#i just needed to get it goinggggg

[waywordhearts]

— characters: matt & jules — setting: downtown somewhere in their small town — partner: @fearhidden

That voice was unmistakable. It was easily recognized anywhere to him, even in a crowd or the mildly bustling downtown Main Street midday during the week. The pain of still sharing a small town with your ex was the probability and frequency in which you would still see them.

In the midst of waiting to pick up something for Aileen, Matt was checking his messages and responding to a few emails that he'd been needing to get to when he'd heard her. At first, it was assumed that Jules was in the company of someone and with his luck it would've been her fiancé, so he was hesitant in giving on look over his shoulder.

The last thing he wanted was to see the pair strolling along hand in hand.

However, unable to help himself and an apparent masochist, Matt easily pulled his eyes from his phone and took in the sight of the woman he'd thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with. She was alone and seemingly on the phone.

A small grace.

The plan had been to let her continue on her way. A conversation would've been torture, he wasn't interested in hearing how she was doing or seeing up close how much happier she was now— she'd found a man that was able to give her exactly what she wanted. He was the chump that let Jules slip through his grasp.

In a small town, however, a man with such a historic and legendary family within the county wouldn't easily go unnoticed. Especially not sitting in plain view on his motorcycle, and well, his height didn't exactly allow him to be inconspicuous. A townsman had called his name and waved to him, and Matt easily nodded his head and smiled back. Lifted his hand in a hello gesture. But he'd been spotted.

Reluctantly, and not raised on bad manners, Matt pushed off the motorcycle and made his way over to Jules. "Well, hey stranger."

[rosicheeks]

You should go. Allow yourself to have fun and let loose. She asked you to go for a reason, she enjoys your company and would like to include you. It's what friends do and if you really don't like it you can always leave early. It's best not to overthink these things just go have fun 😄

Idkkkk I feel like it’s too late now :(

[klaprisun]

One Sunny Day

(Stardew Valley)(Haley x Female Farmer)

Chapter 19

“Well if you are so keen on me going first, maybe I will. Give me your best shot,” Shane fires as Sam.

“Alright then SHANE. Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.” Shane will regret picking that.

“How many times have you needed your stomach pumped?” Same does not hold back. We are already off to a great start.

Shane uncomfortably looks around the circle, but still avoids everyone’s eyes. “...Twice..,” He finally admits. Penny kindly pats his shoulder, sympathetically.

“Alright now you ask someone, Shane,” Sam eagerly exclaims. All of our spirits are kind of down now since it was such a hard hitting start. Hopefully whatever this next one is will bring some energy back.

“Ummm…” Shane takes a second to pinpoint the next victim. “Leah. Truth or Dare?”

“I’m feeling bold tonight,” Leah hiccups drunkenly, “Let’s go with dare.”

“I dare you to climb onto the roof of Elliots cabin and shout at the top of your lungs: ‘I just shit my pants!’” Shane chuckles at his own dare.

“That’s easy work. Watch me!” Leah gets up from her blanket, and stumbles over to Elliot's cabin.

“Don’t you fall through my roof, Leah! I will make you pay for it.,” Elliot hollers after her. She disappears around the back of the cabin. After a couple minutes pass, she appears at the peak of the roof. The rest of us on the beach erupted into cheers, egging her on.

“I JUST SHIT MY PANTS!!!” Leah screams into the night. It was loud enough that she caused a few animals to stir from the woodsy area lining the beach. Elliot runs over to help her get back down from the roof since she is fairly drunk. He does not trust her with his cabin or to get down safely.

Leah comes prancing back to her spot after getting helped down. We all applaud her boldness and execution of the dare. Elliot returns back to his spot as well after Leah left him in her dust.

“And for my next trick… I will decide that Maru will go next. Truth or Dare, Maru?” Leah smirks.

“Dare! Yours seemed fun, Leah. You’ve inspired me to be bold,” Maru answers.

“Well. I dare you to go dive off the pier into the deep, dark, cold water,” Leah announces.

“I think the worst part is sitting in the wet clothes after,” I say to Maru who has gotten up to start her journey to the pier. All of us also end up getting up from our spots to go over to watch her jump.

“But first, how drunk are you? Drunk and swimming don’t mix and I don’t know how sober the rest of us are to come in and get you,” Penny anxiously asks.

“I’ll be okay to swim to shore. Don’t worry,” Maru reassures her.

We get to the very end of the longest dock and give Maru some space to get ready. She is bouncing up and down, trying to psyche herself up for the big dive.

“It’s going to be so cold,” She mutters, still trying to get the courage to jump.

“We can give you a countdown,” I tell her.

“Okay. Start at 5 and count backwards,” she requests. And so we do.

“Five! Four! Three..!” We begin to chant. But before we could countdown any more, she dove in head first, causing us to erupt into cheers once again.

“IT'S SO COLD!” she squeals as she resurfaces. Hurriedly, she starts doggy paddling to the shore. We all meet her there to pull her out. I quickly wrap a blanket around her shoulders and walk her back over to the fire. The rest follow us back over.

“You did great! Hopefully you warm up quickly,” Leah applauds her.

“I guess it’s my turn to pick now, huh?” Maru shivers, “I will pick Alex to go next. Truth or Dare?”

“Dare. Duh,” Alex booms loudly. He is already starting to stand to get ready for whatever Maru will give him to do.

“Do the splits!” Maru giggles.

“Uhhhh,” Alex unsurely takes a big step, widening his stance.

“Farrtheerrr!” Maru sing songs. Alex takes another big step, widening his stance even more, but not quite far enough for Maru.

“Keep goinggggg…”

Alex groans as he steps as far as he can to widen his stance into the splits. He could only hold it for a second, because he topples over and sighs in relief.

“Great job! You got pretty far. Keep on that and you’ll be doing a full split no problem,” Maru cheers.

“Elliot. Truth or Dare?” Alex groans in pain.

“I will go with truth. I don’t feel like getting up,” Elliot says with a yawn. It must be past his bedtime.

“We will go with a classic question. What’s your body count?” Alex asks, still sprawled out in the sand.

“Well let’s see here…” He starts using his fingers to keep track, “...I’d say maybe 4?”

Leah looks at him shocked as she must’ve not known that about him.

“All college flings. Maybe one was during high school?” He shrugs.

“That was no fair. He got an easy one,” Shane cries out while holding his hand out Elliot’s way.

“Sebastian. Truth or Dare?” Elliot calls across the fire.

“Dare,” Sebastian calls back.

“Kiss Sam,” Elliot says while pointing to Sam. Before Sebastian could even react, Sam lunges over towards Sebastian and kisses him first instead. It was almost like he was waiting for that moment.

We all burst out into giggles and laughs at this scene unfolding. Sam and Sebastian are basically making out at this point in front of all of us. Abigail has a look of horror on her face as she still did not know about this. She drops the blanket she and Seb were sharing from around her shoulder and smugly scoots Penny over so she could share the blanket with her and Shane.

She brings her knees to her chest and rests her chin between her knees.

As everyone seems to let Seb and Sam have their moment, I decide to survey the circle and see how everyone looks to be feeling. The alcohol seems to still be flowing as everyone is swaying and slurring their words. Curiously, I look to see what Haley has been up to this whole time. My eyes are met with hers staring back my way. Even from this distance, I can see the reflection of the bonfire dancing in her ocean blue eyes. She is only 2 blankets over from me, but I wish I could be closer. I wish I knew what she was thinking.

The fact she was looking at me before I had turned to look at her must mean something. Could she possibly be into me? Was I just crazy and everyone is right? Or am I right about her feelings towards me and everyone else is wrong?

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Sebastian finally breaking away from Sam’s lips and picking the next victim.

“Haley. Truth…” he pauses for a moment, putting a lot of emphasis on the word, “or Dare?”

“Truth I guess?” Haley hesitates. Raising an eyebrow at the conspicuous attempt at getting her to pick truth. Sebastian rolls over to lay on his stomach and crosses her arms to hold himself up. He puts one hand up to his mouth and very loudly clears his throat, gathering everyone’s attention.

“Are you into women?” Sebastian questions her, almost like he was reading my mind.

All eyes are now on her. The whole atmosphere noticeably changed, that it even affected the bonfire. I might be crazy, but it looks to be burning even brighter, giving everyone a clear look at her fearful expression.

Giving her my full attention, I don’t dare move so as to not accidentally miss her answer. Her gaze adverts from the deer in the headlights expression to meet my eyes. I can see a faint shine around the rim of her eyelids as if she is about to cry.

“I-...uh-..” She takes a cup from beside her and starts chugging whatever drops of punch she had left in it. Smacking it back down on the ground, she takes a deep breath. Just as she is about to answer, a loud pop echoes across the beach causing us all to flinch. I even heard Penny let out a shriek.

The giant bonfire in the middle of our circle comes collapsing down. With one last aggressive roar of the flame, the fire goes out almost instantly. Over all the chaos brewing, I swear I could still hear the sigh of relief Haley let out.

“That must be the universe’s way of telling us to get the fuck to bed,” Shane laughs. It was the first time I’ve heard him genuinely laugh.

We all start shaking the sand out of the blankets and folding them up for Emily and Haley to take back home. The two of them end up getting piled with a stack of blankets with how many they ended up bringing to the bonfire.

“Need some help?” I suggest to the two of them.

“That would be incredible, thank you,” Emily responds. Haley is hiding behind her stack of blankets she is trying to carry. I walk over to her and take half of the pile she is holding, allowing me to see her shy looking face.

“I didn’t need any help. I got it under control,” she remarks.

