Landscaping Updates

Ok, so I am a little behind on things. I wanted to upload some pix of our current project that is still underway. We have been getting a ton of rain out here and that has hindered the project from being completed as quickly as we wanted. Well we have 2 of the 7 projects done, the concrete and the pergola are now finished. Everything else is half done.

The recital went really, really well. Everyone attending said said that is was a very wonderful evening. Our reception afterwards got canceled due to the aforementioned rain but it was overall a wonderful evening. We have 107 people attend so it was quite the turn out!

So here are some pix of the backyard I don't have any pix from the recital. Still waiting for some parents to send me some.

~My Butterfly Garden~

~Our Patio now feels so huge with the pergola over it. I will be putting a flowering vine over the top of it to help with the shade issues that Matt is concerned about. But I love it and it is a really nice addition to the house.~

~We had a visit from Mickey Mouse (in the black outline), who sadly didn't survive the destruction of our back hill. Bambi and Shrek's father-in-law has also paid a visit over the past week.~

Second Year

Today has finally come and will be such a wonderful day. Tonight is my Piano Studio's SECOND Spring Recital. I can not believe that it has already been a year since the last one but it has. My students have grown so much over the last year and it is amazing to see how much they have learned. Next year will be the year that some of my students will be playing the "real" stuff like actual pieces such as Fur Elise and such. I am so excited for tonight and to see how everything goes. Unfortunately there are 5 students who couldn't play in the recital, 4 because of a school commitment and the other cause she has been sick all week. So I will have 16 of my beautiful student's playing tonight. I am so excited for them. Good luck everyone!

WE HAVE BEEN...

The HOA committee has officially given their stamp of approval to ALL of our proposed landscaping plans! YEA! So we will get all of our projects done when my contractor aka my Branch President gets back in town from a wedding. More pix to come.

YEA!!

After almost 2 full days of waiting we finally got our approval for our landscaping, on most of the things. The hill, riverbed and pergola needed more clarification. I sent out modified stuff tonight with some pix on the Internet that I found to help show what I wanted but we are approved for the minor things and the patio. But today we already started most of the projects and will finish them tomorrow besides the patio which will be done next week. My contractor got a killer deal on the stone blocks for the flower bed edging. We will get a weeping cherry probably tomorrow and yea most of this will be done. I got fried today, me not wearing sun block what a shocker, anyhew I dug out the "mystery bushes" and dug their new holes and filled them in so I can proudly say that I did almost all of the project, the men moved them for me. Anyhew if I ever find the thingy to connect to my computer I will show you. Have a great night. Oh Happy Birthday, Jordan and Elizabeth! Love you!

**UPDATE**

Here are some pix of some of the projects that we started.

~The Allen Crop Circle~

So It Begins!!!

My backyard landscaping!!! We got the quote last night and agreed on a price and the projects to be done and I submitted the HOA form via email last night with an urgent request for approval. Our contractor wants to start NOW and be done with everything by mid to late NEXT week!!! This is a good distraction to keep me busy from freaking out about the recital coming up in a couple of weeks. Here is a breakdown of the things we are wanting to do, as long as the HOA approves.

#1: Mulch and add plantings to our entire back hill in the backyard. Aprox 75 feet worth of hill
#2: Add a dry creek bed with river rock to help with our water drainage problem at the base of the hill. It will follow the hill and be across the entire back of the hill 75 feet worth.
#3: Increase the size of our patio from its current 10x10 to 23x10. And add rounded stairs at the back door.
#4: Add a pergola over the new patio.
#5:Transplant our "mystery bushes" I think they are boxwoods but we have no idea, over to the A/C unit as a natural barrier and put pea gravel around the ac unit.
#6: Add a wrap-around flower bed from the back patio and connect it to the front flower bed. We live in a corner house so the side of our house is just as important as the front. and the back is totally viewable.
#7. Add a Weeping Cherry tree to the front yard and put a circular garden at the base for spring plantings.

And all this my contractor wants done by NEXT WEEK!!!! It is going to get very busy around here. I did take pix but Matt took the laptop and I can't find the little reader so I will get pix posted sometime. I'll keep you posted too.

***UPDATE***

Here are some Beginning Pix (mom, I found the cord for my camera to connect it to the computer.) Oh and my straberry plants are starting to blossom I will have my first crop of strawberries that I grew all on my own! Go me!

Busy, Busy Girl

Today was one of those "I have to catch up on everything and do everything for the rest of the month" days. Today was my only free Thursday for the next 2 weeks then it is the week of the recital and I could not put shopping for a dress and everything till 2 days before so I had to do it today. My list of things I did today:

1. Vacuumed and Mopped my kitchen floor. ( I love my new Dyson Animal and Shark Mop they are awesome. Thanks Uncle Sam.)

2.Mowed the lawns, (every speck of grass on my property got mowed because we are about to get a ton of rain and I don't need my grass getting all out of control. I can't push the stupid mower if the grass is too tall. Cheap mower.)

3.Waited for the Piano Tuner, who ended up canceling.

4. Went on a walk and enjoyed the beautiful weather outside.

5. Waited for the Contractor to come and figure out my landscaping for the backyard. (never came. He had other priorities with his wife and procreation thru a doctor.)

6. Found my recital dress, and shoes, and jewelry. YAY for Sales!

7. Found all the paper needed for my recital, flyer paper, certificate paper, special certificate paper, and program paper.

8. Took my friend out to dinner for her Birthday.

9. Helped same friend from number 8 move her furniture in her bedroom.

Now it is time for me to sleep.

All Too Soon

This week of bliss flew by. I barely taught students this week to spend some extra time with Matt and it is already time for him to leave to AZ for 3 more months. This sucks!