Tornado Update: Assessing the Damage

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July and August have been a little crazy, to say the least. Here’s a little update to where we are in assessing the storm damage and moving forward with repairs.

Things might look bad, but really it’s nothing compared to the hurricane damage people in Texas are experiencing, so we’re counting our blessings. If you have the means to support them financially or give blood, just do a quick google search for the best organizations to provide relief.

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July Tornado ’17

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Mother nature can be twisted, indeed. This summer will definitely go down in the history books as the summer of twin tornados. It’s the talk of the town. They officially confirmed there were two F1’s that did some pretty destructive work. We suffered a tree through the roof, but fared a lot better than some. Luckily everyone was okay! Since we took a bunch of photos and videos for insurance purposes, we might as well share ’em.

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Front Porch Makeover

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While Joe was busy installing his in-ground sprinkler system, I took up a project of my own – the front porch area. I’m proud to say I did this project entirely myself in a couple days’ time. Granted, it was way easier than installing a whole irrigation system, but I still feel good about it.

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4th of July 2017

July 4th is right around the corner, and we’ve been very busy bees getting things in shipshape condition around here. It’s been a great excuse to get things done around the house! I am decidedly taking a low-key approach to this year’s gathering, but I thought I’d throw some last minute ideas your way in case you need a little extra inspiration.

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Plant Grant | Part 2

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Front Yard Landscaping Continued

My trees are all abloom! This is proving to be the perfect low-maintenance tree I’d hoped for back when we planted all three of them in August. These dainty white flowers are just poking their heads out. I’m so relieved they survived their first Minnesota winter, albeit a mild one. There’s a one year warranty in case they didn’t, but the fact that I didn’t need to use it gives this brown thumb a vote of confidence.

juneberry tree in bloom

But wait, there’s more. With the $500 free plant grant, we had some extra spending money left after buying our trees, so we went wild and got some flowers and plants too!

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Plant Grant | Part 1

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Front Yard Landscaping

Happy Arbor Day! Do you like free plants? Then this post is for you. Showing our habitat some love today with this front yard project. I wish I had some before pictures for you — I’ve looked high and low, but can’t find any — so you’ll just have to take my word when I tell you how badly our front yard was in need of some landscaping. This is a project we actually tackled in the fall, but the fruits of our labor are finally starting to show!

trees budding

 

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The Year of Outdoor Projects

hydrangeas house plants outdoors welcome matIn light of Earth Day, we have some outdoor updates to share. (Although Earth Day should definitely be everyday.) We are hitting spring in full force to tackle the outdoors that are in much need of some TCL. Here’s a list of outdoor projects that are top of mind:

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DIY Yoga Mat & Bag

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DIY Yoga Bag and Yoga Mat

Today’s post is a two-parter. It’s all about yoga and how to make both a custom bag and a custom mat.

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DIY Concrete Trash Station

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DIY Outdoor Trash Station

Do you have any problem spots in your home routine? Like the trash station outside? Nobody likes taking out the garbage, but here’s a hack that’s made this chore a little less dreadful around here.

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Patio Lighting Update

 

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Nautical Vintage Outdoor Lighting

Here’s my big flea market find from last weekend in Hayward, WI. I’m pretty pleased with these beauts! This past weekend Joe, my parents and I were visiting my Grandparents’ cabin and we took a trip to a giant Monday-only flea market. I instantly fell in love with these glass orbs and thought of a few uses for them:

  • DIY pendant lights
  • Candle holders with rope handles
  • Luminaries
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