Hello, fabulouses, and welcome back to the blog!

There is no doubt in my mind that I straight-up missed out on the “gardening gene” that both of my parents have. It seems that everyone in my family has a green thumb–for goodness sakes, my Aunt Karen has a landscaping business…I would be ashamed for any of them to see my apartment yard as it currently is. #EpicYardFail #Ashamed

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When I was a kiddo, I gardened with my Paw Riley–growing watermelons, tomatoes, okra, black-eyed peas, various kinds of corn, cantaloupe, blueberries, pears, apples, and the list goes on…BUT there is a big difference between caring for flowers and keeping a neat yard than tending to produce *wink* Ah…speaking of growing crops with my Paw Riley–we used to load up his red pick-up truck with watermelons, corn, and other goodies to sell in the parking lot of Fred’s in town. This might be frowned upon in the world today *wink* but that is a fond memory I will treasure forever :)

Ziva needs to learn to pick up her toys. Silly dog *wink*

Now, back to my yard predicament.

Recently, I blogged about my summer must-haves for my yard + patio, BUT I have yet to put that must-have list to full use *wink* So–y’all gotta hold me to prettying up my yard before I get disowned or the neighbors out-of-control vines take over my apartment like the freaky sci-fi/horror movie “The Ruins” (2008). Warning–do not watch that movie if you cringe at bad acting or gory scenes *wink*

Now, while I go try to clean up my yard so that I can gussy it up for a later blog, y’all take a look at some photographic proof that I lack a serious gardening gene *wink* Special thanks to The Next Best Thing in downtown Johnson City for the fabulous pallet bench and cutesy yard art :) I cannot wait to add some pillows to my bench + find some more funky yard stakes!