Silver Seashells...

Another "didn't need but really wanted" purchase! I was shopping at Sophie's today and found these silver seashells. I thought they were really fun and will be great to add in decor just about anywhere---tabletop, buffet, mantle, on top of books, etc. We should be working in the yard again most all weekend, so I'll post new pics at the end of the weekend. Happy Friday, everyone!

Beauty and the Beast(s)!

The wrought iron is gone! Yea! Brooke decided to let someone help us on a house project (I know, pick yourself up off the floor)! The wrought iron posts under our carport and at the front entrance had been bugging me since day one. We were finally able to have them removed and replaced and it already looks so much better. We used Don Young to pull down the old wrought iron and replace them with wood posts. Anyone that lives on the mountain, we HIGHLY reccommend using Don. He's a perfectionist and loves to work on older homes. Let us know if you need his info! Brooke will finish off the posts by painting them white and putting decorative moulding at the top and base of each column. Don also added a post in the middle of the carport. This automatically cleared up the sag in that roof. We'll probably add some wood to the posts on the front porch to make them a bit larger and more "stately." Of course, a new front door and new light fixture will also go a long way to help show off the front entrance. Again...progress...very slow progress, but progress for sure!

The pile of old wrought iron.
The new posts on the front porch---the gutter makes the left one hard to see.
And under the carport...
Side of the carport...

Wrought iron under the carport.
And at the corner of the carport.
Don said that the posts weren't even connected at the bases (as you can see). A strong wind could have taken off the roof!
And at the front...
Under the carport.

Grady the Groundhog and a bit of Landscaping...

Grady the Groundhog!
Look at that LITTLE pile of dirt! Brooke's really hauled a lot in the last 2 weekends!
My lantana and Mexican heather at the base of our mailbox.
Boone inspects the new plantings. Check out the rock border. I think once we get more plants in, this will look pretty great.
My new rhododendron bush. It's called a Purple Gem Rhododendron. These grow really well all over the mountain and are in full bloom right now. Love how they look!

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Friday night brought us a new visitor---Grady the Groundhog (Brooke chose his name, not sure where that came from!). He apparently lives in a burrow behind our house and comes out at about 6 or 7 at night and feeds on leaves from a downed tree in our backyard. The picture below isn't great because it's taken through our screen, but you can see---a real, live groundhog! Brooke worked all weekend on finishing grading the dirt around our house. We also found some river boulders to line the border on one side of the house, just need some more to finish off the other side. I bought two rhododendrons and planted them, and also planted some lantana and Mexican heather around our mailbox. We picked out the bushes for in front of the house and will hopefully purchase those and get them in the ground in the next few weeks.

I've been tagged!

I've never been tagged before! Payton tagged me for this theme: Six Quirky Things about You...

Here are the rules:
*Link the person who tagged you.
*Mention the rules in your blog.
*Tell about six unspectacular quirks of yours.
*Tag a new set of six following bloggers by linking them.

So...here are my quirks (and yes, Payton, I do have some quirky stuff going on!)...

1. I have flat feet. Well, I suppose that's not so much a quirk as an oddity, but everytime I take my shoes off in front of someone that doesn't know this, I certainly get a laugh. I guess I couldn't have ever tied on those point shoes...or gotten into the Army!
2. When I lay down to go to sleep, I start on my stomach and then flip to my side, back, side, stomach, side, back, side, etc. I do this every night until I fall asleep "flipping." I think Brooke's finally used to this, but I know it's not any less annoying.
3. I don't like anyone stepping on my bath mats with their shoes on. They can walk all over the house and step on every other rug, but step on the bath mat and it goes straight into the wash.
4. I make strange noises when sitting completely still. Not sure exactly how to describe it, but I think I almost hold my breath and slowly let air escape...yes, I know this is completely odd, but ask anyone that's sat next to me in a meeting or in a movie. They'll know! I don't even know I'm doing it.
5. I love, love 40's music. Could probably listen to that forever and never miss any of this "new stuff." :) Broadway's not bad either!
6. My favorite cereal is Grape Nuts. Even when I was little. Never wanted the Lucky Charms or any of the sugary sweet cereals. Always loved Grape Nuts the best!

And, I'm sure my friends could come up with about 47 more "quirks" of mine. But, I was only told to write down six!

Now, I'm tagging...

1. Nikki
2. Kathy
3. Aimee
4. Kathryn
5. Mandy
6. Keri (Payton, someone had to do it at some point...I know I'm opening a can of worms!)...

A new mailbox!

Yes, an entire post devoted to a mailbox! Our mailbox had been bugging me since we moved in. The poor thing was tilted and banged up, and literally on it's last leg. I think the mailbox is one of the first impressions you get of someone's home, so it better look good! Ours...did not! Brooke took the post hole digger to three different spots near the old mailbox---he hit solid rock only a few inches down on each try. So, we decided to move it to the other side of our driveway. I really like it's new spot and Brooke's very happy that he thinks the postman won't run through our grass anymore and he'll actually get some new grass to grow in the old spot.

The old sad looking mailbox.
And, the post for our new mailbox (you know my husband wouldn't dare put up anything without his level!).
The new box! The actual box is a rust color---they make some pretty cool looking mailboxes these days!
And, the front view---still have to buy 8-0-6 numbers to put on either side of the post. Of course I picked out the most expensive numbers at Lowe's (always). But, they didn't have a "0" anyway, so we're going to look some more. I don't want those typical slanting numbers on there. I'll have to google "cool mailbox numbers" tonight! :)

Playing in the dirt...

MUCH work was done this weekend---even if it doesn't seem so! Brooke had 7 tons of dirt delivered on Friday and worked moving it around the house all weekend long. First, he tore up what I called the "nasty parking pad" on the side yard. He pulled up the railroad ties and the dirt pile sits there. The parking pad will be filled in once all of the dirt is moved to spots surrounding the house and will be seeded with grass. We have a very long driveway, and the parking pad really isn't a necessity...just more of an eyesore! Next, he pulled up all of the old bushes that had not been taken care of by previous owners (and probably not the proper plants to grow in such a shady yard to begin with). He also pulled up old landscaping tarp and then graded the beds to slope away from the house. We'll put more mulch in the beds and then the plan is to outline the beds with rock to match the house, plant rhododendrons, native ferns, and other evergreen bushes in front of the house. My thumb isn't the greenest, so we'll see how all of that goes!
This is a picture of the "nasty parking pad" before it was pulled up...

And, here's a picture of the very stick-y and scraggly plants in front of the house.
And the LARGE pile of dirt!
Plants pulled and ready to be delivered to the dump!
Brooke topping off the left side of the house with the good soil.