Have you ever bitten off more than you can chew?

I have a bad habit of doing this often.  Sometimes I do it to save money but most times I see something on HGTV and think "wow, that looks like something I could do". Within days a perfectly groomed lawn turns into what could be a snapshot from Baghdad.  Several months ago Jaynee and I decided to buy the kids a playset for the back yard.  Of course, you can't put up a playset without renting heavy equipment right?  I tore up the lawn, then decided, "while I am renovating the back yard this is a good time to make a new, larger patio".  While I am tearing the patio I thought, "this is probably a good time to tear out the lawn on the side of the house and put in a garden.

Fast forward over a year later.  I am still spending my saturdays breaking up concrete and hauling it away.  Yes, lots of progress has been made and a very substantial amount of time has been invested in the backyard and I think, "wow, I miss that nice lawn we used to have."

So the moral of the story is "don't make major renovation decisions on the fly".  Also, although it is against most guys' nature we should be realistic about our own skill, budget, and the time we have available to make the schedule work.  

Over the past year I have labeled myself as "white trash" to my neighbors that I know look over the fence and think "man, that back yard looks so bad, I wonder if he is ever going to clean it up".  Jaynee admitted to me a few weeks ago that she is totally embarrassed by our yard,  lost all hope in finalizing the project, and almost started crying.

By the way; in case you didn't know, when you tear out your lawn and basically have dirt, there is a tendancy for very large obnoxious weeds to grow that add to the "white trash lifestyle".

This little video clip is how I feel about what I have accomplished in the last 12 months.  (It's not really my back yard.)

Perhaps the best part of the project is that I missed the opportunity to go sailing with a good friend for the whole weekend at Priest Lake because I need to try and get the yard project to a manageable state before we have guest come in a few weeks.  Fun Times...