With the air conditioner having gone out this past weekend, I spent a lot of time outside because it was cooler there than in my own house. I got a lot of yard work done!
I'm gonna warn you, I'm obsessed with DIY's. I like seeing how things work and I like making them myself. This has resulted in years of me re-purposing ill-fitting clothes into something wearable, making weird furniture, attempting to fix the house with cheap solutions, and watching way too many videos on Facebook.
Our backyard is huge and I love it for the most part, but the fence is falling apart and there is a huge dirt patch next to the door because sun doesn't shine there. The dogs always track in mud and if it rains then say goodbye to a clean house. I tried to throw mulch on it before but Almond threw it all over the yard when she runs at full speed and rain has washed most of it away.
So I thought of new ideas.
I got some sand and move around the dirt to make it more level. I had previous fashioned a splash block for our gutter since there's no downspout and figured I could use those cement tiles to make a sort of patio area. The sand helped to cover the mud and hold the tiles in place and I made a checkerboard pattern with them. I filled the empty areas with pebbles and left an area around our huge tree to add plants or something later. A few more tiles and bags of rocks and it'll be completely covered.
I fixed out leaky hose and put a few more tiles under it to keep it from making a water hole. The dogs love to dig in the water leaking from it and I'd rather not clean up any more muddy face mask dogs.
Next, I took some cinder blocks and stacked them a few feet high. I left a few near the base to brace it and I'll fill the holes with dirt and plants later. I inserted four 2x4's into the holes to fashion the arms of the table and then got some wide wood sheets and hammered them into the 2x4's to fashion the tabletop. We went with 2 sheets after realizing the first sheet was a little flimsy.
It still needs paint and stain, but we got a nice outdoor tablecloth from Target for now!
I've always wanted a hammock and found one with a stand on Amazon and then we broke down and got this baby pool as well because we always wanted a pool and it was cheap. So basically everything I've ever wanted for my backyard we finally got and I am so happy with that decision.
We picked a corner with no trees and with mostly dead grass. The set up was actually super easy, but the sun didn't make it wonderful. It was hot. We started filling it up (which was a 4 hour process) and worked on setting up the hammock in the shade.
We lined the fence with string lights that we found on sale and I love it so much. Our yard is so big that it's hard to see the dogs along the back fence at night and I get super paranoid. Now I can see them all the time and it makes out yard seem magical. It was a moderately cheap solution to light up a giant area and makes the area more friendly to hang out in at night.
We have a Target problem. Most of our things come from Target because it's a magical place, including all the string lights, inflatables, table cloth, and my bikini bottoms (actual).
This is also the first year I've ever worn a bikini. I have a tumultuous with swim suits. I usually always wear shorts and a shirt or if I can find a decent one then a one piece. It's too hard to find something that fits me and I hate showing my body which has led to a hate-hate relationship with bikinis.
But now I'm on this "loving myself" kick and managed to get the courage to buy a bikini. I originally bought a top from Target that I had liked but kept freaking myself out about it. It was strappy and cool but it was a halter and even their largest in store size fit me a bit small and there was a lot of cleavage. I didn't feel comfortable in it and I figured that if I was going to try a bikini then I at least wanted to be comfortable.
I got an email that Hot Topic was having a flash sale and swimsuits were included so I thought what the hell and looked through them. I can't do sweetheart necklines without having a ton of cleavage and most of them fell into that category.
But I hit a gem. There was a gorgeous sun and moon top that wasn't a halter top and was available in XXL and it was pretty cheap. I had a coupon for free shipping and bought it instantly.
It got to the house in less than a week and fit me! Plus, because I didn't read before I bought it, it's reversible! The other side is black and white stripes which I love.
I am not small. In height, yes, but not in size. I have a stomach, like most women, and I don't love it but I'm trying not to actively hate it. I've tried to lose weight, mostly to decrease my bust size, and nothing really works unless I go hardcore and make myself miserable with dieting and working out.
I eat pretty healthy and I'm working on getting active, but I'd rather love the body I have and learn to be okay with it. So yeah, I'm not perfectly thin in these pictures and I have stomach rolls but all well. I'm human.
The backyard is definitely becoming one of our favorite places to hang out now. We have air conditioning again but it's still hot as hell and the pool and hammock are quickly becoming are favorite places to hang out. Leon gets his stitches out Monday and he's been so excited to play in the water while Almond hates all these water activities.
There's still a few things I'd like to do. I want to add plants everywhere, make a step stone path near the pool, and grow grass in the dirt patches. But I love what we've done so far and being able to hang out with the dogs outside is wonderful. I'm more than willing to take a few naps in that hammock under the stars. And we got it done just in time for the BBQ on Saturday.
I love swimming and was probably a mermaid in a previous life so I'm most excited to be able to swim and spend time in the pool. Maybe I can try to do laps or something to keep me active. As long as I'm in the water, I'll be happy.
What's some DIY projects you've always wanted to get done?
-Sam <3