Our backyard in progress...

So this is our backyard.  This is what we had to look at every time we went outside.  Our backyard isn't in the best shape.  The people who owned our house before us tried to "flip" it.  They did a great job inside, but they took every short cut imaginable outside.  Our grass is all weeds, our trees have all died because they weren't planted right, we have big random patches of mulch, and we have to look at our neighbors crap every day.

Our back neighbors confessed to us that they are craigslist junkies.  Not the kind who find good deals on stuff...they are the kind that find free crap and put it in their backyard.  They have a home made shed, a free hot tub, an above ground pool, a free deck for the above ground pool, a trampoline, and lots lots more.  And it just keeps piling up!

This year we decided to finally build a fence in the back of our yard so can get a little privacy and so that we don't have to look at the neighbors white trash back yard anymore!  Actually, our neighbor, John, confessed that he once saw me in my underwear letting the dog out one day.  Ahhhh!!!!!!

So here are some pics of the process of building our new fence!

I was the expert at keeping the posts level :)  But just so you know, Johnny dug those holes.  Actually, a machine dug those holes, but Johnny watched it dig. Hehe

Once again, me keeping things level.

I tell ya, it feels good to use a drill!  

Pops showing me how its done.

Here's the fence building team.  I am pretty proud of us!  We worked through some crazy heat!

And slowly the neighbors trash is covered up by our beautiful fence :)

Cooling off

At one point we noticed that the fence kept getting higher and higher, so we took out the level and realized that we made a mistake!  So we took a bunch of boards off and started over and everything worked out.

Johnny got to come and get his hands dirty too.

Then Johnny took my wonderful drill away and I had to stand and watch. Boo!

And here goes the last board!  

I really wasn't expecting to be able to do as much as I did on this fence.  I thought that Johnny and my dad would take over, but Johnny ended up having to work most of the time, and with two bad hips there was only so much he could do.  So I got to help build my fence with my dad, and it was so much fun.  I realized after that I really like doing this kind of work!  I like being a handyman!..well, handy-woman.  Not to mention I got to hang out with my dad the whole time.  What an accomplishment to get to say that I built my own fence with my dad!

So here is the finished product.

(don't look at our brown grass)

Now our next project...you may have noticed in the first picture, we have forms set up right behind our house to pour cement for our new patio!  Our neighbor said that if we built the fence, he would pour concrete and make us a new, big patio...for free!  Well, below is what he's done so far.  He's taking his time thats for sure.  But its ok!  We have a little patch to enjoy!

Stay tuned for more backyard progress!