Our Patio Tour

Welcome!  We've had the itch to be outside lately and have been working hard on a few projects to get everything in shape.  This is one of our favorite places to be...

The paint on my new outdoor rug is holding up very nicely.  It's already been soaked from rain and had toys scattered all over it.  I did, however, remember the reasons why I got rid of my last outdoor rug.  1) It stays clean for MAYBE 2 seconds.  Then there is grass and muddy footprints and dead flower petals all over it.  It constantly looks like it needs to be swept.  2)  The wind blows and flips up the edges a lot.  Anyone have a solution for that?

I cleaned up the votive holders and got some new battery-candles for the 
DIY Twig Chandelier.

Care for some lemonade?  It finds a handy spot on the side tables that I repainted.  (Do you spy the houndstooth on that little decanter vase?  A thrifting find...love.)

 I'm so happy with how the meant-to-be beat up coffee table table turned out.

Two years ago I recovered the cushions with this red P. Kaufmann fabric.  The black and white damask is Waverly "Essence", the green lattice is "Slick" also by P. Kaufmann, and I believe the red flowers were a Pottery Barn print, but I bought the two panels on ebay and made them into pillows.

The front beds and all of the pots are done, but we still need to tackle that big bed and get it cleaned up.  There was an existing pergola when we bought the house, but it was falling apart so Ray has since rebuilt this one.  The wisteria totally covered the other one and offered some nice shade, so I'm slowly training this one to move across the top.  

I gave the old table and wicker furniture a touch up a few weeks ago.  
They feel brand new!

Confession:  We have NEVER eaten with cloth napkins or chargers outside!  

We are blessed with a brick patio.  The word is that the lady who built the house opted for spending money on the brick rather than a sprinkler system.  When I'm lugging around the hose and sprinkler I try to remember "I love the brick, I love the brick..."  :)  That big tin finial was also a thrift store find.  I think it was $12?  I love it but am never quite sure where to put it.

This is probably 75% of what sold us on this house.  There's nothing behind us.  Just lots of growth and trees and a creek.  We've seen deer, wild turkeys, a red fox, racoons, (skunks-on our patio!), an armadillo, a huge owl sat on our fence, bunnies and of course a snake or two.   Yet, beyond that we could almost throw a stone and hit one of the busiest intersections in town.  We feel like we're in the country but have all of the conveniences of a great location.  

 The Lord has definitely blessed us with a wonderful home, and we are grateful.  Once a friend told me "If the Lord gives you something good, make sure you use it for Him."  We hope that is accomplished with our home.  Wish you could join us for dinner!  

Well, hopefully if the wind dies down we'll be out here celebrating a little girl's birthday tonight.  It's been brutal for the last week or so.  The second line of our state song isn't "Where the wind comes sweeping down the plain" for nothing!

Linking up with:

Crafty Texas Girls, Savvy Southern Style