Projects

I am not so much a project-doer. Ok, that's not true. I take on a lot of projects, but I finish very few of them. This is not something I am proud of. Obviously, I need to work on my follow through, but usually the projects I don't finish are things in the sewing / crafting category. They aren't things that are essential to our everyday life, so when I get bored of them or too overwhelmed with other things they get shoved in our guest bedroom and forgotten about until I get the urge to reorganize. I have a whole guest bedroom full of unfinished crafting / sewing projects. It makes me feel pretty inadequate when stacked against every one of my sisters-in-law who are all crafty (yes, even you, Diana, with your recent foray into crocheting) and finish their projects. Not only do they finish their projects, they turn out really nice. If I actually finish a craft project it's likely to be something I use for one holiday or something and the next time I pull it out I realize how not cute it turned out. Chalk up another craft project that was a waste of time and money. I might as well just pay a visit to Home Goods next time around. I have just starting declaring myself a non-project person.

Enter working on our backyard (also known as the large dirt pile). Our backyard is a major work-in-progress, as in a year and a half in the making so far (and we aren't done). Brett did a masterful job on our patio, and we stacked up a good-sized cinderblock enclosure some time ago, filled it with some dirt and started a garden. The next spring we planted trees, which was a huge ordeal with the cement, I mean dirt, we had to dig through for holes. Then, it got hot so we didn't want to work outside because we live in Southern Arizona, people. Then, it was football season and our weekends consisted of watching...college football. Then, it was the holidays and we were gone for another 6 weeks. Now, it's beautiful weather and there are no excuses. It's time to actually finish a project! We've been working on the backyard for the last few weeks, and guess what, folks, I have found it's a project I don't mind doing or finishing. In fact, I'd spend all day out there if I could figure out how to install the irrigation myself (which is the next thing on our list) and I didn't need to feed my children, do dishes and laundry, run kids to preschool, etc.

First, we moved our garden. It was large and took up space that we might want to fill in with some sort of grass / turf when we feel like making the investment. This was no small task, especially shoveling the dirt from the old garden to the new. Good thing we didn't have to move it far. The kids had a blast playing on the dirt pile and I really didn't mind taking an hour or so a day to let them while I shoveled.


And, after a week of shoveling and faces full of dirt, here is our new, moved garden (good thing we dry stacked the first time). I am loving it, and I love the space it opened up for us. Chase runs over there everyday. I think he appreciates the extra space.


We had extra cinderblock and decided to build a little sandbox in the other corner of the yard. We had one of those small plastic ones, but it was too small and close to the patio. Half of the sand kept ending up on the patio. We hope this new, improved sandbox will alleviate the traveling sand problem. The kids are loving it. Adie can spend a loooong time in there :)
Here is just a bonus picture of our first almond blossom! It was taken a few days ago and more have started to bud. It's going to be so beautiful in the next few weeks. I also have seen a few very small buds forming on our asian pear tree. Yay for spring! Now, let's just hope all our citrus survived the especially frosty nights we've had this year.

I planted our garden a few days ago. Next on our list in finishing the backyard irrigation so I don't have to water our plants and trees by hand, yay! Then, we'll get some rock to fill in all the rest of the dirt areas. Finally, we'll stain the cinderblock a more pleasing color. Then, the backyard will feel complete. Finally! In the not-so-distant future we hope to add some grass substance (we're leaning toward the fake stuff) over where the garden used to be and adding a few shrubs and some potted plants here and there. I look forward to it all. It's so fun for me to be outside working on the yard.