“Well you looked like you were struggling to see. It’s too late now anyway I'm not putting these back.” I heave the stack of blankets to balance them on my shoulder, holding them in place with my arm wrapped over them.

Even in the dark, I can see her cheeks change color. “You do that so effortlessly,” She gushes, slurring her words a bit from drinking all night.

“It really is nothing compared to the stuff I lift on my farm. A couple blankets are super light in comparison.

The three of us journey over to their house, our path lit by the faint glow of the streetlights. The rest of the group had also parted ways for the night. We even got to watch Sam struggle to sneak through his bedroom window. We all giggle at him, so he shoots us the middle finger when he successfully makes it through, causing us to giggle even harder.

Emily fumbles while trying to unlock the door for us, but eventually gets it open.

“Just toss them on the couch, I’ll wash ‘em in the morning,” Emily yawns, “Good night you two. Behave!” She shakes a finger back at us but starts veering the wrong way on her path to her room, causing her to run into the counter. Adjusting her direction, she swings her door open and slams it shut, leaving Haley and I alone in the living room.

“Well I’ll just set these - hic- here and head off now,” I say to Haley with a hiccup. I go to set down the stack of blankets, but my whole body ends up falling with them to the couch. I start giggling uncontrollably, causing Haley to join in. She sets her stack of blankets on the ground and climbs on top of me to join me on the couch. I roll over, holding her in place, so that I’m facing her instead of her being on my back.

I put my arm behind my head to use as a pillow and to prop my head up to look at her. “I hope my armpit don’t stink,” I say to her with a chuckle.

“Mmmm no you don’t stink. You always smell good. You smell like the outdoors which is such a refreshing smell,” she sleepily responds.

“You know, you never did answer Sebastian’s question…” I test her, seeing if her tired, drunk and vulnerable state will get her to crack and at least give me the answer.

Her head pops up from where she was laying on my chest to look up at me. She takes a moment to think but scoots up closer to my face. She takes my chin in her hand and pulls my face closer to hers. My breath hitches in my lungs when I realize what’s happening.

She guides my lips so they crash right into hers. Her soft, punch flavored lips move with mine in a desperate, needy kind of way. She adjusts her body so that she is fully over me now, hovering over my torso. Instinctively, I wrap my hands around her hips and pull her closer. I don’t take my hands away, as I start to play with the hem of her sundress with my pinky. She lets out a faint moan as we continue to show each other just how bad we wanted this moment.

I drag my one hand up her back and play with the straps of her flowery sundress. Gently tugging them down her shoulders and letting them fall loosely down her arms. My hand then travels up her neck and finally rests on the back of her head. Feeling bold, I take her bottom lip softly between my teeth and pull back. She lets out another moan and immediately dives back in for more. Her hips are moving against me in a way that turns me on even more than I already am. Her hands are clasped tightly along my jaw and neck. However, she ends up moving her hand from my neck and replaces it with her mouth. She nips and tugs at the skin at the base of my neck where it meets my collarbone. I can’t help but let out a breathless sigh at how good it feels. She must’ve heard, because she comes back to my lips and kisses me hungrily once again.

It all comes to an end when her lips let go of mine. I let out a sigh of disappointment as I did not want it to end. My head is spinning from the adrenaline rush and alcohol that’s still flowing through me. She pulls back and gives me a smirk of satisfaction. She comes back in but brings her lips next to my ear instead.

“Does that answer your question?” she whispers seductively. 

[lovedetlost]

Omg need more Rafe smuts with boot kinks🫠

boot kink is my secret horny dream there’s just something about it that gets me goinggggg

@deepestfancloud’s dare series is where i first heard of it and oh my days it unlocked something in me hehe

[arklypurple]

ALBUM REVIEW: CLOWN CIRCUS (2003)

(the number scale is gonna be a bit fucked up because i'm not good at giving numerical value to my enjoyment of things)

these are being written as the song plays btw

Error: this is a pretty good opener for the marathon. spoiled a bit by me knowing that there are better opening songs up ahead but that's not any fault of the song itself. 4/5 clowns

Lemon Demon: incredibly OK until the last 2 lines which single (or i guess double) handedly bump it up from 3 to 4. 4/5 clowns

Ten Thousand Light Years Away: forgettable. feels like young neil is trying to have a sound that doesn't work with his voice. 2/5 clowns

Don't Be Like The Sun: this is the first song ever released under the name "Lemon Demon". gotta say, not bad. 4/5 clowns

Bowling Alley: "i mean it was like a freaking acid trip. not that i advocate, uh, drugs, drugs are bad. and uh. and stuff." 5/5 clowns

Wrong: Lyricism that matches some of the better lfthcs stuff, pretty big step up from the stuff earlier on the album in that department. one of the ones i can see myself going back to outside of listening to this album. 5/5 clowns

Hazel's Modus Operandi: what if we set up a rhyming scheme and then suddenly switched out which one we're going with. eh lyricism, ok backing. 4/5 clowns

Idiot Control Now: bacon monkey potatoes *holds up spork* narwhals ROFL!!!!!!!!!!! 2/5 clowns

Pepper and Salt: just awful fake accent. it exclusively detracts from the song. would be at best mid if it weren't for that. 0/5 clowns

Holy Bison Beaks!: wow so meta. would be lower if it didn't come after Worst Song In The Album. we're at the sagging middle of the album i think. wait no the ending is kind of funny that bumps it up a point. 3/5 clowns

Somnolence: spacey start. not bad. i think we might be out of The Bad Zone. yeah this one's good, feels like it could be a closer but there's still 3 songs to go. 5/5 clowns

Fire Motif: the one that i think about most often on this album. spon-ta-neous com-bus-tion of the soul. goes hard. 5/5 clowns

Hyakugojyuuichi 2003: see the title? yeah that. this song is so completely that. also really shitty white rap. tv says donuts are high in fat kazoo. i will kill shmorky with my bare hands. jesus fucking christ verse 6. why is this song so long jesus christ. 1/5 clowns

Elsewhere: ok not bad. yeah this is fine, if a bit slow to actually start. ohhhh my godddd please get goinggggg. this song is built like a midpoint. lyrics are fine. they should swap this with somnolence i think. very rare occasion where i think that a song does not need to be as long as it is (usually the opposite is true. songs should never be under 3 minutes). please just end so i can listen to the albums i like more. 3/5 clowns

[plasmahallucigenia]

passed my STATS class with a 74 goodFUCKINriddance, you know what that means!

KILLING MYSELF POSTPONED!! 🎉🎉🎉

I wish I was joking but holy shit finals week I was goinggggg through ittttt. I wanted to achieve this so bad despite my incredibly poor mathematical skills that I have been struggling with for years, I have always had very horrible understanding of math. but I digress, I have been working my ASS off, now I just need to get a good grade on my art history group project and then BOOM im fuckin done, then the last class I have 2 take is a very easy anthropology class that my irl college mate recommended to me, and holy shit, wonderful professor from what i've heard she makes it easy.

I am gonna spend some time drawing tonight, i've been gone all day and yesterday because I had MULTIPLE doctors appointments and they were drawn at le sighhhh alas I will... continue to work hard...! I want to go to university so bad I want to do what I love I WANT to take actual fucking classes I want to take! I want to learn how to live on my own/with other people,,, Ill do whatever it takes..

I had been so incredibly stressed past couple of days! pure anguish because it was so fucking terrifying that I wasn't gonna pass the class...! to the point that I had inflicted harm on myself because I was genuinely freaking out that night in order to gain control. luckily things are getting better that I am out of that ballpark, I am just very mentally exhausted

had a recent psychiatrist appointment and were going to increase my anti-psychotics so that my mood cycles aren't as rapid.. I hope it helps, also from the doc appointment thanj fucking GOD I don't have diabetes, I am beyond relieved, I have struggled with disordered eating and weight for years along with hypothyroidism that runs in my family its so much... but I hope things will get better

but yas, that is enough of my little ramble, I'm home, im safe im gonna relax for the rest of the night,,,I will pull an espresso shot and enjoy a warm drink, very well...! ^__^

[mountttmase]

Hi my loveeeee🩷🩷🩷

I'm soooo excited for this, the holiday begins 🤭🤭🤭

THE MUFFIN MAN

WELL Y/N THATS A PRETTY PLACE, YOU SHOULD GO😌

‘Okay good. Now what’s it’s gonna take for me to convince you cause let’s face it you know I always get my way’ he laughed and you rolled your eyes cause you knew he was right. You were still unhappy about the amount of money it would cost him but if he was stupid enough to offer to pay for you then why weren’t you accepting? Chances like this didn’t come around very often and you knew you’d be miserable sat at home watching everyone else have fun. EXACTLYYYYY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR RICH BESTIEEEE

‘So I have a confession’ he laughed and you knew you were about to hear something you wouldn’t like. ‘I’d already paid for you. I was hoping to try and convince you nearer the time’ he confessed, laughing like a small boy who’s just been caught with his hand in the sweet jar and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t find him endearing. IF HE IS NOT THE CUTES MAN IN THIS WORLD

‘I wanted to talk to you about something else too’ you asked carefully, not wanting to startle him but your conversation from last night was still playing on your mind. P

OMG OK

‘This little arrangement we might have going on’ LITTLE ARRANGEMENT🤭🤭

‘But I might not be sat next to you’ Y/N...COME ON, HE HAS EVERYTHING PLANNED OUT

‘Oh muffin, I made sure you are’ he drawled, causing you to roll your eyes at his cockiness. EXACTLYYYYY

