Happy Memorial Day!!It also happens to be my husband’s 46th!Happy Birthday Pop!
Rick & I have been married since 1994. We lived in a couple apartments before we finally were able to purchase our first home in 1997.Oakmont…A cute little house that needed lots of love.
Oakmont holds a special place in our hearts even though we don’t live there anymore because our children were born there and because we worked hard fixing it up. This is where all of my “decorating” bloomed so to speak. I began to really notice my passion for homemaking there.
Before the girls were born (“BK”), we would spend lots of our evenings in the yard when weather allowed us.
Today…in our present home…we enjoy the same!
There is so much to be said for a married couple to experience the comfort, joy, and pride in working together in making your home
beautiful.
Wether you have $25 for some seeds and soil, or $300 for a full make over, it doesn’t matter. As long as you work together and have the same goals, I guarantee it will feed your relationship. It beats dinner & a movie by far.
…it’s good for the soul & the thighs!
Rick is the one behind all of the hard labor-ie. mulch laying, grass seed spreading, and serious weed pulling in these pics. I am the flower planter 🙂
These are some of the prettiest pictures I have taken…I hope you enjoy them!
Happy Memorial Day and God bless all of our fellow Americans who have fought for our freedom, and to those that presently serve.
Happy 46th to my handsome husband as well!
There are lots of photos…Our yard was a mess when we bought the house, but underneath the mess was lots of treasures that the previous owners had to let go.Unfortunately due to private circumstances, the previous owners could not maintain the yard as they had wished.
We are happy that we could preserve most of it. What’s really beautiful, is that they knew how to plant so that something is blooming every couple weeks.
It’s truly a gift to be a gardener at that level…I can plant a flower, but most of this is due to their knowledge as gardeners and they deserved to be mentioned in this post.
This is where Rick pulled lots of weeds (I mean knee deep)…but the Hosta’s come back like champs!We had an estimate done once, and they actually advised us to pull out these rock steps…wrong!
Valerie was just telling me about a frog she learned about at school that looks just like a lilly pad…hmmmm???See any???I find lilly pads fascinating!
I planted some chives & basil outside my kitchen window!Woot Woot!Little lights $1 store!
This was a disaster area…Rick salvaged the brick patio that was in horrible shape, but had such character. Still have sand to lay in it, but I think Rick did a great job.There use to be trees here in front of the window, but they were way too big now.
Everything you see here we had, except the mulch. We just cleaned it up.
Here is a quick before shot I wanted to throw in!We are getting there!Nice job Rick!!!
This use to be dirt under the deck…We decided to lay some patio bricks and stone to eliminate all the mud.Dude our lab has a private little “litter box” area over to the left. Very convenient, and he doesn’t get muddy.
Julie

Hey and Hi. Those tall purple flowers look like Tall Phlox. You probably already know that by now. But that’s my guess. We have had them as well. They are an old type garden flower that naturalize easily, prefer the shade and tend to get a little moldy if they don’t get enough air circulation. But they are worth any trouble if they will grow for you. Thanks for the post.
Thank you, Cindy!
The tall purple ‘wild phlox’ is called Dames Rocket. Google image it to see if it matches. I love it too. Can become invasive. I let it ‘go crazy’ in my woodland area. It finds its way into my gardens and I make sure I deadhead it before it goes to seed too much. Thank you for the BEAUTIFUL tour. The view you have from your deck is wonderful. I love the use of the lime stone paths, very natural looking. Thanks for sharing your paradise. Smiles, Lark
Your yard is amazing, as well as your pictures!! Peonies remind me of my mom too, who passed on Mother’s Day in 2008. Lots of hard work, but it is paying off for you guys!
I am so very sorry, Michelle. Thank you for such a nice comment.
Hello, I’ve just found your blog via a search for glass vases to hold a large candle, and I love the one you’ve photographed on this post. Do you remember where you bought it ?
Looking forward to reading more of your posts.
Thank you
Susan