STAYING WARM

I apologize for my lack of posts lately ... I promise to get it together soon! I have a lot to share, just too little time! But, I do want to share pictures some pictures from earlier this week of us enjoying our first fire outdoors in the new fireplace. We hit a chill this week and it seemed like the perfect time to try out the fireplace. Brandon was able to pull out a pretty good fire for it's first time. We grilled fresh pizzas, warmed our feet, and enjoyed a little music. Can't wait to spend many more fall nights out here!

Please pardon the quality of the photos ... 

BACKYARD PROJECT: final shots

I'm pretty much at a point where I consider the backyard complete, except for maybe hanging a mason jar chandelier from my wedding and adding black and white stripes, so I wanted to share some final pictures I took. I am more than happy with the end result, and as soon as the temperature drops a few more degrees (Alabama heat is miserable!) I will be spending every afternoon out here! And, once it is chilly enough to build a fire, I know we will enjoy the fireplace a lot as well. I'll try to snap a picture of the pergola at night, because the lighting is fabulous. 

If you have forgotten what I was working with, here are a few before pictures (pardon my iphone):

If you missed the update process, then click here, otherwise here is Melrose's new backyard!

Do you see the copper lighting in the corner of the pergola we installed? 

Do you like my boxwoods? I'm still practicing my shaping technique!

So, what do you think? Does it look like my inspiration? I can't wait 'til the entire pergola is covered with the jasmine! Mmm ... I can smell it now! And combined with the tea olives and gardenias, it should smell heavenly back here. 

If any of ya'll are interested in the sources, let me know and I'll do a follow up posts with the links. Have a great week!

IT'S MY BDAY!

Yelp, today is the day. The day in which I turn another year older. It has been a great Bday weekend so far - we had a delicious low country boil with sweet friends Saturday night in the new backyard, finally got some rain and a little relief from the heat, my precious nephew is doing much better (he's been in the hospital with an infection), and to top it off, we are headed to the beach with my BFF and her hubby after work tomorrow for the 4th and the rest of the week! Here's a recap of the weekend and my day so far ...

sneak peek of the patio at night ... the love seat is sans pillows in this picture

Brandon surprised me with some birthday balloons before our shrimp boil

A glimpse into our Saturday night - late night bocce ball, cocktails, and lots of girl talk!

birthday swag from the wonderful Abode Love

Hope you all have a great Independence Day and thanks for all the birthday wishes!

BACKYARD PROJECT: update #3

Now that you have seen the construction of the fireplace and arbor, the last major overhaul of the backyard project was to remove all existing ground cover and lay new sod. I don't know whose bright idea it was to install our new sod when temperatures in Alabama are in the triple digits, but so be it. I just hope we can keep enough water on it to not dry out! Lets keep our fingers crossed. 

Down to the nitty gritty!

 tea olives along fence have been planted - these will eventually grow together to create a privacy hedge

plants and flowers have been lined up in the beds

gardenias along the back, hostas and lambs ear scattered along front, and a few peony plants in the front

And then ... 

No more pea gravel!

Now it's down to the furniture, lighting, and some odds and ends. Some of you that follow me on instagram may have seen a sneak peek, but I will post final pictures in the next few weeks - just waiting on a few items to call it complete! What do you think so far? Remember the before ...

SO much better, right!? I can't wait to enjoy our new yard! Thanks for following the progress - final post to come!

BACKYARD PROJECT: update #2

The pergola is up! What do you think? I wanted a basic pergola with just one tier of top slats and arched corner brackets to spice it up. I think the size is perfect. We centered it in front of the fireplace, but left a little of the patio uncovered so there is still room to pull some lounge chairs into the sun for those early (and late) summer months when you can actually stand the heat. Here's how it all went down:

Now we are on floor level - removing the current grass and pea gravel, planting, and laying new sod! It is slowly, but surely, coming together! I'll post another update asap. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!