My recent lack of blogging is by no means an indication of the lack of productivity around here.  In fact I will inundate you today with projects, inspirations, and a recipe to boot!

Operation Backyard Renovation began this weekend.  So far, it has been mapped out into at least 6 phases.  1 1/2 phases were completed this weekend!

On Sunday, after a little inspiration from some left over edging stones and an empty swing frame (thank you previous home owner!), we mapped out a pathway in the back half of the yard that has gotten minimal use (until now...).  

Once the path was completely lined, we added pea gravel to fill the walkway.  What a difference it makes already!

In case you haven't figured out what Phase 2 is yet, it's a swing!  I've been begging Dan for one since about the time we were house hunting and saw this swing frame in what would become our backyard.  Patience is a virtue as they say, so I waited patiently until we had just the right idea on how we wanted to make it happen.

After the success of our Pallet Plate Rack, I've been on a bit of a pallet kick.  The options just seem endless- there's even a website called 101pallets.com .  Talk about inspiration!  With a little help from 101pallets and my new friend Ana White, our vision could become a reality.  Dan brought another pallet home from the warehouse at work and we were ready to build.

A little sawing, a little sanding, and a little drilling.  All of a sudden our pallet really had transformed into the beginnings of a swing!  With a few leftover scraps from the plate rack pallet, we added supports and attached the seat to the back.

Gotta check for stability-- Abbey approves!

Slanted arms were screwed in and sanded down.  It's looking pretty good now if I do say so myself.  And so far, this swing has not cost us a penny!

We did manage to get to Lowe's for hardware, chain, and paint before the sun went down on our busy weekend and halted the completion of Phase 2.  But!  Painting should be pretty quick and weather permitting, we may even be able to fit a few coats in this week.  That just leaves screwing in some hardware (I make it sound so easy) and then up she will go!  Can't wait to find some fabric for throw pillows;)

Up next, a sneak peak at the inspiration for our kitchen island that is also officially in the works.  

A five dollar rectangular piece of granite that we picked up over a year ago at a garage sale has been collecting dust for far too long.  Soon, it will be the top to our kitchen island that has been inspired by This Old House.  Very exciting!

And last but not least-  check out this Apple Crumble recipe we indulged in last week.  Super simple and oh so yummy!  Reminiscent of an apple pie, this was the perfect sweet treat to accompany the fall-like weather we've had lately.  I put in less than half the sugar it called for, too.  I find the fruit is always sweet enough just as it is.  

  

  

Pinterest.  I'm still trying to figure how it really works.  I always thought I was a visual learner until I logged onto Pinterest for the first time and had never felt more confused or overwhelmed.  What were all of those pictures "pinned" everywhere and why in the world did I want to try and sort through them all trying to glean inspiration on recipes, outfits, furniture design, and party planning??  But like the good Generation Y- internet junkie that I am, I signed up for an account and attempted to navigate my way through the pinboards...

So far, I've found minimal success from my ventures to Pinterest.  Until today!  Although my inspiration didn't come directly from Pinterest I will give credit where credit is due.  I was on Facebook (duh!) when I saw a link that a friend had "liked" about attending a "Pinterest Party" where they would be crafting a "Book Page Wreath."  The attendants were also asked to bring their favorite Pinterest recipe to share with the others.  Hmmm.  Ok, kind of a cute idea (I guess)...  Like a modern spin on a tupperware party if you will.  But what I really wanted to know was what is this Book Page Wreath all about?!  I suppose I should have logged onto Pinterest to check it out.  But I'm a pretty big believer in Google.  So google it I did.

Ahh, a book page wreath-  thank you google images!

The next thought I had-  I CAN DO THAT!  But I don't have any books I'm willing to part with on hand.  Oh but I do have a stash of Midtown Raleigh News papers!  And how am I going to secure it to a base of some sort?  The cardboard backing of an old spiral notebook in the bottom of my craft drawer-  why not?  I cut my newspaper pages into squares, rolled the squares into cones (securing them with hot glue), hot glued them to the cardboard (that I cut a circle out of), and added a ribbon to the back for hanging (with nothing else than more hot glue!).

Pretty cool- not only did I create a unique piece of upcycled art, it also didn't cost me a dime!!

    

I learned a valuable lesson recently.  ALWAYS take your cell phone with you on a walk.  If I'd known the importance of having a camera at your fingertips every second of the day then you'd believe me when I say Abbey, Dan, and I met and held Annie-  one of our neighbors chickens...

