A Haven for Vee

Monday, June 22, 2015

Split Weekend

Oh why didn't I remember that John would have loved a Banana Split for Father's Day? Oh well. Didn't. 

 

Our weekend was a weather split; it was sunny and delightful on Saturday, cold and rainy on Sunday (and through mid-week). 

~miniature yellow rose~
We both had projects on Saturday. Mine began with a pile of bricks and his began with a pile of junk. You know how we love our stash of trash around here. 

 
This was John's project — my old garden gate. (Like everything around here it's been discussed before, but let us just say that it has seen far better days.) Keep watching because I am pretty sure this is going to turn into something pretty cool. 

Aside: Blogger is having some troubles. It is becoming increasingly difficult to use features. Uploading photos is almost impossible taking much longer than usual and I still don't have my edit button.


Watch this space because we have determined that this will be the spot.

I have already been making things  in anticipation... 


This was a fun project and I really can't add anything to what *Kathy shared in her wonderful tutorial* other than follow her directions carefully, choose cute fabrics, and don't cheat by using a ribbon (too flimsy).

My Saturday project involved more brick edging. This is not as easy as it might seem as the sod must be dug up and that alone is a challenge. John was busy with his own problems so I did it myself except that he found me the bricks. There's some story about his crawling down a deep ravine filled with briers and rosebush thorns and tossing them up on a banking and loading them up on his truck and hauling them here. Exhausting!

  ~before~↑


↑~after~↑

↑~I fixed that ratty basket and made it even rattier~↑

John called it pretty close with the old bricks. These five chunks are the leftovers.

There's more that could be done with edging; however, I am in no shape to do it this year and John heaved a big sigh of relief to hear me say so.

~come on, Color!~

Perhaps my Saturday project should have been lawn-mowing. Nah. Too nice a day. This is my wee front garden with the completed edging. I have seen so many fun designs; this simple one worked best for me. Can't wait for more color in the garden! 

Have you been working on projects, too?


  


51 comments:

  1. I love seeing photos of your outdoor projects. I can't wait to see what happens to the garden gate. No trouble with blogger to speak of and if I run into a snag, I've just gone out of it and then back in again and it's okay. I'm sorry you are having problems. Hopefully you'll be able to correct the problem soon.

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  2. Your garden is so pretty! I am heading out now to do some weeding. Not my favorite, but I always love the results. :)

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  3. Everything you both have done, looks so nice. I admire your energy to do.....I couldnt. Have a nice Monday.

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  4. Vee, your brick edging is looking really nice. I have some brick edging that needs to be dug up --then put back into place after getting the weeds from underneath. It is so hot here that we have to work in the mornings as we did today--but no big projects other than mowing and weeding. Color is coming in the way of lilies in our front--yay. It looks like you'll have the same soon. ♥

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  5. Good morning! It all looks great! I made my husband Jeff come look at the pictures of your yard and surrounding area. We are both in love....soo pretty! Soo different from ours I am soo impressed with your brick work! I am anxious now to see your tutorial on the banner...which is adorable btw, so I am off. Enjoy your day Vee!

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  6. Vee, loved looking at all of your projects. WOW...girl...you got more energy than I do if you out there laying some brick. LOL! Love your STAR too. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  7. Hi Vee, Love your edging and bless that hubby's heart for retrieving and hauling all those brick for you. Such a sweetie. I love your yard. As for projects for myself. My wee little balcony is about full of plants in pots and I am tending those. That's about the best I can do with outside projects.

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  8. I'm having trouble loading photos, too...takes forever. Time for Blogger to work on it on their end.
    Your yard is looking so nice...loving the brick work. Ya'll have really been busy.
    We are knee deep in projects around here...TRYING to get some flowers going in containers but the wind is blowing so much, every morning I find overturned pots of flowers. Think I'll put a brick in ea pot....there's a shop, storage shed and greenhouse in the building.....busy time.

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  9. I love all your edging. I can appreciate the work you put into it, too. I put some edging along a 6 foot spot out front several years ago and digging out the sod is a job. ~ I'm looking forward to seeing the completed garden gate project. John is amazing! How do you talk him into all of these projects?

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  10. I love what y'all did. Yep, Blogger is having growing pains, yet again. No, no projects here, we rent and the landlady, Bless her heart, likes things a certain way. Although, she is begging us to put the greenhouse up. Just don't have the money this year...called b-r-o-k-e--living on a strict budget until I can finish school, wink. Have a lovely Monday, Vee. Blessings

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  11. What a lovely yard Vee! I can smell that Maine air all the way down here in Texas....I so thank you for sharing!

