Jenni on Skype: jclayville 
We just put new sod in our backyard.
When we moved in last year, the backyard was a hot mess. The previous tenants had pets that really ripped it up. Not only that, but a few tenants before that planted a tree… in the MIDDLE of the yard. Seriously. People have some awesome quirks.
This picture of when Brian and Chance did a summer campout shows what the grass actually looked like.
Anyway. We asked our landlord if he wouldn’t mind funding the re-landscaping of the backyard if we did all the labor. He agreed if it was within $500. So, we made it happen.
Last fall, we killed off the grass and weeds. Everything dried up and died. It was actually kind of sad.
But then, this spring, Brian tilled up EVERYTHING and built a garden box for me. While he was “tilling” we found that grass had overgrown into a walkway… but the walkway was set up kind of strange. So, we pulled all the stepping stone pieces out and I puzzled them together into a pathway to my garden.
As of yesterday… it looks like this:
Made me think: In life… we’re given a plot of land… who we ARE. Our upbringings, our experiences, our life. We can choose to just “exist” with what we’ve got, or we can put some work into our “land” and make it into something beautiful. We can put in new soil, new grass, rearrange old stones to create a place people want to spend time in.
I want to do that with my life. I don’t want to stop at “just this” because it’s just “who I am”. I want to be better. I want to make ME better. I choose to see past the “ugly” and make things new.
Below are all the photos from beginning to end. It wasn’t easy… but it was worth it.
As my garden grows, I’ll post pictures too. It’s gonna be a fun summer!
So… who wants to come over for a BBQ?
Me! Me! Me!
And also — great job, y’all!
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jenni Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
let’s make a date!
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We’ve never really had a backyard. I mean, we’ve had backyard space, but never a yard where the kids could play and the grass grows. Last year we were considering seed or sod, but we thought the sod would be more expensive. We did neither, and it hasn’t fixed itself.
All this to say, maybe your landlord would buy us some sod too.
or not.
Nice job though! It looks fantastic. I like grass.
Bill
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jenni Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
interestingly enough, sod was cheaper than seed in our case. we used Best Buy landscaping in Hillsboro though. we got all our garden soil from them too.
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i see some slip and slides in the near future =]
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jenni Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
fo shizzle!!!
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Should have gotten a picture of you rolling around on it. Looks lovely. Wish things other than weeds and weeds grew here.
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ooOOooohhhh You have garden box thingies.
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jenni Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 11:13 pm
yeah. brian and his cousin, david, MADE them. seriously. brian is my hero!!!
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I love it. I’m going to talk the idea over with Jason because it might be worth it to do the exact same thing with our back yard. I like to copy you. Hope you don’t mind.
And what a great metaphor for life.
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jenni Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 11:48 am
of course i don’t mind. copy away
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I freaking LOVE the sprinkler for the kids!! AAAAANNNDD strangely enough I was about to write a blog about weeds and gardens.. we must be from the same vine.
Love ya!
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beautiful!
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It was not nearly as hard as I had imagined it would be. Sure am glad to be done though. It is pretty amazing to sit on the porch and look at how nice it is compared to what it was.
Thanks for documenting it with great photos, makes it look even greater than it feels.
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jenni Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
you did a great job, babe. now… to save up from some nicer deck furniture
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Great job and an even better post!
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jenni Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
thank you, jason!
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WOW. Talk about a win-win for both you and your landlord. I love that you’ve turned your house into a home that reflects what you want for your family. Lovely.
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jenni Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
thanks, gitz.
i grew up not really feeling like i had a home anywhere. i want my kids to feel free to play and explore… and feel at home like i do now.
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[...] New Backyard | jenniclayville.com [...]
I love the transformation!
I totally relate to the analogy. I was weeding recently and thought about how similar that is to life. If we let things go unattended, bad things grow so easily and quickly… how we really need to pour the right attention and purpose to ensure that we grow the right things.
I also hated how I didn’t really know what was planted nor am I knowledgeable with plant life, and therefore there were certain things I couldn’t really tell if it was plant, flower or weed. Just like if I don’t “get familiar” with God and what He wants, then how am I going to discern right from wrong, good from evil.
Meant to write a blog post about it, but never did. This’ll do
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it looks AWESOME! and i love the way you connected it to your heart. i know i’ve got lots of dead grass that needs to be pulled…
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Jenni Clayville Reply:
May 18th, 2010 at 11:54 am
me too, lovey. me too!
i miss you…but i get to see you soon! YAY!
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Isn’t it amazing the before and after!! It will be a great summer of BBQs for you all!!
Love it!
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It looks just LOVELY out my window! Great job!
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Wow, the yard looks great! I’d love to come over for a BBQ.
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BBQ? Me!
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Jenni Clayville Reply:
May 18th, 2010 at 11:55 am
i’ll BBQ you!
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