Clear the Path

When we moved in, the back porch was a little overgrown, but the path out to the yard looked like this (after it had been cleared).

It wasn't too bad, but it was a little narrow and felt secluded from the rest of the yard. We decided to get our hands dirty and use some of the wood that we salvaged from the flower beds (which we are in the process of taking out) and make the path a little wider and more welcoming.

First, we cleared as much plant life and wood chips from the path as we could. We transplanted anything we thought was cool or pretty to other parts of the flowerbed, and are going to compost  everything else.

As you can see, Sam wasn't much help in the process. I suppose she protected the 6ft boards that we cut for the path?

Scott then put down leveling sand in the path. It took about 10 bags for a 6ft by 13ft area.

The boards were placed on top and snugged into the ground to set them. David then swept more sand between the boards to help hold them in place.

When it was all said and done, the path looked awesome! To make it even better, while the boys were working on the path itself, Beth and I were spray painting our old plastic table with some plastic-safe spray paint to brighten up the porch.

So when we put it all together, it really felt like an outdoor entertaining space. (The green lanterns that are lining the path are actually the lanterns we used as center pieces for our wedding!)

As a bonus, Scott was able to use the old pavers from the path as a nice base for his grill. It went from this.

To this.

I even found some of my old planters I had gotten at Target two years ago and added even more color.

We really enjoy sitting outside now! The pups seem to like it, too, which makes us happy. Nothing like enjoying what's left of Summer!