Backyard & Side-yard Renovation!

On March 23, I mentioned that we had our landscapers come over to trim our trees and also got estimates for putting in a patio cover. Well, we decided to have our landscapers come back this week to take out all our old rock, put new rock in, put new irrigation systems in, plant new plants in the backyard, lay brick for a planting bed on the side-yard in the back of the house and the front of the house, lay brick for a walk way, and also lay stepping stones. Seems like a huge project, I know, but it only took them three days and they're all finished! Next week, the patio cover people will be coming by to put up our patio cover. We weren't expecting them for another 3-4 weeks, but they are able to start right away. Plus, it only takes them a day to put up! My hubby and I are super excited with how everything is turning out. This weekend we will be going back to Lowe's, Home Depot, and Star Nursery for bedding plants and hopefully to find a patio set. Because we have two planting beds (one in the backyard on the side of the house and one in the front yard on the same side of the house) the planting bed in the backyard will be a vegetable garden and the planting bed in the front will be all flowers. Here is the patio set we are considering to get (btw the hubster really wants a fire pit):

Alright, now what you've all been waiting for...here are the before and after pictures of our renovation!

Before

Backyard: Left side of yard

Backyard: Left side of yard

Backyard: Middle of yard

Backyard: Middle of yard

Backyard: Right side of yard

Backyard: side-yard

Front-yard: Side-yard

After

Backyard: Left side of yard - new Lime Citrus Tree & Azalea bushes

Close-up of Azalea plant

Backyard: Center of yard - new plants

Middle of yard - new Bouganvilla plants

Middle of yard - new Bouganvilla plants

Close-up of Bouganvilla bush

Backyard: Right side of yard - new Orange Citrus Tree

Backyard: Side-yard - new rock, stepping stones, & brick planting bed

Side-yard close-up

Side-yard - stepping stones/new rock

Front-yard: Side-yard - new rock, brick walkway, & brick planting bed

Close-up of brick planting bed

Close-up of brick walkway

What do you guys think? Have you done any recent home renovation projects?

Spring Wreath D.I.Y.

A few weeks ago, my sister and some girls from Hope Baptist Church's youth group Refuge got together for a craft day on a Sunday after church. My sister, Taylor, and I decided to make wreaths, each one being very different, and the others made collages.

All the girls and their crafts!

Sarah decided to  make a wreath out of old book pages.

Taylor made her wreath out of bird seed.

Chelsea, at the beginning of her collage.

Danielle working on her Mod Podge project.

I decided to make a spring time wreath like I made a year ago for fall. You can check out the fall wreath here. Making a wreath is very simple. All you need is a foam wreath (any size), yarn, ribbon, and decorative embellishments (flowers, butterflies, birds, etc.).

1. Gather supplies: Yarn, ribbon, foam wreath, hot glue gun, & butterflies!

2. Wrap foam wreath with yarn. Wrap the wreath twice so that no foam shows through. Tie knots on the back to secure the yarn in place.

3. Make a bow out of wired ribbon and hot glue it to your wreath. This video breaks down how to make a beautiful bow and its so simple! 

4. Place and hot glue butterfly embellishments.

5. Hang your wreath on your front door, wall, etc. 

Happy Crafting Everyone!

Spring & Easter Crafts!

On March 23, I went to an Easter craft night hosted by the wonderful Melinda Lanier from Lanier Creations. My mother and sister came along and we had an amazing time. Here are some crafts that I made that night!

6x24 Happy Easter sign: Baby Blue Paint & Brown Vinyl

9x9 Christ the Lord is Risen plaque: Brown Paint & Beige Vinyl

9x9 Spring Has Sprung plaque: Black Paint, Beige Vinyl, Sanded Edges, & Mod Podge (Matte).

12x12 Plant, Grow, Bloom sign: Black Paint, Beige Vinyl, Sanded Edges, & Exterior/Interior Varnish. Once my patio cover is up this sign is going outside. Exterior/Interior Varnish helps protect your project from weather/home wear and tear.

Easter Egg Knick-Knack: Baby Blue Paint, Brown Vinyl, White tulle,  and Mod Podge (Matte).

All of these crafts are easy to do! Many of the wood sizes you can find at your local craft store (i.e. Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and Jo-Anne Fabric). At these stores, the wood pieces are already pre-cut and sanded, all you need to do is paint. If you are feeling adventurous, however, you can always go to Lowe's or Home Depot to get your wood as well (often times it's much cheaper). Paint, tulle, Mod Podge, and Exterior/Interior Varnish can also be found at any craft store or local home improvement center. If you are looking for vinyl and can't find what you are looking for at a craft store, here are some options for purchasing vinyl online:

Lanier Creations
Blessings By Brittney

Say It On The Wall

Vinyl Ready Designs

My Vinyl Designer

Wonderfully Wordy

Have you been working on any crafts for spring?

Top 2 Tuesday...Celebrity Hairstyles!