SHE IS GOINGGGGG😌😌😌😌 BUT I HAD NO DOUBTS AT ALL OBVIOUSLY

HER GOING THERE EARLY THATS ME AHAHHAHA

I'LL NEVER GET OVER ABOUT HIM CALLING HER MUFFIN, I SWEAR, IT MELTS ME EVERYTIME

You let him know you’d meet him outside the shop you were in and as soon as your eyes met his you felt your heart thud in your chest. He looked so cute in his comfy clothes and even though his hood was up you’d recognise him anywhere. I CAN PICTURE HIM 🥹🥹🥹

OMG THEY ARE SOOOOOOO TOUCHYYYYYY🤭🤭🤭🤭

HER FRIENDSHIP WITH CARLY IS SOOOO CUTE🥹MY GIRLS

‘I just wanted everyone together’ he laughed as you all pulled away, watching Carly make a beeline for him so she could pull him into her arms. You knew she was saying something to him but you weren’t quite sure what so you went round and said hello to everyone else. MASON, STOP OR YOU'LL MAKE ME CRY,AND CARLOTTAAAA WHAT DID YOU TELL HIMMMM

You watched on as he shrugged his bag off to pop in the overhead locker and you knew your face was probably bright red now as you caught a glimpse of his tummy when he reached up to shut the compartment. YESTERDAY'S PIC

He was playing with his fingers absentmindedly before he looked up at you and your heart almost broke at the vulnerability in his eyes. ‘I’m not the best flyer. I might not be the best company unless you can think of a way to distract me’ OH BABY BOY

‘We can distract each other then’ he offered and you nodded back. Unable to form a proper sentence for some reason as his chocolate eyes were making you feel fuzzy. SHE MAKES HIM NERVOUS 🤭🤭🤭🤭

You grabbed your clasped hands with your free one, pulling both into your lap before resting your head on his arm and you felt him give a little chuckle before leaning into you a bit more. His head resting on top of yours as the plane sped up which caused a small whimper to fall from your lips. CAN I HAVE THIS WHEN I HAVE TO TAKE A PLANE???

You felt him press him lips to the top of your head, leaving them there as you squeezed him as hard as you could and by the way he was squeezing you back you knew he was scared too but the way he’d seemed to of pushed that to the side to comfort you made you smile even though you felt like you were about die. HIM ACTING STRING FOR HER HAD TO BE MY FAVOURITE THING 🥺🥺🥺

‘You don’t need to be sorry, honestly it’s fine. Sort of took my mind off of me being freaked out’ CUTIE PIE

‘Do you mind?’ He asked quietly, nodding down to your linked fingers, a small smile taking over his face as he gulped nervously. ‘I think I still need the emotional support’ OMG I'LL OFFICIALLY START CRYING

‘Of course I have’ you winked, reaching for your iPad and he looked at you with a curious expression. AHHAHAHAHAHA OMG NOW IM THINKING ABIUT THE CONTRACT IN 50 SHADES OF GREY

‘But I like kissing you’ he pouted, the crease in his eyebrows more pronounced than you’d ever seen it. I GASPED AT THIS

‘No cuddling after and no sleeping in each others beds’ SHE HAS STRICT RULES

‘No sex with anyone else’ you told him and he looked back at you like it was the most obvious thing in the world. ‘No teasing, playing games or flirting with anyone else’ HE IS JEALOUSSSSS

‘No feelings. At all. The friendship comes first. Deal?’ YEAHHHHHHHH OF COURSEEEE

OMG THEY SIGNED IT AHAHHAHAHA I LOVE YOU LOZ

She knew you hated talking about money though so thankfully she avoided the topic and soon enough you were pulling into the drive of a huge villa. OHHH, THIS CAN BE CONSIDERED A SPOILER? 🤭

‘I think the three couples should take the rooms upstairs and y/n and I can take the two downstairs. That way the two single people don’t have to listen to you lot getting it on at god knows what time’ YES MASON, OT MAYBE THEY WON'T LISTEN YOU TWO????

‘That does make sense’ you laughed, secretly hoping everyone else agreed as it would make yours and Masons little arrangement a lot easier and you could tell from the little sparkle in his eye that he’d been thinking about this for a while. NAUGHTYYYY GIRLLLL

‘Come on, Y/n. I’ll help you with your stuff’ he winked before nodding his head in the direction of the stairs. ‘We can all meet back here in like an hour or so?’ I LOVE HIM AHHAHAHA

‘Can I kiss you?’ He asked timidly and even though you were a little shocked, you knew you’d have to let him down a bit. I GASPED HARD

‘Yeah I know it’s against the rules but I feel like we’re being super awkward with each other and it might ease the tension a little’ he explained, kicking yourself that you’d be so transparent. SILLYYY

‘One kiss’ he smiled, standing up slowly and once he was close enough you rested your hands on his chest as he gripped your hips. YEAHHH JUST ONE

He started out pressing a kiss to your cheek, a smile breaking out on your face as he slowly peppered them towards your mouth before he finally popped a quick peck on your lips. I JUST LOVE HIM

‘Well don’t, you’ve got as much right to be here as everyone else’ I NEED A MASON TO VALIDATE ME DAILY PLEASE

You should've known it was a bad idea as soon as you started shopping. Mason never taking his hands from your body as you gathered everything from your list and it was safe to say he was driving you wild. He always seemed to have to get something from next to where you were, moving you to the side with his hand on the small of your back or reaching around you with his lips on your neck. MOUNTTTT BEHAVE

‘Sorry, that last kiss wasn’t enough for me earlier. I need a little more’ he winked and you couldn't help but smile. Truth be told you needed a little more too so you let him get away with it. NEEDYYYYYYYY

Mason spent most of the night with his arm casually slung around your chair and whilst it meant and looked like nothing to everyone else, you felt yourself turn shy at the small gesture. He picked up on it too, eventually pulling his hand away to place on your knee discreetly but that just made you feel even more shy so after a quick squeeze he kept his hands to himself. HE IS A BIG TEASE OMG

He was your friend, nothing more than that and there was no way he should be acting like the other boys were with their girls but you so wished he would. THIA MADE ME SAD AGAIN TODAY🥺 IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN SOON LOVE

‘You tired or do you wanna hang out for a bit when we get back?’HANG OUTTTTT SUREEEE

‘What’s wrong, Muffin?’ He asked gently. ‘You know we don’t have to do anything-‘ I FEEL SOFT FOR HIM

‘I get that’ he breathed, kissing the top of your head. ‘They’re all over each other aren't they? sometimes I just wanna tell them to let each other breathe’ he chuckled. ‘Don’t feel bad though, you’re mine this week okay? and I take care of what belongs to me’ JUST THIS WEEK??????

‘I’m just a little nervous’ you whispered. ‘I know we’ve had sex before but we were drunk and practically fully clothed. What if you don’t like-‘ OH SHUT UP, HE IS IN LOVE WITH YOU

You weren’t sure what was happening but when he reached for the neck of his top and pulled it off you weren’t sure where to look. 🫠🫠🫠🫠 LET THE FUN BEGINN

As soon as it was off, his eyes were looking over you hungrily as he bit his lip hard. His reaction boosting your ego slightly before he stood up and pulled you with him so he could unbutton his trousers and take them off. You’d seen him in shorts before but looking at him in his fancy green boxers was a whole other story and you felt your mouth go dry. LOZ OMG, I THOUGHT THERE WAS BLACK BOXERSSSSS

He was taking his time, slowly brushing his lips against yours as his hands travelled down to your bum. Gripping it gently as he began to knead it and you felt your knees go weak from his touches. ITS THE FACT THAT HE IS BEING SWEET WITH HER AND NOT GETTING THERE IMMEDIATELY

SHE TOOK HER BRA OFF🤭🤭🤭

You could tell he was happy with what he was seeing, his eyes raking over your chest as his bottom lip got trapped in between his teeth but he wanted you further up the bed. Nodding his head to encourage you to move up and into the centre before he knelt in between your legs. OK HERE WE ARE, ARE WE READYYYY???

‘Well, I was thinking. Why don’t you show me what you like’ he asked, eyes slowly trailing over your body before looking back into your eyes. ‘And I’ll show you how I like it’ WOOOOOWWWWW🫠🫠🫠🫠 I GASPED

‘I know it seems scary, but once we get going you’ll be fine’ he reassured, leaning over to place a soft kiss to your lips. ‘And I promise I’ll take good care of you after yeah?’ He spoke against your lips. HE'LL TAKE GOOD CARE OF HER🤭

It’s like you were in a trance, your eyes watching his hand go up and down, drinking in the noises he was making before his free hand reached for yours in an attempt to position it where you’d follow suit and even though your cheeks were burning you went with it. Shutting your eyes as your fingers brushed over where you needed some relief. OMG OK🥵🥵🥵🥵

THE FACT THAT HE COULDN'T WAIT OMG🫠

‘Mase?’ You asked, looking up to his blood red face that was full of embarrassment and when his eyes finally met yours you felt your tummy drop. He looked humiliated and scared, like you’d were about to throw him out for cumming too quickly but that was the last thing on your mind. OMG MY HEART DROPPED, BABY BOY🥺

‘No it’s not, Jesus Christ’ he interrupted, his hand scratching the back of his neck. ‘You can tell it’s been a while huh’ he laughed awkwardly, grabbing his shirt so he could clean you up a bit. ‘There you were worrying I wouldn’t like what I saw, you’re too attractive clearly. My dick can’t take it’ AHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAH I LOVE HIM

‘I had whisky dick last time. Normally I can’t even get it up when I’ve had that much to drink so the fact I fucked you is actually pretty impressive I’ll have you know’ he laughed shyly before slipping down next to you. ‘Look just lay back so I can finish you off yeah?’ HE IS SO SILLY

‘Well I do. Won’t leave any of my customers unsafisfied with my service’ he winked, a strange feeling settling in your tummy at his words but in the end you just laughed him off. MOUNT...NO😭😂

‘Oh I don’t think so’ he whispered, leaning down so he could place a kiss on your lips ‘remember last time? I said I wanted to take my time with you but we couldn’t. So I’m gonna take my time with you now okay?’ THE BIGGEST TEASE ALIVE

OMG OK

BESTIEEEEEEE

THAT WAS PERFECT LITERALLY

I LIVED HOW HE DID EVERYTHING TO CONVINCE HER AND THAT HE HAD ALREADY PAYED FOR HER

WHEN THEY MET AT THE AIRPORT AND HE WAS SUPER TOUCHYYYYYY????

