Tour De Backyard

What a difference a couple of years can make.

2012

We purchased our newly built home in 

2010

 This is what we had.

This is what we did.

James (with help) put in the sprinkler system and sod (about $600 all together).

We hired a company to put in the spit rail fence (about $1,500)

We laid a rubber mulch path from the driveway to the back yard with the spare (tires) from the play area and plan on adding trees and bushes to the front of the fence.

The is our side yard.

This is what we had.

This is what we did.

We had a professional landscaper come to our home and draw out a plan for the yard.
He priced it out at $20,000 for the finished backyard.
His plan did not include the retaining wall, brick garden box, or rubber mulch.

Then we hired him to pour our GIANT patio ($4,000).

 James built the retaining wall ($700 including dirt and mulch).

We laid and filled the retaining wall with planters dirt, flowering bushes (they will grow), and some wood mulch and spaced out a couple of spots for seeded flowers to grow (they will grow…hopefully).

This is what we had.

This is what we did.

We got a steal for this playset at a garage sale for $55.

James laid the rock path to my garden box..it's so pretty up close!

We laid rubber mulch down around the play area.

Now….about that…

It is EXPENSIVE. I won't sugar coat it.

We could have probably filled this for about $90 worth of wood mulch, but this cost us about $300.

Why would anybody do that?

Rubber mulch is soft on feet, doesn't deteriorate, and keeps it's color!

It's made of old recycled tires and is then painted.

It cost $550 for a ton. 

We purchased a ton of it and have been using it in the front yard as well. 

We had a lot extra.

We totally think this is worth the investment, and should make us our money back within 5 years (seeing as we never have to buy mulch again).

James built the garden box (about $300 including dirt and plants). 

There is nothing better than fresh tomato and basil!

James laid the rock path to my garden box..it's so pretty up close!

We're not finished yet. In the fall we'll plant lots of trees and bushes to give us that privacy we're missing now.
But like I said earlier, we were quoted $20,000 from the landscaper.

Here's what we spent(ish) and the breakdown:

Patio- $4,000
Fence- $1,500
Rock- $575
Sprinklers and Lawn- $600
Brick Retaining Wall- $700
Garden Box- $300
Rubber Mulch- $550 (whew!)
Misc tools (edging, drip line etc)- $300
*Trees and Bushes- $1,500

Total: $9,725

*We still plan on spending close to $1500 on trees and bushes this fall so we'll add that now!*


When the landscaper drew out a very basic plan.
It didn't include the retaining wall, the mulch, the brick garden box, or the pathways.
So we saved over $10,000 by DIY.
And were able to give it a completely custom look.

So I think that's a pretty good savings.
Whew….I'm tired…like…really, really tired.
So grateful to have a DIY hubby!

On Marriage, Love, and Respect

I love James.

Like…a lot.

I've said it before, he's a man of God. He works hard to provide for our family. He's generous, compassionate, and full of grace. I'm so blessed to be married to him.

But what I am most amazed by is his desire to make our marriage a priority.

Don't get me wrong here…we argue…we disagree…we bicker….and yes, we even fight {gasp}.

But we made a vow, a commitment to the Lord; to love, honor, and respect each other.
For better or worse.

I love this photo…look at him…he's so focused on the symbol of our future. 

And he looks happy.

The best wedding gift we received was this book.

The author speaks of the importance of love and respect in a marriage. 

A woman desires unconditional love from her husband. 

A man needs to feel respected from his wife.  

Think about it…

When you have argued with your spouse, did you feel loved? Did you show him that you respected him?

If you are anything like me,  you did not show him how much you respected him.

I cannot even begin to go through all of the details of this book with you. 

So I say buy it, get it from the library, or borrow it from a friend. 

Just read it. 

Read it together. 

Here are some of the practical ways I try to show James I respect him:

I listen to him. I hear what he says. 

I validate his opinion.

I listen to the desires of his heart, and I strive to make them my desires as well.

I trust him with financial decisions.

I trust him with family decisions.

I trust him with decisions about our faith.

Please don't get me wrong…I am not close to being perfect with these things. I fail daily at expressing how I much I respect him. 

But I know how important it is to him, and to our marriage.

He tries equally hard to show me how loved I am.

He wakes up with the boys, allowing me a few precious moments of sleep.

He listens to me whine about my day, without judgement.

He showers me with words of encouragement.

We made a commitment to make our marriage work. And this is a daily thing we must work on. 

I love him; he loves me, and we want to have a good marriage for our kids to see. 

I want them to have a strong marriage. 

That starts with us.

Enjoying the Small Things!

These are a few of my favorite pics from the past week.

Even though I was crazy stressed getting ready for my show, this man was calm. He was my rock. He kept me sane. I'm so lucky to have him! Ella agrees.

And even though I look a little too excited in this pic (trying to remember to embrace the camera and enjoy the little things in life), it's one of the last pics of Ella's toothless grins, now that she has her two bottom teeth.

