New Mailbox

Since the day we moved in, we knew we wanted to change the mailbox. The post was way too short and crooked for one. Secondly the painted vines on the mailbox just aren't our thing. And thirdly the overgrown mess had accumulated over 12 different kinds of plants in it!!! It all had to go!! We wanted to get to it sooner, but life got busy and it wasn't able to happen until now. So here's some before pictures:

 

It took a trip to three different hardware stores to find the right post, the right mailbox, and the right number for my liking. Who knew it would be so difficult just to find materials for a mailbox?!?! So once we bought all the supplies, the first step was to remove the Amazon Forest next to the existing mailbox. This proved to be much more difficult than we anticipated. The roots were out of control! Matt used shovels, hedge trimmers, and his hands to get it out.

But with some persistence and Dylan's help, we were able to make some headway. 

...Matt loaded it into the Teal Tank.

And Dylan helped put the dirt into the wheelbarrow. 

And after Matt got all of the weeds, plants, and roots out, day one of the mailbox renovation had to put on hold due to the rain. Matt put the old mailbox back in temporarily until we could tackle it again. Day two of mailbox renovation (about a week later) required lots of help from Dylan! He did great!! After Matt dug the new hole for the post, he had to tamp down the dirt around it. Dylan was perfect for the job of putting small shovelfuls of dirt into the hole.

His little shovel held just the right amount of dirt to be effective while Matt did the tamping.

 Dylan emptied out the whole wheelbarrow.

And filled up the hole with it

The old and new mailbox. 

"Look Mommy, Dirt!"

With the post now in, Matt cut some fabric to lay down to prevent weeds from growing. 

Matt then used his new tractor and cart to haul the rocks to the end of the driveway. He was very excited!! 

But Day Two of mailbox renovation had to abruptly come to an end when Matt accidentally cut his finger. He sliced the tip of his middle finger and it bled quite a bit. So we decided to wait until it stopped bleeding to finish this renovation.

Day Three started with some extra bandages on his finger. Matt then secured the mailbox to the post and added a number to it. We also added some more rock to fill in the bare spots.

The final product...

Now we just have to wait for some grass to grow in the surrounding area since we decided to make the bed a little smaller than it was originally. But I absolutely love our new mailbox!! Thanks Matthew and Dylan for your hard work!!!