Saturday, February 6, 2010

Project Patio

The past two months have been hard. The boys battled a range of illnesses which led to schedule upheaval resulting in ongoing exhaustion for J and I. Today the boys are napping normally for the first time in....oh...ages. I had time to make a cup of tea and draw out the spring/summer garden plans and make notes for the next few home projects.

I eagerly await the spring home projects. Some are simple and easy, others will require thrifty skill as our budget for these projects is minimal. For example: at the moment I am working on planning the patio makeover. Step one is a patio umbrella, which is not a cheap item! I am going to try and acquire an old weather beaten one that I can breathe new life into with fabric paint. And when I say "I" it means that "I" will buy the fabric paint and then plead with my genius artist of a sister to come help me transform said ugly patio umbrella into something fabulous for drinking Margaritas under. Step two of patio make over will be the window sill planters. Hmmm. Not sure how to go about this part but I've always wanted window sill planters bursting with flowers around my house. I could never line our whole house with these but the back patio could use a splash of color and nothing quite does it for me like planters filled with flowers.

One of the main reasons I am targeting the back patio is that for the first time in several years I will not be pregnant or hauling an infant around during the summer months. I want to enjoy our backyard! The pool, the large green space and above all, the patio! Florida feels like Hades in the summer. Truly, it is unpleasant. But I am hoping that with carefully planned shade and well-timed activities, this will be a great summer for my boys. Not to mention those delicious summer nights of sitting out on the patio with my true love, a glass of wine, and a powerful mosquito coil radiating a not so romantic citronella scent. In the coming week I'll be deciding on the final color choices (again, heavy reliance on my sister's opinion). Its good to have a project for the hands. :)

Cubby has just started whimpering and that is my cue to sign off. More updates on Project Patio in the coming weeks!

No comments: