Preparing For Summer

I live for summer time, and living outdoors!

Oregon has shit weather. Typically October - May, it is dreary day grey with rain, fog, and occassionally we get super excited in January or February to have snow. This past winter was incredibly mild. Quite honestly, per Oregon standards... it was rather tropical!

I would not typically be putting out all my summer items in May, but due to such great weather and being so anxious about summer, I simply could not help myself. Years past, I had my patio furniture (which I recently sold), and I would set it out and call it a day. But the more time we spend in Hawaii, the more I need to spend time living outdoors. So I have made it my mission to make my deck space an extension of my home.

So, I decided to use my old outdoor furniture, because it had more character. Plus, I had bought those new cushions and pills, and they didnt fit my other set. I would have bought more, but that was the last of that print and color. Everything else was floral, and not to my taste. So... I made changes.

We put up our Sail-shade, and I thought to myself, I need light out here. We have rail lighting (rope lights).. but it just was not enough. So I went to get our christmas lights. As you see, I had added a bunch of lights in the "before" photo. But.. that was just not enough.. so I went and got more lights. As you can see... it was REALLY glowing.

I had bought some outdoor drapes to place over this wood thing on our deck. Basically it blocks our view into the neighbors house. It was fine, nothing wrong with it. But I just needed texture. I needed more. This was going to be my santuary. Therefore, in comes the drapes. I have to be so thankful for my incredibly patient husband that participates in my crazy ideas, and gives me his man skills to put things up.

Anyway, once I got the lights up, I started feeling better about my space. It was not perfect, but I also dont want to spend that kind of money. Pinterest I have failed you.. but I have to be realistic here!

This table.. I love! This was the table that was in the Crooked River House. My parents had sold their house over there and had been storing this in their garage. But then they sold their house here, and moved in with my grandma.. while they looked for a place with property. Suffice to say they didnt have enough room to store it. My stepdad had told my husband that he planned on cutting it up and using it for firewood. (He built the table... via pinterest) Phil/Husband was like.. OH HELL NO! We will take it, at the least put it on our deck. Well one of the benches was buried, so we had seating for only one side.

My practical husband saw those 3 white chairs sitting on a corner with "free" on them. When he brought them home.. they were pretty nasty. But.. nothing a pressure washer couldnt fix. Voila.. I have chairs. Again, not my over all taste, but.. free is free, and they are functional. I LOVE this table so much and it really makes me deck that much better!

The final touch is flowers! I feel like flowers always make EVERYTHING beter! I will assume at this point, ever week I will be buying fresh flowers to put on my table. My husband has horrible allergies.. so despite my love for flowers, I never can keep them in the house. Well, I have a place to keep them now!

My view isnt half bad either? See the rug there... that was before I moved it down to the patio for our other seating area. We are really fortunate to have our house back up to a park. It allows us a view, and an extension of our backyard for our children.

This is totally my little slice of paradise!