skip to main |
skip to sidebar
You guys, I feel like it’s never going to cool down in Phoenix. Early last week the forecast was showing mid to low 80s for this week, but now the forecast is back up to the mid-90s. I’m ready for some actual fall weather! Anyway, looking ahead a couple weeks to when it’ll no longer feel like living on the sun (hopefully), it’s time to start planning some outdoor projects. I’m seriously so excited to finally have a chance to work on our yard. I’ve been looking at pictures of everyone’s outdoor projects and beautiful yards for the past few months while mine was wilting away in the heat. That’s the funny thing about living in the desert – it feels like our seasons are totally opposite. The fall to-do lists I’ve been seeing on other blogs are all indoor projects, so it feels weird to be sharing projects like starting a garden, but such is life in Phoenix.
By now you know that I don’t accomplish anything without a to-do list or having someone hold me accountable, so hence the reason for today’s post. I’ve put together a list of eight outdoor projects I want to get done before Christmas and I think it’s totally doable. I know Adam will be on board with this list, so together we should have no problem finishing before the holidays. Oh, and I should warn you that these pictures aren’t pretty. I’m not kidding when I say our yard has gotten out of control over the summer. Adam and I (mostly Adam) wacked all of the weeds a couple times, but it’s just too damn hot to be out there doing yard work after like 7 a.m.
Ok, let’s get into it. The first project on my list is priming/painting the new patio cover. We had the entire thing replaced a couple months ago, but we’ve been waiting for it to cool down before painting it. It’s still just raw wood, so we really need to get this done ASAP. The paint on the rest of the house is old and faded, so I’m not really sure what we are going to do about the paint, but we can definitely prime it in the meantime.
A couple years ago I bought a bunch of bags of mulch for around our trees, but I never actually did it, so that’s the next project on my list. Right now we have the landscaping rocks around all of the trees, but I think replacing the rocks with mulch will really help with how much we have to water. I think it’ll look better too.
We started a vegetable garden in the spring and had a couple successful tomato harvests, but then it got too hot and everything started dying. And then the weeds took over. So, we need to clear everything out and replant for the fall.
Speaking of gardening, I also want to start an herb garden. I bought this raised planter (it’s only $28!) at the end of May and it’s still in the box. So my goal is to put it together and start growing some herbs, especially basil.
The next project on my list is cleaning the barbeque. We use it quite a bit all year long and it could definitely use a good cleaning. I want to take apart the big pieces and scrape off the burnt stuff and just give it a really good cleaning.
The last project in the backyard is probably going to be the biggest and worst. The weeds have completely taken over the pool area and we need to get that under control. When we had the backyard landscaped a couple years ago they didn’t do a very good job with the weed plastic in that area, so the weeds came back pretty quickly. We’re planning on pulling out the rocks and redoing the plastic. I’m not looking forward to this one at all.
I also want to do a little front porch refresh while the weather is nice. The plants on the front porch died months ago, so it’s been looking shabby for a while. At least the wreath I made during our first ever craft night still looks cute!
The last project on my list is technically indoors, but the garage doesn’t have A/C, so it’s basically like being outdoors (maybe even worse because there’s no air moving). We started our garage makeover during the spring One Room Challenge, but didn’t finish in time because of shipping errors. We did manage to epoxy the floors before the worst part of summer (but it was still ridiculously hot in there), but that’s as far as we got. We moved some stuff back in over the past few months, but there’s still a shelf full of stuff on the patio and my craft room is so full it’s unusable. So my goal is to get everything organized and moved back into the garage. Oh, and we still have to hang one more light.
So that’s my fall to-do list. I’ve been thinking about these projects for months and I’m excited to finally have a chance to get started on them. I’ll post updates as we cross items off the list.
Do you have any projects on your fall to-do list?
One –Rod Works Blogger Night
On Tuesday night I went to a blogger event at the Rod Works in Gilbert and I was completely overwhelmed by the store. They seriously have the cutest stuff and the prices are so, so reasonable! I circled the store like ten times and I swear I saw new things each time. It took me forever to decide what to buy, but I’m so happy with what I came home with. I’ll have to post an update once I have everything styled.
If you live in the Phoenix area, there’s a store in Gilbert and in North Phoenix. There are also stores in Utah, Las Vegas, and California, plus they are opening one in Colorado soon, so if you live in any of those places, you should definitely check them out!
Two –Ozark
Have any of you seen the new-ish Netflix show Ozark? It’s about a financial advisor (Jason Bateman) who moves his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks to launder money for a drug cartel. We finished the season last night. It’s definitely interesting, but some of it is a little far-fetched and completely crazy. BUT, I can’t stop watching…
Three –Clothing on Amazon
The past couple of weeks I’ve been on a clothing buying kick on Amazon. The top three shirts I’ve already received and I’m waiting on the bottom three items. Unfortunately, the three items I’ve received are all being returned. The first shirt is not nearly as cute in person, the second shirt was made out of a weird shiny material, and the third shirt was so cute and fit perfect, but the stripes were sewn slightly crooked and it would have driven me crazy.
