It's Back-to-School Time!

My kids start school in two weeks so I'm in full shopping mode this week since next week is filled with orientations and last minute dental appointments. All three of the kids need new shoes and backpacks. I didn't plan on buying all of them new backpacks, but my two oldest boys said they smell really bad. The backpacks, not them. Although, that just reminded me to buy my oldest deodorant and body spray. Yep, he's at the stinky boy age. I really don't want to know why their backpacks smell horrible, but I will just take their word for it and get them new ones. My little guy is starting kindergarten this year and said he needs a backpack with his name on it just in case he forgets which one is his. I think he's more afraid that someone will take it. That's what happens when you have two older brothers.

Anyway, I went to pick up some new Ziploc lunch containers since mine are a little ragged. They are Bento-like without the Bento price. I've been using these for a few years and I absolutely love them. The only complaint I have is that they are a little long and don't fit in all lunchboxes.





I happened to notice these instead at Wal-Mart. They are a much better size and the best part is no ice pack is needed since the middle tray serves as one. I believe they were $8.97 each.




Here it is taken apart. The white container can hold a sandwich or salad, not that my kids would ever touch a salad. The smaller containers in the middle sit in the ice pack.






I was a little worried my five year old wouldn't be able to take it apart so we gave it a test run last night and he had no problem. I don't think young preschoolers would be able to undo the side tabs because they are a little tough. I'm excited to use these and will let you know how they work out in a few weeks.

If you remember, I've had so many problems with the kids coming home after school and throwing their backpacks and shoes all over the front entryway. I finally figured out a solution! I've always wanted them to use the garage to come in and out of the house, but I couldn't figure out how they could get in from outside. I found an inconspicuous keypad that's installed outside to open the garage door. I've obviously been living under a rock because every single person I've mentioned this to already has one. Better late than never!










When I get my younger two boys off the bus in the afternoons I'll put the five digit code in myself. My older son will be coming home later from school, but he's already memorized the code. It's also nice for latchkey kids because you don't have to worry about them keeping up with a key.

The garage door connects to our laundry room so they'll finally be able to hang up their backpacks there, too. We put the beadboard up a long time ago, but I never got around to caulking or painting it so that's why it looks a little sketchy. I also want to put up a pinboard above for school notes. Yes, these are the smelly backpacks.




If I need extra hooks in the winter for sweatshirts I can add a few in the hallway that connects the great room and laundry room.



I don't have room for shoes, but I do plan on getting them a three tiered wire shelf to go in the garage. I prefer they take their shoes off outside anyway so I'm okay with not having room for shoe storage in the laundry room. The best part is that I don't have to worry about Mario taking off with their shoes. I'm crossing my fingers this plan works out!

Operation Landscape

I had planned to add grass to our barren backyard and make it look as neat and presentable as possible until next spring. That's when I figured it would be the best time to have a professional landscaper come in since the extremely hot weather isn't the best for plants right now. Landscaping is not something I have succeeded at anyway...ever. It's just one of those things that's best left to the professionals in my household. But, I happened to notice a sign at Houston Garden Center advertising 70% off all plants and trees. I had to check it out even though I didn't really believe everything would be that cheap. It was! Actually, it still is because the sale is still going on. I bought Knockout Roses for $6, boxwoods for $2, wax myrtles for $5, and huge crepe myrtles for $36. The crepe myrtles were $119 regularly. I did not completely believe the prices until I checked out at the register. We went twice on Saturday and back again on Sunday. I now have a full yard of plants for...drumroll please...$300!






I've always love the way boxwoods look in front of roses bushes and now I have a place that's sunny enough to plant them. I also put a sweet potato vine in front of them to cascade over the small retaining wall. I initially wanted to break them up with other cascading plants, but I couldn't find anything I liked as well. I can always do that later or let a landscaper tweak it because these can be replanted somewhere else. Oh, and they were under $2 each! Since I have a black thumb, I'm going to let our yard guy plant these after he adds a bit of soil.






Here's the view as you walk out the back door. This is so much better than looking at mud, lol. As you can see my husband has repaired the fence. We saved so much money doing it ourselves and it really didn't take much time. He worked on it for two days, but only spent a couple of hours each day on it since we had thunderstorms that weekend. My plan is to eventually have the fences completely covered up by plants. The roses aren't going to be quite tall enough so I would love to plant something that climbs on the fence. I love the idea of honeysuckle, but I'm not sure if I want to attract every bee in the neighborhood. Oh, and have you heard about the killer bee attacks lately? Terrifying!




The other side of the fence might look a little wimpy in comparison, but these wax myrtles grow to be 12 feet tall. I love the privacy that these will give us. Another benefit is that it will hide the extreme slope next to the fence since they grow so large. According to the salesperson at the garden center, they will take about a year to get halfway up the fence. So, two years to cover the fence? Well, if I don't kill them by then they might get that tall.



