Houseblogs has another fun contest going on. This time they ask: “After I got the keys to my house, the first thing I changed was…”
Well, the very first thing we changed was the locks and knobs. We went from glorious 80′s gold, to nice brushed nickle. And of course we wanted to change the locks (I am sure the previous owners are nice and would not have used their old keys, but better safe than sorry). After that the next thing we changed, were the kitchen appliances. When we moved into the house it didn’t have a refrigerator, so we had to buy a new one anyway. What we found out was that it wasn’t that much more cost to get a package that included an oven and dishwasher (which we wanted to replace too). It was so nice to go from the old stove to the new, glass top kind. I have loved that. We also love the water and ice in the door of our fridge.
The funny thing is, even though we bought our home in the winter, the thing I couldn’t wait to get my hands on was the garden. It wasn’t bad, there just wasn’t much there. Mainly it was one large rose bush, some trees, and lots and lots of grass. Once spring came, it was all about ripping up grass to create planting beds! We added curbing to make mowing easier, and to make it look nice too.
As any gardener will tell you, it’s always a work in progress as you find what works and what doesn’t. Plus, I am always finding new plants that I want to try out. It’s changed a lot since this “after” photo was taken, with growth and removal taking place. It’s my favorite DIY project though!
This post was written for Houseblogs.net as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by True Value.
i am a horticulturist and i cant imagine not wanting to deal with th grounds and gardens first-= you can always get to the stugf inside, right? And you did a nice job it seems in he picture. I am literally up to my knees in muc and water and compacted dirt and weeds on the construction site that i call home. I have a deep yearinhg to impose some order and yurf on een just one tiny ocner of the mud hoe ringed by a crawl 0f kuzu and pois0n ivy here. I dont know if you remeber a long time garden colmnist for the Washington Post, Henry Mitchell and his moving memoir One Man’s Garden? You brought the book back to me along ith the life and work of this great American gardener. Mitchell opens his book withthe simple explantation that “our garden ws made be doing things we couldnt afford at the wrong time of year.” Good for you.
I’m a little green with envy, having also entered the First DIY contest, but I’m also REALLY happy to have discovered your blog! Look at that garden!