How was YOUR weekend?

Today it hit 85 degrees! Craziness. But I am loving it.
I've talked about my overgrown ravine-like lower backyard before and my goal this year is to cut all the trees and shrubs down and make it usable. So I got to thinking last Monday that if I waited too long it would be covered in wild weeds and trees again and be impossible to tackle. It is Spring Break so I had several of my part-timers available to cover my shift.
So I took Friday off.
I spent Friday dragging all the old limbs that had been thrown down there from the year past from all the trees that both me and my neighbor had cut down.

(this is NOT my yard, but it's close...just add wild trees and a zillion cut branches.)

I also got busy hacking away at the shrubs and things. I had thrown pieces of cement edging down there (forgotten about that!) and lots of old fence pickets and odd lumber was buried under all that disaster. I would pull at these things with my rake...I'm deathly afraid of snakes and I didn't want to overturn something and surprise some creepie or crawlie.

I spent the next day bagging. 37 tall leaf bags full of branches.

Sunday I packed my van tight with the bags and made 3 separate trips to their undisclosed location.

There is still more work to be done but the worst is over.
Then I spent some time searching garden ideas on Pinterest but couldn't find what I was looking for. Maybe it's because the photos I want are listed under something random like "Must Do This" or something.
?
But I found a few images after Googling, of what I have in mind.

 I've already enclosed the top area directly behind my house and while it presently has a very bad makeshift patio out of broken cement pavers and odd cement blocks, I will eventually fix that. I hope for it to be something like the photo at the top of this post.

The rest of the yard, which includes the sideyard, I thought about making it very clean and simplistic.
Like something out of Dwell magazine but I've decided to follow my heart and go with a dog-friendly garden. Something like this?

At some point of Saturday I realized that it was St. Patricks Day. That USED to be my SECOND favorite holiday.

The First being Halloween, of course.
Back in the day my friends and I would start early and what was then great fun, now seems kinda silly and stupid.
But I decided to kick back that evening and enjoy a beverage at home while watching a DVD.
Larry Crowne.

I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed it! And I loved the message that your life isn't over at 50 or whatever. That life can hold new and happy surprises.
Yep, I liked that film.
I relaxed with a glass of Moscato and my roasted brussels sprouts.

Thank you Steve http://anurbancottage.blogspot.com/ for the great healthy snack tip.

Which brings me around to my healthy eating.
I'm still on course and I will remain there. It's a lifestyle not a diet.
I can't believe how much better I already feel!
It's amazing what cutting TONS of sugar, cheese and chocolate out of your life can do for a person's sense of well being.
I plan on doing a post of yummy things that I've discovered.
Easy stuff, because you know I hate the cooking and especially the PREPARING of food.
So, that's my weekend!
I feel so happy and energized by this warm weather.
I hope you all had a great one too!
Oh! and soon you will notice that I have ads on my blog.
Something I just thought I'd try.
I can't pick what they will be but they are supposed to go with the "tone" of my blog.
Scary. LOL!
I just hope it's not Adult Diapers!