Back Deck Make-over!

Short on time (much gardening and more painting to do), this is the Cole's Notes version of my deck make-over:

Dull and in dire need of some sprucing up, I set out to brighten and whiten with what felt like forty coats of paint with a solid stain and one (yes one!) coat of a beigey stain on the deck floor. Why? Sheer laziness and nothing the purchase of a great outdoor rug (on sale for $31 at Zellers!) won't mask...

The handyman took the old top off his original table (and employing old Singer sewing machine legs he found in the woods many years ago). I spray-painted the legs silver for a change and he built a new table, which I promptly painted.

He also built new space-saving benches to replace our bulkier metal chairs and I picked up some great bright yellow chairs at Winners ( = T.J. Maxx/HomeGoods).

Moved everything around, bought a new barbecue cover for our start-of-season-new-purchase of one and re-used the stripey umbrella, now five years old.

Other details: cork placemats from Walmart, vintage blue vase from the Meads, and tulips bought for myself from the grocery store.

And that's that!

Vacation or Staycation?

photo source: Country Living.com

There seems to be a whole lot of catch phrases rolling around the tongues of magazines and blogs these days. Upcycling, Repurposing, and more! A favourite of mine is the totally "new" concept of Staycations. When I was young, it simply meant you weren't lucky enough to go on a real vacation (and we didn't). Nowadays, it is a socially acceptable practice that centers around exploring ones own town/city/ province/state in day trip form and/or tricking out your "outdoor space" to coax you into wanting to stay put. Harried mothers, desperate to entertain their children and keep to their budgets (it is a total fallacy that summer is less expensive than winter), comb though their local tourist guides and newspapers, searching for fun and entertaining destinations close to home.

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Jumping waves with family...free!

Things like collecting seashells and munching on picnic lunches at the beach to painting the sidewalk with a bucket filled with water are making their way onto many to-do lists. Trips to the zoo and drive-in movies are glamourized by mums like me and indoor rock climbing excursions seem almost affordable when compared to the luxury of renting a cottage by the sea for a week.

Tubing outside of Fredericton, N.B.

$10/person...I think!

Many are also looking to their back yards to corral their families and friends with promises of excitement. Many parents have upped the ante and added a trampoline and/or pool to the backyard landscape.

photo source: Coastal Living.com

Hot tubs, outdoor fire pits, badminton nets, outdoor kitchens offer up a resort-like atmosphere for those lucky enough to afford it. Gone are the days of plastic lawn chairs, picnic tables and metal swing sets. Families used to plush comforts at home are even turning up their noses at the ever affordable camping, especially in a tent . Of course, camping in our day didn't require deep pockets for theme parks, either.

I, myself, have fallen victim (happily) to the staycation concept. Although we have a camping trip to the states planned, we have added the above-ground pool and fire bowl as a way of keeping the kids happy throughout the summer months.

photo source: Toast.uk

Luckily, we also have the most spectacular beaches nearby so day trips really can be almost free (save for a few popsicles and a picnic lunch!). While our tent-trailer offers the opportunity for quick and affordable lodging when travelling, the cost of gasoline, snacks, and entertainment when on the road does not really make it as affordable as some would have you believe. Indeed, I honestly don't know how some afford to pack up the camper and family and go away every weekend!

What about you? What approach do you take to summer? Do you travel, rent cottages, or simply be tourists in your own town? Have you decked out your backyard spaces with all the trappings of rest and relaxation, so you can vacation at home?

Will you vacation or staycation?

You're showering where??

photo: Anthroplogie.com

Would you, could you, shower outside? Exposed to the elements, vulnerable to the biteS of mosquitoes... trusting that the shower curtain won't be flung open by a laughing child?

photo: Canadian Home and Country.com

Well, that's the question. Outdoor showers are the newest trend in extending one's outdoor living space. They range from the simple, rustic shower meant for rinsing off before jumping into the swimming pool (with no worries about supplying a heat source to warm the water), to more design-worthy, quality-tiled masterpieces meant for serious showering - fitted with all the comforts of their indoor cousins. The grander versions are often housed in large pool/beach houses, doors flung open to allow summer breezes to float in. Outdoor showers have also become de rigeur for those lucky enough to have summer cottages, and complete the picture of easy, summer living. photo: Pottery Barn Kids

What do you think? Are they practical, or are they just another outdoor accessory that we are "not meant to live without?" Are they the new summer staple...along with beach chairs, barbeques, and portable campfires/chimneas?. As for me, I love the idea of them, and we have toyed with adding one to our pool deck. But then I ask myself: when is enough, enough? Must we have all the comforts of our homes outside...when we are merely steps to our homes???