THE FLIGHT PART? YOU ALREADY KNOW I WAS GOING TO LEVE IT AND IT HAPPENED

THE RULES, I LOVED THEM AHHAHAHAHA, BUT I KNOW THEY AREN’T GOING TO RESPECT ANY OF THEM

I LOVED HOW THE TTWO OF THEM WANTED TO SLEEP ON THE ROOMS DOWNSTAIRS 🤭

AND HIM BEING SUPER TOUCHYYYYYY WITH HER IN PUBLIC

THE SMUT? THE GREEN BOXERS? HIM PUTTING HER FIRST AND WANTING TO KNOW WHAT SHE LIKES? AND HIM CUMMING AND FEELING EMBARRASSED??? OMG

I LIVE HIS SWEETNESS HONESTLY 🥹 MY CUTIE BOY

PERFECTION LOVE🤭🤭🤭🤭

CAN'T WAIT FOR WEDNESDAY AT THIS POINT

THANK YOU FOR THIS WORK OF ART🩷🩷🩷

I LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK SM

Thank you so much 🥺 he was ready for her to go before she’d even said yes and he’s just SO excited he can’t keep his hands off of her the silly boy 😂

We love Wednesdays in this house 🩷

[enevera]

ice/ghost/steel 💜

ice - you kind of need therapy i’d take you if u need

sdhfbjhdbf contributing to the mutuals tell vera to get therapy agenda i see lolol <3333333333 (im goinggggg do not worry!!)

ghost - i wish i could hold your hand you’re so kind

holding ur hand soooo much we are going on a walk it will be fun!! we will feed healthy food to the duckies at the pond mhm

steel - pls talk more your thoughts are just ~chefs kiss~

bjdhfbjhbdj thank uuuuu will keep talking j for u and henry <333!!

ask game!!

[ingridhodel]

Goinggggg, goinnnggg, {almost} GONE! 🌬🌬⁣ ⁣⁣ January blew by like a blizzard in the winter! ❄️⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ But just because this month is coming to a close does NOT mean your goals and resolutions for 2022 are! ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ It’s never too late to start setting goals and working towards them! I repeat, never! ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Need a little friendly push and guidance?⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Message me if you need help so we can chat about your goals and the next steps to getting you started on this journey to take back control of yo’ life!! 💪🍍📝⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Got big goals you’re ready to crush? I’m your girl! ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ LET’S DO THIS! 👊👊⁣

[lordtraco]

Vtsom chap 4 reactions (with @navadesen ):

Spoilers!!!!

Who let him have a stethoscope???

*sees chapter card* this is Fine

CLAUDE IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE NAME!!! *GASSSSPPPPPPP*

He's wearing a bowtie to symbolize being a child.

I'm here for diddly dots!

NORMAL ARMED VICTORRRR MY LOVEEEE

"a chance of fate? [Excuse you, we're MARRIED! I chose this!]"

He's not yet santa, Nav.

Straightforward but hopefully not straight

Me:Victor sounds like a preschool teacher trying to communicate with a fellow adult for the first time in months.

Nav: probably not wrong.

Nav: "because they're involved"

Me: "they're involved! Romantically"

Nav: WHO WEARS A SUIT WHEN THEY GO OFF TO COLLEGE????

And then Victor took mental damage

♪when you try your best but you don't succeeeeeeeed♪♪♪

YOU MAKE NO SENSE

Me: If he smiles he might put a SINGLE crease in his suit. So he can't. WHY DO I SHIP THESE IDIOTS???

Nav: Why do you ship these two?

Both: Because they were roommates

Vincent: But I am different! [I'm not like Other Girls]

The Myers Corporation? *Victor turns on the sexy*

"...Are you mocking me?" And that's when they fell in love. Or hate. One of those.

Me: I love my ominous husband and his future husband.

Vincent: Angy

Victor: my dear Vincent~

"LOUSY PERSONALITY" !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nav: Angy diggily dots!!!

Me: DO YOU SEE WHY I LOVE HIMMMM???

both at sad expression: awwwww...

Vincent: I hate scum like him (Nav: famous last words, Vincent)

Us: go-to the party go to the party gototheparty

Wait are we really actually speedrunning Roommates to Enemies to Lovers????

AGAIN????

I don't like where this is goinggggg *whines*

THIS HURTS

Both: CAN WE HUG VINCENT????

Nav: I need these diddly dots, and he needs a therapist.

Me: Enter Krueger.

Poor roommie be drunk

Me: on one hand I wanna believe Victor fell into Vincent's arms...... But let's be real. He probably fell flat on the floor as Vincent went "...huh."

DID HE SKIP ALL HIS CLASSES FOR HIM????? HE DID!!!!!!!

He wasn't drunk???????????

HE JUST. GOT HIM A CAT COCOA!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Both: WHY IS VICTOR ME??????

Ouch...... Why does this one hurt

LOOK AT VINCENT

He

Is

BLUSHING

WOAHHHHHHHH

WE ARE SPEEDRUNNING THISSSSSSSSSS

*discussions of personal College Experience* wait why am I him and why are you him

Nav: This is the fluff and comfort before everything goes to shambles

Me: I hate you

Me: Wait wait wait, call him adorable, no response. But call him admirable and he blushes... *Looks at Nav* Why is he you?

Nav: U rite

Both, repeatedly: He so pretty

HE BLOOSH

"my dear" THATS HIM

Vincent: asks question

MC: pulls up dictionary

OK BUT WHERE IS DRACO

"Ok but what are you getting at?" He's pretty!

Not as vulnerable??????

Can you use the scalpel on Vincent? Nope

THST SAS HIS FAVORITE MUG

Was that mug his soul?

We can only afford two vanoras

WAITTTTTT

Me: this is the worst pic of loss I've ever seen

I don't like the implications heeeeeere hot chocolate was Vincent's thiiiiing

It's not a bug! It's a feature!

Krueger might be trying to preserve people with his methods!!!

Nav: I'm not licking it

RU37? No I'm not

Vincent you are not pretty from this angle

Nav: ALFRED

Me: Albert!

Nav: He's Alfred now!

DID HE GIVE HIM THE TIE????

IT

IS

A

DATE

AaaaaAaaaaaAaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAA

I CALLED ITTTTTTT

This is from the fishing game.......

"What am I? Cant you tell? Im-" Danny Phantom!

Red text? Victor???

DRACOOOOO

*spends an entire car ride theorizing and crying*

I WAS RIGHT ABT DRACO

"look there's a normal 'i wonder what happens next' and then there's PHYSICALLY NEEDING TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS"

*no spoiler messages friends "SCREEEEECH" to let them know that chapter 4 is good*

*rereads instructions* *opens walkthrough*

*OMINOUS MUSIC*

Me: Oh you're fucking hot~

Nav: ........ ......*intense stare in ace*

Nav: Did I just hear those words come out of your mouth?

Me: ......

Nav: oh he's twitching

Me: ....little less hot now

Best quality: his wiggles

Quoting Victor might not be your best choice here

Actually it is???

*chuckles* I'm in danger

He wiggle longly now

He's a rocum sockem robot who lost

Safe BUT AT WHAT COST

I HATE

THIS

We knew this was coming....

Nav sobbing on the ground after accurately predicting all of that scene

If my ship can't sail, neither can yours.

OH THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT ENDING FIXED MY SOUL AAAAAAA

Nav still dying

"i will write you fluff. ALL the fluff!

Nav: now I need the therapist!

*rereading this* Nav: This is the fluff and comfort before everything goes to shambles

"""Can you use the scalpel on Vincent? Nope""" THAT DIDNT AGE WELL

Nav: I've never felt this dead inside..

Me: Well you did just watch your self and son die.

All in all 10/10 utterly fantastic will recommend to everyone!

[proserpine-in-phases]

Ugh I need to get going but I just cant get goinggggg

[grandmaruffman]

frankly i am so excited about like...... da future. i! will defintiely be studying architecture somewhere! that’s basiclaly a guarantee! as much as anything in the future can be a guarantee...... NOW i just gotta like uhhh get thru the rest of senior year. and Rally! I need to Rally myself and keep goinggggg and not fail the IB diplomaaaaaaa and then I’ll be Set. As much as any 18 year old can be “Set”.

[billydmacklin]

Fall Checklist: Overseeding the Front Curb Strip!

This blog mini-series is in partnership with Lowe’s! Thank you for supporting my sponsors!

For many years, like probably most of my years, I’ve held onto this idea about what autumn would look like when I was all grown up. I know it, you know it—it’s the best season. Crunchy leaves. That crisp fall air. Warm drinks. Plaids. Brown liquors. Candles. Gourds. Sweaters. More clichés. Other clichés. Different clichés! Fall is the king of clichés, as far as seasons go. Pumpkin Spice Lattes (or PSL, if you really want to be a nightmare) are among the worst of the clichés, which is why I will not discuss them here.