The shoes and jacket are coming today, so fingers crossed. I’m a little nervous about the jacket being too small, but it’s cute, a great price, and free returns, so it was worth a try. The shoes are roxy brand and they are my favorite brand of casual flats. I have three other pairs of roxy casual slip-ons, so I’m hoping these are just as comfy. I’m obsessed with the polka dot and plaid shirt, so I really hope it’s as cute in person as in pictures…I can’t wait for it to arrive!
*This post contains affiliate links.
Four –Wind River
Adam and I don’t go to the movies very often, but we recently saw Wind River and we both really enjoyed it. It’s a thriller about a wildlife officer/tracker (Jeremy Renner) who finds the body of a local girl in the snow on the Wind River Indian Reservation. He teams up with a FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) to investigate the death. The movie was really well done and I still catch myself thinking about how it portrayed the will to survive. If it’s playing in a theatre near you, I highly recommend seeing it.
Five – Open House
We went to an open house last weekend and I’m completely obsessed with the master bathroom. It’s pretty much my dream bathroom. Unfortunately, Adam didn’t like the house as much as I did. It was obviously a flip, so he’s nervous about the quality of the work…and I kind of agree. It’s also overpriced for the neighborhood, so I don’t think I’ll be soaking in that tub anytime soon.
Do you have anything fun planned for the weekend? My mom is coming tomorrow and on Sunday we leave for our two week Scotland and Ireland adventure! I'm so excited, but I'm going to miss Adam and the doggies!
Linking Up With:
Back in June I mentioned that I bought an annual subscription to FabFitFun as part of my yearly #treatyoself goal. Over the weekend I received my fall box, so I thought I’d share this season’s items with you. Because I signed up for a year, I’m considered a select member so I’m able to choose between colors/styles on a few of the items. The rest of the items aren’t shared ahead of time (although you can find a few spoilers if you look hard enough), so it’s fun to have some choice, but also have a few surprises.
The highest value item ($98) in this season’s box is the cozy wrap from Mer-Sea. The scarf is available in three colors - gray, teal, and blush. Select members were able to pick their color and of course I picked teal. I originally planned to wear it as a scarf, but in person it seems way too big. It might be nice as a wrap on a plane or as a runner across a bed. That’s probably how I’ll end up using mine.
The next item is a denim gym bag from Private Party ($59 value). There were three different phrases offered and I picked Gym & Juice. If you don’t get the Snoop Dogg reference, please enjoy this 90s rap classic.
The box also included a Trestique Lip Crayon ($28 value). It was available in two colors and I picked the lighter Florence Fig shade. I don’t wear a lot of lip stick, but I really like this product. It doesn’t dry out my lips and it looks great with my skin tone. It gives me a bold lip without being too in your face.
For the next item all subscribers were able to choose between a belt or a beanie, but were unable to select a specific color. The belt options were brown or tan and the beanie was black or blush. I already have plenty of beanies (and live in Phoenix so they rarely get used), so I picked the B-Low the Belt Mia Belt ($55 value). I was hoping for the tan, so I was happy to see this one in my box.
Everyone was also able to pick between an apple cider vinegar hair rinse or teeth whitening powder/toothbrush. I had a hard time deciding, but went with the Molr Teeth Whitening Powder and Toothbrush ($44 value). However, I haven’t tried brushing my teeth with this yet because I’m still doing some research about how it affects the enamel on your teeth. I think this might be best used once a week vs. twice a day as the instructions say.
Now we’re onto the surprise items! The first surprise item was a myTagalongs Hot/Cold Pack ($15 value). Well, this one wasn’t a total surprise because they posted a spoiler on Instagram, but the color and phrase were a surprise. I love that you can microwave it or put it in the freezer depending on your needs. This is definitely going to come in handy!
The next two items were both surprises…and definitely good ones! I love that both products are ingredient conscious and cruelty free! The Whish Renewing Mud Mask ($48 value) is made by a local AZ company and smells amazing! I’ve only tried this once, so it’s hard to give a complete review, but my skin felt so soft afterwards. I haven’t tried the Deco Miami Lavender Cuticle Oil ($12.50 value) yet, but I definitely need to! My poor cuticles look so bad right now!
Last, but not least this Coxet Wire Heart Ceramic Jewelry Holder from IMM Living ($33 value) was also in the box. It's cute, but I don't need another jewelry holder, so this might end up being a Christmas gift for someone.
I should also note that everyone also received a 10-count sample of Cottonelle cleansing cloths. These don’t count towards the official value of the box and are just an extra product for everyone to try.
Overall, I like this box more than the summer box. Like I said last time, I wouldn’t have picked most of these products on my own, but that’s the whole point of the box. My favorite items are the hot/cold pack and the Whish mud mask (and I have high hopes for the cuticle oil). My variation of the fall box included $393 worth of products for only $45 ($180 annual subscription/4 seasonal boxes). I would never pay full price for most of these items, but the box is definitely worth $45 (or $50 if you’re a single box subscriber).
If you want to try FabFitFun, you can use this link to save $10 off your first box. If you don’t want to commit to a full year, you can sign up for just one box using the code and get everything above for $40 and then cancel.
Do you subscribe to FabFitFun or some other subscription box? We used to get Bark Box for the dogs, but now that we have three dogs one subscription doesn’t come with enough toys for each dog and I don’t want to pay extra for a toy add-on or a second box.
