Beautiful Leaf Garlands....How I Love Thee.

 Click on Image for Source

My mom is pretty crafty.  She's the kind of woman to go find sticks in her backyard, dry her own flowers, and create a gorgeous wreath out of her findings.  My mom also makes beautiful garland decorations.  Her Christmas decor is fabulous, her stairways are always holiday appropriate, the mantel is loving-leaves during the fall, and her front porch is a festive fete all-year round!  In an attempt to find a house project for myself, I thought of making a garland of leaves like THE MOM.  I found white paper leaves, burlap leaf garlands, copper leaves, newspaper leaves, the list goes on.  Needless to say, I'm inspired.  Are you?!

 Hop on over to Freckles Chick for a sweet giveaway including leaves!

P.S.  The roast I made last Friday that cooked for 8 hours in the crock pot was delicious!  I mean falling apart it was so tender!

So many patio furnitures to choose from....

I AM NOT bragging....but, we have a fabulous backyard.  It's a split level yard with a rock wall separating the upper and lower levels.  The rock wall has four flowering trees evenly dispersed surrounded by roses bushes, poppies, geraniums, desert flowers, you name it!  Did I mention that I spend hours mowing, raking, weeding, sweating...well, you get the idea. Problem Uno: we lack sufficient patio furniture.  I've been looking for quite some time (We even expanded our concrete pad and I still don't have any chairs!) and can't quite narrow it down!  There are so many beautiful options.

Aluminum

Teak

Wrought Iron

Padded

Strap

Sling

Wicker

High Table

Low Table

A lot of choices isn't it?  I'm thinking I'd love the padded furniture the most, but knowing myself and my children, it would be destroyed the fastest.  So, I think my pick would be an Aluminum or Wrought Iron set. Like this:

Obviously a big enough table for guests is important.  Also, a canopy would be amazing to shade us from the hot sun, here in the desert.

And for the S'mores lovers in my family and friends, a firepit would definitely be a bonus!

So, what do you think of my choices?  Practical?  Stylish?  Both?  Neither?

Click on photos for image source

I'm ready for a vacay....

When the season turns warm and delicious, depending on my mood, I'm in serious need of a time out.

Whether it's the beach, 

 

Image via HERE

the mountains,

Image via The Ardilaun Hotel

an evening walk or bike, 

Image via Welcome To Stratford

a swim,

Image via Surfing Tips

a canoe or kayak ride,

Image via Outdoor Tours

A relaxing day at the pool

 Image via HERE

or just a night in the backyard with the fire pit,

Image via HGTV

I need and love that time!

Image via Trendir.com

When you need a vacation, what do you choose to do?  Outdoor activities or relax?  Where would you choose to go?  Mountains or beach?  Please let me know! My sister and I have a daily battle on whether people choose to go to the beach and relax, or the mountains to have a physically rigorous time-out! I can't decide which one I choose!

aaahhh, Finally a Sunny Day!

Since it's finally sunny here and the weather is begging me to be outdoors, I'm going to take my children to a waterpark (we have season passes!)  So I leave you with a quick short note to have a wonderful summer day and with these lovely outdoor images from Country Living. All these spaces make me feel like a nice family dinner, an outdoor party, or a quiet moment with a cup of tea and a book.

What do you do for a relaxing summer's eve?

Images via Country Living