We have a couple on the other side of the fence, too.




And the best deal ever! Can you believe this crepe myrtle was only $36? Look how tall that sucker is. It rivals my neighbors been-there-forever pink crepe. I decided on the white because I've heard people complain that the brighter flowers can stain concrete and pool plaster.




Of course, I couldn't buy just one. I bought three for the back fence. I'd also love to have them along the side fences, but the amount of flowers they drop that close to the pool changed my mind.




I bought a few filler shrubs, too. The dark green ones in the back get very large. It's also the same as our neighbor's shrubs that are peeking over the fence. I got my inspiration from what I see in my own neighborhood instead of gardens I love in pictures. The plants I've killed in the past probably weren't really meant to be planted in this climate and soil. I'm talking about you, hydrangeas!




This corner of the yard is storing all of the plants we didn't have room for, but it will be the same as the other side because I'm not creative enough to go asymmetrical and make it look good.

Do you see that huge hose lying on the ground? That's a temporary main electricity line. Yesterday, our power went out except for in two upstairs bedrooms. We called everyone-the pool guy, an electrician, and finally the electric company. Our first thought was that the breaker was overloaded, but we finally paid the emergency electrician fee to find out for sure last night. He immediately said the main underground line was not working. When we told him that the pool was only completed two weeks ago he said he was pretty sure it was nicked during the digging and they unsuccessfully tried to repair it. That doesn't surprise me since they cut our internet line and never said a word about it. Thankfully, our electric company is the only ones who fix this free of charge. If we lived 10 minutes south in a different county (and different provider) we would have had to pay $3000-4000 to have it fixed! I'm sure it would have been a mess because when we told our pool builder about it he immediately said it wasn't them. Okay...it's quite the coincidence the main line stops working a few weeks later. Anyway, the electrician was so nice and called our electric company for us to have someone come out last night. Despite the extremely high service fee, I can say it was well worth it to have air conditioning!


Just to recap, remember what this yard looked like just a few weeks ago?




And, now...



What a difference! I might not be very good at landscaping, but it's a definite improvement. I can't wait to see the plants in the ground and the flowerbeds mulched.

Mario is really loving having a backyard again. Keep on christening the yard instead of my rugs, boy!


A before of the side yard.




Now




Can you believe all of these plants only cost $300? That's crazy! If you live in the Houston area, run to Houston Garden Center. I bet everyone is clearancing out plants right now though. It might not be the best time of year for planting, but it certainly is the best on your wallet!

Fire Pits and Backyard Progress

Our backyard is coming along, but first I've got to show you the pool at night. I was too nervous to turn the fire pits on while my husband was out of town last week, so I snapped a couple of pictures when he got home Thursday night.











Yes, that's a birthday balloon in the pool. My five year old was completely attached to it for some reason. I promise these kids have more than enough pool toys. If you follow me on Instagram you know this!

Oh, and as a disclaimer for those breaking out in a cold sweat over the fire and the kids being so close, the kids are not allowed on the rocks while the fire pits are on. Even when they are off, they are only allowed on the two lower shelves since they are wide and flat. We're making up the rules as we go along, but we realized a few things the first night. We also realized beach balls and fire did not mix the hard way. ;) You can see my little guy gathering up the airborne toys for me in the last picture. They still have plenty of toys to play with that don't go airborne, but I can't say they are that interested. I love seeing them make up games as they race each other swimming across the pool. It's nice to see them use their imaginations again!

My five year old can swim the width of the pool, but not the length. We bought him a thin Speedo life vest from Target and it has been the best thing ever. Not only does it give me piece of mind, but his swimming skills have improved dramatically and he can enjoy the entire pool instead of just the sun ledge and hot tub (aka baby pool). I wish I had known about these sooner. I only knew about the thick ones that are really uncomfortable and make swimming difficult. If you have little kids, you've got to get one!

In case you're wondering, Mario does like being outside by the pool. "By the pool" are the key words. He does not like being in the pool, but the kids wanted to see if he could swim. Luckily for Mario, he's a natural born swimmer. When he gets a little nervous around the boys he heads inside where he can safely watch what's going on from the window.




When I showed you the pool last week the deck had not been acid washed so it looked a little chalky. I was thrilled to see it when I came home from work Thursday. It's the color it's supposed to be and the best part is we're not tracking that chalky mess in the house any more.



I love how it matches the flagstone coping so nicely.




Irrigation and grass were added this weekend. We've been the DIY route before with both of these projects, so we know the extra money to pay someone else to do it is well worth it. The areas along the fence were intentionally left alone because we're going to add flowerbeds. I'm hoping to find something that grows tall fast so we have a little privacy when we're outside. The fence isn't the most attractive thing to look at either.




