Anniversary Weekend Happenings

What a full, wonderful weekend....We accomplished 2 firsts.....laying sod....check....leaving Sara overnight.....check!
We laid sod in the backyard....here's some pictures:

Just to remember where we started:

It was hot here yesterday, so we were up bright and early.  In the yard by 7:30am....

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Sara is a great helper!

Belle enjoying the grass already!

All Done!



 Sod was laid and sprinklers were programmed by 10:30 am.  Like painting, all the prep work of installing sod is the hardest part.  It was a whole lot of digging and rototiller.  A BIG thank you to my dad for lending us a helping hand and the rototiller!

We cleaned up, had lunch, gave Sara a million kisses, left her in the capable hands of my parents, and  headed for the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley.  It was brutal 100 degrees when we left our house around 3:30pm.  A delightful 83 degrees when we pulled into the Claremont 20 minutes later!  We are so lucky to be close to natural AC!

We checked into our room, explored a bit, grabbed a snack and a couple adult beverages and headed to the pool.  Brian swam and I lounged by the pool with a book.  So nice to have the pool mostly to ourselves.  It was 5ish by the time we got to the pool and most everyone was packing up.

Had to do a self portrait picture!


Foggy view from our room this morning....the Bay Bridge is to the left.  Golden Gate was just to the right.

We walked to Rick and Ann's for breakfast. We put our name in for a table and headed for Peet's Coffee, which was right next door.  It was overcast when we went to breakfast and sunny by the time we were done. 

We were home by noon.  We were excited to see Sara and Belle!  Sara was so excited to see us..we got quite the greeting when we walked in.  She had a great time with my parents.  We had a great time at the Claremont.  But, we both said that we missed Sara a couple of times.....love that kiddo!

Yard Progress

Oh my goodness....we worked like crazy this weekend in the yard.....here's what we have been up to the last month or so....

Flashback to 5 years ago this weekend....we just moved in....crazy, huh?!?

More recent.....

We removed the "rock wall" and reused the rocks around the tree in the front yard...

Digging holes for the posts...a big THANK YOU to my parents for lending us a helping hand and a rotter tiller

 Installing the posts....

We added a planter area a couple of weekends ago....

Weeded, tilled, and ready to go...

Plants are laid out and fountain is installed.....lavender and rosemary

Sweet fountain...still need to run electrical      

Plants are in....need to finish bender board and get wooly thyme (ground cover) and butterfly bush planted...then add mulch!                         

Saturday wall progress....

Brian is hard at work....

Sunday progress....we just have 2 more planks to install!

Our goal is to have sod laid by the end of June....Brian and I have nicknamed ourselves the "Nap Time Landscaping Company".  We can get so much done during Sara's naps!

Entryway upgrade

Our entry way was always a little sparse. It's small so a table or bench wouldn't fit.


We had leftover molding in the garage from the baseboard project, so we found some hooks at Home Depot, screwed them in, and Brian hung up the rack. Turned out pretty good. I love having a landing spot for jackets, etc.


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The Wall is Done!

Yippeee....Brian did a great job and it looks so nice. The rotten boards and posts are gone and replaced with metal piping and new pressure treated boards. We planted 2 new heavenly bamboos and add weed cloth and mulch. Love it!

In Progress.... taking the boards down

rotten posts

Brian and my dad set the pipe

Finished Product.....

Next up.....a sand box where the old pond was....can't wait!

What a Weekend....

This was a good weekend...good and busy! Saturday was spent grocery shopping, running errands, hanging out with Heather, pruning the pomegranate tree, and cleaning the house. Today was all about organizing the garage, rearranging the office, cooking dinner and a DIY project.

I need a space for my crafts and the way the office was set up just wasn't working. So, I moved the table and put the leaf back in, so it's desk on one side and crafts on the other. I'm loving it and already have my eye on a couple other DIY projects via Pinterest....my new obsession...aka time suck on the Internet. More to come......

The desk will never been this clean again....I had to take a picture to remember it by!

Wrapping Paper and Ribbon Holder.....love it!

Playroom

Yeah...the BIG green sofa is gone! It's heading home to Roseville with Brian and Ally. I got the sofa in Roseville as a floor sample 9 years ago. Since then, it's lived in Walnut Creek, Fairfield, and 2 houses in Martinez. So, it's heading back to it's home in Roseville! I'm happy to have it gone....it was really too big for the space.

So, now we have turned the space into Sara's playroom.

The ottoman cubes are housing toys and serve as a great landing spot for drinks, bottles, etc. I love giving her a morning bottle in the rocking chair.

Bookcases to house more toys and books.

Bathroom Tile

Brian has been working hard to get the bathroom tiled! This has been his project...he even picked out the tile and grout. He can now add tile layer and interior decorator to his expanding list of skills! We are glad that we decided to do this when we did. It turns out the toilet had a slow leak, so the floor was getting wet. Luckily, it dried out and no ill effects were found! You can see the moisture in this first photo:

Scrapping away the vinyl

New plywood put down by the previous owners!

Belle left her mark on the leveling compound The floor was really uneven, so Brian had to make sure the backer board was even.

Backer board down!

Tile is layed and spaced

Grout is in!

I'll post finished pictures once everything is moved back in. He still has to apply sealer, reinstall base boards, and then we can move back in! Great Job, Brian!