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  12. You have such a pretty yard and your brick project looks awesome! Oh...to have such nice, pretty green grass like that....what grass we have (it's mostly moss when your is hard, red clay in the shade) is scorched and brittle from days on end of horrible heat. As far as projects go, they will be continuing on through the summer! I do see a red house in my future :)

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    1. I have a lot of moss, too. It's green. Good enough! So much shade here.

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  13. What a pretty yard you have. Love the overhead shot. Everything is so green and pretty. Here, grass is browning rapidly. It's very, very dry. Projects - they seem ongoing and never ending so I never have anything to show on the blog. Maybe it's time to remedy that by finishing something and photographing it.
    So sorry about the blog troubles. Weird. Are the troubles related to your I-pad?

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    1. No. They happen on the iPad and on the PC.

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  14. It looks very nice and I know you are anxious for more of your flowers to bloom. We haven't worked out much because of the heat. But I sure want to make a couple of cute banners, too. Enjoy your day! (and thanks for the sweet comment today! lol) Hugs, Diane and Wendy

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  15. I am having a terrible time with blogger. just loading the website is a chore. I am looking for answers on the internet.

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    1. So am I! If you find any, let me know. I'll be sure to let you know if I find anything. One thing suggested was to clear the cache. I did that on both the iPad and the PC. Didn't change anything.

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  16. Oh, I love your little garden spot area! It is so cute! I also love the plates lined up along the fence.

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  17. Your garden is so pretty, and tidy. And all so green. I am having no trouble with blogger--I wonder if its using the iPad?

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  18. All our outside projects are on hold. The heat index has been well over 100* for many days. Too dangerous to venture out right now. Your place looks super. Very pretty. I just posted at blogger and noticed it is messing up again. Couldn't get photos to load correctly. Those idjits at blogger must think they could "improve" it by doing something this past weekend. I really wish the eggheads would leave it alone! ~:)

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  19. It all looks so nice...including that huge pink hanging basket! Great job on your brick work. (It is work!) Now I can't wait to see John's completed project.

    I am sorry that you're still having Blogger problems. I wish I had answers, but I have none. Hopefully, you'll get some help from somewhere! Soooooo frustrating.

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  20. Vee, I think your project turned out very nice. I like it. Can't wait to see what your husband comes up with. Blessings, xoxo,Susie

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  21. Hi Vee, You have such a pretty home/yard and I love your brick project. It is a very welcoming yard/front and back. My torn tendon has kept me in this year but John has tried to do some projects. Like Sparky says in her comment, it's over 100 and he can't tolerate the heat due to medications. He hired a guy Saturday to do the mowing at least until fall. We did venture out to a close-out store today and bought a bird bath for the back yard. I have always been in love with the coziness of the interior of your home and it is fun to see the garden today!

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  22. It looks very nice Vee! I do know the hard work involved in edging. I think the brick is a great choice. It's been so long since I've even entertained the idea of a banana split!

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  23. I don't have any problems with pictures - hope it stays that way since I mentioned it. : )
    I like the brick edging! Nice.
    We continue with our cabin project!!

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  24. It all looks so great! I couldn't have done all you did! Awesome job.

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  25. Vee,
    So pretty! I love your hearts on a string! We have the same policy here, if it's green, we let it grow! LOL!!! Looks like you had a productive weekend! Enjoy the week!
    Linda
    mysewwhatblog

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  26. Oh Vee, that rose is stunning! I can almost smell its sweet frangrance through the computer screen....almost :)

    And your hearts are absolutely adorable! I would love to make a heart banner, but....my sewing machine died last Friday {{sigh}} The poor ol' girl has been sewing along for 4 years and she finally decided it was time for a rest. So hopefully I can take her in to be repaired and pampered this week or next. I feel so lost without her.... :)

    Have a beautiful week! Hugs!

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  27. It's so annoying when Blogger acts up. My comments are supposed to come into my mailbox but the majority go to the junk folder. You do shut your iPad completely off every day or two don't you? When I start to have issues with it, turning it off and on again seems to help.
    Garden puttering is never ending, I have a brick edging to pry up and level - maybe you could come and do it since you've got a lot of experience now? ;-)
    I like the heart bunting you made and where you hung it!

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  28. Vee, would you just LOOK at all that beautiful green grass and tree's and, and...it's all just beautiful. I am watching my grass die..and it hurts. I love the decorating you are doing inside your fence...Lovely. I want to try something like that..not much fence showing..but..I have to try it anyway! I'm such a copy cat! :)

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  29. Hi Vee, you and John have a lot of projects going on. I'm intrigued with what the old garden gate will be used for. Everything looks so lush and green in your neck of the woods and I love the pop of pink with your pretty hanging basket. I do LOVE the heart banner! Enjoy your week.

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  30. It's nice to have projects in progress! Your fence and flower box look very pretty--love the plates on the ledge!

