The Big Reveal

July 11, 2015August 20, 2015Leave a comment

After only four weeks of construction, our backyard has been completed. Kevin has spent many long nights working away to get the patio finished. My dad and his guys have been spent almost every day digging, irrigating, and planting. We are so grateful for the help we have received.

To say we cut it close is an understatement. The finishing touches were completed at 2am the day of Parker’s first birthday. Bishop’s Painting painted and stained the patio cover on Friday and ended around 6pm. Then Kevin hung the ceiling fan and pendant lights. Then we cleaned and began setting tables out for the big party. Phew! We did it!

Plants being installed!

Vegetable Garden with tomatoes, basil, chives, peppers, strawberries, cilantro, limes, avocado… this paint job was fixed after the ceiling was stained.

Raw wood ship lap ceiling, prior to stain (EAST SIDE).

Raw wood ship lap ceiling, prior to stain (WEST SIDE).

Oh no! Something we encountered when spraying the stain was this very splotchy, uneven finish. It took 3 coats to even it out and make it presentable. But believe me… I was worried.

Taken the next day during with the sun out... You can see how the stain evened out.

Much to my relief, the stain soaked in and evened out. This photo was taken the next day with natural light.

What a transformation! (LOOKING FROM THE GARAGE)

LOOKING FROM NORTHWEST CORNER

LOOKING FROM SOUTHEAST CORNER

Welcome to Parker’s First Birthday party (/backyard reveal party)!

Over 50 people attended this 1st birthday bash! The yard functioned perfectly and proved to be the perfect place to entertain.

Over 50 people attended this 1st birthday bash! The yard functioned perfectly and proved to be a wonderful place to entertain.

The kids loved the new sod!

Thanks to Kayla for her help party planning!

Hurray! I have a brand new backyard to play in!

Patio Lights

July 6, 2015August 20, 2015Leave a comment

Barn Light Inspiration

After looking all over the internet for cool patio pendants I finally landed on farm light fixtures. I searched high and low for online retailers and found plenty of good options, however my expensive taste kept getting in the way. I decided to get crafty and spruce up some chrome lights I found at Lowes. Adding the Edison bulbs from Ace Hardware pulled the entire look together.

$28 per light!

How about barn yard red?

Took all of 30 minutes to spray paint our four patio pendants.

I love how the red pops with the white trim!

Backyard Makeover – Part 6

July 4, 2015August 20, 2015Leave a comment

There are a few ways to guarantee rain. 1. Wash your car. 2. Start Roofing. Although drought-stricken California enjoyed a few sprinkles this week, our roofing project did not suffer. Kevin finished the ship lap sheeting and began laying the shingles the next day. He worked around the clock in the heat to get it done in two days. He was pleased with how relatively fast it went with the new nail gun he purchased. Funny… it seems like we acquire a new tool for every new project we begin…

While the roof was being completed the sod was installed and the sand box was constructed. It is so exciting to see the progress we are making each day!