Back Yard Makeover Part 1: Fence and Clearing!

This is technically step 5, 6, or 7 of the backyard makeover if you count the other crazy clean-up work we've done this year. But it finally feels like we're making progress! Last week, we had the fence installed, and this past weekend, we spent a full day digging, mowing, moving, hacking, pick-axing, and laboring to make a "clean" space for grass and landscaping. It already looks SO much better! And while it may LOOK like Matt did all of the work, I was out there workin hard too! He just never felt the strong urge to run and grab the camera to take a picture of me in action.  I, on the other hand, went a little camera-happy on his shirtless self. :) 

Here's a before-view of the fence

Here's a look at the new fence and the before-view of the random stone/monkey-grass area in the middle of the yard.

Here's a before pic of the old fence on the side of the driveway

And here's the new fence! Without ANY ivy!!!

Mowing the monkey grass

Getting to work on the random stone-and-monkey-grass "island" :)

And happy doing it! Oww Oww! :)

Seriously?! Massive hunks of concrete and hidden bricks. Why?!

Clearing away the stone. . .

No more random stones and monkey grass!

This is where we're storing the stones for now until we reuse them on the next job. Notice St. Francis is still there too- he was one of the many treasures found on our first major yard day- how do you throw away a saint?!

Ta-da!! Now feels like a good time to remind you of JUST how bad this was about a year ago. . .

That's a lot of green. Jungle amounts of green.

Ahhh.  Ready for part 2. . . :)