The $150 difference.

So I'll bet you couldn't guess that I've been focusing on our outdoor living spaces a bit lately, right? :)

Now that Birdie is in full-blown toddler mode, being cooped up indoors is no longer an option. She wants to be enjoying the great outdoors!

And I honestly can't blame her. Mr. Nest and I love being outside. But who could love being outside the Neglected Nest when all you see is this

Well, not us, that's for sure! I've had plans in my head for years, but this is the year I've put them into motion.

I've already posted about the backyard, but just for kicks we can look at it again.

Before:

After:

We've still got some work ahead of us, but it's really come a long way. We actually enjoy being out there now. Mr. Nest and I have a beer on the deck and watch Birdie play and feel like the luckiest people on earth. Next we will be making the bench banquet for the front left corner of the deck so that we have an area to eat.

We will also be making 2 more pallet planters (1 for veggies and 1 for wildflowers), and planting a bed of flowers to soak up the lake that forms on our side of the driveway (yes, we share a driveway. yes, it really sucks sometimes..... ok, a lot of times.)

Ugh, that driveway. Not only is it a disgusting eyesore, it's also a deathtrap. The asphalt is broken in pieces and it dips and cracks in all the wrong places. The slummy Section 8 landlord that sold us the house refused to kick in money for it to be replaced, but we thought we would just take care of it ourselves. Until we saw how neglected the rest of the house was. So the driveway has been sitting on our "to do" list ever since. The quotes have been around $4,000. Yes. Do you need an antacid now too?

Lemons into lemonade, right?

Instead, we poured a whopping $150 into the front yard!

Before:

After:

Our new locust tree was free from our township. My lovely neighbor offered 3 of her big beautiful peony bushes before her landscaper trashed them to build a stone wall. I found fantastic deals on annuals and perennials at the local farmers market. A little mulch from Home Depot went a long way to tie it all together.

All of it came in just under $150.

It's lush. It's colorful. It's summer-y. And it's no longer neglected. One more area of the nest to cross off the list.

:)