Do NOT attempt this at home.....

Of course, that covers most everything I do, LOL!  Sometimes, I really should leave things to the professionals.  Last year, or maybe the year before, a little neighbor girl hit our mailbox planter with her car.  It wasn't that big a deal, she was terrified, her dad looked like he was ready to throttle her and claiming it on her insurance would have made her premiums sky rocket.  Actually,  my husband is just a really nice guy so he thanked her for owning up to it and we said we would take care of it.  So I look at it every time I go get the mail and I keep thinking, "Gee, it can't be that hard to fix."  Ha!  Well, I went to Home Depot and bought a bag of mortar, a trowel, and decided to tackle it myself.  I very quickly learned that, yes, it actually is that hard.  After lots of cursing, lots of mortar (most of it inside the planter and on the ground)  and banging the heck out of the brick with a rubber mallet, I called it done.

It holds dirt.  I'm considering planting ivy around it.  To be honest, it was probably worth doing just for the enormous entertainment value my husband got out of it.  He's still laughing.  And yes, the mailbox is still sitting cattywampas. (yes, it is a real word)  No, I am not going to be fixing that.

Luckily, not everything turns out quite so, um, unique.  All of my plastic pots and planters faded last summer. Tennessee summers are HOT. 

  

 All of the spray paint is now labeled with "Works on Plastic".  So, I figured, why not?  Beats replacing them if it works.  It worked!

After using Behr's Deck Over on the deck last year, I decided I wanted to use it on the concrete front porch, steps and foundation.  OMG it looks amazing!  

before

before

After

After

And notice those bright blue flower boxes?  This is what they looked like before I painted them.

HUGE Difference

I found this cute little plant holder at a yard sale last year. I found plain clay pots that would fit and I spray painted those too!

Since everything else is getting a fresh coat of paint, I didn't want my little concrete buddies to feel left out.  I don't know what they're looking at.  Baby St. Francis is obviously pouting off in the corner.  Sheesh. 

I'm not finished with the foundation.  It is a total pain in the butt to paint.  The texture on the stucco is so heavy that I can't really paint it, I overload the brush with paint and sort of smush it on.  And yes, it takes forever.  But I'm out of paint and last year there was a huge rebate around Memorial Day so I'm keeping my fingers crossed they will do that again this year. Anyway, I still have to stucco the concrete block planters before I paint them.  No, I've never stuccoed anything.  Shush.  I'm sure it can't be that difficult........

My fabulously talented husband finished my sofa table and I've started to paint it.  I still have to finish the top. (it's upside down so you have to use your imagination)

Obviously I've been spending the majority of my days outside.  The rest of my time seems to be spent going to high school meetings ( my son will be a freshman next year), science and technology fair (my son and his team won the gold medal award)  and Senior Showcase and Banquet at my daughter's college ( she's a senior. WOOT!)  My son is in the National Junior Honor Society and they are going to Disney World in Orlando next week.   I'm going as a chaperone. Tough job, I know, but that's just the kind of mom I am.  We had a spaghetti dinner fundraiser a couple of weeks ago and I made cookies.  MICKEY MOUSE!  I think they turned out ok.  The kids really liked them.

Darling daughter is moving back from college this weekend.  Son still has 2 1/2 weeks left. (minus the little jaunt down to Orlando. Hee!  I'm so excited)  Band recitals, awards night, Honor Society induction, etc., etc., etc. and just for fun, there are two weddings we will be squeezing in there.  

I may be frazzled, crazy busy, or just crazy, but I am never, ever bored. 

As always, thanks for stopping by!  

Sandie