Delivery Updates....

The crib has been delivered! I don't know that it will stay there at an angle in the room, but we'll see. It's here, and we are soooo excited!

What else has been delivered? Some of the plants for the backyard!

(Those cypress trees have some growing to do....Gage is sniping with a Nerf gun back there...)

I just ordered the carseat, and we are waiting on its delivery....

...and we are waiting on the delivery of the new baby gate since ours just got broken on Thursday or Friday of this past week.... I've ordered this one....

Lots of deliveries for the Casa de Lainey-Paney!

Backyard Update....

Okay, so the backyard is still coming along.

We grill area is surrounded by stone and the countertops are in now. There is one piece of granite still missing. The granite guys had everything all perfect, and then the final piece, which is also the smallest piece, apparently broke during installation. So, they've got to cut a matching piece & come back out to install that. Other than that, the kitchen area is done...I think.

So here it is with the sealing on it. You can't tell much of a difference in photos. Basically, it makes it shiny.

We also had the small gate installed, and to make life easier for me, they made a special cut out at the bottom for the dog to fit through! So, if it's cold, or rainy, or whatever....I don't have to open the door for the dog and then go open the smaller gate for the dog to go potty.

We were at a loss with regard to finding the perfect patio table. I knew that I wanted bench seating. I knew that I wanted the table to be long and narrow because the space there is long and narrow. I don't want to block too much of the walkway on the small patio area, but that's the covered area for eating & what not.... So, we had a table & benches made to our narrow specifications. Can I just say that I think the table ROCKS!

The above pic is when the table was first delivered. It's walnut. The benches fit perfectly underneath the table, so they don't stick out to bang your knee on as you walk by. We also had them make a mini-version for the kids table!

They sealed and finished them in our garage this week....

I love them, love them, love them!
So much so that I temporarily gave up my garage parking space for them.
{Now that's love....}

What else about the backyard?
The landscaping.
Now, I'm no landscaper, landscape designer, or landscape architect. So, I came up with this plan, after researching different flowers/plants that I like and their sun and water requirements, and, I think I nailed it!
{I could be wrong....but I think I nailed it.}
Pardon my non-professional backyard map...

So, here are some the plants I'm thinking so far:

White rose trees, liriope (monkey grass), camellias, hostas, and hydrangeas. I've also got some hot pink geraniums, zoysia grass, and Italian cypress trees in the plan.  We may add more small annuals once this first round of landscaping comes in. The plants have all been ordered, and I understand it will be about 2 weeks to get the specific varieties that I requested.

The sprinkler system gets destroyed when you put a pool in. They don't care much about digging up lines and re-routing everything. They dig through whatever is in the ground at your house, put in your pool, cash their checks, and move the hell on. So, we knew that ahead of time, and the old sprinkler system is still underneath the ground in bit and pieces. The new sprinkler system is above ground and designed to control water flow in such a way as to not spray the fence. We are also strategically planning our plants in such a way that the mower and weed-eater won't be used up near the fence to ding and damage it too. We're trying to make this fence last as loooooong as possible!

We still need to get the landscaping in....finish the archway over the gate door entering the backyard....order the barstools, umbrellas, and chaise lounges.... outfit plants in the pots for the backyard....order the towel rack/table thing to go by the hot tub.....get patio furniture covers, figure out a grill cover system, have the awning installed (it arrived but came with the wrong style of brackets, so they are coming this next week with correct brackets for installation).... power wash the decking.

There's still a lot to do, but it's really all coming together. I'm started to get excited about it, especially the landscaping!

...and there has been so much focus on the back that our front yard is so sad looking right now. Spring will bring hope to the front yard too, I bet, and new flowers will hopefully be planted there as well!

Backyard Update!

Okay, so even if nobody else cares, I know that Carol E is interested in what is going on in the backyard! {Heeeeey, just kickin' my shouts out to Carol E, hangin' in A-town! What's uuu-uuuup!??}

Pics from last week....

Let's start with the sheds. In progress:

 So, I was told to go get some paint. Well, I originally chose this paint named "Peanut Butter." Guess what? They painted the sheds and I hated it. Hated it. Got up super early one day to head to Home Depot to get another color before the painters arrived because it just had to be different....darker....anything....

Updated shed picture:

I have no idea what the name of the darker color is, but oh well. It's better. The bright white trim??? Well....it matches the slide & the diving board, and my bare skin right now, so there's that.... It stays.

The outdoor kitchen in phases:

(Oh yes, please note that they are building in the empty lot next door to my house. They better be done with all that hammering and noise before Baby Girl gets here! This mama is going to be tired and I planning on napping during the day!)

Moving on-----here's the stone for the outdoor kitchen:

Sadly, yes, it had to be unloaded ONE STONE AT A TIME. Why, why, why was this not on pallets or in boxes, or....you know, some kind of bundling system!?

When we came home Friday afternoon, this was the updated progress:

 Here are the pictures of the kitchen components:

The "Granite Guy" is matching the granite that came with the components so that we can have a bar that will sit atop the stone walls. Needless to say, Hubby is very excited about his outdoor kitchen....

It's coming together! 

Backyard Update....

So, I have some updates on the backyard, which is starting to come together. Don't get me wrong, we still have a LOT to do, but it seems to be coming together!

Pics from this past Thursday:

There are going to be two sheds that are "lean to" style sheds. They are very narrow and will be attached to the house. The one that is framed out in the above photo will will have shelves for outdoor storage stuff, flower pots, etc. The one on the right is a little smaller and in the above photo, only the slab is poured. It will be a shelf-less storage option for pool floats. Yaaaay, I'm so excited!