I still think this way, as it happens. I turned 29 a couple of weeks ago but I still picture grown-up me as a totally different person with, like, nice clothes and an organized day planner. A person for whom home maintenance tasks are undertaken promptly and efficiently, who might start the day merrily clearing leaves from gutters and end it merrily setting potted mums and an assortment of gourds on my porch, because that’s just what this merry person does to usher in the season on October 1st. The weekend before, this guy probably went around the house and inspected for any areas of peeling paint and quickly addressed them, and the weekend after, he’ll flip on the heat with complete and total confidence that it’ll work because the whole system has just been recently serviced—well in advance of when it was needed, because he thinks ahead. He has it all figured out.

Where this concept and reality clash is…well, basically all of it. Grown-up me—the real one with the garbage wardrobe who continually tries and fails to really get into a groove with the Calendar app on my phone—has not exactly lived up to this specific expectation. It’s not because he doesn’t try. He tries very hard. But he takes on these really big projects, and either doesn’t have or doesn’t create the time for things like the mums and the gourds and the boiler-servicing-while-it’s-still-80-degrees-outside. Instead he’s usually up on a ladder, well into November, really putting the temperature requirements for most paint brands to the test, because what he thought would take one month has taken four. By most people’s standards, fall has decidedly given way to winter at this point, but his autumn to-do list still has so many unchecked items that he can’t admit what is plainly clear—most of this stuff won’t happen. The leaves and spent perennials will rot under the impending snow. The weed content of the grass will increase. Nothing will be planted in the ground, and that one radiator will, once again, refuse to heat. Better luck next year, ya little mess of a man.

Back in the spring, I made a Very Big Boy Decision: not taking on another exterior wall of the house to restore this year. I had the actual foresight to know I couldn’t finish the sides of the house I’ve already started over the past few years plus a whole additional side, while also starting and finishing two big freelance jobs, while also finally getting the cottage ready for very long-overdue finishing work. As such, I’ve still been a busy bee, but a bee who isn’t quite so thoroughly overwhelmed. Wanting to take advantage of this, I promptly overwhelmed myself by creating a Big Fall To-Do List, and my pals at Lowe’s stepped in to help me work through it! I feel like I’ve entered a new stage of adulting. Getting these fall house/yard maintenance tasks done has felt SO GOOD I CAN’T EVEN STAND IT and—let’s be honest—long overdue considering I’ve never done most of them and this is going to be winter number SIX in this house.

So! Over the coming days and weeks I’ll be sharing these small but impactful projects with you! Because this is a blog! And that’s what we do here! Let’s dive in!

MISSION NUMERO UNO: OVERSEEDING THE CURB STRIP

I used to be that kid with the bad attitude when it came to lawns. Loving a really dense, thick lawn seemed like something for…other people. I surely don’t care about that classic staple of American yards! I have no need for a thick bed of vegetation that needs to constantly be mowed and watered and fussed over. Who cares if the lawn is just some struggling grass and clover and a bunch of weeds? I can mow weeds too, ya know!

I now totally understand the appeal of a nice lawn. First of all, it really does look good. Second of all, it feels nice—to walk on, sit on, roll around on if you’re a dog or that’s just your thing. Third of all, having a healthy lawn means fewer weeds, simply because they don’t thrive as well when competing for space and resources with well-established grass. And that thing I said about just mowing a weed lawn earlier? WRONG. WRONG WRONG WRONG. Weeds really do suck, because they take up a lot of space—meaning that when you mow over them, you expose a bare patch around the roots where their leaves and water consumption haven’t allowed anything else to grow. Multiply that by a lot of weeds and you have lots of vegetation but still a lot of exposed dirt. And when you have a bunch of bare dirt, and a dog who goes in and out of the backyard and then all over your house and on all your furniture all day long (FOR INSTANCE), it gets EVERYWHERE. I feel like the amount of dirt I’m constantly sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping up could be really cut down with some commitment to good lawn care.

Before getting bogged down in addressing the entire backyard, I actually wanted to focus on the grass in the front of the house. I’ve never done anything to maintain the grass in the front hellstrip other than mow it, and…it shows. It could definitely look a LOT better, and that’s an easy thing to do while the front of the house still awaits restoration. I’ve been working a tonnnnn on the side of the house, meaning the front has started to look increasingly shoddy.

FIRST, I blew the leaves. I have two honey locust trees in front of the house, I’d guess around 40 years old, and those little leaves get everywhere! Honey locusts can be great because the leaves are so small that a lot of people just let them compost themselves on the ground without raking or blowing, but that doesn’t really work for sidewalks and streets. Rather, it does work, but it’s a mess and it’s slippery and not good. Basically my strategy is to move from the house toward the street, blowing onto the sidewalk and the street and then sweeping up and bagging my piles. It works well. I used the blower to get as many leaves out of the grass as possible.

There are a few things you may notice about this picture, such as my sweatshirt bearing the likeness of my favorite Insta-cat, Princess Monster Truck. There is also the rest of my ensemble which I cannot explain other than to say it’s both disappointing and invigorating to be at this point where I simply no longer have the energy to care about looking a hot mess on the internet or in real life.

The thing I’d like to draw your attention to, though, is my SUPER AWESOME NEW LEAF BLOWER. When I bought this house, I did the ill-advised thing of buying the cheapest outdoor equipment available, basically without exception. The first lawnmower we bought was the manual kind you just wheel over the grass without the benefit of modern technology like, ya know, a motor. My leaf blower has heretofore been a super lousy battery-powered number, and while it does produce air it doesn’t have the power to disturb more than an upper layer of very dry, lightweight leaves, and the battery dies really fast and recharges slowly. So that’s where I’m coming from. Essentially I’ve just been replacing all of these lousy tools one by one as they either stop working or become unbearable.

Which leads me to: GREENWORKS! Back in the spring, I took the plunge (totally independent of this sponsored series) and bought the Greenworks Pro battery-powered lawnmower from Lowe’s to replace the bottom-of-the-line gas mower which I bought after quickly giving up on the manual mower. The gas mower died, and the options were to basically spend as much as the mower cost to have it repaired or just invest in something new. Over the past few years, the market has been flooded with battery-powered outdoor power equipment, and it seems to clearly be the wave of the future, so I opted to just go for it and I’m SO glad I did. No gas! No oil! No smoke! No yanking on a string over and over again hoping that this is the pull that will finally persuade the engine to start!

But who really cares how clean it is if it doesn’t really work? WELL. These Greenworks Pro tools are far and away the best thing I’ve ever used—battery-operated or otherwise. I never really understood the importance of a high-quality leaf blower until I upgraded to this one, and it’s kind of like…OH, THAT’S how this is supposed to work!! It saves SO MUCH work when it actually does the thing it’s supposed to do! The power that comes out of this thing is insane, and it just keeps goinggggg and goingggg and goinggggggg. The upfront investment of these tools did strike me as a bit high when I started looking into them, but considering how well they work, that they don’t require any future investment of oil or gas, and are far less prone to issues that might require professional repair (meaning $ and time without your tools!), I actually think they’re totally reasonably priced. Plus, they’re just SO COOL! SO FUTURE!

When the leaf blowing was done, it was just a matter of popping the battery out of the new leaf blower and popping it into my well-loved lawnmower! The great thing is that the batteries—as long as they’re the same voltage—interchange between tools, so you don’t have to buy a new battery/charger every time you want to add a tool to the arsenal. That’s why it’s smart to pick a brand and stick with it.

So, I mean this sincerely. I love this lawnmower. I never, ever thought I would love a lawnmower. But I love this lawnmower. Let me count the ways.

First, obviously, is the battery. I HATE dealing with gas and oil, so that was my main motivation to go battery-powered, but it’s SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.

Out of the box, it’s basically ready to use. There are like three things to screw together and it’s ready to go. For the leaf blower, you just insert the battery and you’re off to the races. Amazing.

And then. It starts with a button. A button!

It’s SO QUIET. The first time I used it, I wasn’t even sure if it was working properly because it was so quiet. I can listen to podcasts while I mow the grass without the sound of the mower drowning out my earbuds. It’s a REVELATION. And, like, stunningly cool if you’re used to a gas mower.

It’s so light. This is not a self-propelled mower, but it’s so easy to push that I don’t feel like it’s necessary. But they make one of those now, too!

It’s compact! I mean, in use, it’s the size of a regular lawnmower, but it can kind of fold up and hang on the wall the rest of the time. Admittedly I have no clear wall in my garage to hang it on, but it’s nice to know this is an option for the future when I tame the hoard.

The height adjustment! IT’S JUST A LEVER! On my old mower, you literally had to remove the wheels and reinstall them to change the mower height. As such, I put it on the lowest setting when I assembled it and then never changed it.

WHICH BRINGS US BACK TO MY GRASS. I used to think mowing on anything other than the lowest setting was the dumbest thing ever. Why would you do that to yourself? Imagine you’re getting your hair cut, and the barber proposes just cutting it just a little bit every week instead of a couple of inches that’ll last you a few months. Who has time to go to the barber every week?*

*some people do, and it frightens me.

The thing I didn’t understand is that unlike hair, grass needs a little length to maintain its overall health! If you cut it as short as you can go every time, you’re shooting yourself in the foot because the grass can’t properly develop and thicken, and then you invite weeds which grow faster than the grass, so you need to mow more, and your grass still looks like garbage. I’ve learned this the hard way so you don’t have to. Also, sometimes it pays to even just do the smallest amount of reading about stuff.

