Extreme Makeover: Backyard Edition

Our big project for the summer has been fixing up our backyard. We started this process way back at the beginning of June! I didn't get a great "before" picture because I didn't think of it until we had already started working, but this gives you somewhat of an idea on why our backyard needed a makeover... yikes...

After a LOT of work, a LOT of help, and a few Coronas later, here is the first stage of the backyard makeover!

Jordan and my Dad actually built the raised planters so we could have a little garden in our backyard -- aren't those great?! Since we first moved into our house, Jordan has wanted to have a garden and now we finally do!

We also decided to use the wine barrel my sister got us from Barrister Winery as a wedding gift and cut it in half to use for flower pots. When we cut it in half, this is what we saw; I couldn't believe it! And I'm not kidding, it smelled like wine...

Like I said, we had a LOT of help with everything! My Mom, Dad, and Grandma came over to help us plant our garden (since they are gardening pros!), and somehow my Dad wound up digging a stump out of our lawn... don't ask me how that happened. :) Joelle, Jordan's little sister, even helped!

We planted peas, green beans, cucumbers, spaghetti squash, lettuce, tomatoes, and even a watermelon!

My Mom, teaching us the ins-and-outs of gardening!

Just in case you thought I was kidding about the Coronas... :)

Okay, I know this sounds nerdy, but I was SO excited about our flower pots! It was such a process picking out flowers we both liked (we went to 3 different stores), and I personally think they turned out so great.

Jordan and I had to laugh about the things we get excited about now... flowers, our grass growing, a new sprinkler... you get the idea. Apparently getting married, getting older, and being a home-owner turns you into a huge dork! :)

Ta-da! The whole garden with the cute barn stars finally hung!! I can't even tell you how much this cleaned up our backyard!

In addition to the garden, we re-seeded all the grass to fill in the dirt spots, planted a flower vine on the side of our neighbor's shed to eventually hide it, and planted these shrub trees to serve as a privacy wall alongside the hot tub. Now we just need it all to GROW!!!

Oh, and most importantly, we finally got one of the famous Murphy bottle-openers for our BBQ area on the patio. :)

All the pictures above are over a month old, and I finally got around to taking some "progress" pictures a couple nights ago, which are all posted below...

Look how much the garden has grown!!!

I think Maggie was playing peek-a-boo with me behind the planter. :)

My Grandma gave us a daisy plant, and this one daisy is going so strong -- I love it!

Last, but not least... drum roll please...

Jordan got the brilliant idea to "save money" by building his own golf practice area on the other side of the garden so he won't have to go to the driving range. He bought sod for it, got sand from the lake for a sand trap, and is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the huge net he ordered online to hit golf balls into. He is SO excited about it!

Just what every woman wants in her backyard... :)

My one stipulation on the whole thing was that he'd be able to take the poles and the net down if we wanted to for any reason -- so rest assured, it can be moved if need be. Although I have a feeling that he'll be using it too much to ever take it down...

So there you have it, the Tampien Backyard Makeover! I can't wait until we actually have fresh vegetables to eat out of our own garden. And since we've already established that I'm a huge nerd, you can probably expect a post on that later this summer. :)