Hello, Summer! (And everyone else who's been looking for a new post since November!!)

It's been too long, so let's just ignore the fact that I've been "too busy" to update you on our house projects (and there have been quite a few since November) and dive right in to sweet, sweet summer time.   I've been asked about our gardens, and though I just missed photographing most of our beauties in bloom, here are the lovely green goodies gracing our yard this year via pictorial tour:

Let's start with our veggie garden.  Since we'll be tearing out the side patio where our veggie garden lived last year and replacing it with a circle driveway (woo!), I kindly begged my darling husband to construct some more permanent planter beds for me in the back yard.  Per usual, his handy work is esquisite and I have zero complaints.  Even the window boxes attached to the ends were his idea!  Ain't he a peach?  Sorry ladies, he's all mine.  And just a quick side tip for the mounting brackets for these window boxes: buy some ladder brackets instead of window box brackets and you'll save yourself about $10 a set!! 

We recycled some of the stepping stones from the old front walk way.

Pretty flowers overflowing from these cheap window boxes add some charm to our otherwise coffin-like planter boxes.

Our guinea pig plant for the year: corn!  We'll also be planting pumpkins this week.

Zucchini - the big guy I started from seed this spring!

Red bell pepper, green bell pepper, jalapeno, banana pepper, and sweet peppers.  Nom nom nom.

After our deluge of tomatoes from our plants last year, we opted to downsize to one heirloom tomato and one cherry tomato plant.

Spinach that we started from seed (and marigolds keepin' the insects at bay).

One of our few potted strawberry plants - they've been poopin' out delicious berries for the past few weeks.

Chocolate mint.  Oh so good.

Remember the garden we planted two years ago?  Almost everything (with the exception of a few of this winter's casualties) is still kickin'.

Please ignore the walkway that needs weeding.

Daisies for days.

Salvia

Hi, color.  I've missed you.

Impatiens and begonias in the window box.

Say "hello" to our MASSIVE HYDRANGEA BUSHES.

Just starting to get their groove on.

Yarrow (a personal fav).

Super soft lamb's ear.

Baby's breath.

I have no time, but I have plenty of thyme.  Seriously, plenty.

Potted begonias and my presh little hosta in an antique poopy pot.

And last but not least, here are the miscellaneous plants we're tending this year:

I planted some vinca and dusty miller for the (eventual) deck/patio.

Squirrel-guarded lantana.

Our pretty 'lil side porch basket.

This is a Love Lies Bleeding plant that I started from seed this spring (not an emo band).  I'll transplant him once he's bigger.

Monstrous hostas and my battle to keep our barely visible clematis alive (the hostas keep overtaking it).

Front porch baskets.

I adore this New Guinea Impatiens's vibrant purple.

The colors on these guys remind me of a watermelon.

The newcomer: a pistachio hydrangea!  It's just starting to bloom and I'm super excited - the blooms are multicolor.  I know.

Here's where the majority of our time is currently being spent...dogs and deck/patio:

The usual chaos.

Cute chaos.

Doesn't look like much yet, but the project is well underway.  In our free time we go swimming in that tiny pool.  Just kidding, that's Rooney's pool.

I'm sorry it's been a while since the last post!  I know there have been some diehard DIY squirrel fans who've been itching for some photos and updates.  Since most of you are in it for the pics anyway, the next few updates might be more photo heavy and less wordy...I'll be honest, it may be the only way I can keep up!  Keep your eyes peeled for posts updating you on the kitchen pantry (which exists now!!), a closet overhaul, a new fence, and the latest and greatest project: our deck/patio combo.  Try to contain yourselves.  Because I can't.