ANYWAY. In this case, I’m overseeding existing grass, and that’s a special kind of a process. For overseeding, you DO actually want the lowest setting to give new grass seed the best chance at success. Also—typically I allow my grass clippings to just mulch out the side of the mower, but for this you want to use the bag attachment and collect the clippings. The point is to expose soil!

After blowing the leaves and mowing, this gives you an idea of what’s left. That poor grass—it’s really trying! And the weeds are also trying! But it’s just a patchy thin state of affairs.

At this stage, you have a couple options: thatching or aerating. No lie—growing up, we had a landscaping company come and deal with our grass so actually knowing about this stuff is rather new to me. I remember when they’d aerate every year—essentially, breaking up the soil and adding fertilizer—but I don’t remember ever hearing about thatch. Thatch is the layer of stuff created by dead grass, clippings, and dead roots. Most of the time it’s an OK thing, but not really when you’re trying to get new grass seed to take. Sometimes thatch gets so thick that it actually causes the grass to thin out, so thatching isn’t exclusively for overseeding—some sources say to do it about once a year!

Learning. So. Much.

So anyway. I decided to thatch. With a manual thatcher—which is good for something like this, but I can imagine it being EXHAUSTING for a whole lawn. There are motorized versions, though, and they’re pretty affordable.

I kinda want one? That also feels like a new territory of lawn obsession I’m not sure I’m ready for.

Time for seed! I picked up this Scotts Turf Builder seed spreader a few years ago for my first attempt at seeding the backyard, and this bag of Scotts Sun & Shade Mix over the weekend to overseed this front strip. I compared a bunch of different grasses and seeds to land on this one—it’s a mix of medium and fine-bladed grass (I personally don’t like larger blade grasses), and the idea is basically that the characteristics of each different type compliment the others—so if one type isn’t doing well because of too much foot traffic, or too little water, or too little sun, or too much sun, another will take over that affected area and thrive.

Also, it’s blue! The seeds are coated in fertilizer and stuff to retain moisture and other science things, so you just spread it and water it. No hay, no additional fertilizer steps—couldn’t be easier. If you forget any of the steps or aren’t sure what setting to use on the spreader, not to fear. It’s all on the bag! I gotta hand it to the Scotts packaging and product designers—they do a great job of walking you through it all.

Here is me, candidly watering my new grass seed in my sexy DIY clothes as though someone isn’t standing the street waiting for cars to pass to snap photos of me. Totally normal, not weird at all.

I finished off by walking up and down and edging both sides of the curb strip and sweeping up errant grass seed and any other debris. It’s a small thing but I love when the bluestone sidewalk and curb are all neat and tidy! I may have one BILLION things to do to restore the front of this house, but until then—this is the kind of thing that makes a house look well-loved and cared for. So excited to see how this grass develops—I can see you now, perfect green carpet!

Fall Checklist: Overseeding the Front Curb Strip! published first on https://carpetgurus.tumblr.com/

[carygarman980]

Fall Checklist: Overseeding the Front Curb Strip!

This blog mini-series is in partnership with Lowe’s! Thank you for supporting my sponsors!

For many years, like probably most of my years, I’ve held onto this idea about what autumn would look like when I was all grown up. I know it, you know it—it’s the best season. Crunchy leaves. That crisp fall air. Warm drinks. Plaids. Brown liquors. Candles. Gourds. Sweaters. More clichés. Other clichés. Different clichés! Fall is the king of clichés, as far as seasons go. Pumpkin Spice Lattes (or PSL, if you really want to be a nightmare) are among the worst of the clichés, which is why I will not discuss them here.

I still think this way, as it happens. I turned 29 a couple of weeks ago but I still picture grown-up me as a totally different person with, like, nice clothes and an organized day planner. A person for whom home maintenance tasks are undertaken promptly and efficiently, who might start the day merrily clearing leaves from gutters and end it merrily setting potted mums and an assortment of gourds on my porch, because that’s just what this merry person does to usher in the season on October 1st. The weekend before, this guy probably went around the house and inspected for any areas of peeling paint and quickly addressed them, and the weekend after, he’ll flip on the heat with complete and total confidence that it’ll work because the whole system has just been recently serviced—well in advance of when it was needed, because he thinks ahead. He has it all figured out.

Where this concept and reality clash is…well, basically all of it. Grown-up me—the real one with the garbage wardrobe who continually tries and fails to really get into a groove with the Calendar app on my phone—has not exactly lived up to this specific expectation. It’s not because he doesn’t try. He tries very hard. But he takes on these really big projects, and either doesn’t have or doesn’t create the time for things like the mums and the gourds and the boiler-servicing-while-it’s-still-80-degrees-outside. Instead he’s usually up on a ladder, well into November, really putting the temperature requirements for most paint brands to the test, because what he thought would take one month has taken four. By most people’s standards, fall has decidedly given way to winter at this point, but his autumn to-do list still has so many unchecked items that he can’t admit what is plainly clear—most of this stuff won’t happen. The leaves and spent perennials will rot under the impending snow. The weed content of the grass will increase. Nothing will be planted in the ground, and that one radiator will, once again, refuse to heat. Better luck next year, ya little mess of a man.

Back in the spring, I made a Very Big Boy Decision: not taking on another exterior wall of the house to restore this year. I had the actual foresight to know I couldn’t finish the sides of the house I’ve already started over the past few years plus a whole additional side, while also starting and finishing two big freelance jobs, while also finally getting the cottage ready for very long-overdue finishing work. As such, I’ve still been a busy bee, but a bee who isn’t quite so thoroughly overwhelmed. Wanting to take advantage of this, I promptly overwhelmed myself by creating a Big Fall To-Do List, and my pals at Lowe’s stepped in to help me work through it! I feel like I’ve entered a new stage of adulting. Getting these fall house/yard maintenance tasks done has felt SO GOOD I CAN’T EVEN STAND IT and—let’s be honest—long overdue considering I’ve never done most of them and this is going to be winter number SIX in this house.

So! Over the coming days and weeks I’ll be sharing these small but impactful projects with you! Because this is a blog! And that’s what we do here! Let’s dive in!

MISSION NUMERO UNO: OVERSEEDING THE CURB STRIP

I used to be that kid with the bad attitude when it came to lawns. Loving a really dense, thick lawn seemed like something for…other people. I surely don’t care about that classic staple of American yards! I have no need for a thick bed of vegetation that needs to constantly be mowed and watered and fussed over. Who cares if the lawn is just some struggling grass and clover and a bunch of weeds? I can mow weeds too, ya know!

I now totally understand the appeal of a nice lawn. First of all, it really does look good. Second of all, it feels nice—to walk on, sit on, roll around on if you’re a dog or that’s just your thing. Third of all, having a healthy lawn means fewer weeds, simply because they don’t thrive as well when competing for space and resources with well-established grass. And that thing I said about just mowing a weed lawn earlier? WRONG. WRONG WRONG WRONG. Weeds really do suck, because they take up a lot of space—meaning that when you mow over them, you expose a bare patch around the roots where their leaves and water consumption haven’t allowed anything else to grow. Multiply that by a lot of weeds and you have lots of vegetation but still a lot of exposed dirt. And when you have a bunch of bare dirt, and a dog who goes in and out of the backyard and then all over your house and on all your furniture all day long (FOR INSTANCE), it gets EVERYWHERE. I feel like the amount of dirt I’m constantly sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping up could be really cut down with some commitment to good lawn care.

Before getting bogged down in addressing the entire backyard, I actually wanted to focus on the grass in the front of the house. I’ve never done anything to maintain the grass in the front hellstrip other than mow it, and…it shows. It could definitely look a LOT better, and that’s an easy thing to do while the front of the house still awaits restoration. I’ve been working a tonnnnn on the side of the house, meaning the front has started to look increasingly shoddy.

FIRST, I blew the leaves. I have two honey locust trees in front of the house, I’d guess around 40 years old, and those little leaves get everywhere! Honey locusts can be great because the leaves are so small that a lot of people just let them compost themselves on the ground without raking or blowing, but that doesn’t really work for sidewalks and streets. Rather, it does work, but it’s a mess and it’s slippery and not good. Basically my strategy is to move from the house toward the street, blowing onto the sidewalk and the street and then sweeping up and bagging my piles. It works well. I used the blower to get as many leaves out of the grass as possible.

There are a few things you may notice about this picture, such as my sweatshirt bearing the likeness of my favorite Insta-cat, Princess Monster Truck. There is also the rest of my ensemble which I cannot explain other than to say it’s both disappointing and invigorating to be at this point where I simply no longer have the energy to care about looking a hot mess on the internet or in real life.

The thing I’d like to draw your attention to, though, is my SUPER AWESOME NEW LEAF BLOWER. When I bought this house, I did the ill-advised thing of buying the cheapest outdoor equipment available, basically without exception. The first lawnmower we bought was the manual kind you just wheel over the grass without the benefit of modern technology like, ya know, a motor. My leaf blower has heretofore been a super lousy battery-powered number, and while it does produce air it doesn’t have the power to disturb more than an upper layer of very dry, lightweight leaves, and the battery dies really fast and recharges slowly. So that’s where I’m coming from. Essentially I’ve just been replacing all of these lousy tools one by one as they either stop working or become unbearable.

Which leads me to: GREENWORKS! Back in the spring, I took the plunge (totally independent of this sponsored series) and bought the Greenworks Pro battery-powered lawnmower from Lowe’s to replace the bottom-of-the-line gas mower which I bought after quickly giving up on the manual mower. The gas mower died, and the options were to basically spend as much as the mower cost to have it repaired or just invest in something new. Over the past few years, the market has been flooded with battery-powered outdoor power equipment, and it seems to clearly be the wave of the future, so I opted to just go for it and I’m SO glad I did. No gas! No oil! No smoke! No yanking on a string over and over again hoping that this is the pull that will finally persuade the engine to start!

