The List!

Now that it has warmed up and it seems that summer is here (it was 80F yesterday), it's time to make the list. You know which one I mean, right? The List. The list of all the things that need to be done to the house this year. The big, scary, how in the world will we do it all, list. Yep, that one.

• Patch or replace our roof.
• Repair two sprinklers.
• Replace the shower head.
• Replace downstairs toilet workings (got a dual flush kit that should be fun).
• Fix the light in my office so it doesn't catch the house on fire.
• Replace ugly, icky, 1980s faucet in the master bath.

Phew! OK, so maybe the list isn't that bad actually. One of the upsides of writing it all down is you can see if it's really as bad as what you think it is. Obviously the roof is going to be the largest project, and oh how I wish we could replace our shingles with solar shingles! Of course, the main problem is that instead of doing all the items on the list, I would much rather be daydreaming of being someplace like this:

Source: tumblr.com via Aimee on Pinterest

What is on your house to do list this spring?

Growing food.

Growing our own food is something we enjoy doing a lot. You don't need a lot of space, or even a dedicated garden area to enjoy growing your own food.

For the past few years we have used containers, especially our EarthBox containers! We have had a lot of success with growing peppers, and even strawberries, in the Earthbox.



Another thing that we do is utilize the area in our flower beds. We grow pumpkins in our flower beds, not only because of the great sunlight they get in that part of our yard, but also because the pumpkin leaves are quiet gorgeous as a backdrop to flowers. Here is an example of one of our pumpkin plants mixed in with the flower bed:



We have also mixed peppers and flowers in pots, and grown luffa gourds up our old satellite dish.



Creativity, and a willingness to use spaces that aren't traditionally known as "garden spots", is a fun and effective way to get started with growing food. I am already making my plans for this coming season. On the wish list; peppers (hot), strawberries, broccoli, zucchini, pumpkin, beans, and more!

Do you grow food in your garden? What are some of your favorite things to grow?

DIY Paint Chip Egg Garland

Easter, one of my very favorite holidays, is just around the corner. So many fun and wonderful DIY ideas are popping up on blogs just in time for Easter. This Paint Chip Egg Garland combines the best of both worlds! A great way to use all those extra paint chips, and make something fun for Easter as well!

Source: modernparentsmessykids.com via Aubry on Pinterest

Isn't this just too fun?! I'm going to have to try my hand at making one for our home.

DIY

Do you enjoy DIY projects? Around our house we absolutely love them. Besides being fun to do, one of the reasons we love to DIY is to save money. So many of the things that we have changed about our home we wouldn't have been able to change if we had hired someone else to do the work.

With spring arriving (even though it's still snowing today), my mind has been filled with DIY projects that I want to do in the garden. Number one on my list is to build some raised garden beds for square foot gardening. Second on my list is to create an outdoor "living room" of sorts in the back corner of the yard.



This corner now has a poured concrete pad, but as you can see, it's the perfect spot for an outdoor living room! Plus, like I said, we sure love a good DIY project!