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Backyard Design Plans | One Room Challenge – Week 1

6 Apr
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Well, I did it. I did something that might actually hold me accountable (a little) for my scattered home designs and keep me on task.  I joined the One Room Challenge where we’ll be sharing the updates of our backyard update and I’m so excited.  I am going to test this out and see if actually having deadlines for posting, keeps me on track and helps me fully finish a room since I’ve never really done anything from start to FINISH. I am usually needing to “get back to that.”  This is the first time I’ve joined and I can’t wait.

If you aren’t familiar with the One Room Challenge, it’s a highly anticipated bi-annual event where participants are challenged to completely makeover an entire space (check out the blog here).  While I’m not one of the featured designers, I’ve joined as a guest participant and I plan to redo our backyard patio over the next 8 weeks.  I’ll be posting backyard updates here on the blog every Wednesday, but also on my IG I’ll be sharing updates via stories so make sure follow there as well to see the progress!

OLD HOUSE BACKYARD

First, if you are new here, Hi!  I’m Abby.  We recently moved to a new town in Indiana where make home with my husband and two daughters.  I love to set a good table, create magical fun, and move furniture around like a boss — just ask the hubs, he loves it.  HA!  We are in the process of making our builder grade home into something a little more unique or at least that stands out from the rest.  Fingers crossed!  We haven’t done much around here, or at least it doesn’t feel like it, but we can’t wait to have an outdoor space to relax!

THE BEFORE

We love to hang outside with the family and neighbors and having an inviting space was top of mind.  I’ve been dreaming up this little backyard space in my head for a while now, but I’m excited to take this blank slate from drab to fab.  The home came with a small covered patio area but it’s not quite big enough to hold much of anything (as you can see). I’ve cleaned that space up before which you can see here, but it never holds because there just isn’t enough space!

We redid our patio area in our last home mostly DIY and it quickly became one of my favorite places to sit — even if it was FULL SUN.  So I anticipate we’ll get a lot of use out of this space too.

THE INSPIRATION

I’ve been swooning over gorgeous backyards basically my entire life.  I don’t know why, but I have.  Then a couple years ago my mom and I made a DIY Harvest table and put lights around a tree in the backyard and it was magical.  So here are a few photos I’ve saved to pinterest as inspiration.  My budget is probably about 1/4th of what these gorgeous backyards spent, but hopefully in the end there’ll be something magical about ours too!

The goal is to stay neutral with blacks, tans, creams, and wood tones.

THE PLANS

We are planning to hire the concrete base out so we’ll have the patio poured in a week or so.  We had contemplated doing this ourselves with pavers, but with the slope of our yard we decided to use professionals for this part.  Outside of that we have plans for a lounge area, grill area, eating area, and firepit area.  All in all it’ll be about 600sq ft of outdoor space we are adding.

BACKYARD INSPIRATION

For furniture it’ll be a mix of purchased, thrifted, and DIY.  With the cost of furniture at the moment, if I can find something that works that’s thrifted or from marketplace, I will go that route for sure!  I’m not afraid of a little TLC.  But here’s that design plan….

As for the landscaping and garden aspect — that’ll be all me.  I’m sure my husband is going to want to kill me after all is said and done.   I’m going to try to do this within a small budget, but we both know it’ll need to be done and needs to look nice.  Oh, and he’s excited to probably get some new tools out of it so that’s the trade off. hahah.

We’ll be tackling a few DIYs during the process and a lot of styling.  I feel like in the end I am going to be exhausted but so glad this is a done and useable space.

Here’s a tentative schedule as to what you might see on any given week’s update:

Week 1 – Before & Design Plans
Week 2 – Patio Pour
Week 3 – Furniture Layout
Week 4 – Outdoor Accessories
Week 5 – Landscaping & Gardens
Week 6 – Landscaping & Gardens
Week 7 – Firepit
Week 8 – Final Reveal

SUMMER FUN BINDER

Anticipated DIYs during the process:

Outdoor Dining Table
Decorative Cement Orbs
Firepit (possibly)
Privacy Screens
Garden Boxes

Not currently included in the plans but putting into the universe because they would be DREAMY:

*Dutch Door for backdoor
*Grill Table Area (might be next year)

So there you have it…
Anyone else tackling something outside this year?!

