Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Floral Fire Hydrants and Anniversary Surprises

Kind of a funny post title, don't you think? :) I just wanted to share a few pictures with y'all today. First up, a few of you know my hubby is a fire fighter. He was able to acquire an old fire hydrant over 10 years ago. His plan was to display it in the backyard. Well, he knew I wouldn't be too keen on having it in my garden, so he spruced it up a bit. :) It's been in our backyard for years, but I don't think I've ever shared it on the blog, although some of you may have noticed it in my backyard pics.  

Here's what he did:



Isn't that sweet? He painted some of my favorite kinds of flowers all over it! I love it! I'm not sure what kind of paint he used, but it's lasted a long time out in the elements. 



I've moved it around a few times, but it's been in this spot for quite some time now. It's extremely heavy, so it's not easy to move.



Love the sunflowers...


And the daisies...




I think those on the right are pink carnations...one of my favorites!



I think it makes the backyard a little more interesting. :)

While I was outside, I snapped a few pics of the garden. Way back in the corner is my butterfly bush. We pruned it down to about knee height in early March. 



Below you can see my St. Joseph's amaryllis about to bloom.



Here's a closer look. See the three blooms just waiting to burst open? 



I ended up moving my shamrock plant outside. It didn't seem to like being indoors. I put it in this corner where it gets mostly morning sun. I just don't think it was getting enough light inside the house with our solar screens. 



It really seems to like it outside. I transferred it to a bigger pot, which probably helped. (that pot is just temporary though...I want to get something a little nicer soon) Since I took this pic, it's started getting pretty little blooms on it too. :) 


outdoor shamrock plant

So, my hubby and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary recently. Usually we don't spend a lot of money on anniversaries, but the kids and I wanted to get my hubby a new riding lawn mower. :) And by the way, I told my hubby this was his anniversary present AND his Father's Day present, AND his birthday present. Lol!



He loves it! We had an old Murray one, but the deck kept rusting out and we kept having to replace it. This last time it rusted out, we decided it was time for a newer, better model. The deck couldn't take our heat and humidity, I guess. The John Deere deck is a lot thicker than the Murray one, so hopefully it'll last a lot longer.

The boys love having it to mow the yard with. Sure makes it a lot easier and they can mow the front and back in no time. :)

They tried it out this weekend and were very pleased with it. In the pic below, you can see the old Murray one in the background. I think it only lasted about 12 years and during that time we had to replace the deck. Twice. Ouch.



One more thing...while we were outside this weekend, I noticed a few mosquitoes flying around. They seem to be coming around a little early this year. Anyway, this is what we've always used as a mosquito repellent...


natural insect repellent

The brand is All Terrain and it's called "Herbal Armor." It's DEET free, which makes me feel better about using it. And here's the thing...it really works!! My hubby is pretty skeptical about these things, and even he had to admit that it keeps the insects at bay. I buy it at a local health food store, but I've seen it on Amazon too.

Anyway, that's just my two cents worth today. Hope y'all have a wonderful day!

~Lisa

12 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. I was showing your cute fire hydrant to a friend and realized I wrote happy birthday when I meant to write Happy Anniversary!!! I hope you had a nice anniversary :o)
      Have a great weekend!!!
      ~Des

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  2. Lisa- I LOVE that old fire hydrant. I think it would be fun even painted a bright color. It really ties you to hubby's job and I think that is pretty special. We HAVE one in our FRONT yard-courtesy of the city and I don't mind a bit. lol
    Lucky hubby! I LOVE MY John Deere. Hubby got if for our anniversary several years ago. It has been used THOUSANDS of time and we have never had a problem with it-other than hitting a fallen branch once in a while. lol They are just a workhorse. I mow almost an acre every week. There is a little "splurge" that is a small "bucket" sort of thing that attaches to the back (where you hook up a trailer) Anyway- you can use it to mix all kinds of soil and use it for planters and such AND it has a manual dump feature (not hydraulic). It think it probably holds about 150# I would guess.
    Have a wonderful Wednesday, Lisa! xo Diana

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  3. A truly sweet and touching memento Lisa! Your husband did a terrific job on it! your garden is coming along well too!

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  4. How sweet of your husband to tailor the fire hydrant to your liking!! I love seeing pictures of your backyard!! Beautiful!
    And happy anniversary!!

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  5. I love the fire hydrant!! Your hubby did such a nice job painting it, that was so thoughtful! Boy, my dogs would have a blast with this! lol!

    Your yard is so pretty. So many details like the benches and bridge. I feel like I neglected my house here in the city because of all the outdoor work at the lake. 5 days here, 2 days there...it can be tiring. Now I'm getting my mojo back and working here more.

    What a great idea getting hubby the John Deere! It's gorgeous (and I mean that!). Good for you (and your boys...very thoughthful!).

    XO,
    Jane

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  6. Happy Anniversary, Lisa! Love the fire hydrant. What a pretty idea! My son in the Navy is also a firefighter and he hopes to take all that training and knowledge into the civilian life soon. Anyway, my husband would literally kill for a John Deere like that! LOL Your backyard looks beautiful! Enjoy your weekend. Maria

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  7. Happy Anniversary, Lisa! That was so sweet of your hubby to paint that fire hydrant, and he did a great job! Everything looks really good in your backyard.

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  8. LOVE the fire hydrant..that is just adorable!!! I'm up North so it's just mud and mess here right now..appreciating your yard and flowers big-time here : )

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    1. Thank you, Deb! I love it too. :) Hopefully, spring is right around the corner for you. This has been the longest winter. :)

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  9. Best gift EVER Lisa!!! Happy Anniversary to you both!!!! Let's keep enjoying this Texas weather before we get to those crazy triple digits!!! XO, Aimee

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    1. Thank you, Aimee! I'm sure we'll enjoy the John Deere for a long time. :) The boys tell me it actually makes mowing the yard fun. :)

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