Saturday, October 4, 2014

a digging fool....

I've been a digging fool over in these parts.  I'm not sure if it's the cold air setting in (yep there were officially snowflakes falling here this morning!)  that puts me into overdrive or the fact that I have so many ideas that the work just has to get done!  It has taught me that I'm no spring chicken anymore that's for sure.

After construction we were left with piles of leftover boards and bricks from the old patio.  Extra sand and stones laid all over the yard and my priority was to REPURPOSE, REPURPOSE, REPURPOSE!!!  


Our old railroad ties were used to rim our new bonfire pit area and we used leftover stones to fill the space.


Here is where we would like to take this area minus the lake (which would be nice right?!?)....

{Via-Thom Filicia} 


The lower patio is done!  And I finished the little path with pieces of old concrete and edged the path with leftover stone.





I left spaces in-between for our growing stone collection.  We collect stones from all the places we visit as a family.  I thought this area would be the perfect place to display them.




 I wanted some space for my veggies so I used more of the leftover stone to create two veggie plots for the spring.  The next step is to get some average sized shrubs in along the back of the patio wall so my beans don't go walking on that ledge.  I transplanted some shrubs to define the space and look forward to filling this area in with perennials, vegetables, and grasses in the spring.  To be honest with you I don't plant anything but shrubs and bulbs in the fall as our crazy squirrels can smell freshly moved perennials in my garden and they go right there to dig them up!


More bricks were used to create a stoop by the garden gate and I still have a huge pile of old bricks to create a walkway/sitting area by the shed.


Beyond the garden it has been all about cozying up with my little people to take in the magic of fall.  Art room play, trips to farms, and walks about...


















One of my favorite things about my beans is that they like to collect blooms to show me!  It melts my heart and makes everything worth it!  




Happy Making, Baking, and Growing Friends!
I hope you are enjoying the season wherever you live!  


51 comments:

  1. Hello Nicole,

    You have been so busy with your outdoor work and love everything you have done.
    From the fire pit ( such a great idea ) to your deck, paths and new vegetable gardens - well done.
    I loved seeing the sweet photos of your little ones, so cute.
    We brought a couple of pebbles home from the beach at Nice, so nice to have a little something from where you have been and like the idea of your stone collection. The Art room is gorgeous too, are the walls black?
    Hope that you are having a happy weekend dear friend
    hugs
    Carolyn

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    1. Hey Carolyn...that wall in the art room is a chalkboard wall for the beans to draw on...happy weekend to you!!!

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  2. Wow, you have been busy, I'm most impressed. It's all looking lovely. You've been on some good trips as well, the photos are great. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. CJ xx

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  3. Love that firepit area - of course a lake view would be nice too. Luckily dreams are free. There has been snow in New Zealand this week too - luckily not where i live though. Have a great week my friend.
    Julie

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  4. Looks so lovely!

    I hope there will not be snow yet, also here in southern Finland we often have the first snow in mid October or in November. The summer went so fast.

    Have good Sunday!.

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  5. It's all looking good, love your fire-pit.
    Great pictures of all the small people.
    Merle................

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  6. I love that fire pit idea, we use an old oil drum but your pit is so much more inspiring, I might have to build me one of those. Gorgeous photos of the flowers in the sunlight still bright and cheerful. I woke up to the first very light frost of the coming winter this morning and I am struggling now to get moving and motivated...the cold settles in my bones. Have a lovely Sunday x

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  7. Hey Sweet friend i love what you have been doing with your stunning garden i'd love a fire pit too one day. Can't believe that you have had snowflakes already i am so not ready for the cold weather. Have a fab weekend xxxx

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  8. Hey Nicole! You are so hardworking. You have so much work to do, so many projects. I love to see your pictures and be part of your life. I wish you a nice Sunday! Helga

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  9. Gosh you have been busy and this is a beautiful round up post of autumn. I'm very jealous of your snowflakes. We are lucky if we get some snow here as usually it is just dank greyness and rain with the odd peep of sun to remind us what it look like!

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  10. Hi Nicole,

    Your little beans are delicious, lol!

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  11. Wow Nicole! You certainly have been busy! The fire pit is a fantastic idea - I have never seen that before and such a great way to keep warm on these autumn cooler nights :-) I also love the idea of the stones from trips away and will start doing that too!! Enjoy your autumn days out with your gorgeous little ones xx

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  12. Hi Nicole,
    Your yard project is coming along beautifully. What a great space! It'll be so much fun to plant in the spring!
    Your Fall pics make me very nostalgic....crisp air, falling leaves, pumpkins and apples. Have fun celebrating the season!! xx

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  13. What lovely photos Nicole! That bonfire pit is going to be fab when it's finished, even without the lake.. The stone collection is a great idea to remind you of places you've visited. We have a seashell collection on the garden door steps. My girls like painting them on sunny days! I'm going to pick my hydrangea blooms and bring them in before the frost gets them. xx

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  14. . Your place looks so beautiful and I can see all the hard work You and Hubby have done.