I am so excited to get started and can’t wait to see this space come to life!
And make sure to hop over to the One Room Challenge (ORC) page to see all kinds of inspiration and the weekly link ups of all participants!

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Categories:
2022, Blog, One Room Challenge, Our Home, Outdoors
Tags:
one room challenge, our backyard, our home

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A little about me…

Hey There! I'm Abby. Some people started calling me "Little Miss Martha" a few years back and this blog followed. I started it to share my DIY wedding progress, but it's now evolved to include other good things. Read More…

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Abby || Lifestyle Blogger
Happiest 1️⃣1️⃣th birthday to this Sweet c Happiest 1️⃣1️⃣th birthday to this Sweet child of mine!  Love you to death Ella and I hope you don’t kill me for some of these pics since your last birthday!  It’s amazing how much you have changed and grown in just one year! 💕

Happy Birthday Ella! 
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#happiestbirthday #turning11 #elevenyears #2012baby #onthisdayinhistory #tweengirl #happybirthdaytoyou
When @abigailmackboutique was interested in collab When @abigailmackboutique was interested in collaborating, I knew this print was pretty much perfection in summing up my current life.  So… if you are still here hanging out or new here, welcome to the shitshow!  This piece will probably end up floating around my house, but I do feel like it’s 💯fitting for me.  And with my quirky design sense, I think it also works well in a bathroom but my hubs isn’t keen on that idea 🤣. The other gold foil print I love of #abigailmackdesigns is “Everything is Fine,” because let’s be honest, that’s also something that’s constantly going through my head over here!

I used to feel like weekends were a way to catch up on what you couldn’t get done during the week.  You know… like cleaning, prepping, watching Netflix etc.  Now though, as I get older and older, I’m learning that my weekends are really just an attempt at mentally preparing for all that will go wrong during the upcoming week and continually thinking “Welcome to my Shitshow.” LOL

Does anyone else feel like this?! Maybe this is why I have such high anxiety on Sunday nights…

Print #gifted by @abigailmackboutique 
Check out her other pieces here:
https://abigail-mack.myshopify.com/

#collaboration #welcometotheshitshow #lifeunexpected #lifeisstressful #justrollwithit #laughitoff #weekendscreatestress #momlife #justmomming #goldfoilprints #decoratewithhumor #funnyprints #sillyprints #sarcasm101 #abigailmackboutique #socialcat
Do you like black rooms?! Bathroom things happen Do you like black rooms?! 

Bathroom things happened. I know I shared sneaks before, but I’m not timely ok?! You should know that by now!  So… even though some said don’t do it, I did it. 
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#blackrooms #paintitblack #moodyrooms #halfbath #designupdate #halfbathmakeover #builderupgrade #ilikeitlikethat #dontdoit #ididitanyway
Lately, Olive has been my little shadow. She’s Lately, Olive has been my little shadow.  She’s going through something, and she must always have me in her sightline.  I’m hoping it’s just a phase (because it’s only while we are home together), but that means she’s not sleeping in her own bed.  She’s never been good at sleeping/staying in her own room, so we have been trying all kind of things and our latest try was a new #snugglepuppy.  I feel like we’ve tried it all at this point, BUT the @SnugglePuppy_Hero is super soft and cuddly and has a real heartbeat so we figured it might help. 

✨And she loves it! ✨

Although she’s still not sleeping in her own bed, she has been sleeping with it every night since Christmas and she truly enjoys the beating heart.  Something about it really does help with calming her down before bed!  It helps with bedtime struggles and making bedtime less stressful so we are still making progress with extra #snugglepuppyhero snuggles!

The Snuggle Puppy Hero is perfect for anxious, stressed, or overwhelmed kiddos.  It’s BPA free, super soft, and for ages 3 & up. 

#gifted #snugglepuppyhero #snugglepuppy #anxietysupport #originalsnugglepuppy #snugglepuppy #dreamdreamdream #kidinfluencer #sensoryplushtoy #sensoryplush #giftideas #sleepwell #sweetdreams😴
If you’ve been watching stories, you know that s If you’ve been watching stories, you know that some things went down this weekend in the bathroom… So I figured it was time to share my mood boards for the space. 

