Stuck in my craw

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Do you ever get something stuck in your craw?

I mean something that just won't go away? An idea that won't leave?

Thus the story of my firepit. You see there was a wee little fire pit when we moved into our home.

And I loved it. Really. I did.

But I wanted more. I wanted bigger and better. Now what's wrong with that?

My husband agreed with me after all. Who can ask for more.

Garage sale pot for .25 cents.

And bless him. He agreed with me so much that he and the boys started tearing up sod and sculpting out a great size firepit. I was so excited! I was.

Except that in less than four weeks I was hosting my first ever graduation open house!

Tin planter for .25 cents.

Busted brick in background? Priceless!

Now, some people say that timing is everything. I'm here to tell you.

So when they asked me to come and see what they had done. I kept calm. I didn't freak out. I didn't yell. I smiled and told them how sweet it was to do this for me. A gift for Mother's Day after all!

And three weeks later, one week before the open house, when the dirt was piled in mounds and the brick pavers were not put in and sod was everywhere. I did not panic.

Yup, you got it. I did just what the rock in my new firepit says..."pray continually".

Linking up this week to:

Trash 2 Treasure Tuesday at Kammy's Korner
Tuesdays Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia 
Show Off Your Stuff at FIreflies and Jelly Beans
 Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Someday Crafts    

A Quicker and Easier Way to Stepping Stones

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This post came up in my memories feed from 2013 and as I was cleaning my yard up for Spring, I realized just how great these stepping stones still look six years later! So, yes I can still say:

"However, my best project yet? Stepping stones. Now you might be wondering why this is such a big deal? I have wanted to put a stepping stone pathway from the gate to the backyard and back towards the patio/pool area for eight years. Eight looooong years. You wouldn't think this would be such hard thing to do now would you? But it was either the money (means about 15-20 stones which can get quite pricey), needing a truck or trailer to haul them, needing help to lift the suckers, or just life that got in the way."



Recently I read some articles about quick and easy stepping stones and it got me thinking that I could make that project quicker and easier by cutting a few corners. You won't believe how easy this was!

1. Buy a bag of Quikrete or regular concrete (each bag makes about 3-4 stones)


2. Dig the sod out, sculpting the size and shape that you would like the stone to be. Depth is about 2".

3. Pat down and shape the dirt then stomp on it a little to pack it down tighter.

4. Mix the concrete to a thick milk shake like consistency and pour into the hole, smooth top with a trowel or hand shovel and let dry. Read more about mixing Quikrete.

Add enough water to make it a milk shake like consistency.
Remember, if it is too thin, let it set for a bit to thicken.
Too thick? Simply add more water.

So simple and so happy with how they turned out! If you wanted to get more creative you could add mosiac tiles or paint glitter or tint the concrete. The sky is the limit really!

Stepping my way to the backyard of my dreams!