back yard renovations part two

Our entire back yard renovation came from Kmart.  Can you believe that? 

Me either.

Since our back yard has been so sketchy looking for so long, it really needed a little pick me up.  Our first priority in getting the yard into shape was to make it look presentable, which translates to: flowers.

Flowers are like the accessories of the gardening world.  I personally think the kind of flowers you like says a lot about you, and before this whole project got started my flowers were telling the world I didn’t care so much.

But I do care, I do!

We loaded up two whole shopping carts with flowers and bushes and left them at the front of the store by the cashiers before we even proceeded into the store.  Presentation is key, and pops of color make or break a renovation.

Have I mentioned we went heavy on the flowers?

We went heavy on the flowers and flowering bushes and flowery things.

The kids had a great time picking out colors and varieties of blooming things we’ve never planted before, and I’m pretty sure they’re going to keep up with the watering.   They’re invested.

Next up was a visit to the Outdoor Living area.  After the flowers {have I mentioned flowers?} we knew we wanted three big ticket items in the back yard: a patio set, a grill, and a hammock.  Doesn’t it sound like summer already?  Come on over, the grill is warm!

No really, it is.

We had to buy a really heavy duty patio set and grill, and not just because my children are destroyers of all things nice.  We live at the mouth of a very, very windy canyon and our neighbors have all had at least one patio set blow into the alfalfa field next door.  Steel was the only option if we wanted to keep the new furniture in the yard, so we went with this 6-seat dining set.

I’m happy to report that it held up nicely during the TWO snow storms we had over the weekend.  Winter and Summer furniture!  Fancy.

The grill and hammock went into the shopping cart next to the, oh, oh, oh! Trampoline!

My father was a rehabilitation counselor for the severely disabled for 30+ years.  Would you like to know how many trampolines were a part of my childhood?

None.  Not a single trampoline.

Don’t you feel sorry for me? I snuck onto neighbors trampolines on a regular basis, but it didn’t restore the hole in my heart left by the lack of a childhood trampoline.  I didn’t want my children to suffer like I did, so we bought a trampoline.

Don’t worry dad!  We bought the one with the protectively safe, super safe, safety enclosure for extra safeness.

It wasn’t an entirely altruistic gesture.  Charming is the most energetic child on planet earth, and I needed a way to burn off a little extra energy during the day.  So far, it’s been MAGNIFICENT.

Tomorrow I’ll outline exactly what we bought, tell you how much it all cost, and how we laid it out.

— This is a sponsored post.  My childhood trauma surrounding the lack of trampolines in my life?  Entirely free of charge. —

Allison

Hello there! I'm Allison Czarnecki, founder + editor of Petit Elefant, a blog all about style on a budget for every part of your life: style / home / travel / family. I do a lot of how-to beauty + style tutorials, travel posts, easy recipes, home remodel projects, and cool DIY crafts you totally want to try. I'm super happily married (to a hot Polish immigrant) and am the mother of two kids, a daughter and son, all of whom are featured here on the regular. We live in the country but we're a little bit rock + roll. Welcome!