Sherdog and J-Boom

I'm about to go all weird-fan-girl on you.  Be warned. My fave bloggers, Sherry and John Petersik (aka Sherdog and J-Boom), the masterminds of the blog Young House Love, were in town last night for the signing of their new book.  (If you don't read their blog already, what are you waiting for? Go! You'll thank me!).

Well, I was a little excited to meet them (be it ever so briefly).  They write their blog like they're writing to their bff, so they make you feel like a part of their lives.  Have you met my friend Sherry?  Oh, wait, even I haven't met my friend Sherry (well, up until she signed my book).  Mom and I (since I coerced her to start reading their blog too) have had conversations about what John and Sherry are up to like we really know them.  Hm, that sounds a little creepy now that I typed it, but I'll stick with it.

Mom was able to get there before me and score us an AWESOME spot in line and make a few friends. Thanks Mom!

Before they started signing, they gave a few quick DIY tips for your home or holiday gifts.

They are precisely as cute and awesomely awesome (yup, I said it) in person as they are on their blog.  Here Sherry's posing for John with 2 ceramic owls they just signed.  Work those owls Sherdog!  Tyra would be proud.

They were so sweet to take pics with everyone, too.  I think I was shaking, hope I wasn't too awkward.  (thanks, nor'easter for my messy hair)

Before they started signing, Sherry mentioned her love of this wall of paper mache animals, so I just had to take a pic in her honor.

It sucks that they got to experience our city in such crappy weather, but I hope they'll come back in the Spring when Boston really shines!

(go buy the book here)

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I feel like I just ran a DIY marathon.  I really need to learn how to relax and not attack EVERYTHING on my to do list in my 2 day weekend.  It makes for some great things to share with you guys though! I need a day of recovery before I edit photos and write some psuedo-witty narratives, so today you just get a gratuitous kitty shot..

The kittens give their emphatic approval for my latest craigslist purchase.  I can't wait to show you my find and its new surroundings later this week!

Instant Grassification

I learned a few things this past weekend.

1. Our lawn measures precisely 10 feet by 17 feet.  Larger than I actually thought.
2. Digging up said 170 sf of lawn is very tiring.
3. Landscapers have a tough job.

Have you figured out what we did yet?  Here's a hint.

Remember when we removed a big bush from the front yard and left a big patch of dirt?

Well, we never planted grass since it was in the heat of the summer.  And then the weeds took over.  Instead of mowing the lawn, we were mowing the weeds.  They were green, but not exactly the effect we were going for.  Hubby and I agreed that if we were going to plant more grass, we might as well get a fresh start and plant sod.  You don't get lawns much smaller than ours, so sod was a great way to get instant gratification grassification.

Before we could get to the fun part (the results obviously), we had to do the hard work- digging up the existing lawn.  And all the rocks that were in our way.

I neglected to get a picture of the rock pile before we moved it, but there were approximately a dozen football-sized rocks that I pulled out of the lawn this weekend alone (I had pulled out more rocks during the bush removal earlier in the summer).

So we started digging and raking up all that was green.

I raked the dirt to smooth it out and eliminate the hump where the rocks used to party, then Hubby spread some of the starter fertilizer.

The easiest and most rewarding part was putting down the sod itself.  Hubby watched a how to video on youtube in preparation.  What did we do before the internet??

After we rolled it all out, we trimmed the edges where our yard wasn't perfectly square and around the rock wall.  Instant yard, just add sod!

I love it even more when I look back to a year and a half ago when the front yard looked like this.

Now the lawn looks like it's about twice the size as it used to be!  Considering how small our yard actually is, making it look as large as possible maximizes the space.  Hubby's in love with the new lush green lawn.  Mother nature is even on our side right now and has rained every day since we planted, ensuring that we don't kill it right away.

So here are the logistics.  We got the sod at Home Depot surprisingly.  In early fall, they get sod deliveries on select Saturday mornings.  (Call ahead to check)  They only get a limited supply, so going early was key.  We went at 7am and were told that normally they're out before noon.  Since the pieces are 2'x5', we needed 17 pieces to cover our 170sf dirt pile.  At $5 a piece, the sod cost us less than $90.  If you include the starter fertilizer and the lawn bags, our brand new lawn cost $120.  Not too shabby!