We currently have to keep the pedestal sink (but hope to change that out down the road) and we hit a few hiccups with the board and batten plans so black was the big change for the weekend but that doesn’t mean we are DONE…

Swipe to see 3 different design options and comment below which is your favorite!
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#moodboardmonday #bathroomdesigns #bathroomdetails #bathroommoodboard #bathroommakeover #halfbath #paintitblack #boardandbatten
Starting the week off right by getting a walk in w Starting the week off right by getting a walk in with a friend yesterday and this morning with a great breakfast and signing up for the Franciscan Health's Inspiring Women Community - @InspiringWomenFH. Health & Wellness is top of mind this year and I know this program is going to give me the right amount of inspiration to improve mind, body and spirit on this journey! 

I'm so excited to partner with @franciscanhealth for this free program for all women (living anywhere) that'll keep you inspired, motivated, and promoting your overall wellness!  As a member of the community, you'll receive specially curated content like recipes, inspiration, and the Inspiring Women magazine not to mention invitations to special members-only events. 

Want in?! 
✨Link in bio to sign up ✨ or visit inspiringwomen.org
And if you do sign up, comment “Yes!” below because it's always fun to know who's joining in too! 

I've been wanting to start a blog series about the women who've inspired me along the way and this might be the little push that gets us there!  Keep an eye out for that on the horizon, but until then, I hope you'll join me and @InspiringWomenFH in working on our overall women's wellness! 

#sponsored #wellness #mindbodyspirit #women #healthandwellness #inspiringwomenfh #inspiringwomen #motivatingmonday
Hey Y’all! It’s been a while and some of you Hey Y’all!  It’s been a while and some of you have been here forever, and others are new around here, so I think it’s time for a quick into to me!

Hey Friends!  I’m Abby ✨

Welcome to Little Miss Martha.  I used to be all Martha-y and so the name stuck.  Then I got married and had kids and now I’m a little more Semi-Homeade with Sandra Lee… IFYKYK. I think both these references probably date me. 

✨Things That Make Me Happiest – sitting at home, drinking coffee, perusing gorgeous spaces, reading home magazines (yes they still print those), styling décor, decorating for celebrations, and listening to entrepreneurial podcasts. 

✨Current Occupations – wife to Mike, mom to Ella & Olive, Dog mom to Louie, Blogger, Fairy Coordinator (@adoptafairyco) + full-time job as a civil servant. 

✨In A Past Life – Vintage Rentals Owner (@maevevinteage), Starbucks Barista, Professional Figure Skater.

✨Astrological Sign - Cancer

If you’ve made it this far, and you know me, share something I may have missed in the comments below! 
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#introductions #allaboutme #welcomefriends #hiabby #dearabby #quickintro #pinnedpost #sogladyourehere #heythere #littlemissmartha
Off we go! Back to our routines and back to busin Off we go!  Back to our routines and back to business at @goldfish_carmel!  This year is we are letting the girls pick a few things they really want to do and one HAS to be a physical activity.  Anyone else do this? 

For the moment, that’s swimming for Olls!  And she’s blowing my mind!  Hahah Get it?! The song choice?! 😂🏊‍♀️ But seriously, I love watching her progress with great feedback from the staff and am so excited for how ready she’ll be for pool season this summer! 
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#sponsored #goldfishswimschool #swimclass #letsgoswimming #justkeepswimming #goldfishcarmel #readyforpoolseason #swimmingskills #lifeskillsforkids #stayactivestayhealthy #activekidsarehappykids
Weakness - ✨ Dollhouses ✨ I think just the tin Weakness - ✨ Dollhouses ✨
I think just the tiny mini things make me happy. So when this dollhouse was basically staring me down as I walked in the door of @homegoods today for the first time in like 2 months, she quickly made her way into my cart. But seriously, how do I hide this from the hubs?! 
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#dollhouses #dollhousesofinstagram #homegoodsfinds #kidsplay #dollhouseupgrade #rattandollhouse #rattanlovers #beautifultoys
Anyone else back at it in the “gym” this week? Anyone else back at it in the “gym” this week?! It’s been a long time since i’ve walked these steps and it’s time to get back at it!  One of my ‘23 goals is to feel comfortable and good in my own skin again…It’s also been a while since that’s been the case too! 