Or, is an outdoor shower just as refreshing, and welcomed, as a real summer shower? My verdict is not in, just yet, but I definitely feel swayed by these gorgeous photos!!

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photo: Coastal Living.com

photo source: http://www.toast.co.uk/

Who am I kidding? Outdoor showers are divine...maybe someday I'll have one...!!!

A Camping We Will Go!!

Yay, it's summer!!! Too bad it's forecasting rain again...This Nova Scotia weather is downright rotten. And to think I put up ceiling fans in the bedrooms when I could have installed chandeliers and funky lighting instead. Grrr!!

Well, the house building process was last year...and (ahem) maybe the past few summers prior. No more! We are done building for a long while and we are determined to go camping again! Oh yes, this is going to be the summer for doing all we can and should and making lots of great memories (which should be easier now that we don't have to travel around together in my little car...hubby got himself a BIG truck!!).

Yes, we are definitely packing up the (sigh) tent, air matresses, and camping chairs and heading over to Marco Polo Land to do some "urban camping". They call Marco Polo the spot for urban campers because they are very accomodating to those of us who like our creature comforts in the great outdoors. They have two large pools, nice bathrooms (for a campground), a little convenience store for those forgetful campers...who moi?..., a youth drop-in center, ice-cream stand and even a fast-food take-out! It does sound a bit pathetic doesn't it?? Oh well, it is the place for me as it is also nice and safe with lots of security, nightly bonfires, and the kids can roam around on their bikes and feel quite independent.

My family often teases me when I say I want to go camping. The first time we took our kids was a family trip with my siblings, when I was 5 months pregnant with my third child. My bladder was on high alert, I was nauseous and my youngest boy had the remnants of a bad chest cold. Our tent said it was a four-man tent, and we were a four-man family (soon to be five...) but it sure didn't feel like it. I spent much of the night in pain trying to delay my frequent trips to the "bathroom" ( we were not at Marco Polo), and alternated that with worrying about my little guy whose cough seemed to be returning with a vengeance. The real kicker was that we were in a tent not a camper. You see, when we pulled up to our spot earlier in the day, full of good intentions, I was met with the sight of my brother and his family puttering about in their camper. They were cooking spaghetti (spaghetti??!!), had the radio going and were sitting at their table with a little fan blowing a cool breeze their way. I instantly felt sick...with envy!

Did I sulk for the remainder of the trip...you bet!! Pregnant, hormonal, nauseous and jealous! Yep, I was a prize...perhaps even acted a little child-like. Well, no more! No siree!! That was not the end of me as a camper. No way were my kids going to be able to say that their childhood was rotten because they never got to go camping. In fact, I treated my next camping trip like a really important "mission". That meant research, lists, lots of trips to the dollar store...you name it. By the time we left, we were sooo prepared! All my work paid off as it turned out to be a great time and I was a born-again camper!! No more sulking for me!!!

Since I'm now an "expert", I'll leave you with a few of my favorite tips: 1. If you want to be sure you always have clean hands (I'm a bit obsessive about this), take a bottle of liquid soap. a small handtowel and wrap a bungie cord around them and the tree near your water source. Perfect!! 2. Bring along a cheap vinyl tablecloth and a staplegun to secure it to your picnic table 3. Bring some of those dollar store "necklaces" that you snap and they light up. They make great night lights. 4. Don't have a portable toilet, but you do have a toddler? Bring along a potty for those inevitable middle of the night bathroom wake-up calls. This is a good one..trust me! 5. Precook your bacon so you can impress everyone with how fast you (or even better, your hubby) can get breakfast served. 6. Don't go camping pregnant...and whatever you do, don't go camping with a tent when the other parties in your group have a camper...unless you're really mature!! Happy camping!!!

