Sprucing up the deck

Every year when the snow melts and it finally warms up, Tim and I brush the cobwebs off the deck and get it ready for BBQing and outdoor parties. This year it needed it.

We made the mistake this year of quickly putting the deck rug and furniture out before sweeping and cleaning everything. Then a lot of rain came and we were left with a moldy rug and deck. So we started by moving everything out of the way so we could sweep and power wash the deck. Needless to say, it got pretty jumbled. We were left with a pretty blank (slightly green) slate. Here are some before shots of the deck.

After some patient power washing done by Tim we were left with a much better deck.

A word of caution with power washing: It is easy to get zoned in on removing a bit of mildew or staining from a spot but be careful because if you cut in too close with the washer, it will splinter and eat away at the wood. In the effort of full disclosure, here is a shot of that happening with our railing.

(The extra light half circle spots on the railing is where we got a little too close with the power washer. This could hurt the integrity of the deck so make sure you aren't spraying too close or too long in one spot.)

Moving on to some better before and afters. Here is a shot of our chairs before (left) and after (right). Ahh- much better!

Finally we started putting back the pieces. Unfortunately the rug could not be saved so we are on the hunt for a new rug. I want something with more color and pattern so hopefully we can find it soon.

This is the only shot with cushions but it is pre- power washing.

Next is finding some more greenery to jazz up our deck so it screams oasis. Are you "decking" out your deck this summer? New pillows or furniture? Or are you simply using nature around you?

Summertime changes

I am finally realizing that it is now June and I need to get into a summertime mode. I realized this when I was outside this past weekend and I looked at my vegetable garden. You may remember when I planted our small potted vegetable garden earlier this spring. They were so small.

Now our lettuce has been growing by the boatloads. This is our 4th or 5th time cutting the lettuce and it was due for another round.

And the tomatoes are growing each and everyday. We placed a wire fence around the pot to keep the tomato plants stable.

In fact, you can even see some little tomatoes growing. I can't wait to make some tomato sandwiches!

I also decided to finally change our spring mantle. I am not totally in love with the new look (it needs a banner or something) but it works for now until I can keep tweaking.

Oh, and are you wondering who that wonderful bobble head is?

It's Charlie Manuel from the Philadelphia Phillies! It is baseball season after all. :)

How are you guys prepping for summertime? It usually takes me awhile to realize that the new season is here but now that it is, I am excited!

Deforesting Our Mini Forest

Although I spent most of the memorial day weekend with friends and family, I also got some much needed projects done. One of them was removing a forest.

Let me explain. We have a maple tree next to our driveway. Every year we see lots of whirlybirds or helicopter seeds all over our yard fall from it. This year, the rain and early spring weather started producing a lot of mini maple trees.

I have let it go a bit too far. So I decided to get up early one morning and get to work taking down our mini forest. This is my before shot. I realized after I already started so that is why you see the patch of weeded garden in the front.

And this is what it looked like after the mini forest came down.

Ahh, much better. Let's take another angle shot.

Our garden is still a work in progress but it has come a long way from this jungle when we moved in...

Who else tackled some gardening this weekend between hot dogs and hamburgers?

Highlight Reel...Outdoors and Arts and Crafts

I realized that this week of highlight recaps is really helping me appreciate the work we have done so far rather than focusing on what we haven't done yet. It can be really discouraging when you don't take a second to appreciate it all. Since we tackled the home projects and food, lets talk about the outdoors and arts and crafts.

I started the year recapping a painting I finally finished of my father-in-law and his pup. Then I came clean about my addiction to photos and art, showed off my valentines project to my hubby, and had fun wrapping wine bottles in yarn.


 As Spring approached, I gave my mantel a facelift, planted our veggie garden in pots, and vowed not to be one of those neighbors.


As the warmer weather rolls in, I will be working more and more outside. Plus, I am already reaping the benefits of the veggie garden. I will update you more on that after the rainy weather moves out of our area.

Last stop on the highlight reel is wedding detail recaps and everything else!

ps: Did you drool over the food recap yet?
pps: We also recapped the indoor projects over the last 4 months. You can check that out here.