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  15. Oh Nicole! this idea for the place to put the fire is awesome!!!!
    www.mygenerouslife.blogspot.com

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  16. I want a fire pit - (not getting one in a city back garden). Reminds me of our family trip to the catskills. Your new areas are coming along so well. I also collect stones from all over the world but have never labelled them - I like the idea that they've travelled though xxx

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  17. You've been so hard at work, Nicole. The backyard is shaping up so nicely. I really like the firepit area. It's going to be so comfortable and relaxing and you know what, you're better off without the lake because you'll be able to sit and enjoy yourself without chasing little ones back from the water. :)

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  18. Patio looks fabulous, and I love the fire pit idea. I also love the rocks from family trips. Do you shellac the marker in place, or does it stay through weather conditions? Wondering, because I am a rock picker, too, and this is such a fun idea! Love the photos of the Beans, but I always do...and, do I spy your brother in the farm photo? Happy week, my dear friend - XOXOXO

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  19. Wow Nicole, that's really hard work, truly back breaking. It looks awesome. I love your fire pit are, that will be a great place to sit and have fun with family and friends. Your brickwork looks great and I love how you edged your veggie patch. Picking up stones and rocks from family holidays and outings is a wonderful idea! It sure is wonderful to see your ideas and plans come to fruition!'you deserve a star for all that repurposing, it's a great feeling to do it and it looks so great! Have a great Sunday!!

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  20. Nicole, your back area just looks magnificent. And yes I would love that lake in front of me but a fire pit in my very own backyard would be great too. Love all that you have done, the little ones look like they are enjoying Fall.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  21. Again such a lovely Bean pictures, especially the little boy with the little goat, I'm fond of goats. You did a very good job in your garden. The lower patio is a great spot to sit and enjoy the sun, even on chilly days I think and the bonfire pit, never seen such a nice fire pit before.
    Wish you all a lovely new week with no snow, too early I think.

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  22. Wow it is looking fantastastic! Well done you for going hard and getting it all sorted and set up! Looks like a productive and happy autumn settling in over there for you. Have a great week with lots of flower pickings from your lovelies xxx

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  23. I'm so impressed, hauling rocks, stone and concrete is seriously hard work. I hope you found time for some soaks in the tub. Next summer you will be able to sit and enjoy although I expect by then you will have another big project on the go.

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  24. Nicole,
    Your backyard project looks just lovely! I bet you are so pleased and so glad it is over. Just in time to tidy up for winter. I'm always relieved when my outside projects are finished up and by then I am ready to snuggle up inside. I think God gave us winter to rest so our bodies can make it to another spring. I know I need the rest more with each passing year.
    Love your photos.
    Cindy

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  25. Your garden is just so darned amazing! Wow! Love it! You are such a beautiful mama, dearie. I love everything you do with your children! You have a heart of gold! xoxoxo Jen

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  26. oh, wow! It's coming together SO beautifully! Your little patio is perfect, and the fire pit is great (we love ours!). And I love the idea of the stone collection, too--what a great (and cheap!) souvenir idea!

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  27. Oh, how exciting that the hardscape work is done. The fire pit area will be so awesome! And all that new real estate for edibles, woo hoo! Love the place for collected rocks, too.

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  28. Dear Nicole, wow your new fire pit looks amazing! I can see having your family fun there in the future. I also love your new stone path, with the collection of stones that you find on your travels with your family. That is a great idea. The photos from the farm look so romantic to me! Great that you do activities like this with your little beans :-). Snowflakes already today? No way, that is so not cool and we are in yet another heat wave in Southern California....
    Wishing you a wonderful new week! Warm regards,
    Christina

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  29. Hi Nicole, what a beautiful fire pit! I've always admired them and wondered if it brought enough warmth to sit arond it on chilly evenings.... You've been working hard!
    Big hug to your beans
    Martine

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  30. Wonderful Nicole!!!!!!!!!! You have done so much, you really have been working so hard to get it all finished, and everything looks so good!!! I love the new firepit area, I imagine that you will have some great times sitting out there. Hope that the snowflakes stay away so that you get all the rest that you want to do finished!!!! Love your travel stones as well, a great reminder of where you have been!! Hope that you have a wonderful week. xxxx

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  31. Oh, what a childhood you are providing your children!

    You are one busy lady with that garden and I love the idea of collecting stones from your travels.