Out to sea...cottage style

I have long had a fascination with the ocean. I am partly afraid of it and on the flip side I am totally enchanted by it. One of my first memories is of the water and it is one that I think helped shape my fear. It was in Ireland (my birthplace) and I was a little girl probably not much more than 3 or 4 years of age. I was being coaxed to climb aboard a small fishing boat by my Dad and brothers and I'm not sure who else. I remember looking down between the dock and the boat at the deep, dark, murky water and being terrified that, as I made the leap, I would fall into that scary crevice and disappear. Now, whether this memory is totally accurate I'm not sure (as you know, my memory is very bad...), but it was and is very real to me, and to this day I am nervous when I am on a wharf or dock.

So, I guess I would have to say that I have a love of the seaside, a fear of the ocean, and a phobia of sharks (because of the movie JAWS). I am one of those people who sits on a beach chair, shielding my eyes from the sun, scanning for sharks!! I know I'm a bit odd, but somebody has to do it!!!

Back to the topic at hand - decorating with nautical treasures... I am dabbling with them myself. My home has a predominantly light colour scheme that lends itself well to this scheme. Watery blues, linen fabric, lots of white...I am finding it quite easy to add these beachy accessories and I think I have not yet overdone it. I place white starfish in my windows, scatter some of the sand dollars we have found at the beach on table tops, and decorate my mantel with nautical decor. Again, not too much...I don't want to get "themey" and I figure if I want to go "over the top" with it, I'll just head outside to my pool deck. Hey, I'm not making any promises of restraint there.

These pictures show my front window with starfish (I usually have stars), the framed picture is of some of the girls in my family baring our toes, and the rope ball used as a doorstop is just brilliant (just not my brilliant). The mantel above is mine...all decked out for summer!

**Sorry for the goofy way some of the writing is appearing...I have fiddled with it over and over and can't make it look like it should!! Aagh!!

Swing to their heart's content...

I love to swing and my daughter Sophie has certainly inherited that from me. Building a small swingset is on our list of things to do this summer. I thought I'd show you what is out there to entertain our kids when they play outside. Do you think they'd actually entertain themselves for more than five minutes if they had some of these objects of indulgence? I don't know, but they sure are beautiful and expensive!!! I

have to laugh at how swingsets have grown exponentially from the one to the left to the ones above. No tippy swings there...!!!

These playhouses are pricey too. The Victorian style is listed at $23,692, while the built-in tree house goes for the bargain basement price of $10,999 (and not a penny more!!!). Aren't they amazing? Too bad they are nicer than most real homes...but doesn't your little darling deserve one??!! Maybe you should get two, kind of puts things in perspective doesn't it? I'd rather pack up a nice picnic lunch and take my kids to the park...you could do a lot of good with that much money instead. Again, how times have changed...

Outdoor water features

Another (yes another) thing on my outdoor wish list is a little garden pond. You know the type...small, encircled with lots of stone, goldfish swimming within, a little fountain giving it just the right amount of authenticity...so pretty. My friend Janet has one, and although I have yet to sit and enjoy it, I certainly plan to!! I can just picture us...blissfully sipping our diet Cokes while the kids play in her pool and then...SPLASH...yeah, yeah, I'm daydreaming again!! Anyway, because I can't find the room in my yard to have one (and with town bylaws I'd probably need a 5 ft fence around it!!), I will just have to enjoy other people's.

Determined to incorporate a water feature of my own, I purchased a wall fountain for my deck. It is just the right size and after plugging it in...voila...perfectly trickling water. Well, maybe a little too strong a trickle. I get the feeling it will be triggering too many trips to the bathroom if we're sitting out with friends drinking some summer cocktails... Oh well, that's better than seeing one of my cats with a poor little goldfish hanging from its mouth! See how life gets in the way of decorating perfection? A perfect example of reality vs. fantasy!! I say, if you want a low maintenance/low-cost water feature, try a nice birdbath. Not only will you be adding some interest to your garden, but you will also be providing a lovely spot for the birds in your yard to cool off.