The inspiration for the sheds:

So, I'm thinking we'll paint the sheds a darker color with the lighter contrast doors. I want the sheds to be a different color than the house so they'll stand out a bit more. I'm very excited about the sheds. I'm a nerd, I know.

Other things about Thursday: the outside temp was in the 70s I think, and the pool heater had been on, so Gage got to SWIM! {Crazy, I know...}

...and then of course, he had some hot tub time...

...and then back to the pool!

Friday's shed progress:

So, there's a lot of mess in our backyard. There's hardly any grass in our backyard. The patio area closest to the house is where the outdoor kitchen will be, but so far, it's just a work area for saws and materials for other projects. Our garage is 1/2 filled with outdoor kitchen components and materials from the closet renovations and all the other projects going on around here!

For the outdoor kitchen stuff, we've picked out the stone and awning materials. {Yes, we're like 70 year olds who are coveting the Sunsetter Awnings. Why? Because if we don't get an awning to cover the outdoor kitchen area, then poor Hubby's bald head will get fried as he's out there preparing my meals! And then I think about the stainless grill handle being in the hot sun all day and burning your hands when you just try to open it! We're getting an awning also because it's easier and more cost effective than extending the roof to cover a larger area of the patio. Awning it is!}

So, my first choice for the awning is the lighter color to match the decking by the pool....and it most closely matches the house paint color, being so light....So there's that.

The opening of the grill was like Christmas in the garage!

So the outdoor kitchen stuff we selected is a modular system that can be configured a bunch of different ways, and it just seems so much easier to buy the sectional units and....it's just exciting. Though, I must admit: I've told Hubby, I barely want the kitchen I have, and I damn sure don't want two! That's because cooking is just not 100% my thing. I cook because it was part of the deal I made with Hubby so that I could be a stay-at-home-mom.


...and on that note:

 Okay, really....I am getting excited as the backyard comes more and more together. I'm ready for it all to be done and plants to be in. This Spring, oh, I am going to be so excited to get some plants out there!!!!

Searching for patio furniture is giving me fits.
Sometimes I think I'm over thinking it, or being too picky. And then I think: WTF am I doing! Baby Girl needs a crib before I need a chair to sit outside! {Which, really....in the anticipated timeline of things to come is not true, but it's how I feel inside. I want to have her stuff settled before I go finding outdoor furniture... It must be a nesting thing...}

TTFN: TaTaForNow! 

Pool Update!

Well, pool, fence, lights, etc! I have to update on quite a bit these days!!!

Let me start by saying that the pool is still not finished.
With super cold temps outside, it's not like we could use it right now anyhow, but I'm just ready for at least ONE project to be completed!
The pool still requires: the slide to be hooked up, some kind of edging stuff to be put down between the stone border and the decking, and....we have to be taught how to run the stuff! "Pool School" if you will.... Apparently pool stuff has come a long way over the years. We have a remote control to control lights and bubblers and I don't even know what else! It's not chlorine, so it's supposed to be easier on your skin and eyes.... we've got to learn all about that.

But---the new pool led to the new fence....which of course needed lights on it..... and I have to say, I LOVE MY NEW FENCE!

The area where the pool equipment is housed:

We put down pea gravel so that grass & weeds won't grow over there, and nobody will have to get back there with a weed-whacker or anything.... Hopefully, between the weed-block barrier and pea gravel, my plan will work!

The hot tub was delivered....

Slight problem with the spacing of the hot tub and the location of that light. I've been assured that the light is "grounded" which means that there is little or no risk of electrocution with it being so close to water, but it's a total pain in the a$$ to navigate the heavy cover around the light, so the light has been removed and that's going to be just fine....
The steps for the hot tub are at the bottom of the picture and on the right. In reality, when this is all finished, they'll be on the left side of the hot tub when the ground is not 100% mud, and the area there is perfectly level.

There is still so much to be done in the backyard. It's like a huge mud pit these days from all the wet weather, cold temperatures, and construction. Poor Ranger has no place to potty out there without getting in the mud, and I'm so DONE with him coming inside with 4 mud-ball-paws!

What else is new regarding the backyard: the camera system. Why? So that at a moment's notice I can see the outdoors. Just one more safety feature.
Barriers between the house & the pool will be:
1. regular door lock/deadbolt.
2. top hinge lock out of the reach of little ones (that we installed when Gage started sleep walking).
3. regular alarm system door open chime.
4. door alarm specifically installed on back door leading to pool area (this one is specifically loud enough that I can hear it in the shower with the water running if the door were to be opened with this alarm on).
5. 3 foot wrought iron fence with gate (still to be delivered & installed) between outdoor patio area/kitchen area and the pool. Gate will be lockable.
Other than that----the regular gate to access the backyard from the side yard is lockable. The other doors to the exterior of our home also have regular locks/deadbolts, top hinge locks, and the regular alarm door chime.

So----here's the 4-way split camera view: 

Don't judge me that every picture shows a mess! I can't help it! There is muddy, messy, dusty construction going on here at the Casa de Lainey-Paney, both indoors and out!!!!!

Another tidbit about the camera system: we've got one more of the cameras installed in the baby's room. This way, I don't have to get an additional video monitor because with one click on the tvs or computer/ipad/iphone, I can switch to her camera and see what's going on in her room. Score!

So....things are slowly but surely coming along here.... Today, I hear that the pool people will be here to do something.... The construction guys are coming with the delivery for the outdoor kitchen components. We are having two small, narrow lean-to sheds built next to the backside of the house for storage. One of the foundations has been poured for that. The other one has been framed out and when the temp is right, it can be poured. Closets are still underway around here.... More about that later.

....but for now, that's the pool update.
:)