Lots of irons in the fire ... and a little garden 'before & after'

I keep sitting down to write a post and it isn't long before I'm distracted by something else - the phone rings or the dryer buzzes or one of the kids asks for help with something. Or I remember something I meant to do 10 minutes ago before I got sidetracked with something else.

Spring has sprung and we are busy with life and that makes me happy. But I'm also a little overwhelmed with all the things screaming at me to be done. Heaps of laundry have only gotten higher this past week as I spent much of my days either prepping for the garage sale my family is having at grandma's house this weekend, or picking asparagus with the neighbors. Both ventures create a little bit of income - not much more than Fun Money to support my gardening and thrifting habits, but that's good enough for me.

Things will lighten up a bit once the garage sale is over tomorrow, and I can't wait to have a little more time to spend in the yard here at home. It needs some serious TLC. There are signs of hope out there, though. Early in the week I ripped out a chunk of green (and I use "green" here where others might use "lawn" because it's not really much of a lawn), and created a little flowerbed between a couple of our big ol' rocks.

Despite the fact that they are in the middle of ... well, everything ... these rocks are probably one of the coolest things we have going on in our front yard. The kids have climbed on them, jumped from them, BMX'ed over them for as long as they can remember.

Sorry kids. Mama wants a garden.

(And less green to mow.) 

Before

 The dandelions are a nice touch, aren't they?

 First I dug out the sod (or whatever you'd call it). See that spot of green in the middle? I planted that Catmint about a week ago. It's there in the first photo but you can hardly see it.

 Since I already had some landscape fabric I had purchased for some other project, I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to use some here.

Tip: If you ever use landscape fabric, spring for those little metal stakes that secure the fabric to the ground. Totally worth it.

After

 

 I added a Creeping Phlox and Pincushion Plant here, and a couple of old pickling crocks I'll plant some colorful annuals in.

The solar lights add a sweet glow and make this little garden a quiet oasis in the evening. Once I have those annuals planted I might add some other rocks here and there in the bare spots. It's always good to have options!

Now I need to move over and work on the space between that middle rock and the next one. And about a thousand other places in the yard. 

Little by little, one at a time.