Over the winter, we impulsively bought the weird little house next door. It’s a terrible eyesore, and we would love to tear it down and build a carriage house, or a wood shop, or an in-ground pool someday. But for now, we’re going to have to rent it out for a couple years to pay down the mortgage. We aren’t made of money, ya know?
This is the view we have from our beautiful patio.

*This post is sponsored by our friends at STIHL. Thank you for supporting the fabulous brands that make Reality Daydream possible!
Since we don’t have a choice but to look at it for the next few years, the least we can do is give the exterior a bit of love. Look at this garden bed. Solid weeds.

As my dad would say… many hands make light work! We worked together as a family and had this bed weed-free in no time!


Our little helpers got paid in pie. We’re not monsters.

Now we’re ready for the fun part. The part Nick as been waiting for. The opportunity to wield his STIHL FSA 57 weed trimmer!


Not only is it battery powered, but the AK10 battery has a run time of up to 20 minutes on a single charge. You can do some serious damage in that time. And we did!


This weed trimmer even took care of some massive burdock that had taken over. It is so satisfying to watch! We also love that the FSA 57 is light weight and has an adjustable shaft so it’s at a comfortable height for either of us to use. We have a 13″ height difference, so this is important! 😉
This sweet girl was excited to learn how to plant some flowers. She dug the hole, teased the flower’s roots, and planted it into the earth! I’m so proud of her.

What an improvement, right?!


Let’s see a little before/after side-by-side action.

There’s still a lot to do to bring this little house’s curb appeal into the “acceptable” category, but we’re checking this corner off our list! And we got some serious family bonding time in too. Win win!
What gardening/curb appeal projects have you been tackling this spring?!
~Bethany
I have always wondered what that plant with the humongo leaves is called. I use them to make concrete stepping stones. Burdock. Now I know.
And AWESOME job on creating a pretty garden out of a tangled mess. Love the Birch trees! 🙂
You can just move that weird little house to my yard. Lol. I love weird things.
It’s amazing what a few hours of work will do and what great things you’re teaching your little people. 🙂