We were on a walk one evening after dinner and passed by a neighbor's house who has been the topic of many a conversation upon our arrival to the neighborhood.  His front (and back) yard are less than traditional; covered with mulch (NO grass) and exotic plants, a fountain, bird, owl and bee houses galore, and a garden/greenhouse area.  The picture that I was able to snap quickly the other day by no means does it justice-

On our way back home from said walk we finally met the owner of the crazy yard-  Laslow (of course)!  He is a super friendly + funny guy who immediately took us on a tour of the grounds.  The mulch is less maintenance and keeps his soil nice and moist for the array of plants he is growing-  See how well my pear tree is doing (he informed us)!  He also pointed out his watermelons, let us sample some blackberries (yum!) growing wildly in his side yard, told us to pet his chickens who lay eggs in the hen house he has out back (Abbey was less than sure about Annie and the other fowl),  and sent us home with tomatoes pulled straight from his vines.  He really is running a one-man show over there!

His tomatoes made a delish bruschetta!

As if the tomatoes weren't souvenir enough, Laslow also insisted we return for Elephant Ear plants that he claims he can't get rid of- "they just keep popping up all over my yard."  Being the friendly neighbor I am, I returned to gather the Elephant Ears as promised.

Thinking I'd walk away with one pot in each hand, he was adamant that I come with my car to take all six plants.  We've just gotten them into the ground and are hoping they do well!

Call it inspiration if you want, but we decided to try our hand at some real gardening ourselves.  We've experienced success with potted herbs and peppers so why not get some seeds into the ground??  Our cucumbers were planted about two weeks ago (still trying to figure out where to grow this lavender before it gets too late).  How exciting to begin seeing some sprouts! 

And what garden would be complete without a whimsical sign?  I painted this slat from the leftover pallet.  Then Dan sawed the end into a spike and hammered her into the ground!

Lastly, for your viewing pleasure I leave you with a big "cheese" from our Abbey Girl-  enjoy!

  

  

   

When I arrived home Friday after work, a package was waiting on the front stoop.  Dan had given me specific instructions to ignore anything that may be sitting by the door, so believe it or not, I did as I was told.  Although... I was dying to know what was inside.  As if barstools weren't enough, when Dan got home I was able to open another Birthday surprise.  This time I unwrapped a handmade, custom leather camera bag.

Gone are the days of lugging around my dorky old black, stock camera bag.  Thanks to my new friends at Porteen Gear, I am now the owner of a fashionable + professional camera bag.  How exciting!!  

Now we HAD to get to Duke Gardens on Saturday so I could sport my new camera bag and catch a glimpse at one of the top ten public gardens in the US.  Luckily the weather was in our favor- off we went, Abbey in hand, early Saturday morning.  The gardens cover around 55 acres so you won't be surprised to hear that the hour and a half we were there didn't give us a full tour (we will be back, of course!).  Our time was spent walking the Asiatic Gardens and the Rose Garden.  What a fun time!  Since I can't remember the names of basically anything we saw, I will let the pictures speak for themselves...

Don't even think about throwing your own bread into this pond-  it affects water flow!  Just buy some duck food at the Terrace Shop.

Check out those butterflies!

I also met someone this weekend who has changed my life.  Meet Ana White.  I'd heard about her from a friend who had recently convinced her husband to build a sideboard with the help of the "Free and Easy DIY Furniture Plans to Save You Money" touted by Ana White's website.  When I came across another person who had used AW to construct a fabulous dining room table, I navigated my way to her site and felt the inspiration bubbling inside of me.  I let my mind (and my mouse) wander for a while at the plethora of ideas and designs that we could now easily bring to fruition thanks to this life changing website (please click the link to understand exactly what Ana White has done for the DIYer-  blueprinted projects laid out down to the precise cut and measurement of each piece of wood, size and number of specific nuts and bolts, etc).  Then, I reigned myself in and thought realistically about how we could utilize this resource in the here and now...plate rack!  We have been displaying our china in an absolutely fantastic piece passed down from generations in my family.  Problem is, it's not a true "china cabinet" so it does not safely hold all of the dishes we want to proudly display.  I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how we can show off the left over pieces that did not make it into the cabinet and thanks to Ana White, we have a stunning solution.  I stumbled upon this gem and knew it would be a piece of cake for my Handy Dan.  

Here you have it-  our pallet to plate rack in under an hour!

What do you think?

We are closing in on two months of residency in Raleigh, can you believe it?!

Which means I have more restaurant insight for you.  Notable eateries include:

1.  Beasley's Chicken and Honey -  Holy cow this was good!!  Don't believe me?  Just ask Southern Living.  I had the chicken biscuit drizzled with sticky sweet honey + a side of pimento cheese macaroni and cheese.  Ahhmazing (and got me thinking I can totally create my own version of this mac & cheese)!