So this week i made the first steps back onto the treadmill… If you’ve been around, you might remember i’ve been having some major foot pain which really got me down and now I’ve decided to push through and try some new things because interestingly enough, while I hate sweating, I like the after workout feeling!  So this week it’s walking, next week it’s walking more and hopefully i’ll be back to running soon. 

So with that being said, I hope you all are tackling your goals this week and every week do ‘23… and remember, you have to start somewhere and somewhere can be small… It takes a lot to make small strides sometimes, especially if you’ve been out of the game for a while but you’ve got this! 

*And I plan to add strength and weights - anyone have a good at-home program they love?! I’d love to hear! 
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#gettingbackontrack #gettingbacktome #gettingbackinthegroove #mommasgonnaloseit #2023goals #losingweightmotivation #losingweightishard #gottastartsomewhere #youvegotthis #uncomfortable #exerciseathome
Are you goal setting this year? Taking it one day Are you goal setting this year?  Taking it one day at a time?  How are you tackling new years resolutions this year?!! As per usual, I’m behind. I am taking it slow over here trying to get organized in my thoughts so I can have a successful year mentally, physically, and of course here, with Little Miss Martha. 

2022 ended a little darker than it started and not for any other reasons than I just lost track of what I was doing and wanted. Plus like 10000 gray days from Thanksgiving to Christmas didn’t help.

But I’m taking a min and taking it easy with 2023. Keeping my goals focused around me, my family, and my home.  Here are the things I’m hoping to accomplish or even just start over the next 12 months!  Fingers crossed for a great 2023 and I’m hopeful there’s a little more sunshine on the horizon! 
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#2023goals #welcometo2023 #startfresh #anewyear #newgoals💪 #keepitsimplethisyear #stayfocusedonyourgoals #bemindful #dontlosesight #progressnotperfection👌
Calm has returned to our home… In the last week Calm has returned to our home…
In the last week we survived bitter temps, a winter storm, seven additional bodies in the house, Christmas, a few accidents 🤣, and lots of laughs… 
It’s nice to have everyone around for a while but i will say i’m looking forward to enjoying my last few days off sitting back and enjoying this view…. 
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#christmastimeishere #winterwonderland❄️ #holidayhouse #houseguests #holidays2022 #sitbackrelax #timetoclean #guestsaregone #happyholidays2022
We had a lovely Christmas afternoon with all the f We had a lovely Christmas afternoon with all the fam together!  So glad we have been able to spend time together this holiday season 💕 Hoping everyone else had a great holiday and a very merry Christmas too! 
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#happyholidays2022 #christmasvacation #bighappyfamily  #merryxmas🎄 #christmasday🎄 #familyallday #4generations #fourgenerations #wewishyouamerrychristmas
This holiday season (or at least break so far) has This holiday season (or at least break so far) has been full of sickies here and because of that, we haven’t been out and about as much as we’d like!  But if we were  going to head out, here’s a few throwback pics of where we’d go…
1. @childrensmuseum - Jolly Days and more! 
2. @connerprairie - A Merry Prairie Holiday
3. @carmelchristkindlmarkt 
4. Jingle Rails @eiteljorgmuseum 
5. @newfieldstoday for Winterlights
6. Christmas at the @indianapoliszoo 

So… there’s one more good-ish weather day here before Xmas (and before 4pm🥶)… what are you still needing to check off your winter break or Christmas bucket list?! 
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#holidaybucketlist #christmasbucketlist #winterbucketlist #aroundindy #thingstodoinindianapolis #visitindy #holidayhappenings #merrychristmaseveryone
Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean the swim Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean the swimming has to stop!  Actually, water safety is very important no matter the temp outside!  And why not take it all in as a family?! Goldfish Swim Schools (Carmel) offers open swims every Friday from 1p-2p, and one Family Night Out per month from 5p-6p or 6p-7p!  How often do you swim together?!! 

Find out more info about @goldfish_carmel on their profile! 
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#goldfishswimschool #goldfishcarmel #ad #sponsored #swimmingpools #swimminglessons #justkeepswimming🐠 #familyswims #letsgoswimming
There’s really nothing like the glow of warm Chr There’s really nothing like the glow of warm Christmas lights on the tree at night when you turn out all the other lights…  Something about those twinkling lights is just magic. 