When it does get cool outside we want to be able to sit near the fire pits. My five year old is looking forward to making "snores." That's the reason for the half circles behind the fire pits. We're going to place large pieces of flagstone here to make a patio for chairs or benches. We need to move the sod from behind the other rocks because there will be plants here instead. I'm hoping to find something that will soften the line of the rocks and drape over them a bit.




We've been so busy enjoying the pool that we haven't made too much progress on the beams, but we did get all four of them boxed in. Before, we just had the two front ones done. We just need to add the trim and paint them next. Eventually, I'd love to add a tongue and groove ceiling on the porch with a fan, but the landscape is taking priority right now.




I also found LED candles at Target for the lanterns. It makes such a difference to have these on at night. I'm just crossing my fingers no one kicks them. My husband already broke one trying to put the candle in it. He said he just turned it over and the glass came out. Hmmm...imagine that. Thankfully, Lowe's had one left.

I still haven't shown you all the outdoor serving pieces I have. I keep forgetting to take pictures when we have parties. Don't worry. We have pool parties several times a week!

The Big Pool Reveal

Check it out!












Here is my fast attempt at weekend decorating.











We're beefing up these beams by boxing in the originals and painting them white, but we can't finish them until the deck is acid washed later this week. When that's done the concrete will be a tan color. It just has a fine layer of dust on it right now.




I love these candleholders I found at Lowe's. I can't wait to find some LED candles to put in them. They are glass, but I put them in front of the beam. Who would walk into a beam? I probably will. I'm also going to put some potted plants in front of them too for extra protection.




Hopefully, in the next year or so we will have a summer kitchen where the grill is sitting.





A rug at the back door is a must because wet feet make this tile really slippery. I bought this one at Target.




And, I have a basket of towels ready by the back door.



Obviously, we've been swimming a lot since there's only one towel left! My husband put a doorbell on the bottom that chimes every time the door opens. We can hear it all the way upstairs, which is important with small kids. Excuse my dirty floors!

We still have a lot going on this week-irrigation, grass, acid washing the deck, finishing the beams on the back porch, and fixing fences. But, I'm okay with that because we can still swim! I can't wait to show you the fire pits on at night. My husband is out of town and I'm a little nervous to turn them on.

It was an amazing night when we filled the pool! The kids were just absolutely thrilled. We had friends and family over and everyone just had a blast. One neighbor said this would be a night we would always remember. I think he's right!

An All-Star Gameroom

I didn't really have a plan of how I was going to accessorize my boys' gameroom after we remodeled. It's hard to make a decision since my three boys range from age 5 to almost 11, so their interests are very different. But, the one thing they all love is sports. Not only do we love how the room turned out, but I get to actually do something with their millions of baseball hats and trophies. Here it is!







This is the view as you walk up the stairs.







The view toward the stairs and new desk area.




The details



I was so excited to find this coffee table for $20 at Ikea. It's small, but perfect for the kids. If they destroy it then it won't be the end of the world either. The tray is from World Market and I initially bought it as a serving tray to use outside. I realized it would be perfect in this room after we put the table in here. The kids can throw books and video game remotes in it, and it's crazy how everything looks organized just because it's in a tray. The baseball opens up and we're using it to collect the stray batteries. If you have boys that play video games you know exactly what I mean!




I found these bins at Walmart for $10! I can't believe how perfectly they fit in the Ikea Hemnes bookcase. The chalkboard labels are nice, too. They also have very cool galvanized bins that are the exact same size if you are looking for an alternative to straw baskets.



I am planning to buy the door inserts from Ikea for the four middle cubbies, but they were sold out when we went. It will hide even more of their stuff. It's crazy, but this is only a small fraction of their books. The metal signs above the tv are from Hobby Lobby and the star hooks were bought years ago at Pottery Barn Kids.



The Bullpen artwork above the sofa is new. I used Command picture hangers so I didn't have to put a hole in the brand new woodwork. The art is from Hobby Lobby along with the Clubhouse and Route 66 sign. The frames and "C' is from Pottery Barn Kids. The throw pillows are all from PB Teen.

I also added a few things to the study area. The kids haven't really used this area much, but I imagine once school starts they will do homework here. For now, we're just supporting the Texans.



I want to add a few more things to this area to make it more functional. I'm thinking hanging files on the wall will be a perfect place for weekly homework packets.



I bought the mini buckets and chalkboard labels in the Target dollar section. So cute! I almost put crayons in there and then came to my senses. I want my woodwork to stay white.

One last look...



There are a few minor details to work on, but it's pretty much done! Yay!