Outer Beauty

Have I really not posted anything about the backyard yet?  Let's have a glass of wine and check it out, shall we?

Fortunately when we bought the house, the backyard was in pretty good shape.  Here's what it looked like:

The landscaping layout was already in place, the whole thing was fenced, and the deck had been built.  We also inherited a barge wood table and outdoor chairs, which has been perfect for entertaining.

Here's what it looks like now:

String lights, lanterns, and an outdoor rug have made it a bit cozier.

I know what you're thinking about that picture above.  Jackie's looking very regal.  Here's another regal shot.

We also mulched, added some extra plants, and stained/sealed the deck.  After 12-hour car rides, staining decks is 2nd in my list of "things I wish could be done when I snap my fingers".

 Here's what the deck looked like last month (I don't know why Jackie always seems to be standing over there when I'm taking pictures):

Penelope the Palm Tree is lookin' sexy in the corner.

And check out the new garden!  Doesn't it look like I actually know what I'm doing?  Turns out everything grows like madness down here.  This is just after a massive basil harvest that got us 3 large batches of pesto.  Yay, pesto!  Boo to eating so much in one sitting I have to lie down to avoid throwing up (Yes, that happened to me this week.).

This is what it looked like about 6 weeks ago:

I get these wild hairs and feel like I want to plant every vegetable known to man, then I remember that the drive to care for plants only strikes me every now and then.... so I need to start small.

Not surprisingly, the mint is taking over like a pug in a Dingo factory.

I started these babies from seeds, folks!  Woop woop!  If only I had a cow and the knowledge to make cheese.  I'd be eating Caprese everything until the end of time.  You can check out a whole bunch of ways to eat tomatoes, basil, & mozz together here, by the way.  Yummy to my tummy.

We've loved using the backyard for drinks, dinner, and game nights in the evenings.  Ain't she a real beaut'?!

So, what's left on the to-do list back here?

1. Add some lighting for evening entertaining.
2. Start a small vegetable/herb garden.
3. Get a palm tree.  Because we can.
4. Stain the deck.
5. Seal the fence (uuuuggggghhh).
6. Sand and re-stain the barge wood table.
7. Replace the single door to the laundry room and French doors to our bedroom.  We might as well have cardboard propped in the doorways.  The doors are not efficient.  At all.
8. DIY a pergola over the deck, where the bistro table and chairs are.
9. Take out the pea gravel and replace it with brick- We started out really liking the gravel, but it's pretty obnoxious after a while.  For one, it's really uncomfortable to walk in.  With shoes on, it feels like I'm walking in sand, and barefoot it feels like.... well, like I'm walking in gravel.  Second, we have brick along the sides of our house and in a little patch near the center of the fence.  It looks sooo pretty when it's all rustic and mossy.
10. Paint the trim a different color.  We've actually already done this out front- I'll be sharing that shortly.
11. Get a whole bunch of chickens and give them all "old lady" names!  Okay, this one will probably be on the back burner for a while...

Clearly, we have a long way to go.  Let's end on a positive note:

I DIYed a light fixture and didn't electrocute myself!

Come basque in the glory of successful wiring with me, my friends.  Perhaps you think connecting a white and black wire into the proper places on a lamp is child's play, but to me, it feels like I missed my calling at becoming an electrician.  I want to wire and rewire ALL the lamps!

Anywho, it all started when Will and I were complaining to each other about how dark one corner of the living room is.  We have lamps in 2 corners, the TV in a 3rd, and then there's the corner dark enough to be a make-out corner at a middle school dance.  And because I don't want anything shady (pun) going on around here, I set out on a light search.

The space isn't big enough for a table and lamp, and a floor lamp would be awkward, so I knew it would have to mount to the wall.  I've always drooled over these fantastic light fixtures that only people much wealthier than I can buy:

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Being willing to spend much less money on a light fixture than these require, I started considering a DIY option.  I'd seen a lot of basic single light cords, like this one from IKEA, so I knew there had to be a way to rig something up.  I didn't like the simplistic look of everything I found on the internet though.  I was hoping for something more... vintage.

Then, the wonderful Michael at Inspired by Charm wrote this post with some extremely helpful info about where to buy separate light sockets and cords.  Clearly he picked up on my stuck-in-a-DIY-situation brain waves.  I ordered the antique bronze cloth covered lamp cord and the antique brass lamp socket on eBay, then found a wall mount pulley for $14.50 on eBay as well.

Everything came in the mail a few days later looking a little like this:

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Saturday morning while Will was running around the neighborhood being fit, I sat with coffee and bonbons (ok, maybe just coffee) and started wiring the cord to the light socket.  I Googled some videos that showed me where to put the hot and neutral wires (so as not to electrocute myself or burn down the house), and had the thing together in about 20 minutes.  I will not be held responsible for anyone who electrocutes/shocks themselves or burns their house down... thus, I won't be demonstrating how the wiring is done.

Next, I took off the wheel of the pulley, thread the cord through, and put it back together.  

To keep the cord in place (so the light won't sink lower and lower from the pulley after it's hanging), I used a bit of fishing wire to tie it to the base of the pulley.

I screwed in one of the 60 watt old-school lightbulbs that are all the rage these days, then the last step was mounting it to the wall.  Boom.

It's quite nice having more light in the living room at night.  Plus those vintage bulbs give off such warm light, it makes everything feel cozier.

After using it a lot, I'm considering getting a 40 watt bulb instead, so it doesn't burn my retinas when I stare adoringly at it.  We'll see.

What do y'all think?  Anyone else on the hunt for new lighting these days?