And even though I truly am disliking almost all of my old, mismatched, minimal Christmas decor this year, I’m making the most of it!  Side note that has nothing to do with Christmas decor — I’m also taking in every single episode of @disneyplus @thesantaclauses!  Anyone else watching that show weekly and loving it?! I guess I really missed Tim Allen. 
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#thesantaclauses #disneyplus #christmasdecorating #trimthetree #christmaslightsatnight #christmasiscoming🎄 #seasonofgiving #christmasmagic✨ #webelieve #mostmagicaltimeoftheyear
Who’s ready to get back in the kitchen this holi Who’s ready to get back in the kitchen this holiday season?! I made chocolate chip cookies over the weekend with Olive and made a mistake on the brown sugar calculations 🤣🤦‍♀️… They were extra fluffy and totally still edible but wondering what you all will be baking this season?! Share your fave bakes below! 
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#bakingrecipes #letsbake #inthekitchen #letsmakecookies #holidaycookies #christmasbaking #christmascookie #holidaytraditions
Kick-off the holiday season the cutest downtown - Kick-off the holiday season the cutest downtown -  @fortville_in!  Winterfest 2022, presented by 3Rivers Federal Credit Union is this Saturday Dec 3rd!  Enjoy live music, a festive parade and tree lighting, food vendors, Santa, photo ops, a kids’ zone and local shopping.  This Saturday, December 3rd, 2022 from 12p-7pm! 

Opens at Noon
Parade at 1:30p
Tree Lighting 6pm

Happy Holidays! 
@fortvilleparks_rec 
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#fortvilleindiana #fortvillewinterfest #winterfest #aroundindy #smalltownusa #beautifuldown #fortville #holidaysarehere #visitindiana #indianatowns #fortvillefun #bundleup #winteractivities #beautifulsmalltown
Earlier this week, we were invited to a magical ev Earlier this week, we were invited to a magical evening at the @childrensmuseum to visit #jollydays in its final season, chat with the big guy, and enjoy a little stress free time with the girls! 

Watching the girls interact with Santa was adorable. Ella (who’s a recent non-believer 😥) played along while Olive told the big guy she’s looking for a “cooking baby” under the tree 🤣

I don’t know what it is about the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, but you just feel at home there. From the characters to interaction to the colors and the fun, it’s maybe one of the best places on earth. Ok, but seriously, it’s fun for everyone and there’s almost always something you’ve missed!  Check out #attcm in my highlights for all the Children’s Museum fun! 
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#santaclausiscomingtotown #indianapolischildrensmuseum #jollydays #finalseason #kidsfun #interactivemuseum #winterwonderland❄️ #magicofchristmas #sitwithsanta #visitindy #aroundindy #dontmiss
Life is tricky and complicated at times and gettin Life is tricky and complicated at times and getting back into routines can be a struggle, especially on busy weeks like this one!  What's the constant in your daily routine?! One daily routine I never stray from is coffee.  Coffee. Is. Life.  Said like "Football is Life" from Ted Lasso... But seriously, I wake up, go downstairs, and start the daily brew every single morning.  Now, that brew comes quicker than ever with my @simplygoodcoffee brewer.  Everything about this brewer is enjoyable.  It's pretty.  It's quick -6 mins!  And it makes 8 cups in those 6 mins -- and if I drink it fast enough, that's a whole pot just for me! 

It took a lot for us to move on from our old coffee maker -- just ask my parents who waited patiently EVERY time they visited for their first cup as our brewer tuckered along slowly.  But now, we are back in business and and my favorite part is the temperature!  Sometimes I would go out to get coffee just because it was HOT, but now I just brew another pot!  The taste is great and I'm really happy with this new addition to my daily routine! I can't wait to see our coffee loving family enjoying a hot cup on Christmas morning! 
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#simplygoodcoffee #simplygoodbrewer #coffeeinminutes #olson #brewme #coffeeislife #coffeelover #coffeeislove #coffeeeveryday #dailyroutines #morningroutines #dailybrew #socialcat #sponsored
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