backyard inspiration {jamie durie}

{i am now a monthly contributor to the eco18 blog! check out my first post here if you missed my wheatgrass how to post a while back}

i was catching up on my better homes and gardens magazine the other day and their article about hgtv star jamie durie’s backyard stopped me in my tracks. shut the front back door. it’s one of the most gorgeous and perfect backyards i have ever seen. i have backyard envy.

{via better homes and gardens september 2011}

{via better homes and gardens september 2011}

(either i can’t search bhg’s site well enough to find digital copies of their photos or they don’t have their issue articles online, so i did some googling and found additional, non-scanned photos)

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i’m not going to lie, i don’t know who jamie durie is apart from the fact that he’s a (seemingly very talented) landscape designer and on hgtv, but i want his backyard. i would never leave it. it’s officially in the inspiration files and is definitely something to aspire to (though i live in illinois and am not a famous landscape designer on tv, so we’ll see how that goes).

{justine}

weekend recap {steak, sweatshop & sunday}

this weekend’s recap brought to you by: my iphone.

friday night we ate a las tablas, a columbian steakhouse, and it was delicious. we had many sangrias and too much food. i had my first yuca and it was surprisingly yummy.

saturday beck and i went to the dog park, and then worked in a sweatshop. kidding, sort of. i didn’t break much of a sweat and was provided with bathroom breaks, portillo’s, wine and a gift bag. for an upcoming promotion we helped stuff, sticker and tag 15,000 bags. 15,000.  unfortunately for my friends we didn’t get through all of them in the eight hour shift (but we did get quite drunk) so they have a bit of work to do this week (i may be bribed with leftover portillo’s).

{stuffing station. just finished my first box of 250 bags. only 14,750 left.}

{boxes of bags & gift cards}

{the assembly line}

{i got a little overzealous tagging}

{in the back…finished bags. in the front by fritz…waiting to be tagged}

{where’s tina?}

sunday we went to the pool, ran a few errands, checked out some art at the bucktown arts festival and had a delicious rib dinner (ryan’s specialty).

well that’s that. another weekend over, and we’re that much closer to fall. bittersweet, as summer is the best season in chicago, but i do love me some fall.

did you have a good one?

{justine}

my forest green thumb

i do not have the greenest thumb. among other things, i have killed parsley, bamboo and a succulent. you barely have to water a succulent, but i killed it.  i have had successes though–growing wheatgrass from seed, basil from seed and (so far) keeping an orchid alive for four weeks (which is a record for me). also? the flowers i planted on the patio two months ago have grown like gangbusters and are looking mighty fine. i am so proud of them.

just planted:

now:

the little purple flowers didn’t make it. there was way too much rain for their little bodies to handle. but no matter, the impatiens grew, spread and made up for them.

just planted:

now:

i love that vine. i can’t remember what it was called though–anyone know?

i had also planted extra impatiens in pots that been used for holding unused tiki torches and as ashtrays.

much better now.

when i let beck out in the morning, i love to simply stand and gaze at my lovely flowers. is that weird? i don’t care, isn’t that what flowers are all about? being pretty and making you happy? it’s the simple things in life…

based on this summer’s performance, i found my go-to shade flower–impatiens. they were rock stars. i am so sad for fall to come and these beauties die. maybe i’ll take on mums next?

i think i’m slowly but surely learning my way around a ‘garden’ (and having a ton of rain didn’t hurt). so maybe i have a forest green thumb? something between green and black?

have a great weekend!

{justine}

 

setting my dvr…again

to continue my tv addiction, one of my favorite bloggers now has her own food network show: the pioneer woman. i’m so excited! you know by now that i love her food and i love her blog. and i love food network. it’s a match made in heaven. it premieres this saturday at 10:30am cst.

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you can watch a sneak peek here. one thing’s for sure…those mashed potatoes? i think i gained a few pounds just looking at them.

will you watch?

 

{justine}