• Home
  • about emily
  • before + after
  • HGTV + DIY Network
  • good press
  • contact
  • Let’s Organize These Posts:

    • Art Attack
    • Backyard
    • Barn
    • Basement
    • Bathroom
    • Beach
    • Bedrooms
    • Being Thrifty
    • Business-y
    • Buying and Renting and Selling
    • Casual Celebrations
    • Closets
    • Curb Appeal
    • Dainty Details
    • Deck
    • Decor
    • Dining Room
    • DIY
    • Dog-Related
    • Entryway
    • Flooring
    • For the Kids
    • Garage
    • Gardening
    • Helping The Economy
    • HGTV + DIY Network Projects
    • Holiday-Related Projects
    • Home Safety
    • Kitchen
    • Lighting
    • Living Room
    • Merry Travels
    • Office Space
    • Organized
    • Other Pads
    • Outdoor Living
    • Scooter Fun
    • Stairwell
    • Sunroom
    • Supporting Sponsors
    • The Art Room
    • Tools
    • Uncategorizable
    • Wedding
    • Windows
    • Work-pads
  • Search

  • Hi, I’m Emily

    Emily Fazio

    I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle.

    You can find me writing for Home Living Handbook, HGTV.com, and a handful of other websites. Follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note if you'd like. I love notes.

    Thanks for visiting!

  • BROWSE POSTS BY CATEGORY:

    • Art Attack (7)
    • Backyard (92)
    • Barn (8)
    • Basement (27)
    • Bathroom (43)
    • Beach (13)
    • Bedrooms (73)
    • Being Thrifty (53)
    • Business-y (12)
    • Buying and Renting and Selling (23)
    • Casual Celebrations (36)
    • Closets (17)
    • Curb Appeal (44)
    • Dainty Details (8)
    • Deck (23)
    • Decor (286)
    • Dining Room (37)
    • DIY (578)
    • Dog-Related (24)
    • Entryway (59)
    • Flooring (58)
    • For the Kids (32)
    • Garage (17)
    • Gardening (70)
    • Helping The Economy (30)
    • HGTV + DIY Network Projects (283)
    • Holiday-Related Projects (80)
    • Home Safety (12)
    • Kitchen (87)
    • Lighting (31)
    • Living Room (77)
    • Merry Travels (21)
    • Office Space (21)
    • Organized (41)
    • Other Pads (14)
    • Outdoor Living (12)
    • Scooter Fun (8)
    • Stairwell (20)
    • Sunroom (22)
    • Supporting Sponsors (43)
    • The Art Room (3)
    • Tools (43)
    • Uncategorizable (1)
    • Wedding (28)
    • Windows (14)
    • Work-pads (10)
  • Search

  • Pages

    • blog
    • Good Press: Special Features, Freelance Projects, and Long-Term Clients
    • Privacy Policy
    • about emily
    • before + after
      • before + after – transforming my first home
      • before + after, our current home
    • contact me
    • choose a badge and share the merrypad.com love
merrypad website logo with acorn and text
  • Home
  • about emily
  • before + after
  • HGTV + DIY Network
  • good press
  • contact

Vine Control (And Other Things)

June 26, 2013

I have yet to take you on any sort of formal tour of our big backyard, but we’ve been making slow progress in mowing tall grass, clearing out brush and trimming overgrown plants to make space for garden beds.

The 36V mower has gotten quite a workout, cutting down 15″ high grass at a tall setting, and then taming it into submission with a second pass to make it an acceptable, livable height. I like this mower more than ever before, even if they say it isn’t ideal for rugged country-esque landscapes, and I have to charge the battery 3x in order to do the whole yard.

WTG, Black and Decker. The little 36V mower rages through tall grass.

Pete has made his own progress, using the physical body abilities that I’m unable to lend this summer (pregnancy whomp-whomp) to demolish dozens of scattered weed trees, like the vicious Matrimonial Vine that has consumed much of our yard. The deer really appreciate it too, since this picture was taken they’ve eaten every last leaf left on the easy-to-reach branches.

First comes mowing, then comes total deconstruction.

He’s also been wrangling hundreds of feet of vines (grape vines, smothering grape vines?) out of the trees. I snapped this series quickly from the bathroom window, hence the screen.

Vines defeated.

This week, it’s onward with getting our garden started and spending some QT searching for the barn hidden behind all of the brush. What outdoor projects are you taking control of this week?

 

Share

Backyard

Emily
I'm a home improvement enthusiast living a very merry, DIY-filled lifestyle. As a freelance writer, you can find my work on many popular home and garden sites, including HGTV.com, HomeLivingHandbook.com, and other outlets. Follow me on social, or drop me a note.

5 Comments


Jeff
June 26, 2013 at 12:31 pm
Reply

There is a barn back there? You have to find it an post pictures!

Glad you have a new house to have lots of new projects to blog about for us!



    Emily
    June 26, 2013 at 1:18 pm

    There sure is! Wouldn’t know it, right? It’s a gem.

Kelly C.
June 26, 2013 at 1:11 pm
Reply

It’s so fun to watch y’all transform this new house/yard.

I’m just curious if it’s under doctor’s orders that you limit yourself during pregnancy? Maybe I had an old school doctor but he told me there wasn’t any reason to do anything different while pregnant (I have 3 boys, youngest is 18). Of course, I’m just talking physical activity, not food/drink, etc.



