Backyard

A few months ago, we got a deck put in the backyard and did some landscaping to go along with it. I has really transformed the entire atmosphere from a boring patch of grass which consisted of a doggy mine field, to a nice, aesthetically appealing doggy mine field.

This is the bottle brush we planted in the corner of the yard, along with the joys of diggin in Central Texas. We were going to put another plant in the hole we excavated this limestone from, but since we worked so hard to remove it from the ground, we decided to keep it as decoration.


Here is the bed along the back of the house. Crepe myrtle, roses and salvia. All of which are thriving so far.


This is the other corner of the yard. Our little live oak tree and some dwarf yaupons. These plants were doing okay, but the recent hailstorm seemed to have set them back some. We are watering the tree like crazy in an effort to save it, but we might be in the market for a new tree soon.


Some purple and white Alysum along the side of the deck. These little plants also sustained quite a bit of damage from the hail and wind, but have since bounced back nicely.


And here is the deck. There is a Texas sage on each corner and 4 Indian hawthornes in front. Also, on the side is a bush daisy.

It is nice to sit out on the chairs (when it's not 100 degrees outside) and read, talk, or just relax and watch the dogs patrol the yard. I'm sure we will get even more enjoyment out of it once fall rolls around.

Guest Bath Remodel

Allow me to introduce you to "Tavern Taupe":



It's a nice enough color but, let's face it, when it's on every wall in the house it gets a little monotonous. So we began our effort to infuse a little color in the house. First project - the guest bathroom:



This is my least favorite part of painting any room:







We also decided to change the towel racks and light fixture:







We had picked a color that went with our existing accessories, so we didn't need to go out and buy anything else. And here's the finished product:


Maggie seems to like her new dining room :)

Is anyone out there?

Probably not.

I'm back! I have yet again neglected this poor little blog, but the good thing about not blogging for 5 months is that there is no shortage of material to blog about. So the next few posts will be old news, but maybe catching up will get me back in the habit (was I ever "in the habit"?) of posting.

First topic: Our vacation to Egypt.

Or was it France?

China maybe?

No. I remember now... VEGAS!! Below is the Bellagio, famous for the water fountain shows (like in Ocean's Eleven). We watched it a couple of times and it was really neat!

We stayed at the Wynn, saw a couple of great shows (Phantom and Wayne Brady), didn't lose too much money and had a great time! I guess that pretty much sums it up :)

Next catch up topic: Bathroom Remodel (I know, the excitement is just too much, isn't it?)