tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34899736204268686702024-09-07T16:51:13.986-05:00Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-34461907321073910852013-12-25T20:58:00.000-06:002013-12-28T20:59:51.546-06:00

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree! This year brought a lot of changes for me personally and my family as a whole. I started my new job and lost two grandparents. In the midst of those changes though I have enjoyed the new direction I'm headed. One of the perks of my job is that we get nice breaks for the holidays. Over Thanksgiving I was able to drive down the Arkansas to be with my family,

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-19122366273968675062013-11-05T19:11:00.000-06:002013-11-05T19:11:00.392-06:00

My dad came over this weekend and helped me install a birthday present from a couple years ago. The finished product in action! There was a light fixture on my back porch, but I really wanted a ceiling fan out there so the outdoor eating area is more usable during the summer months. We purchased an outdoor ceiling fan and light kit several months ago, but hadn't gotten around to installing

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-41286749764986191682013-09-08T11:14:00.000-05:002013-09-08T11:14:21.711-05:00

I've shared before about the awesome fort I have in my backyard. Unfortunately there always seem to be weeds that grow underneath it in an area I can't get the mower. So I started brainstorming ways that I could utilize that space and prevent it from becoming overgrown. Since the whole area is shaded by trees and the fort only very hardy plants (like weeds) will grow, so it needed to be something

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-11648238734090318162013-08-01T18:58:00.000-05:002013-10-20T22:53:35.291-05:00

I just experienced my longest power outage since the ice storm Oklahoma had in 2007. A little over a week ago a storm with 76 mph winds swept through, took out limbs, whole trees and power to over 100,000 home in the Tulsa area. The main downside to this storm happening in the summer is that it is warm out so you can't even put your groceries on the back porch to keep them cold. On the positive

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-30379400151030324162013-06-15T16:44:00.000-05:002013-10-20T23:33:38.907-05:00

This month has finally seen the temperature creep into the upper 60s to 90s with fewer freezes. Which meant I could finally get serious about planting things in my new flowerbeds! You may remember me posting about Dad helping me build flowerbeds with landscape timbers and re-bar. Until now they've sat empty except for some dirt and weeds. This weekend I went to Southwoods Nursery with my mom

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-28692495482137652052012-11-10T17:12:00.000-06:002012-11-10T17:12:40.403-06:00

I've been debating what to do with my front flowerbed for a while. The bed is so deep that it's hard to put enough stuff in it to keep it looking full. My front porch looks pretty nice with the pots that I've added, but between the mortality rate of anything I plant and the size of the flowerbeds, my curb appeal isn't great. I considered buying a fountain or a large pot to fill up part of the

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-34319498218863093092012-09-11T21:01:00.001-05:002012-09-11T21:01:57.327-05:00

This weekend I started out my Saturday (after sleeping in of course) with a trip to Lowe's. I shelled out big bucks to buy some weedkiller, post caps for my deck and landscape timbers. The timbers were the main reason for the excursion since the weekend project was a flowerbed! Carrying the timbers from the truck. We started out by deciding on the dimensions of the flowerbed, then had to dig

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-78571207389428923322012-08-26T22:50:00.000-05:002012-08-26T22:50:53.760-05:00

I bought a new mailbox! I may not really need one, but I've had a few instances where mail I was expecting never arrived. So I decided to exchange my old mailbox for one with a lock. As a bonus my new mailbox has a flag and a space for outgoing mail. I ordered the mailbox off Lowe's website and it actually arrived over a month ago. However, because my mailbox attaches to the house I

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-64164468495045599732012-08-14T19:42:00.000-05:002012-08-14T19:42:35.752-05:00

My new monster recycling bin. Pictured next to the old one. Tulsa is changing to a new trash program and my neighborhood just got our new garbage and recycling bins. With the new program our twice weekly pickup is changing to a once weekly pickup, but recycling is now included instead of being an

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-39514272365739284612012-05-13T11:45:00.000-05:002012-05-13T11:45:00.495-05:00

The finished product. I think the big pots are new since my last post about the front entry way. A couple weekends ago my dad and I installed my new storm door. I decided to buy a storm door to help with my air conditioning and heating bills, plus the added security of having the glass door that locks. Now I can open my front door without immediately giving people access to the house. In

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-37946845430345359492012-04-18T12:00:00.000-05:002012-04-19T20:05:46.241-05:00

Until this spring I think I have mowed for a grand total of 30 minutes in my entire life. Growing up with so many brothers meant that mowing the lawn was never one of my chores. And until I bought my house I didn't have a lawn to worry about. Then I didn't own a lawn mower so my dad would borrow one and since he was coming out to bring the lawn mower by he would just mow it for me too. After all

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-84421850831051673732011-12-04T12:55:00.000-06:002011-12-04T12:55:00.176-06:00

Last winter my deck was left vulnerable to our harsh weather. We didn't finish construction before winter hit and staining before the construction was finished didn't seem to make sense. However, since we are done with the structure of the deck and quickly moving into the winter season I decided it was time to hurry up and weather-proof the deck. Cleaning the Deck Because the wood has been

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-27804657146568334292011-11-12T12:48:00.000-06:002011-11-12T12:52:33.883-06:00

