front yard beautification

as i've previously mentioned, we have done some work to our front yard. it's funny, we have done so much work inside that when people see our front yard, they are pleasantly surprised that the inside looks like it does. so, slowly, we've been trying to beautify our front yard in hopes that it'll be a better first impression people have when they come by. it's still a work in progress, but there indeed has been a lot of changes. we're working on the grass; dp needs to fix the sprinklers first.

this is what it looked like when we moved in. notice the rose bush, mailbox, big tree to the right, ugly doors, and random plants in the two planters. the good thing is the grass was green!

i've been working on this flower/vegetable bed (with my neighbor's help). there's an assortment of peppers, perennials, parsley, and today i planted some lettuces and an eggplant plant.

dp dug up all the grass and the tree got chopped so that we could open up the front view of our home. here are strawberries and two pretty plants. hopefully we'll have a huge patch soon of edible strawberries.

this is the new view to our home. compare it to the first picture and we've come a long ways! i also added some solar pathway lights along the sidewalk. next: sprinklers and green grass AND a medium size tree and more flowers in the corners of our yard to soften it. any landscaping suggestions are welcome!

lake arrowhead and 30 weeks pregnant

we had thought that our Lake Tahoe vacation was the last one before baby P's arrival. we were wrong. our friends invited us to Lake Arrowhead and we decided to get as much house work done the week/weekend prior so that we could pack our bags thursday evening/friday after work to run off for a weekend. it was well worth it. we enjoyed ourselves and it was relaxing. we are thankful for these opportunities, and especially to spend it with wonderful friends.

disclaimer: for some reason we look quite pudgy...

30 weeks pregnant

d-i-y projects during labor day weekend

we decided to not make any social plans during labor day weekend. here are some pictures to describe what we accomplished. the first two are dp building a do-it-yourself trellis on the fence for the bougainvilleas to grow along. the last picture is dp staining our new wood patio set. if you look closely you can tell the difference by comparing the chair he is sitting on to the painted table. go dp!

kitchen remodel complete

we finally got around to completing our kitchen remodel. we basically got everything new from ceiling to floor, took down half a wall, new appliances, etc. it took us about 4 weeks, although it could have been done sooner had everyone been available back to back. regardless, it went by well and there were not too many hiccups. it definitely took up some of our time to coordinate logistics, iron out details, and select the details, but overall, who said a kitchen remodel was that hard?! check out the pictures! we are very happy and have been enjoying living in it. there's so much more counter space, cabinet space, and it's CLEAN. can't wait to have others over and when baby P arrives.

Granite counter top (such a cool design!)

Slate flooring

lake tahoe & 27 weeks pregnant

dp and i love vacationing where we get to "be" and be with nature. thus, for our anniversary and last vacation (at 6 months pregnant) before baby arrives, we decided to visit lake tahoe. it was beautiful and relaxing. the pictures share the story. our lovely friends were able to join us which was a treat.

We visited Quincy, CA before Lake Tahoe (27 weeks pregnant)

Lego characters!

Lake Tahoe