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  32. Oh you have been busy - and it is all looking great - nice to see your plans coming to fruition. Love that picture of the little one in the doorway - so cute.

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  33. Wow Nicole: Everything looks amazing. I love your fire pit...how brilliant! As I told you before, for some reason your comments aren't showing up on my email, so I just wanted to thank you for your sweet comments to my recent posts. Things are crazy right now, with moving, but I will still be watching your blog, because I love it! -Derrith

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  34. It's coming along nicely! Such pretty captures of fall! And a snowflake? Eep! :)

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  35. Yay for the lower patio being done! All your hard work has surely paid off as your garden is really taking shape and looking fantastic. So glad that it's not all work and that you and the beans have been taking time to enjoy the wonders of fall. Thanks for sharing all the goodness! Have a fantastic week Nicole!

    Rowena @ rolala loves

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  36. The stone collection idea is great! I love that they are dated with the place they are from. Genius! You can literally walk down memory lane! LOVE IT <3 <3

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  37. Well, you may be digging but you ain't no fool! That firepit area looks great and I love how you collect rocks as a family. MyHero collects rocks, too (to match the ones in his head). We have them around trees, etc.

    Love your in-ground beds AND the pictures of the kiddos. They are just so sweet! Enjoy every moment of them. xo Diana

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  38. You're doing a great job!! That bonfire will look fab and be enjoyed by the whole family when complete. I love that your beans collect flowers to show you. It makes my heart melt too!

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  39. I love what you have done...amazing work and look at those veg gardens...enjoy your break!!

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  40. Loving everything about this post. You are creating really wonderful memories for your beans xo

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  41. My word Nicole you have been so busy, your garden is looking marvellous, and your bonfire pit area will be an amazing space, the inspiration picture is just blissful! I just adore the stones from your trips, such a fabulous idea, and how inspired to incorporate them in to a part of your home like that! And wow!? Snow?! How exciting! Wishing you a cozy Autumn, xxxx

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  42. Wow, have you been busy, lady!!! I love how your backyard has been transformed!! You are going to love those veggie beds next summer. Our master gardeners' group has had several programs and tours on raised beds and square foot gardening and they really do work!! Just think of all the yummy fresh homegrowns you'll have!! Your art room looks great, too! You and the Beans will have so much fun in that space this winter creating works of art AND memories!! Enjoy your week!!

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  43. Your yard is so beautiful! Lovely pictures! Thanks for stopping by my blog. It's been way too long!

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  44. The new entrance to the basement looks wonderful Nicole! The area for veggies will be perfect come spring and I love the idea of the fire pit area.

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  45. Oh my--you've been busy in the garden haven't you?! You are so talented, Nicole. Were you trained in landscaping? You've really got the knack. Everything looks so terrific. I'm in the middle of putting in a little "landing" at the bottom of my deck steps and I needed a bit of a push to keep going--thanks :)
    Blessings,
    Diana

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  46. Someday I can see your yard in a magazine...it is already on it's way! You are amazing Nicole! Love all the pictures of your fall activities!

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  47. What a wonderful post! You have been busy this season! I love those stepping stones...your Fall chalk slates...those fresh picked blooms, those little beans... the barn, etc. Keep up the creating! I know it keeps mother and children happy! Today is Creativity Day in our house! It makes the transition from weekend to homeschooling days much easier. We started our day with Math and Muffins! Keep up all the good work! oxox Erin

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  48. Wow, all your new hardscape looks really great! I love the idea of a rock collection with samples from all the places you visited.

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  49. Hi Nicole, beautiful blog! Do you offer any sort of ad space or other features for United States artisans?

    Melissa and I make things for the home and garden from reclaimed wood.

    Our site:

    www.andrewsreclaimed.com

    Some of our ad buttons:

    http://andrewsreclaimed.com/andrews-reclaimed-buttons/

    I would be very happy to offer your readership 10% off their orders with coupon code READERS1

    Thank you for your time Nicole and please feel free to contact us here:

    http://andrewsreclaimed.com/contact-us/

    Looking forward!

    Andrew

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  50. Nicole, your yard is looking terrific! The fire pit area will be a great spot on those cool Autumn days and nights or any time for that matter. Looks like you and the little ones have been having a good time playing outside and visiting the farms. Little ones can never pass up a bloom of any kind. My grandchildren give me wonderful little treasures from the yard, too. Rachel, the youngest, walks around picking herbs and making "herb salads and sandwiches." When the basil still growing out there, she was using the leaves to roll up the other herbs before eating them! I, too, love those little gifts, even the weeds they pick! Fall is my favorite time and I am glad you are all enjoying the season!

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