After we finished the deck railing we took a long break due to the heat. Meanwhile, we hadn't gotten any stairs built and the deck was built over the existing stairs from the porch. While my brother (at about 6'2") kept claiming we didn't really need stairs, I was dreaming of the day I could get off and back on my deck without feeling like I had stumbled onto an obstacle course. Building

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-25532614251384812162011-10-08T17:06:00.001-05:002011-10-08T17:06:11.256-05:00

Over the past couple of years my side yards have been sadly neglected. They've provided some headaches in the fall when piles of leaves as tall as the fence blow into them and they are so shaded that almost nothing will grow. Say hi to Ollie! A few months ago my aunt helped me come up with a cohesive plan to make my yard a mini-paradise. I started pulling together the side yard to the west of

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-8482794939646932692011-10-01T15:44:00.000-05:002011-10-01T15:44:24.587-05:00

These plants used to create a screen between our yards that was roughly three feet deep. A couple of weekends ago I heard the persistent sound of a chainsaw. I decided to investigate. Although I have a "not great" view of some of my neighbors' yards, the neighbors next door on the side where my kitchen is have a bunch of plants along our fence line. The plants had become rather overgrown and

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-33400047508969827322011-09-10T14:26:00.000-05:002011-11-12T12:55:21.050-06:00

A few months back I posted the first in the series on building a deck. Last May I had no idea this project would take over a year, but here's the next step... Decking: After the foundation is complete you have to lay the decking (basically the floor of the deck). Laying the decking is a fairly quick process that requires a lot of power tools and screws. Dad bought tan screws since they would

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-38953764969154463622011-07-21T08:24:00.001-05:002011-07-21T08:24:00.689-05:00

I've posted before about the swamp next door that breeds mosquitoes and makes my yard miserable. I've also posted about possible solutions on my part for eradicating pests, especially mosquitoes. Can you then imagine my excitement when I came home from Arkansas a couple weeks ago and saw my neighbor in her back yard CLEANING THE POOL!? Apparently during my week vacation she had someone drain

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-45717764373112992552011-07-18T21:40:00.000-05:002011-07-18T21:40:22.640-05:00

I've thought about putting up a bird feeder in my backyard. I already have the bird bath and the birds, I even put out a hummingbird feeder (although it seemed to attract more bugs than hummingbirds). However, I'm fairly certain a bird feeder in my backyard would attract a different sort of visitor than my grandmother's feeder apparently does... Of course, if there's anything left the

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-29049368157861145282011-06-22T21:27:00.000-05:002011-06-22T21:27:11.088-05:00

In an earlier post I showed you the perfect porch table I found for just $60. I mentioned that I finally broke down and bought some chairs despite the expense, but I still had some plans for my back porch. Among those plans were cushions for the new chairs. And since I plan to have company over to enjoy the deck I wanted to complete the look. When I began looking, however, I discovered that seat

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-77337482245366173982011-05-23T14:37:00.000-05:002011-05-23T14:37:42.593-05:00

So it's been nearly a year since I found this awesome porch table on sale at Target. Since then I have been hunting for chairs. The table isn't very usable without seating so I wanted to find a set of outdoor chairs that matched the table. I also wanted cast iron chairs because they last, my mom has a set that she's had for at least 15 years. Unfortunately most of the sets I like are $40 per

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-5481585702825697802011-04-05T08:08:00.000-05:002011-04-05T08:08:01.111-05:00

Well, I'm jumping in again. Somehow the warmer weather encourages me to spend exorbitant amounts of money on plants for my yard despite my distaste for actual gardening. Something New This year I have a few plants that need replacing (whether my lackadaisical watering habits or survival of the fittest is at fault is still up for debate) so I bought a couple of new bushes and a yellow forsythia

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-51822929526690931612010-12-26T19:10:00.000-06:002010-12-26T19:10:00.383-06:00

So as I've mentioned before, my yard was a mess when I bought my house. I think it's come a long way since then, but I'm still gradually adding things. I spent Christmas at my grandmother's house with my mom's family. We open gifts on Christmas Eve, a process that always devolves into complete chaos as we attempt to keep everyone opening gifts in an orderly manner. Generally this means that the

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-35979576886637163912010-12-02T23:14:00.000-06:002010-12-02T23:14:00.170-06:00

Not my garden, but hopefully what will be growing next spring! I've said it before and I'll probably say it again. I am not a gardener. However, I love the look that pretty plants give a home and so I keep trying. I took advantage of the extra time my extended weekend gave me to plant the iris and daffodil bulbs that I've had for a few weeks now. I have no idea how they'll look when they bloom

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-27716528325239614722010-11-16T15:24:00.003-06:002011-10-01T16:24:54.703-05:00

When I started this post it was May. And to be honest I expected my deck to be done in a month, maybe two. I thought I could cover the entire process in one post. Now that it's November we're finally reaching the final stages of building the actual structure of the deck, although it will probably be next year before the project is truly complete. Since building a deck is much more complicated

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489973620426868670.post-82780951643540160182010-10-19T21:59:00.007-05:002010-11-09T00:30:10.181-06:00

The neighbor boy kept offering suggestions on how the dig. He told me he could dig my hole in no time. So as many of you may know, fall is the best time of year to plant trees. So on Saturday I visited Southwood Nursery looking for a tree for my back flower bed. I needed something that doesn't grow more than 10' tall and didn't cost too much. I found a "Kathy Ann Batson" Holly for $25. This

Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08079540443285375018noreply@blogger.com6