April Showers...of a different sort!

As I sit beside a hot fire, actually getting too hot, I am warm for the first time today. Spring has been a big dud so far, and the temperatures have sorely disappointed with the sun copping out and doing a miserable job at warming things up. So, to lift my spirits, I am going to indulge in some serious summertime daydreaming for a moment.
Although we finished most of out outdoor projects last year, given that our lot is quite small by most standards, I do still toy with the idea of adding an outdoor shower to our pool deck. Although my childrens' daily chlorine baths seems to substitute for proper dips in the tub during the summer, if I had an outdoor shower at the ready, I really wouldn't have to nag and quiz them on their state of summer cleanliness. I mean, come on...wouldn't one of these look so pretty in my pool area?
In all likelihood, the handyman (aka, my husband) will not go for it, for a variety of reasons, but I will not rest until I have a changing area on site. There is nothing worse than having wet bathing suits drip all over my wood floors, only for me to slip and fall on my creaky bones, which I have been known to do.


What could be more nautical than bold stripes? This is a great use of the area under the stairs. I am thinking these showers service a pool a little grander than my above ground model...

Last but not least, I love the whimsy of this outdoor bathing area. I personally wouldn't be caught dead soaking Al fresco like this, but for those of you a little more proud/brave than me, I say go for it! Looks wonderful, doesn't it?!

all images, Coastal Living.com


What's on your outdoor to-do list this summer?

Just for the fun of it...!!

Fun meets function, luxury, and beauty. The perfect combination!!

photo: Coastal Living

There are features in our homes that we need, want, and simply are lucky to have. It might be as simple as having a large master bedroom that will fit a bed big enough for the entire family to sunggle in on a Sunday morning. Perhaps the home has a great basement or garage for storage needs, or it might be that there is the perfect spot for a hammock in the back yard to relax and read a great summer novel. Some value ample closets, the perfect pantry, or big windows to let the sun stream in. Yes, it can be any number of things... but the perfect feature can defy all reasonable requirements for comfortable living. It, or they, can be so much more than that. They can be silly, supremely functional, or downright decadent.

The above potting area is both serviceable and luxurious. Most of us, at one time or another, have schlepped big bags of potting soil and peat moss to empty pots awaiting their flowery charges. Lacking the perfect tools (or too lazy to head back into the garage or shed to get them), we rip the bags open with our hands, plunge our gloveless hands into the steamy mix, and dump as much soil into the pots as we can. Lo and behold, we can't quite find the watering can, so we fill up cooking pots during countless trips to the faucet or outside tap. Now, maybe you have never sunk this low when preparing your flower pots, but as you likely have guessed...I certainly have. Soooo, this lovely potting bench with its accessible gardening tools seems like heaven to me: functional.

photo: John O'Hagan

This home gym falls into the category of indulgent and holds the title of being the "grand pooh-bah" of convenience. Honestly, who really has the space for such a beautiful room devoted entirely to one's health and well-being? I mean, I could brag and tell you about the 15 year-old weight bench we have in our gloomy back basement - rusty free weights lying around to stub your toe at every turn. Or boast about the chin-up bar that my husband fashioned to hang from the floor joists...that you first have to navigate past all the boxes of my Christmas decorations and the kitty litter box. Oh yeah, it's really inspiring! No, this is one luxury I will pass up for now. Because really...what excuse could we make for not working out daily if we had this in our homes? Entirely too much pressure!!!!!!!!!

photo: Thomas J. Story

Now, I know this is not very nice, but I resent the man at this outdoor kitchen. I know he is likely a perfectly nice man, but come on... who actually needs this amount of luxury in their yard?? I am willing to bet my firstborn (just kidding) that his kitchen is within spitting distance of that ridiculously beautiful "pampered prince" of a set-up!! Sure it would be nice to have outdoor warming drawers and a dishwasher at your ready! But do we need it?? That outdoor kitchen is nicer than some people's entire homes (and likely cost as much). That, in my books, is called having too much money and perhaps it's time to share some! As you can see, my frugal/sensible side takes over when I see stuff like this! The outdoor kitchen definitely qualifies as decadent.

photo: Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn

Now, you know I love these!! I have entertained the notion of an outdoor shower for some time, now. However... it, too, falls into the category of unnecessarily beautiful meets functionality and, ultimately, is a luxury I cannot justify. You see, when we built this house, we had the presence of mind to install indoor plumbing and even have a perfectly useful indoor shower in which to "wash the sand off!"So, although I clap my hands excitedly when I see pictures like these or the concept actually carried out in others' homes, I likely won't be taking the plunge and making one myself. But, let me know if anyone out there has one. I'd love to see a picture!!

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photo: Martha Stewart.com

"If I knew you were coming I'd have baked a (cup) cake!!"

Happy July Fourth!!! I wish all my American readers and friends a very happy holiday!! Let it be a great kick-off to a wonderful summer and a day to reflect upon your country and all that you love about it!

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...!!!

Backyard Showers

I have never taken a shower outdoors, but I can only imagine how great it would be! The first outdoor shower I ever saw was on television, in an Irish Spring commercial, and aside from the big, dopey guy in the ad (with the bad fake accent) , I thought that shower was the most amazing thing ever! I still dream of having one, but my reasons have changed.

We are in the process of putting in a backyard (above-ground) pool and in my wish list of pool accessories is a great outdoor shower. I picture it on my deck, with a door that has that proverbial outhouse symbol, the crescent moon, carved in it (above peeking level of course!!) I would hang nautical themed towels from fun hooks and wire baskets would hold a nice bottle of shampoo, shower gel, and a sea sponge. Visiting kids (and my own) could rinse the chlorine out of their hair and dirty feet making tracks on my hardwood would be no more. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?

Then reality throws just enough water in my face. My "middle child" has an issue with water... He is usually in the shower for up to 20 minutes (to wash a small body, no less) before we notice that the water coming from the taps is unusually cold and he is not in his room getting settled for bed as we had presumed. This is our obstacle to a poolside shower. We can just picture him (and to be fair, his little sister) hopping in and out of the pool to "warm up" under the hot shower. We are purposely not getting a pool heater due to the high cost of it, so the amount of hot water we'd go through in a day with a shower would defeat this cost saving measure!

My only hope is that my husband will come through on his promise to come up with a creative solution to heat the water naturally (think modified rain barrell) and rig something up so that I can achieve my girlhood fantasy of standing under a shower in the great outdoors while the birds chirp and the kids splash in the pool nearby. On second thought, maybe I had better rethink that moon-shaped cut-out...I don't want any little pranksters traumatizing me (and themselves) while I'm trying to fulfill a dream!!!