So far...

It doesn't look that fantastic yet. I'm not a plant expert so I buy one of what I like. If it stays alive then I buy more. I planted what I bought and then put down wood chips and mulch to keep the weeds away and to keep the ground moist. The birds, bees and butterflies have already come by for a visit. I love it so far. As more plants come in and they get established the green will take over the mud and bark.

Plan is to:

• Buy more of the Yerba Buena, Persnickety Pink and Hummingbird Sage at the Theodore Payne sale. I'd like the Persnickety and Yerba Buena to fill in all over as ground cover. And, I'd like to plant a row of Sage underneath the windows. It smells fantastic.
• Set up a fountain at the right hand corner of the space against the fence.
• Select plants for the side against the fence, the side we vividly see from the bedroom. I like the plants that attract the birds and butterflies. However, there are other plants I really love which I feel have better structure and aesthetic....but they do nothing, except be green. Which is ok.
• Place concrete pavers...and/or build a concrete bench down the middle.

I also love the bird feeders. The blue ceramic one is from Smith & Hawken and the red, hummingbird one is from Target.

Fountain Hunting

I'm looking online for fountain inspirations. I want to DIY this project since everything I like is at least $500, and I'm not really loving anything.

Initial thoughts are that given the space it needs to be square. I'd like to hear the water fall and I'd like to see a stream or a cascade of water. But the sound can't be too much as it'll be next to our bedroom. Not sure if I like stone vs pots yet. Then I realized I could add night time lighting accents.....ugh,more to think about!

Here's what's catching my eye:

I love the cascading water feature. Don't super dig the pots.

Should I have the water fall from up high?
I like the squareness of it all. Should I make it bigger and have fish?

Round might work.

Square, I like, but having a pour like this might be too loud. And its a little too square. Too museumish not enough home vibe.

I like the pool on top.

I like the stone but wonder if there would not be much sound.
Everything is a little off and not quite right but almost there.

A Room with a View

My friend Tracy inspires me. She inspires me to be a better mother, to be creative with my home, to get involved with our community and to simply be happy. It is because of her that we've invested time in a school that our child does not attend. She accomplishes so much it makes you want to do something as well.

Yesterday was her birthday. A plan to pick up tree rounds for the school turned into a morning together at Theodore Payne. You can't go there without getting something and we ended up getting plants for our homes.... which got me to start working on the area in front of our bedroom window. I weeded and watered and just when I was about to start planting the P needed me so it's on hold until tomorrow.

I bought four different plants. All attract butterflies, hummingbirds and regular birds. Teodore Payne makes it easy to find plants for your specific needs. The goal for this space is to invite wild life so we can watch it from our bed. A wild life show in bed! What could be better?

These are what I got:

Yerba buena (Satureja douglasii)

Persnickety Pink (Stachys ajugoides)

Hummingbird Sage (Salvia spathacea)

Spice Bush (Calycanthus occidentalis)

Three out of the four selections smell good just running your hand through them. Every morning I open our windows to get fresh air into our bedroom and to get rid of what I call the "sleepy juice" smell....which all bedrooms have when not ventilated. I think these plants will help make the air sweeter. Theodore Payne is having a sale in October. I will be there to get more!

Ready, set, weed!

Every project, even weeding, takes major planning around here. My hubby and I sort of have it down to a science. He spends time with our daughter (which he doesn't get to because of work) and I get to go work on the project (which gives me a break from being mom). This weekend the project was weeding.

Our side median is getting better and better. The mulch/wood chips have made pulling the crab grass a hell of alot easier and the amount of weeds is 1/3 of what it use to be. I spotted a problem tho...I think we have a leak in our soaker hose connection. One half of the median is growing ok and the other half is growing like mad, which it shouldn't because it's a draught tolerant garden and it's summer. The soil is moist and making the grasses and myporum grow like crazy.

Another area I've started to redo is the Calla Lily area. It's right next to our garage and faces the house so we see this garden spot every time we look out P's bedroom and the living room windows. I planted Calla Lilies and "Little Gem" seeds over a year ago. Both have grown well. The Little Gem a little too well and I've noticed it provides a good hiding spot for bugs and spiders.

I pulled out all of the Little Gem. The Calla Lily stand out much better on their own. For now I think I'm going to place river rocks around the lilies. We plan on painting the garage so I'd rather not plant until we are finished painting.

The third area that needs a redo is a spot right outside our bedroom window. A month ago I hung humming bird and regular bird feeders from the roof eaves. The humming birds have come to dine It's been so exciting to lay on our bed and watch them hoover as they eat. The rest of the birds haven't gotten word that our "restaurant" is open for business. I've heard it can take a while. I'd like to expand our "wildlife" area to include butterflies and later add a fountain. I need to do some plant research.

So, as usual, I start a project, finish it, and come across three new ones I need to do. Ah, but I do love my garden!

Darn Italians!

We'll be needing a toddler bed soon enough. I know every line of modern kid's furniture, from Dwell to Netto to Room and Board and everything in between. Of course I end up finding a bed I love but it's from an Italian line that doesn't distribute to the United States. All the same really, as I'm sure I couldn't afford their stuff anyway.

Nume Design has a bed I love with both form and function. Because our home is Mid-Century and has big triangular windows at the ceiling line we get a fabulous amount of light into our house. Problem is these windows are in our bedrooms and our bedrooms face the street. Any kind of window treatments looks like graffiti on the outside of the house. The house looks ugly with the windows covered. However, all that light keeps little ones from napping. So, what to do?

Italian design to the rescue! Nume's bed is like a fort and would work well to block out light! My hubby and I plan on building a version of this bed and I plan on using heavy fabric to block the light. What kid doesn't like a fort? What mom doesn't love a good sleeping environment? And what modern design lover doesn't love Italian design?

Only problem: actually getting my hubby and I to build it.