Some good old fashioned yard work!

The weather here in Michigan has been so fantastic lately.  {It’s about time; it’s been raining for about two straight months!}  So, we took advantage of it and did some work outside.  You may recall that this is what we were left with after the patio was completed:

Lots of new, empty garden beds filled with dirt, rocks, concrete, etc…

Also, notice the hideous jelly jar looking light fixtures which were the fault of the previous homeowners and/or builders…

We ordered 1.75 tons of black lava rock from our local stone supplier and got to work!  It took a few back-breaking-dying-of-heat hours, but we got ‘er done.  We laid it all around the front of the house…

The side of the house…

And the back of the house.  It’s definitely a huge improvement and I think our curb appeal is finally getting better!

You can also see in the picture above that I replaced those nasty lights!  They were so rusty and the glass was yellowed beyond repair.  The one below was actually the best looking of the bunch…

Now, all the lights around the house match the existing light in the front of the house.  They were only $5 more at the hardware store than the jelly jar lamps.  Who would buy the ugly ones rather than pay $5 for something cute??? I digress…

I didn’t mess up the caulk too badly, either.  I have never done electrical work before {or landscaping for that matter}, so now I kind of feel like a true homeowner!

All we need is some decent patio furniture and we’ll be ready for a backyard bash!