house, please take note of the clever way that we have enabled overgrowth and death to intermingle in our flower beds. this creates a unique atmosphere that has been years in the making, and gives off an impression of complete and utter neglect.
  there's a flower bed in this picture?
  the flowers on that hydrangea are all dead.
  this is where we store all our dead leaves for the winter.
  so. many. weeds.
  there used to be a GIANT ornamental grass in that big empty spot.
  i spent about 6-8 hours on Saturday battling creepy insects, monster weeds, and the return of my seasonal allergies in an attempt to make some sort of progress in these areas that were formerly known as flower beds. i pulled weeds, and picked rocks, and bagged leaves, and made some pretty good progress on my tan. so here's what you've all been waiting for: the afters. see if you can spot the differences!
  look! a flower bed that's not full of grass!
  the dirt is very welcoming. honest.
  i really hope those bushes arent dead.
  i spent way more time in this area than this picture lets on.
  HUGE difference, right?! hardly looks like the same place! ok fine, so it looks pretty much the same, just now with less green and more dirt. the look we were going for was "blank slate," and i think we pretty much nailed it, dont you? our future plans for the flower beds/general outdoor space is still evolving, but this is kind of what we're thinking so far:
  - tear out the bushes closest to the front door.
  - also get rid of the giant ugly bush on the corner of the house closest to the driveway.
  - remove all the white rocks around the perimeter of the house, replace with something less weed-y.
  - lots and lots of mulch.
  - figure out what kinds of shrubbery/flowers will work best.
  - better define and fill the flower beds around the deck.
  - powerwash the deck.
  - make a patio area between the deck and the basement doors.
  - define an area for the fire bowl.
  so long story short: we've got more updates planned for our outdoor space, but for now we're back to ground zero. so the good news is there's nowhere to go but up! if any of you would like to be a part of this awesomeness, just let us know and we'll plan a bush removal/mulching/planting day sometime after vacation and make sure that you're invited! or if you're a sane person who would like to stay as far away as possible, then i totally understand.
  Labels: allergies, flowers, garden, house, lists, spring
  Looks great my dear! Your mom and I just put out the sprinklers because as your mother says, "The grass is always greener where you water."