Super Productive Weekend

J decided that since we've been in reorganization mode that we should tackle our backyard.  Until this weekend we never spent time in the backyard other than to store the kayaks and take out recycling.  And even then we did it as quickly as possible because, to be frank, we were scared of walking around back there amongst the weeds and layers of dead leaves, not knowing what animals may be lurking underneath (our big fear is snakes, which we have seen in our neighborhood before).  So we went on a major overhaul this weekend, sweeping the patio of all of the accumulated grime, converting a rusty, dirty, unused grill stand into an outdoor food station, installing pavers next to the patio where the gutters deposit all of their water and create a huge dirt divot, creating a rock covered container garden area, and replacing the layers of leaves with fresh topsoil and grass seed.  Until the garden and grass start growing, it's not quite picture-worthy yet, but it is a HUGE improvement over what we previously had.  And we can't wait until we can start using home grown herbs in our cooking!

In addition, J is expecting friends at our place in two weeks for the launch, so we've started to tidy up the odds and ends left from our major indoor overhaul over the last couple of weekends.  I spent Saturday morning working on the kitchen and we now have surfaces that are actually usable in food preparations, and we've finally hung the closet hooks and hallway shelves that have been waiting around for us.  Overall a hugely productive weekend!  Next step: clean up the piles of laundry that have accumulated over the past few weeks while we've been working on everything else...