Boost your Roost with $20,000 from HouseLogic

Happy Monday! What did you guys do this weekend?  We had a [very informal] "cocktails & canvases" party with our neighbors Saturday night.  I have been practicing with watercolors to see if I can make something cool enough for over the mantel.  Guess what?  I need a lot more practice.  I will show you once progress has been made.  Other happenings? Starbucks,  neighborhood farmers market and Crossfit.  It was too hot for much else.

In other news:
I am on the weekly mailing list for my local Habitat ReStore. A few weeks ago I saw that blogger Pretty Handy Girl was going to be at the store to demonstrate some DIY projects.  Unfortunately, I was not able to make it to see her, but I did spend some time perusing her blog.  I came across this contest and I am dying at the thought of winning.  PHG and 5 other bloggers are partnering with HouseLogic for this "Boost your Roost"  contest.  I am sending a submission over! Here is all the info from Houselogics site if you would like to boost your roost.

What would you do with $20,000?
Our back yard comes to mind.  Weeds, ugly trees, rocky clay and more weeds.  Since little Mateo has mastered crawling at the speed of light, we can only assume that he will be walking soon.  Pobre sito does not have any grassy area in our back yard to play.  This must change soon and when I saw this opportunity I started to get excited.  What if....what if we won??

What if you won?  Ok, keep in mind the deadline is....TODAY!  Sorry for the late notice, but you still have time!  There were a few questions to answer andthen just submit pictures of your space!

Hopefully I'll be asking for your votes in the near future.  I promise to have you over for a carne asada in our new space:)

Here is the submission I sent in!

• A description of a room or area of your home that you would renovate within a $20,000 budget.

We have a newer house in a historic area of Atlanta (called Grant Park).  It was a foreclosure and does/did not need anything major done to the inside, only decor.  However, the back yard is an entirely different story.  

Other than a small shabby looking raised deck and a couple raised planter beds that my husband just built, there is nothing functional /useable about our back yard. 

Although not big, we know that our yard has potential. We envision a beautiful pergola built off a cool looking shed.  Underneath it, a dining/lounge area for entertaining with friends and family.   Most importantly we would like to give our little guy (now 9 months old) some lush grass to run and play. 

As of now it is overrun with weeds, and kudzu is growing like monsters on the few [ugly] trees that we do have.  No grass.  Just weeds.

• Why is this home improvement so important to you?

We are self employed and at home with our new baby everyday.  He is not walking....yet, but will probably start anytime now.  We would like our yard to be an extension of the home and provide a nice area for him to run and play outside.  Until we tackle this project, there is no way we can let our son outside, and that is a shame.

Something else I should mention is that we cook A LOT of spicy food and tend to roast hot peppers frequently.  Guests/family often have to run outside because they are coughing from the pepper fumes.  It is a joke with my family, but it would be nice to be able to cook these outside as to not "harm" our guests. ha!

• How will it bring more enjoyment to you, your family and friends?

We love to entertain.  My husband is a fabulous cook and we would love to have an outdoor dining area for when we have people over.  Having a grassy area for Mateo will mean that we can stay at home instead of having to go to the park for playtime.  A better quality of life all around, that is what this project would mean to us.
 

Here is our idea for the yard.  Obviously I can't draw, but hopefully Pretty Handy Girl will understand this rough sketch.  

Wish me luck!