As you may have noticed, we've been making a lot of effort on upping our curb appeal this summer. It can be so easy to just focus on whatever the big renovation project is INDOORS at the moment, but we also want to take advantage of this gorgeous end-of-summer weather and make some small changes to the exterior of our house! They add up to feeling like BIG changes when it's all said and done! ... [ Read More ]
Plant a Tree for Arbor Day!
I, for one, LOVE trees. When we bought our home, there were 4 trees on our acre lot. One towering pine was SO close to the foundation than it needed to be taken down promptly. And another had to be removed for our kitchen addition. Cue allll the tears! WELL, to add insult to injury, our neighborhood was rocked by an EF3 tornado and an inland hurricane called a deracho (within a 2 year time ... [ Read More ]
Outdoor Spring Cleaning
It never fails! Each spring, when the snow melts, we're always itching to get out in the yard and do a bit of outdoor spring cleaning. Getting out and breathing in the fresh spring air is so good for the soul, Especially after a lonnnnng Midwest winter! With the right tools, your outdoor spring cleaning endeavors will go smoothly and be FUN! *This post is sponsored by STIHL. Thank you for ... [ Read More ]
Adventures in Trimming the Hedges n’ Things
It's not like we have a huge plot of land, but I'm embarrassed to say that there are more than one spots on our property that have been... LET'S JUST SAY VERY NEGLECTED. *This post is sponsored by our friends at STIHL! Thank you for supporting the fabulous brands that make Reality Daydream possible. This post may contain affiliate links.* The above picture features what is meant to be a ... [ Read More ]
Front Porch Refresh
*This post is sponsored by Miracle-Gro! Thank you for supporting the fabulous brands that make Reality Daydream possible! This post contains affiliate links.* All this time at home has sparked some serious creativity around the house. And now that the weather is warming up here in Iowa, we can finally get outdoors and start giving our curb appeal a little love too! After a tumultuous winter, ... [ Read More ]
Curb Appeal Efforts: STIHL Hedge Trimmer Review
As you know, we've been making more of an effort to up our curb appeal now that we live in an actual neighborhood, rather than the absolute middle of nowhere. Not that our neighbors have expectations, but we just don't want to be THAT SHAGGY HOUSE on the street. Ya know? This post is sponsored by STIHL. Thank you for supporting the fabulous brands that make Reality Daydream possible! We ... [ Read More ]
Kitchen Update – Exterior
We've gone into great detail on the happenings of the INSIDE of our kitchen build, but today we're going to take a deep dive into what's been going down on the exterior! If you remember from this post, the back of our house looked like this when we bought this house. *This post is sponsored by our friends at DAP. Thank you for supporting the fabulous brands that make Reality Daydream ... [ Read More ]
Edging a Sidewalk – Stihl FC56C-E
Now that we don't live on an acreage and have a more manageable amount of space to maintain, Nick is taking a huge interest in keeping our curb appeal... well, appealing. I've been doing my part in the flower gardens, but today we're going to talk about the lawn. We've been fertilizing and watering our lawn, but I haven't been ready to give Nick the green light on weed-killers... because our ... [ Read More ]
Snow Candles
I have fond memories of making snow candles as a kid, and I've been hoarding (gathering from yard sales and thrift stores) candles to melt down to do this project with the kiddos! You can also use paraffin wax for this, and you can also tint the colors of your candles by adding broken crayons! But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Here's what you need Snow day (bored kids) and ... [ Read More ]
Edging and mulching your flowerbed
I may have a green thumb for my indoor plants, but when it comes to my flower garden? Yikes. There are some pretty flowers that come up each year in this garden, but for the most part, it’s just a mass of weeds. And if I’m being honest, it’s not because I don’t have a green thumb for outdoor plants… it’s because I’ve always PRIORITIZED OTHER THINGS in the spring and summer. However! ... [ Read More ]