One of the chief components to ensuring a newly installed lawn takes root and establishes well is water, lots and lots of water. I was told by my landscaper and the sod farm to water it at least twice a day for the first two weeks. If we were having a really super hot August (thankfully, we're not) I'd probably have to water even more. Fortunately, when I moved into this house 22 years ago, I installed … [Read more...]
Enjoy Dining Outdoors for Summer
August 8, 2013 by 87 Comments
Welcome to the 256th Tablescape Thursday! For this week's Tablescape Thursday, I created a little table setting out on the deck. Just as I finished putting it together, I heard thunder. Yikes! Some fast picture-taking took place and just as I took the last photo, the raindrops began to fall. Whew, it was a close one. Hope you enjoy this table setting for two. As I was … [Read more...]
Paint Your Front Door Heritage Red or Peacock Blue
August 7, 2013 by 70 Comments
Recently, I had my front door freshened up with a new coat of paint. The final coat of paint went on day before yesterday. We ran into a little problem but finally found the solution...more on that in a sec. I stayed with my beloved, Benjamin Moore "Heritage Red." I still love that color for a front door. Since the front door was being repainted, I decided to make a few changes. I decided to remove … [Read more...]
Chipmunk Baths
August 6, 2013 by 52 Comments
When I decided to sod my yard with Zeon Zoysia, to save money I planned to do it in two stages: Front yard, followed by the back yard next summer. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that was probably not such a great idea. I was concerned the grass in the front yard would get damaged next summer when the backyard sodding process got underway. I'm so glad now I went ahead and did both at the … [Read more...]
A Sweet Bird Girl in the Garden
August 5, 2013 by 97 Comments
Welcome to the 236th Metamorphosis Monday! Hope you had a wonderful weekend! I spent all day Friday and Saturday at the Haven Conference in Atlanta. On Sunday, I finished putting out another 25 bags of mulch. That brings the total to 102 bags of mulch! Normally it wouldn't take that much mulch but many of the beds/islands are empty, awaiting shrubs this fall. Today I'm taking you into the yard to … [Read more...]
Canning Peach Preserves and Some Exciting News!
August 2, 2013 by 33 Comments
Exciting News! I have some exciting news! True Value asked BNOTP to be a part of their DIY Squad this year! You know what that means...time to kick my DIY mojo in high gear! I'm kicking off my first project with a detailed tutorial sharing the steps for making yummy Peach Preserves. Living in the peach state, I couldn't resist putting up some fresh Georgia peaches while they are in season. My … [Read more...]
A Beautiful Dinner to Celebrate a Special Life
August 1, 2013 by 41 Comments
Welcome to the 255th Tablescape Thursday! Recently, Sandi who reads BNOTP e-mailed me and shared a special table setting she had put together for her family as they gathered to celebrate the life of their 94 year old grandmother who had just passed away. A theme emerged as preparations were being made and Sandi and her daughter, Heather, called this memorial gathering, "The Legacy of the Little … [Read more...]
Zeon Zoysia for the Front Yard
July 31, 2013 by 93 Comments
Yesterday was definitely a day of mixed emotions, first excitement, then some disappointment. Though things didn't go quite as planned, I still have some fun "after" photos to share. The Zeon Zoysia sod was delivered and installation got underway. As the day wore on, it became apparent there wasn't enough sod to complete the job. The side yard and a portion of the back still needs sod, so instead … [Read more...]
Sod Day!
July 30, 2013 by 48 Comments
Today is another crazy day in the neighborhood. This morning there was still a little work to be done in preparation for the sod, but the sod is here. 12 pallets waiting to be installed in the front and back. I went with Zeon Zoysia. I have plenty of sun out front but the back is kind of shady. Zeon is the most shade tolerant of all the warm-season turf grass varieties. It's a fine-textured … [Read more...]
Erasing the Messy Parts of Life
July 29, 2013 by 125 Comments
Welcome to the 235th Metamorphosis Monday! For this MM, I have a small "Before and After," something that made me a happy girl this weekend. I'm probably the last one on earth to discover this, but I thought I'd share it today in case it's helpful for you. Do you ever get these annoying little scuff marks on your walls? They just appear, don't they? There must be little gremlins running through the … [Read more...]
