LITTLE HOUSE ON THE LANE

Hello friends! I hope the good Lord is keeping you and your families well! In our home; we continue to count his blessings one by one; and we are thankful to God for every one of them! In this post, I continue to share with you my DIY landscaping projects. In June I started working on the small bed around the porch and I want to share with you the step-by-step progress. The project is quite tough, but when you pace yourself, it is doable! I did it, so can you. Follow these steps: Step 1.  Prepare the ground  Just like in the other projects, i started by digging out the extra digging. However,  at the first attempt the ground was so dry and hard! Even my African digging skills couldn't help me out. I had to water the ground every day for 3 days to soften work area. Again, I wheeled the dirt to the backyard. Step 2. Buy your plants  When the ground prep is complete, it is time to shop for your desired shrubs. Remember to make your choice according to your planting zone...

If you have been around much; you have probably heard the phrase "all things work together for good". Well, it's not just a phrase; it is a quote from the inspired word of God.  ROMANS 8:28 NIV - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. NLT - And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.  NKJV - And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  But what does it really mean? This phrase typically refers to the idea that even seemingly negative or difficult circumstances ultimately contribute to a positive outcome for those who (1) love God and (2) are called according to His purpose,  Life is spiritual, and for that we have to understand that all events, both good and bad, are ultimately orchestrated for a gre...

I greet you all my friends! Thank you for stopping by once again! I'm glad you're here. Last month I shared with you the side of house DIY project into completed in April.  Well from there; I went on to the trees in the front yard in May. This is how one looked like earlier this year. This is one of those beginner friendly landscaping tasks you can complete in one day. Tools used: Digging shovel  Wheelbarrow  Step 1. Clean up I removed all the debris. I almost hired someone to remove it for fear of  (you guessed it) snakes in hibernation. I looked like a cozy place for snakes to hide. Thank God there's non!  Step 2. Dig and dig and dig  Once again, using my faithful digging shovel, I trench edged the area following the existing measurements, wheeling the excess dirt to the backyard.  Step 3. Mulch  The following weekend, I bought some black mulch and laid it.  Our front yard, although far from the vision I have; it looks nice and decent. I...

Hello friends; Thank you for dropping by again! I hope you had a fun filled 4th of July weekend with friends and family! We had a blast and I want to share the highlights with you. It is was my weekend off work which made it super exciting! As a working mom, I love it when I get to send a couple off days in a row with my son!  Oh I know he enjoys them as well! These are the days we make elaborate meals and we sit at the dining table rather than the usual kitchen table/island we use on the work/school days. Want a taste of of my famous breakfast casserole, drop by my house on my weekend off! I took Friday off so we could have 3 whole days together! On Friday evening, we went to community park; enjoyed live music and a little bit of the fireworks. We didn't stay long because dear son became overstimulated with the loud blasts. But Saturday was redemption day. Instead of just being the two of us, my nieces came over to spend Saturday with us. It was so wonderful! My son enjoys the att...

Hello friends,  I just dropped by to give you all an update on my petit double knockout roses in planted at the side our house in April.  The native soil in this area is red and dense; and it receives six hours of direct sun in the first half of daylight.  The plant itself appears to be coping well. However in June I noticed the leaves of one plant had bite marks. Then another plant; then another plant!! Soon after all of them had bite marks; and so did the Japanese pencil hollys.  Well, the findings from my minimal research indicate my plants are under a pest attack!  According to google; the bite marks or holes in rose bush leaves are often caused by sawfly larvae, commonly known as rose slugs, or by leafcutter bees. Roseslugs chew on the leaves, leaving a "windowpane" effect, while leafcutter bees cut out circular pieces to build their nests. Whatever it is; I see it as a direct attack on my wallet. That project cost me a little over $200 and a lot of sweat! ...

Hello friends; happy July! As always I'm glad you stopped by. I hope you are staying cool and hydrated in this summer heat. In the last post I shared with you our backyard which I had cleared in spring 2024. Since then, I took a break. There's so much I want to do around the house yet I'm on a tight budget. To make it work; I have divided the project into phases, aiming to tackle one phase per month. Phase 1: Side of the house 1 Phase 2: Under trees Phase 3: Around the front porch  Phase 4: Foundation garden  Phase 5: Side of the house 2 April was phase 1; left side of the house. The project gave a real feel of DIY landscaping and also the courage that I could really do it myself! This is how it looked like before. Just generic. Nothing had ever been done to the place. The plan was to clear out the grass/weeds and trench edge the bed and plant some flowers. I did it; This is how you can also do it. Tools used: Twine Measuring tape  A digging shovel  A wheelbarrow A r...