    Emily
    June 26, 2013 at 1:17 pm

    Nah, no doctors orders aside from listening to my body and not lifting anything too heavy. I think the general rule is still to maintain the same type of routine that you would pre-pregnancy, with some exceptions relating to anything that forces you to bear down (weight-lifting). I’m happily maintaining plenty of physical activity, carrying cut branches, pressure washing, mowing the lawn (walking behind a self-propelled mower for hours is the best workout I’ve found so far!), but am avoiding the intense shoveling and yanking that is required in removing the big weedy bushes from the yard… luckily, Pete still loves raging through that stuff :)

Kate
July 3, 2013 at 8:02 pm
Reply

Good for you Emily! I am due in 2 weeks and was out testing blower vacs until a week ago.

also, love seeing that 36v mower tackle that space!



Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • HI, I’m Emily

    Emily Fazio

    I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle. Follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note if you'd like. I love notes.

    You can find me writing for Home Living Handbook, HGTV.com, and a handful of other websites.

    Thanks for visiting!

  • Instagram

    merrypad

    I’ll always say yes to a maker space experience, I’ll always say yes to a maker space experience, and The Shed at @timberland’s HQ did not disappoint ✌️🥾 @homelivinghandbook 

Final footwear design not shown 🙂

PS tagging some cute shoes they gifted from the Fall 2024 collection!
    I made the call and snapped off the elephant garli I made the call and snapped off the elephant garlic scapes yesterday evening. Who’s going to help us harvest and eat the next 1,000? 🧄🧄🧄🧄
    Hi! Boy, do I have things to share. 🎉 🫶 Fr Hi! Boy, do I have things to share. 🎉 

🫶 Friendly reminder to focus on balance and wellness: Pete and I lived abroad with our family for the entire month of August 2023. If you ever have the opportunity to work remotely, I promise it to be a worthwhile adventure that’ll change your POV in so many ways. And, If you need an in with an incredible AirBnB in Denmark, DM me. From new playgrounds and museums to the culture and design, making this trip a reality continues to be something we celebrate every day, and I wish everyone can experience it on some level.

💻 Friendly reminder to say yes to new (overwhelming) opportunities: The professional celebration happened upon our return. Last fall, I was approached to launch @homelivinghandbook, a new Pursuit channel for @mensjournal that highlights home improvement and DIY! It has been really fun to see it come to light, and truly one of the most exciting partnerships I’ve ever had. Timing couldn’t have been better, and I’m really happy to see how it grows over time. Please follow along — the team published 150 articles in two months, covering all kinds topics for home enthusiasts! So much more to come. #linkinbio #homelivinghandbook

✌️ the end, many thanks for your support!
    How much garlic is too much garlic? Maybe we’ll How much garlic is too much garlic? Maybe we’ll find out in 2024. Finished planting 1,005 cloves (and 19 shallots) in three new beds at the farm, and crossed one huge chore off my list 📝 #gardennotes #garden2024
    Instagram post 18003690670970980 Instagram post 18003690670970980
    We grew these fools. We grew these fools.
    pumpkin patch is doing great✌️#year1 #squashbl pumpkin patch is doing great✌️#year1 #squashblossoms #pumpkinpatch
    follow emily: @merrypad



  • Like Us On Facebook

    Facebook Pagelike Widget



  • Popular Posts

    • How to Dye Pasta Different Colors (Halloween Recipe) 41 views
    • Building a Flagstone Patio in One Day 24 views
    • The Easy Way to Hang Art on Brick or Stone 22 views
    • Designing a Durable Wooden Fence For Our Beautiful Backyard Garden 21 views
    • How to Make Halloween Tombstones 21 views
    • How to Build New Front Stairs and Railings 15 views
    • Using Counter-Snap Screws to Fix Squeaky Floors 13 views
    • Less Is More: How to Remove a Fireplace Surround 13 views
    • Reasons We Recessed Our Induction Cooktop 12 views
    • The Easy Fix For Broken IKEA Drawers 11 views



  • BROWSE POSTS BY CATEGORY:

    • Art Attack (7)
    • Backyard (92)
    • Barn (8)
    • Basement (27)
    • Bathroom (43)
    • Beach (13)
    • Bedrooms (73)
    • Being Thrifty (53)
    • Business-y (12)
    • Buying and Renting and Selling (23)
    • Casual Celebrations (36)
    • Closets (17)
    • Curb Appeal (44)
    • Dainty Details (8)
    • Deck (23)
    • Decor (286)
    • Dining Room (37)
    • DIY (578)
    • Dog-Related (24)
    • Entryway (59)
    • Flooring (58)
    • For the Kids (32)
    • Garage (17)
    • Gardening (70)
    • Helping The Economy (30)
    • HGTV + DIY Network Projects (283)
    • Holiday-Related Projects (80)
    • Home Safety (12)
    • Kitchen (87)
    • Lighting (31)
    • Living Room (77)
    • Merry Travels (21)
    • Office Space (21)
    • Organized (41)
    • Other Pads (14)
    • Outdoor Living (12)
    • Scooter Fun (8)
    • Stairwell (20)
    • Sunroom (22)
    • Supporting Sponsors (43)
    • The Art Room (3)
    • Tools (43)
    • Uncategorizable (1)
    • Wedding (28)
    • Windows (14)
    • Work-pads (10)





  • a little bit of everything, friends, DIY, and inspiration

    • Dadand.com < My husband and his BFF
    • HGTV
    • Home Living Handbook, a Pursuit Channel for Men's Journal
  • Some Legal

    Merrypad incorporates the occasional affiliate link to Amazon.com and Minted; we link to many other websites and products, but if it is in context of a paid sponsorship, it is always noted as such. Please review the privacy policy and contact me if you have any additional questions.

    Theme customized by Pete Fazio Creative, the guy from dadand.com.


© Copyright Merrypad