No escaping!

Branden and I finally got the gate to the backyard installed which means that it is finally entirely closed in and there is no escape!

This job was a big pain in the butt. More so than the rest of the fence. Granted, I didn't have to actually physically do anything when the rest was installed, so I'm really just saying it was a pain in the butt because I had to hold and lift heavy stuff this time. :)

Anyway, it really wasn't that hard of a job, I guess, it was just cold out and I'm really bad at holding heavy things. Seriously, I'm probably the worst mover ever. I hate carrying things. I would not have made a good Amazonian. Or donkey.



Despite my deficiencies, it came out well! We bought two latches (one for the top and one for the bottom) so we just need to screw those in and it will be completely Lucy-proof. :) From the front it just looks like a continuous length of fence (we're not putting a handle on the outside) so you can't see where the gate is.

Lucy has been running around like a crazy beast out back. She's so happy to have room to spread out.




Around the house I've been switching up some little bits of decor to make things feel a little more like Thanksgiving and to gear up for the real exciting time of year... Christmas! Yup, get ready.

I threw together this harvest-y centerpiece for the dining room table:



(Lucy must love it because she's pretty much melting over there in the background. This is why I call her The Puddle.) The woven disc I got at Target for around $1.50, and the candlesticks were from Goodwill for 50 cents each. The gourds I had gotten earlier for a buck or two I think. The whole thing was super cheap. And together it reminds me of a flattened cornucopia. In a good way.

I also switched up the telephone table to make it a little less Halloween-ish and more late-fall-early-winter-ish. (These are real words.)





I love this apothecary jar. I feel kind of like a scientist with my specimens, but I believe that whatever you put in a glass jar instantly becomes lovely. I just picked up a branch with some berries on it while on one of my walks with Lucy. Then I snipped some dying dried hydrangeas from one of our bushes in the front yard. I stuck some cinnamon sticks at the bottom, and voila! A beautiful little November time capsule.

Next to that I also filled a glass hurricane with some lovely glittery apples:



I've already started planning out my holiday decorations so it won't stay like this for long! Seriously, Branden developed his plans for the exterior lights weeks ago and is planning on purchasing multiple spools of lights to string the day after Thanksgiving. We're crazy over here, I know. But it's our first Christmas in a real home... you really can't blame us for wanting to get into the spirit early!

Fence is up!

The fence went up this weekend!

It was a big production, but luckily we had help. (thankyouthankyouthankyou!)

First we had to haul over the materials: fence panels and posts, and we rented a two-man auger, which turned out to be pretty invaluable. It made the process go a lot faster.



There's the auger in the background. Next we needed to measure everything and make sure we had a straight, level line to follow before we dug any holes.



Next Branden and his brother dug the holes and plunked the posts in.



We filled the holes with concrete, making sure they're filled completely.





Once the posts were in and cemented, we needed to let everything set overnight. The next day Josh came by to help with putting up the panels.



(Sawing things, like a man)





Because the side of the yard is a gradual slope, we needed to stagger the panels. Our plan is to cover up the gaps in the bottom with some lattice.

We got almost the entire yard fenced in. The only part still open is a 15-foot section on the left side of the house, where the gate will go in. We're still not quite sure how the gate situation works, but we're working on it. :)

Somehow, closing the yard in made it feel even bigger. I was expecting the opposite, but I think it drew more attention to just how HUGE our yard is!



I can't wait to see Lucy frolick around out here!







The next project is staining the fence before we get tons of rain this weekend. We bought a power sprayer which is a pain in the butt to use but is way faster than a brush.



I'll post more pictures when it's done!