But who really cares how clean it is if it doesn’t really work? WELL. These Greenworks Pro tools are far and away the best thing I’ve ever used—battery-operated or otherwise. I never really understood the importance of a high-quality leaf blower until I upgraded to this one, and it’s kind of like…OH, THAT’S how this is supposed to work!! It saves SO MUCH work when it actually does the thing it’s supposed to do! The power that comes out of this thing is insane, and it just keeps goinggggg and goingggg and goinggggggg. The upfront investment of these tools did strike me as a bit high when I started looking into them, but considering how well they work, that they don’t require any future investment of oil or gas, and are far less prone to issues that might require professional repair (meaning $ and time without your tools!), I actually think they’re totally reasonably priced. Plus, they’re just SO COOL! SO FUTURE!

When the leaf blowing was done, it was just a matter of popping the battery out of the new leaf blower and popping it into my well-loved lawnmower! The great thing is that the batteries—as long as they’re the same voltage—interchange between tools, so you don’t have to buy a new battery/charger every time you want to add a tool to the arsenal. That’s why it’s smart to pick a brand and stick with it.

So, I mean this sincerely. I love this lawnmower. I never, ever thought I would love a lawnmower. But I love this lawnmower. Let me count the ways.

First, obviously, is the battery. I HATE dealing with gas and oil, so that was my main motivation to go battery-powered, but it’s SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.

Out of the box, it’s basically ready to use. There are like three things to screw together and it’s ready to go. For the leaf blower, you just insert the battery and you’re off to the races. Amazing.

And then. It starts with a button. A button!

It’s SO QUIET. The first time I used it, I wasn’t even sure if it was working properly because it was so quiet. I can listen to podcasts while I mow the grass without the sound of the mower drowning out my earbuds. It’s a REVELATION. And, like, stunningly cool if you’re used to a gas mower.

It’s so light. This is not a self-propelled mower, but it’s so easy to push that I don’t feel like it’s necessary. But they make one of those now, too!

It’s compact! I mean, in use, it’s the size of a regular lawnmower, but it can kind of fold up and hang on the wall the rest of the time. Admittedly I have no clear wall in my garage to hang it on, but it’s nice to know this is an option for the future when I tame the hoard.

The height adjustment! IT’S JUST A LEVER! On my old mower, you literally had to remove the wheels and reinstall them to change the mower height. As such, I put it on the lowest setting when I assembled it and then never changed it.

WHICH BRINGS US BACK TO MY GRASS. I used to think mowing on anything other than the lowest setting was the dumbest thing ever. Why would you do that to yourself? Imagine you’re getting your hair cut, and the barber proposes just cutting it just a little bit every week instead of a couple of inches that’ll last you a few months. Who has time to go to the barber every week?*

*some people do, and it frightens me.

The thing I didn’t understand is that unlike hair, grass needs a little length to maintain its overall health! If you cut it as short as you can go every time, you’re shooting yourself in the foot because the grass can’t properly develop and thicken, and then you invite weeds which grow faster than the grass, so you need to mow more, and your grass still looks like garbage. I’ve learned this the hard way so you don’t have to. Also, sometimes it pays to even just do the smallest amount of reading about stuff.

ANYWAY. In this case, I’m overseeding existing grass, and that’s a special kind of a process. For overseeding, you DO actually want the lowest setting to give new grass seed the best chance at success. Also—typically I allow my grass clippings to just mulch out the side of the mower, but for this you want to use the bag attachment and collect the clippings. The point is to expose soil!

After blowing the leaves and mowing, this gives you an idea of what’s left. That poor grass—it’s really trying! And the weeds are also trying! But it’s just a patchy thin state of affairs.

At this stage, you have a couple options: thatching or aerating. No lie—growing up, we had a landscaping company come and deal with our grass so actually knowing about this stuff is rather new to me. I remember when they’d aerate every year—essentially, breaking up the soil and adding fertilizer—but I don’t remember ever hearing about thatch. Thatch is the layer of stuff created by dead grass, clippings, and dead roots. Most of the time it’s an OK thing, but not really when you’re trying to get new grass seed to take. Sometimes thatch gets so thick that it actually causes the grass to thin out, so thatching isn’t exclusively for overseeding—some sources say to do it about once a year!

Learning. So. Much.

So anyway. I decided to thatch. With a manual thatcher—which is good for something like this, but I can imagine it being EXHAUSTING for a whole lawn. There are motorized versions, though, and they’re pretty affordable.

I kinda want one? That also feels like a new territory of lawn obsession I’m not sure I’m ready for.

Time for seed! I picked up this Scotts Turf Builder seed spreader a few years ago for my first attempt at seeding the backyard, and this bag of Scotts Sun & Shade Mix over the weekend to overseed this front strip. I compared a bunch of different grasses and seeds to land on this one—it’s a mix of medium and fine-bladed grass (I personally don’t like larger blade grasses), and the idea is basically that the characteristics of each different type compliment the others—so if one type isn’t doing well because of too much foot traffic, or too little water, or too little sun, or too much sun, another will take over that affected area and thrive.

Also, it’s blue! The seeds are coated in fertilizer and stuff to retain moisture and other science things, so you just spread it and water it. No hay, no additional fertilizer steps—couldn’t be easier. If you forget any of the steps or aren’t sure what setting to use on the spreader, not to fear. It’s all on the bag! I gotta hand it to the Scotts packaging and product designers—they do a great job of walking you through it all.

Here is me, candidly watering my new grass seed in my sexy DIY clothes as though someone isn’t standing the street waiting for cars to pass to snap photos of me. Totally normal, not weird at all.

I finished off by walking up and down and edging both sides of the curb strip and sweeping up errant grass seed and any other debris. It’s a small thing but I love when the bluestone sidewalk and curb are all neat and tidy! I may have one BILLION things to do to restore the front of this house, but until then—this is the kind of thing that makes a house look well-loved and cared for. So excited to see how this grass develops—I can see you now, perfect green carpet!

[interiorstarweb]

Fall Checklist: Overseeding the Front Curb Strip!

This blog mini-series is in partnership with Lowe’s! Thank you for supporting my sponsors!

For many years, like probably most of my years, I’ve held onto this idea about what autumn would look like when I was all grown up. I know it, you know it—it’s the best season. Crunchy leaves. That crisp fall air. Warm drinks. Plaids. Brown liquors. Candles. Gourds. Sweaters. More clichés. Other clichés. Different clichés! Fall is the king of clichés, as far as seasons go. Pumpkin Spice Lattes (or PSL, if you really want to be a nightmare) are among the worst of the clichés, which is why I will not discuss them here.

I still think this way, as it happens. I turned 29 a couple of weeks ago but I still picture grown-up me as a totally different person with, like, nice clothes and an organized day planner. A person for whom home maintenance tasks are undertaken promptly and efficiently, who might start the day merrily clearing leaves from gutters and end it merrily setting potted mums and an assortment of gourds on my porch, because that’s just what this merry person does to usher in the season on October 1st. The weekend before, this guy probably went around the house and inspected for any areas of peeling paint and quickly addressed them, and the weekend after, he’ll flip on the heat with complete and total confidence that it’ll work because the whole system has just been recently serviced—well in advance of when it was needed, because he thinks ahead. He has it all figured out.

Where this concept and reality clash is…well, basically all of it. Grown-up me—the real one with the garbage wardrobe who continually tries and fails to really get into a groove with the Calendar app on my phone—has not exactly lived up to this specific expectation. It’s not because he doesn’t try. He tries very hard. But he takes on these really big projects, and either doesn’t have or doesn’t create the time for things like the mums and the gourds and the boiler-servicing-while-it’s-still-80-degrees-outside. Instead he’s usually up on a ladder, well into November, really putting the temperature requirements for most paint brands to the test, because what he thought would take one month has taken four. By most people’s standards, fall has decidedly given way to winter at this point, but his autumn to-do list still has so many unchecked items that he can’t admit what is plainly clear—most of this stuff won’t happen. The leaves and spent perennials will rot under the impending snow. The weed content of the grass will increase. Nothing will be planted in the ground, and that one radiator will, once again, refuse to heat. Better luck next year, ya little mess of a man.

Back in the spring, I made a Very Big Boy Decision: not taking on another exterior wall of the house to restore this year. I had the actual foresight to know I couldn’t finish the sides of the house I’ve already started over the past few years plus a whole additional side, while also starting and finishing two big freelance jobs, while also finally getting the cottage ready for very long-overdue finishing work. As such, I’ve still been a busy bee, but a bee who isn’t quite so thoroughly overwhelmed. Wanting to take advantage of this, I promptly overwhelmed myself by creating a Big Fall To-Do List, and my pals at Lowe’s stepped in to help me work through it! I feel like I’ve entered a new stage of adulting. Getting these fall house/yard maintenance tasks done has felt SO GOOD I CAN’T EVEN STAND IT and—let’s be honest—long overdue considering I’ve never done most of them and this is going to be winter number SIX in this house.

So! Over the coming days and weeks I’ll be sharing these small but impactful projects with you! Because this is a blog! And that’s what we do here! Let’s dive in!

MISSION NUMERO UNO: OVERSEEDING THE CURB STRIP

I used to be that kid with the bad attitude when it came to lawns. Loving a really dense, thick lawn seemed like something for…other people. I surely don’t care about that classic staple of American yards! I have no need for a thick bed of vegetation that needs to constantly be mowed and watered and fussed over. Who cares if the lawn is just some struggling grass and clover and a bunch of weeds? I can mow weeds too, ya know!