And it's a gorgeous day outside. Nothing better than nice weather in CO on a Jan afternoon! Perfect for picnic on the porch!

~So Blessed~

Homeless Bags

My husband is the most compassionate man I have ever met.

He is generous, giving, and passionate about Christ.

He has a heart for the needy, and the hurting of this world. We sponsor three kids from World Vision...{{check them out through the tab above!}}. And I know he has a heart to sponsor as many as we can possibly afford. This compassionate side of him is only one of the reasons I fell in love with him...but it's a MAJOR reason why I love him still.

We heard a great talk from a lady who works with the homeless at church a while back. She spoke of what the homeless needed and what they didn't need.

She said that they didn't need money as much as they needed things. Like socks, food, or water. But mostly they just needed the know about Jesus and needed to know that people care about them.

So this is what James decided to do...

A Homeless Bag

And here's what's inside!

Socks

Tissues

Rain Poncho

Toothbrush

Deck of Playing Cards

Bottled Water

Granola Bars

Trail Mix

Pocket Bible

Hand Sanitizer

You can always add different things in your bags too! One of the things that they are always grateful to receive here in Colorado are the socks. And we make sure to not have food in the bags that could melt, or rot. That way they can just stay in our car until ready to be given away.

We stocked up on them and always keep them in our car. James makes sure to pull the car over, get out and talk to them. He finds out there name, a little bit about them, and always tells them he's praying for them.

It's a blessing to be married to a man of his character.

Now go make your own!!!

: )

What I Love About....James

What I Love About Monday Is Here Again

So...here's what I love about

My handsome hubby

~James~

He is romantic

{like, scavenger hunt proposal, romantic}

His is a courageous Man of God

He plays with the kids every chance he can

He is a family man, through and through

He is an amazing help to me

{he even does the dishes}

His deep love for kids

{greatest P.E. teacher around!}

That he is reading the book of Obadia in the Bible right now

He is crazy generous and giving

He loves our couple's Bible Study as much as I do

He supports everything I want to do, even when it's a bit silly

He instantly bonds with his newborn babies

His obsession with sports

{but more specifically his crazy love for Nebraska Cornhusker football}

{that he thinks his Nebraska hat is "lucky" and must be wearing during the games}

That he can't watch scary movies

{good thing...cause neither can I}

That he's a t-shirt and jeans kinda guy

That he is a true Spiritual Leader

He gets embarrassed for people on American Idol or any other audition show and has to leave the room

His compassion for the needy

That he is such a gifted teacher

His humor

{love his laugh}

But what I love about James the most

I know that whatever I do or whatever happens to us He will ALWAYS be by my side.

He is devoted to God, our marriage and our family.

I am truly the luckiest woman alive.

Happy 28th to my Hubby

Here's to you James:

I've know you for 7 years.

Fell in love with you 2 weeks after I met you.

Engaged 21 months later.

{Best decision I've ever made}

Married 6 months later.

Aruba for our Honeymoon

College graduation

{Didn't know it yet, but we were pregnant with Josiah}

2nd Anniversay trip to Denver

{Didn't know it yet but pregnant with Micah}

Trip to Nebraska to watch the Huskers ~WIN~

{Pregnant with Micah}

My first trip to San Diego

~LOVE~

1 day after Ella was born

How unexpected has our life been?

I wouldn't trade 1 second of it for anything.

So here's to being with you for the

REST OF MY LIFE

Happy birthday!

How much do I love you?

"Too Much"

Joy

This picture made my heart so full I thought I would just die of pure joy.

James is such a great father. Unlike alot of men he bonds with his babies right away. And seeing his relationship already blooming with Ella just melts my heart.

Ella is easy to love though. With her tiny smiles, her soft cheeks, and her tiny giggles. She's just a perfect fit in our family. These are the moments I will never forget.

.

~ Joy ~

Ruined

My boys are ruined. The day that James left for work my boys totally forgot how to play. Apparently without their Daddy, they have no idea what to do. James is amazing with them. He knows exactly how to keep them entertained 24/7; while me on the other hand, cannot play with them the same way he could. I have things to do, like sustain the life of my infant daughter. While I am nursing they are literally standing by me, just staring at me; waiting for me to finish so I can play with them. They are so restless. I have to threaten them in order for them to start playing. "Go play in the playroom, or I'm sending you to bed."

Yeah, I feel like an awesome Mom, but seriously! Before the summer began they were getting awesome at playing with each other and not having to ask me to help them come up with something for them to do. Today I asked them if they wanted to go for a walk and they just sat on the porch, bored out of their minds. Thank the Lord for Otter Pops to keep them busy for at least 5 minutes. At this very moment they are in the playroom, actually playing with each other. Only because they know the minute they ask me what to do, it's nap time. We're all just learning to get back into the swing of things. And little Miss Ella isn't helping with any sort of schedule that we had. Let the year begin.....