My Birthday Flowers {aka - Peonies}

Every year on my birthday (which is today!) my peonies are always in full bloom and look absolutely gorgeous.  

What a great birthday present!

Hope you have a wonderful week!

My Homemade Patio Fountain

The last couple of years I've been on the lookout for a fountain for our patio.  My top priority was to find something that created a soothing, bubbling brook sound.  I found several fountains that were pretty but they were as quiet as could be and others that sounded great but were way overpriced.  So last year I decided to make my own.  It's not the fanciest fountain out there, but it makes the best fountain sound!  Perfect for summer evenings on the patio.  I meant to blog about it last year but never got around to it.  I snapped some pictures yesterday while I was reassembling it for this year.

Here's what you need:

Large pot

Bucket

Fountain Kit (got mine at Lowe's)

Hardware Cloth

River Rocks

1. Drill holes in the bottom of the large pot.  

This will allow rain water to drain out.

Stanley is such a camera hog!  He tried to weasel his way into every picture.

2. While wearing leather gloves (super important!!), measure and cut a square piece of 

hardware cloth to fit on top of the large pot.

3. Place bucket in large pot, then bend the hardware cloth until it fits properly (again, wearing gloves is a must!).  

Now cut a square opening in the middle of the wire mesh for the fountain head.

4. Place fountain in the bucket and adjust height to desired level.

5.  The fountain kit should come with several different nozzles.

Pick your favorite and securely attach it to the extension tube.

6. Fill the bucket with water and place mesh on top.  

The water level affects the sound of the fountain.  I usually keep mine about 2/3 full.

7. Wash the rocks off and place them on top of the wire mesh.

Then plug in your fountain, close your eyes and pretend you're sitting next to a bubbling creek in Colorado.
That's what I do anyway ;)

Here are some pictures from last year.

Linked to: Thrilling Thursday @ Paisley Passions, Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple, 
Outdoor Ideas @ Centsational Girl, Show & Tell Friday, Finding Fabulous, Think Pink Sundays @ Flamingo Toes,Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style


 

Tomato Time

My tomatoes have been planted!  I decided to branch out this year and try to grow a few heirloom tomatoes.  I hope they do okay because I'm eager to see what the tomatoes look like.  Mr. Stripey, Cherokee Purple, Black Krim, Pineapple... I can't wait to eat them!!

Linked to Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home, Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Major Yard Work

Whew, I'm back!  Things have finally slowed down around here and we're starting on projects that have been on the to-do list for awhile.  Last weekend was a doozy.  We started on a not-so-fun project that involved 20 tons of dirt, numerous trucks and trailers, a tractor, and a lot of sweat and hard work.  The area around our house was sloped toward the foundation, so when it rained, the water ran toward our house instead of away.  Not good.  We had to add several feet of dirt around our house which meant taking out all the existing landscaping.  This was a hard pill for me to swallow.  I have a difficult time parting with perfectly healthy plants and shrubs, especially when new ones are a little pricey!  

I'm very thankful that my sister-in-law is a landscape designer and designed a custom plan for us.  We would have been lost without her expertise. Thanks, Kylea!  I'm also thankful for my husband's family and all the help they provided.  We couldn't have done it without them.

Here's the before:

We still have a lot of work left!  

I'll post an after shot once we have everything planted.  

Linked to Anything Goes @ Decor Chick