I now totally understand the appeal of a nice lawn. First of all, it really does look good. Second of all, it feels nice—to walk on, sit on, roll around on if you’re a dog or that’s just your thing. Third of all, having a healthy lawn means fewer weeds, simply because they don’t thrive as well when competing for space and resources with well-established grass. And that thing I said about just mowing a weed lawn earlier? WRONG. WRONG WRONG WRONG. Weeds really do suck, because they take up a lot of space—meaning that when you mow over them, you expose a bare patch around the roots where their leaves and water consumption haven’t allowed anything else to grow. Multiply that by a lot of weeds and you have lots of vegetation but still a lot of exposed dirt. And when you have a bunch of bare dirt, and a dog who goes in and out of the backyard and then all over your house and on all your furniture all day long (FOR INSTANCE), it gets EVERYWHERE. I feel like the amount of dirt I’m constantly sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping up could be really cut down with some commitment to good lawn care.

Before getting bogged down in addressing the entire backyard, I actually wanted to focus on the grass in the front of the house. I’ve never done anything to maintain the grass in the front hellstrip other than mow it, and…it shows. It could definitely look a LOT better, and that’s an easy thing to do while the front of the house still awaits restoration. I’ve been working a tonnnnn on the side of the house, meaning the front has started to look increasingly shoddy.

FIRST, I blew the leaves. I have two honey locust trees in front of the house, I’d guess around 40 years old, and those little leaves get everywhere! Honey locusts can be great because the leaves are so small that a lot of people just let them compost themselves on the ground without raking or blowing, but that doesn’t really work for sidewalks and streets. Rather, it does work, but it’s a mess and it’s slippery and not good. Basically my strategy is to move from the house toward the street, blowing onto the sidewalk and the street and then sweeping up and bagging my piles. It works well. I used the blower to get as many leaves out of the grass as possible.

There are a few things you may notice about this picture, such as my sweatshirt bearing the likeness of my favorite Insta-cat, Princess Monster Truck. There is also the rest of my ensemble which I cannot explain other than to say it’s both disappointing and invigorating to be at this point where I simply no longer have the energy to care about looking a hot mess on the internet or in real life.

The thing I’d like to draw your attention to, though, is my SUPER AWESOME NEW LEAF BLOWER. When I bought this house, I did the ill-advised thing of buying the cheapest outdoor equipment available, basically without exception. The first lawnmower we bought was the manual kind you just wheel over the grass without the benefit of modern technology like, ya know, a motor. My leaf blower has heretofore been a super lousy battery-powered number, and while it does produce air it doesn’t have the power to disturb more than an upper layer of very dry, lightweight leaves, and the battery dies really fast and recharges slowly. So that’s where I’m coming from. Essentially I’ve just been replacing all of these lousy tools one by one as they either stop working or become unbearable.

Which leads me to: GREENWORKS! Back in the spring, I took the plunge (totally independent of this sponsored series) and bought the Greenworks Pro battery-powered lawnmower from Lowe’s to replace the bottom-of-the-line gas mower which I bought after quickly giving up on the manual mower. The gas mower died, and the options were to basically spend as much as the mower cost to have it repaired or just invest in something new. Over the past few years, the market has been flooded with battery-powered outdoor power equipment, and it seems to clearly be the wave of the future, so I opted to just go for it and I’m SO glad I did. No gas! No oil! No smoke! No yanking on a string over and over again hoping that this is the pull that will finally persuade the engine to start!

But who really cares how clean it is if it doesn’t really work? WELL. These Greenworks Pro tools are far and away the best thing I’ve ever used—battery-operated or otherwise. I never really understood the importance of a high-quality leaf blower until I upgraded to this one, and it’s kind of like…OH, THAT’S how this is supposed to work!! It saves SO MUCH work when it actually does the thing it’s supposed to do! The power that comes out of this thing is insane, and it just keeps goinggggg and goingggg and goinggggggg. The upfront investment of these tools did strike me as a bit high when I started looking into them, but considering how well they work, that they don’t require any future investment of oil or gas, and are far less prone to issues that might require professional repair (meaning $ and time without your tools!), I actually think they’re totally reasonably priced. Plus, they’re just SO COOL! SO FUTURE!

When the leaf blowing was done, it was just a matter of popping the battery out of the new leaf blower and popping it into my well-loved lawnmower! The great thing is that the batteries—as long as they’re the same voltage—interchange between tools, so you don’t have to buy a new battery/charger every time you want to add a tool to the arsenal. That’s why it’s smart to pick a brand and stick with it.

So, I mean this sincerely. I love this lawnmower. I never, ever thought I would love a lawnmower. But I love this lawnmower. Let me count the ways.

First, obviously, is the battery. I HATE dealing with gas and oil, so that was my main motivation to go battery-powered, but it’s SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.

Out of the box, it’s basically ready to use. There are like three things to screw together and it’s ready to go. For the leaf blower, you just insert the battery and you’re off to the races. Amazing.

And then. It starts with a button. A button!

It’s SO QUIET. The first time I used it, I wasn’t even sure if it was working properly because it was so quiet. I can listen to podcasts while I mow the grass without the sound of the mower drowning out my earbuds. It’s a REVELATION. And, like, stunningly cool if you’re used to a gas mower.

It’s so light. This is not a self-propelled mower, but it’s so easy to push that I don’t feel like it’s necessary. But they make one of those now, too!

It’s compact! I mean, in use, it’s the size of a regular lawnmower, but it can kind of fold up and hang on the wall the rest of the time. Admittedly I have no clear wall in my garage to hang it on, but it’s nice to know this is an option for the future when I tame the hoard.

The height adjustment! IT’S JUST A LEVER! On my old mower, you literally had to remove the wheels and reinstall them to change the mower height. As such, I put it on the lowest setting when I assembled it and then never changed it.

WHICH BRINGS US BACK TO MY GRASS. I used to think mowing on anything other than the lowest setting was the dumbest thing ever. Why would you do that to yourself? Imagine you’re getting your hair cut, and the barber proposes just cutting it just a little bit every week instead of a couple of inches that’ll last you a few months. Who has time to go to the barber every week?*

*some people do, and it frightens me.

The thing I didn’t understand is that unlike hair, grass needs a little length to maintain its overall health! If you cut it as short as you can go every time, you’re shooting yourself in the foot because the grass can’t properly develop and thicken, and then you invite weeds which grow faster than the grass, so you need to mow more, and your grass still looks like garbage. I’ve learned this the hard way so you don’t have to. Also, sometimes it pays to even just do the smallest amount of reading about stuff.

ANYWAY. In this case, I’m overseeding existing grass, and that’s a special kind of a process. For overseeding, you DO actually want the lowest setting to give new grass seed the best chance at success. Also—typically I allow my grass clippings to just mulch out the side of the mower, but for this you want to use the bag attachment and collect the clippings. The point is to expose soil!

After blowing the leaves and mowing, this gives you an idea of what’s left. That poor grass—it’s really trying! And the weeds are also trying! But it’s just a patchy thin state of affairs.

At this stage, you have a couple options: thatching or aerating. No lie—growing up, we had a landscaping company come and deal with our grass so actually knowing about this stuff is rather new to me. I remember when they’d aerate every year—essentially, breaking up the soil and adding fertilizer—but I don’t remember ever hearing about thatch. Thatch is the layer of stuff created by dead grass, clippings, and dead roots. Most of the time it’s an OK thing, but not really when you’re trying to get new grass seed to take. Sometimes thatch gets so thick that it actually causes the grass to thin out, so thatching isn’t exclusively for overseeding—some sources say to do it about once a year!

Learning. So. Much.

So anyway. I decided to thatch. With a manual thatcher—which is good for something like this, but I can imagine it being EXHAUSTING for a whole lawn. There are motorized versions, though, and they’re pretty affordable.

I kinda want one? That also feels like a new territory of lawn obsession I’m not sure I’m ready for.

Time for seed! I picked up this Scotts Turf Builder seed spreader a few years ago for my first attempt at seeding the backyard, and this bag of Scotts Sun & Shade Mix over the weekend to overseed this front strip. I compared a bunch of different grasses and seeds to land on this one—it’s a mix of medium and fine-bladed grass (I personally don’t like larger blade grasses), and the idea is basically that the characteristics of each different type compliment the others—so if one type isn’t doing well because of too much foot traffic, or too little water, or too little sun, or too much sun, another will take over that affected area and thrive.

Also, it’s blue! The seeds are coated in fertilizer and stuff to retain moisture and other science things, so you just spread it and water it. No hay, no additional fertilizer steps—couldn’t be easier. If you forget any of the steps or aren’t sure what setting to use on the spreader, not to fear. It’s all on the bag! I gotta hand it to the Scotts packaging and product designers—they do a great job of walking you through it all.

Here is me, candidly watering my new grass seed in my sexy DIY clothes as though someone isn’t standing the street waiting for cars to pass to snap photos of me. Totally normal, not weird at all.

I finished off by walking up and down and edging both sides of the curb strip and sweeping up errant grass seed and any other debris. It’s a small thing but I love when the bluestone sidewalk and curb are all neat and tidy! I may have one BILLION things to do to restore the front of this house, but until then—this is the kind of thing that makes a house look well-loved and cared for. So excited to see how this grass develops—I can see you now, perfect green carpet!

Fall Checklist: Overseeding the Front Curb Strip! published first on https://novaformmattressreview.tumblr.com/