the front yard

Sometimes it's good to look back and see how far one has come. This blog is good for that. The yard has been my biggest challenge. I have never been a gardener. Never lived in a place that had a yard like this. It's been overwhelming at times, but we keep plugging away at it a little here and there.

The grass is starting to fill in. We have been lucky with the weather and haven't had to water so much. We put down a seed from Swanson's Nursery called Play & Fun. It's good for high traffic and play areas. It does well in moderate shade to full sun and is drought resistant. It's a blend of 40& Elf Perennial Ryegrass, 20% Creeping Red Fescue, 15% Azcella Annual Ryegrass, 15% Longfellow Chewings Fescue, 10% Solera Tall Fescue.

I've been noticing some white spots on my pansies. Does anyone know what causes these? ahhh...My mom emailed me that it could be wind...which makes sense because they are more exposed up here.

garden inspiration

Last autumn I went on a house tour that took me to this amazing garden. It was a landscape architect's own home and it was just spectacular. I loved the mix of textures and colors. Some views like the one above, are as if they were painted with just the right pop of color.





Even this dead Allium looks more like sculpture.

pots + plants

I've been thinking of planting a couple of pots on our back deck or patio and this is an inspiration outside of work at the wine shop in Langley. The mix of textures, heights and colors is wonderful.

porches + plants

My tulips I planted in the boxes are popping up now. They are very fragrant when they are open. On a still day you can smell them when you walk on the porch. I never thought of tulips with a strong fragrance.

I had bought the rain chain over the internet at Overstock.com. There is also a website devoted to them that I looked at... http://www.rainchains.com/ There is a catchbasin under the rocks that links to the deep drywells in the front yard. We seem to be alternating between beautiful sunny days and days of soaking. Hopefully our newly seeded lawn is not drowning.


The concrete guy did a good job finishing the stoop. I had chosen these tile leaves at Seattle tile and we have fish in the back stoop.

The Nandina "Moyer's Red" seems to be doing okay. I was concerned because there are a lot of leaves on the ground around it. It seemed to be in shock for the first couple of weeks, but I think it's settling in now. The color is beautiful.

Neil put in a bench outside the back door. I have eaten lunch out here a few times with my back against the post. It's always in the sun.

bathroom details

Neil has recently added a few built-ins in the main bathroom. He custom built the medicine cabinet with an outlet inside. We have this in our other home and it's very convenient.


Neil also just put in this shelf next to the toilet. All the toilets in the house are Toto Aquia dual flush. One flush is .9 gallons per flush and the other is 1.6. This allows for water conservation and lower utility costs. All the toilet seats are these "soft close" seats. You just push them shut and they slowly and softly close on their own...this helps keep peace in the home. :)

front walk

editing

When I was in the process of selling my apartment 2 years ago, to ready it for showing, I had to remove the excess stuff. I took away 20 some boxes of books, half my clothes and other miscellaneous "clutter". Counters were free of pottery and I could see more floor space than I ever had before. I still had my bookshelves filled, but gone were the piles between them and on all the improvised book stands in the corners and next to the seating. At this time the cats also moved over to Neil's. When I think of that home now, I still hear Neil's voice the first time he saw this edited version of my beloved apartment. "Why couldn't it have always been like this?" To me it always felt cozy and warm. To him a bit claustrophobic. I loved my clutter...it was my clutter...organized clutter as I always defend. But I too secretly loved this version. Since we are selling the new house, we have not move everything in. We are staying there, but the cats, the clothes, the TV and most of my "clutter" is still at the other house. What I did bring over is my favorite things, and my furniture. What I'm grappling with these days, is do I really need all that other stuff? Or more realistically what can I get rid of and not feel a loss when I do. I have books in boxes that have not seen the light of day for probably 10 years...but panic overwhelms me when I think of parting with them. That's when I realize I just need to edit. I'm good about editing my clothes and packing them off to Goodwill each season...I just need to do that with all my possessions. (Actually Neil would say I could do better..."Why do you need 20 sweaters?") I have read plenty of articles and "books" on decluttering, but the ones I find the most inspiring are the interior design books. The best ones talk about how to organize your stuff in a way that is beautiful and practical.

One of my favorites that I reread this winter was Living in Style Without Losing Your Mind, by Marco Pasanella.



He talks of the basics of interiors like light, color and arranging furniture, but he also talks about expressing your individuality and how to do that. How best to work with and show off your collections and to be creative with small spaces. I love this coffee table that swivels up to become a dining table.

Another favorite is Rose Tarlow's The Private House. Mostly I enjoy her mix of textures and natural style.

Off topic, but someday I'll have a garden space like this...

This was in the book Meditations on Design, Reinventing your home with Style and Simplicity by John Wheatman. A book I just read, that I borrowed from the office. One of my favorite chapters of his was "Display the things you love."