Top 2 Celebrity Hairstyles: The Bob

***Please Note that I am currently obsessed with short hair right now!***

• Kristin Cavallari - With Laguna beach and The Hills aside, I absolutely love any hairstyle Kristin Cavallari has! Especially when she chops it all off for a cute summer-time bob look. I recently got my haircut and brought in this exact photo so my hairstylist knew exactly what I wanted. Here are some before and after shots. 

Before

{Before chopping my hair off my hair was super long}

After

{I know my bangs look kinda crazy, but here is a shot of my hair from the front...}

{And, from the back...}

• Rihanna - I also love Rihanna's short bob too! She always has fun, spunky hair and I love it. She is definitely not afraid of taking risks with her hairstyles. Maybe at my next visit to the hair salon, I will get my hair cut a little bit shorter and something more like what Rihanna has.

Link up to The Undomestic Momma and join the fun!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm loving that the hubby and I are finally getting stuff done around the house! Today the tree trimmers will finish trimming our trees, yesterday we signed the papers to get a new patio cover (this is especially needed when you live in Vegas), new rock, and a new raised flower bed on the side yard. We are so excited and loving what our yard will look like when everything is finished!

I'm loving my new haircut! I'll post pictures of it soon, I promise!

I'm loving this spring wreath I am working on, it's not finished but as soon as its done I'll show you all!

I'm loving that tonight I get to work on some Easter crafts with my family, hosted by the lovely Melinda Lanier!

I'm loving that in a few weeks I will be in vaca. mode in the happiest place on Earth, yes Disneyland! My besty Brittney is the cheer coach for LMCA and they will be performing in the parade. The last time I saw a Disney parade was when I was in kindergarten. Needless to say, I can't wait!

I'm loving the gym/working out! I'm currently enrolled at Las Vegas Athletic Clubs and I love it! I love doing Pilates, Zumba, and Spin classes! I've become more motivated to go to the gym lately (4 days a week) and I feel that I have more energy throughout the day and that I get so much more accomplished!

I am loving these two books on Christian living for women.

I'm loving how faithful God is in answering prayer and how quickly He starts answering them! Wow!

I'm loving that God uses His children in so many awesome ways and a lot of times in a simple way.

I'm loving this verse today: "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 1:6~

Link up and join the fun at Little Daisy May! What are you loving on this gorgeous Wednesday?

God Uses Us

Something awesome happened at the grocery store this evening! I know what your thinking, what good can come from the grocery store besides filling your belly? Well, today I went to the meat & cheese counter in my grocery store of choice Smith's. Since I go there all the time, I am used to all the faces who work there daily. There is one older black male and one younger black male who are always behind the meat & cheese counter frequently, especially when I am shopping {coincidence or God's divine appointment?} I think the latter. These two are very friendly, nice, and funny. I always make sure to ask how they are and how their day is going. {I'm like this with everybody - I like to talk to people and see that they are okay regardless if I know them or not.} I also love to always greet people with a smile, there is nothing better than receiving something like that from someone. In fact, one of the mantra's of my life is from Luke 6:31, "Treat others the same way you want them to treat you (NASB)" and Luke 10:25-28, "And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?" And he answered, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE (NASB)."

So, after ordering some Prosciutto and Pancetta for my dinner this evening, the older black man behind the counter complements me on always greeting him with a smile and always being so kind. He said, "Out of all the customers I see on a regular basis, the difference between them and you are like night and day." He said, "Other customers are rude, but you are always kind and always smiling."

Normally, this kind of compliment would role off people's backs quickly, but I can't get this out of my mind. God uses us in so many crazy, unique, and simple ways. I always pray that God will use me for His glory each day, how He sees best. I never realized that through a simple smile a person can be greatly impacted, but today God showed me that it can. God uses His children sometimes in the most simply of ways. Through a smile, kind greeting, being polite, or simply giving another person the time of day - God can speak volumes into a person's heart.  I don't know much about this individual, but it is my prayer that he will someday come to a relationship with Christ and that God will continue to use me in this man's life.

"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35)

How is God using you? Do you have any God-moment stories that you would love to share?

Have an awesome week everyone!

Top 2 Tuesday...Dream Rooms!

1. Kitchen Dream Rooms! I absolutely love kitchens and I love my own, but if I had to dream...my dream kitchen would look something like this. One day, I would love for my kitchen to have granite counter tops, an island, lots of dark wood cabinets with hardware {but I also love the idea of white or teal cabinets}, double cooking space, vintage inspired farmhouse sink, chest for fine china or nice dinnerware, gooseneck faucet, wine storage, and open floor plan. Wow, this quite extensive, but a girl can dream right? 

Source

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2. Master Bathroom Dream Rooms! For my dream bathroom, I would simply love to have a large, jacuzzi style tube...large enough for two of course. ;) My dream bathroom would also have a large shower for two with stone or large tile, more cabinet space, and a vanity for moi!

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