2.  Lilly's Pizza -  Organic, no frills (don't forget to grab some paper plates up front after you order) pizzeria aptly situated in the hipster part of town- Historic 5 Points.  We ordered the Cowtipper covered in feta, ground beef, and black olives- yum!  Definitely going back to try more interesting combos like pesto, roasted red peppers, and pistachios.

3.  Centro -  Intimate space serving authentic Mexican dishes- makes you forget you're in downtown Raleigh.  Loved the vibe and the friendly staff.  The Enchiladas de la Familia were tasty and filling.  I even liked the cilantro rice when I mixed it with my refried black beans.   We will be back!

I can now also tell you from experience just how cool the Red Hat Amphitheater is.  This is where we saw O.A.R on Sunday.  The whole event was enjoyable (until it started pouring down rain) starting with easy parking, no line to have your ticket scanned, and clean bathrooms again with no line (unheard of at concerts as far as I'm concerned).  The first hour we lucked out with mild weather while the sun set.  Check out the view from our seats-

Then, the thunder rolled in and the rain started.  We toughed it out for a while until Dan (who didn't bring his rain coat like me) was soaked through.  And it wasn't letting up.  So, we discovered another cool thing about this place.  From the right level in the paring deck, you can see and hear the show (closer than I've been at some concerts in Atlanta).  We enjoyed more music while we sat and dried off on the tailgate of the truck just out of the rain's reach.  

The purple lights are the stage.  Not bad, huh?

Our shed is back in working order and (almost) good as new.  After it took a big hit from the storms that came through (remember this eye sore?), we opted to look into replacement parts instead of making a claim on insurance.  And good thing!  Turns out this baby is under a ten year warranty so they sent us a door, gable, and roof panel all free of charge.  Thanks US Leisure!

Apparently the new roof panels now come in black...better than a gaping hole I guess!

Our deck also has a new look-  we finally got the lattice put up that we bought the first week we moved in.  As you can see, Mickey is wishing he could still hide out underneath.  I hope Abbey, on the other hand, is thankful her toys will no longer get lodged under the stairs and in cobwebbed corners.  

Lastly, to kick off the last year of my twenties (I CANNOT believe I just said that!!), Dan surprised me earlier in the week with bar stools I have been anxiously waiting for since we set foot in our kitchen the very first time.  After vacillating for weeks at a time on aesthetic + comfort + function, we'd decided on these vintage iron tractor seat stools from Plow and Hearth.  Little did I know we would get to welcome them home this week!

And for myself...a mix your own batch of cookies from Whole Foods that I picked up today on my way out the door.  Hey, you only turn 29 once and I even got an employee discount!  Can't wait for dessert!

Cross your fingers the weather holds out through the weekend-  I am dying to hitch up Abbey and get to the Duke Gardens with my camera in tow.  Hope to share pics with you soon!

  

How we've been staying busy lately:

- Visit to Durham.   No more than 20 minutes from Raleigh, we did a quick drive by of the Duke campus (pretty! looking forward to checking out the Duke Gardens on our next visit), walked around and dined in the Historic Tobacco District (super cool and yummy-  fried green tomato BLT, mmmm).

- Raleigh Flea Market.  Perused the tent filled parking lots and the indoor booths.  Exercised restraint when it came to looking through knickknacks (no more colored glass bottles and jars here!) and found a few dealers worth revisiting from time to time.

- Appeasing Abbey.  All this rain has not made it easy on our backyard obsessed K9.  Easing the pain of not being able to snatch the frisbee and leap for the ball by turning every night into a free for all toy fest.  

12 toys here alone!

Even when it's not raining, the backyard has not seen as much doggy action.  Thanks to the second rainiest June in NC history the backyard has gone...

And mud does not go well with Abbey's white paws and our clean house.

When the rain takes a break and the steam comes out, walking it is- burning as much Border Collie energy as we can.

- Work.  Going well.  I now know where the seaweed is!  And the gluten free pasta (directed a lady straight to it today)!  Now if I can just help my interns straighten the jams and jellies without dropping a jar of blackberry preserves...whoops!

- Making it official.  2 hours at the DMV and a passing score on the written driver's exam (yes, we had to take a written exam!) gave us our temporary driver's licenses on Saturday morning.  Permanent ones set to arrive later this week.

We did it!  Insulator lights are up and shining in the kitchen after just an hours worth of electrical work this morning.  With the help of Girl in Air, we got just what we needed at Home Depot this morning to get our inspired light fixture up and running in no time.  The insulators were purchased a few months ago at 8 dollars a piece.  The new sockets and bulbs we bought today were 17 bucks.  Add in the drill bit and it brings our grand total to just over 60 dollars.  Wow!  Don't forget how much these puppies retail for...$$$.  Dan never ceases to amaze me with how handy he is-  The island we are working up will look ab-fab right underneath.  Cant wait!!