I will leave you with some wonderful examples of outdoor water features you can aspire to, or like me, just continue to dream of. Besides, living just 15 minutes from one of the most beautiful beaches in Atlantic Canada, I have absolutely nothing to complain about!!!

Unfinished Business...

Well, here are some before photos of all the outdoor projects we have under way. The only problem is...there are no after photos yet. We still have lots to do before those can be taken and the weather and our schedules are not cooperating. Paul has made more progress than this photo shows - the floor of the deck is now complete and he is starting on the walls. I want the pool area to be good and private so we can pretend we are not within spitting distance of our neighbours!! The kids decided they could wait no longer and decided to have their very own "polar dip"...the water temperature was about 60 degrees, so needless to say, their dip was very brief!!

Sophie and I are tackling the flower beds but that, too, is slow going. I want to plant with the future in mind and I want it to look "cottagey"...I don't want anything looking too perfectly planned or cookie-cutter. I'll post some pictures of the progress we have made as soon as I get my mulch.

I hope you all are enjoying better weather than we are. It is still basically quite cold and rainy here. There haven't been too many occasions where the kids have had to wear shorts. It's looking like another short Maritime summer...Happy landscaping!!

Blowing in the breeze...

I have had this post "on hold" until I was ready to finish writing it and find some good clothesline pictures. Then, the strangest occurrence happened. One of my favorite magazines (and I have many) arrived today, and the editor had written about clotheslines and how much she loves them, too! What's that about great minds?...just kidding!!

I have always loved clotheslines. I know that sounds strange, especially to those who hate laundry, but I really have! As a little girl, I would watch my mum hang out clothes and think, "I could do that better"... I thought she needed to have more of a plan and I didn't like that she didn't hang them in a pretty line. Her line was haphazard (sorry Mum!) but considering she was hanging out clothes for eight people, I was wise enough to keep my lips zipped! She wasn't a big fan of me helping her, as I took too long and used up the clothespins too quickly.

My very first grown-up clothesline was hung from the very first home my husband and I built. The line was was huge, and for some reason kept coming off the pulley and/or clothes kept getting wrapped up in it. I think the post even fell over a few times as we were too cheap, or dumb, to sink it into some cement! My second clothesline was one that was pre-existing from (and I'm guessing) the 50's . It was at our old farmhouse in our old town and it was not pulley style, but rather the type you prop in the middle with an old, tall stick. I think this one was my favorite one because it was low enough for my kids to play peekaboo with me in it and I have a funny memory about it. One day, I came outside to hear my then four-year old son crying...wailing actually. I flew towards him, convinced he was hurt somehow. Instead, I found him pointing up at the clothesline, crying. Confused, I looked in that direction only to see his teddy bear, "Bear" hanging from the line where I had pinned him that morning. I said to him, "Why are you crying? Do you want to play with him?" His mournful response was," NO, but get him down, his ears are in pain!!!" I realized how pathetic poor Bear must have looked to my little boy, hanging as it was with its ears pinned to the line!! That is one of my favorite memories, and I could not believe my luck when I stumbled upon this picture of a bear on a clothesline.

Fast forward to now, and I am actually stumped as to where I am going to put a clothesline on our little, meager lot. The pool deck is taking up most of the yard and just when I need it the most, my clothesline is likely going to be puny!! It will no doubt always be full of beachtowels, so I will get little opportunity to hang that perfect line of clothes...



We all have our quirks when it comes to what and how we hang out our clothes. I personally am not a big fan of hanging out (ahem) undergarments on a clothesline. Not only is that too much information, but it takes up too much time and too much line. I tend to hang the clothes out by owner. Sophie's pretty clothes get hung out with extra care because they look so pretty hanging just so. Nothing, to me, looks prettier on a line than pretty sheets and teatowels and/or aprons. Once I get my clothesline up, I will post a picture of my vintage apron collection, which, by the way, I never wear (although I am a slob when I cook, I don't want to dirty them!!).

Until that time, I will continue to overstuff my dryer and watch my electric meter spin round and round... Happy drying!!!