    It sounds like you are having some annoying blogspot problems, Vee! I hope you were able to see my blog's photos later on--no one else seemed to have trouble seeing them. Do you think it could be your WiFi or DSL is slow? Sometimes during peak usage it can slow down.

    I am finding your font color on your blog too faint for my failing eyes. I know it is my cataracts but I really have to strain to read your blog because I get glare and the light grey words just seem to fade away when the font size is small. I am really struggling reading quite a few blogs these days because of my bad eyes---sigh

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    1. Light gray? Unless it was something my Fairy Blogmother did behind the scenes, I always choose the black font and a large size. I am so sorry because I have similar difficulties at other blogs.

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  31. Hey Vee...
    You have a beautiful yard. so peaceful.. I do love the brick edging. I have two piles of bricks that are destined for edging..one day.. LOL
    Love,
    Mona

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  32. Vee, that garden area is going to be so fun to decorate. Your bunting is cute, and I like the plates on the fence too! You and John are working hard - that brick edging is a lot of work.

    Deanna

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  33. Hi Vee,

    Just popping in again... missing my "old friends" in the blogosphere. Glad to see you are well and still blogging! Just warms my heart to see your beautiful posts and that you're still taking all sorts of things, repurposing them, and making beauty! Your yard is a true work of art. Fun catching up a little with you and John, and I have always known we were kindred spirits but I literally LOL-ed at your "Who is this woman?" post from a few days ago. I do the same thing and cannot rest until I have figured it out! Thank goodness for IMDB!! What a grand tool for those of us who recognize a face and can't rest until we know where we've seen it before. ;) Am longing to get back to blogging regularly, but for now just stopping in to say "Hi!" and to pray God's blessings on you, John and your family!

    Blessings,
    Christi

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    1. Hi Christi~

      So nice to see you again! Art projects keeping you busy? Something. It's always something. Drop in any time.

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  34. Good job on the brickwork! So I went back in my files to see what your 'edging' looked like when I posed with you in the front garden. You had wee metal fencing around the flower beds. I find it so much easier envisioning your place...now that I have seen it in 'real life'! Not really sure how you took the 'after' pic though. Ladder? Upper window? Everything looks so green and lush over there. Here things are pretty much brown. We have had about 1/2 inch of rain since May 1. We are still waiting...though the forecast isn't promising.

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  35. Vee, I always enjoy seeing your yard. Your great idea of the old bricks is just fantastic. I'm agreeing here with Judy, admiring all your beautiful green foliage.

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  36. I love all the projects you're working on and can't wait to see the 'new' garden gate that John is refurbishing for you. How sweet of him to work so hard getting the bricks for your edging. It does look nice. I love the blue and white plates along the fence and the view from the second floor (or were you on the roof?). So cute. I forgot to put out my plates this year and maybe I'll do it when the sun shines again....hopefully tomorrow! Raining again right now and I'm just shivering all the time. A hot cup of cinnamon vanilla tea will hopefully warm me up! Looks like sunshine through the weekend once this system moves off. Enjoy!

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  37. You did a great job! Love the overall aerial view. Projects? My whole life is a project this year.

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  38. Someone has been busy as a bee! Everything looks ", so spiffy"Vee, so clean and refreshing. Thanks for the link!
    hugs,
    Sue

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  39. I love the brick, but then again, my husband was a brick mason in his younger years and is now a brick salesman. I haven't done any projects in the yard this year because all it's done is rain. We've had three flash floods in our town this spring and some of my plants have drowned.

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  40. Wow, Vee. What a great looking fence and project there. You have really been busy!!!! Thanks for all the great pictures. xo Diana

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  41. Beautiful Vee! Everything looks so nice and pretty.

    Judy

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  42. Beautiful yard Vee, you've got the touch. Can't wait to see what happens with the door. I kind of like it the way it is, rustic looking. Is your computer slow, or just uploading pictures to blogger? Wondering if it's your computer and not blogger. Mine was incredibly slow (computer) and I ran some simple tasks to clean things up, much better! ~ Abby

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  43. Your yard looks so nice Vee and the edging is perfect. I love your story on how the bricks came to be - John is such a trooper! We experienced a bit of your cool and rainy weather last week on our trip but it didn't stop us from hiking and enjoying the beautiful East Coast. I think it was cool and rainy over here as well while we were gone - the weeds sure did grow - eek! Staying tuned to see what you do with the old garden gate etc.

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  44. Your yard is looking so pretty and green. Love the brick edging. I'm impressed with your sod removal as I know how challenging that can be.
    I can hardly wait to see the garden gate transformation.
    I encountered problems with Blogger loading photos yesterday. The first two loaded fine and then it took hours and hours to complete the post. I thought maybe it was my computer so I re-booted it which made no difference whatsoever. In frustration, I just abandoned the whole thing until evening and things loaded fine then. Frustrating!

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