Saturday Morning Gardening

Thank goodness it's Saturday! It was so nice to sleep in today and enjoy my coffee out on the balcony with Mario. I love sitting outside surrounded by pretty plants. I moved a few palm trees around yesterday and finally finished the rock waterfall plantings. It took a while to figure out where everything should go and corrected a few mistakes. Gardening does not come naturally to me, but I'm starting to get a feel for it. This could be my new addiction. Plant all the things!

The small palms (Pygmy Dates/Phoenix Robellini) were moved from behind the waterfall since I could only see the tops of them. I put them behind the patios, which also fills the gaps in the landscaping. My two new queen palms are now behind the waterfall. That's much better! They are a little close to each other, but after looking pictures I see huge ones planted that close. I would have just planted one in the middle, but we have a huge pipe there for the pool.

This is becoming my new favorite spot to sit. I feel like I'm hidden among the plants from the neighbors while still being able to see the kids swim.

The pygmy dates got a little trim this morning since they were starting to look like a palm shrub instead of a palm tree.

I didn't trim them too much because I like to use the palm fronds for décor.

I still have tons of work to do around the fences, but I'm starting to formulate a plan. This shady corner is home to a couple of new elephant ears that will hopefully grow fast and tall.

I love this side of the yard, but the roses probably won't ever cover the fence so they will get transplanted. They will look great in my front yard along with the white crepe myrtles we put in last year. I would like the front to have more of a cottage feel.

I'm not the only one enjoying the backyard. The pool is the big draw for my kids, but they also love to just sit out here with me. They even brought their breakfast out here this morning.

I'm so glad they are enjoying it as much as me. Have a great weekend!

New House Updates

I haven't updated since last week because it's been crazy around this house! I had one of those weekends where my kids must have been slipped an energy drink. Anyway, I was recovering on Monday morning with a cup of coffee and did not get into my usual frentic cleaning routine since weekends turn my house upside down. I puttered around and noticed some changes needed to be made. I moved a few things around and began getting ideas. I know I'm not the only one that does this!

I bought a chair recently from Target.com for my living room. It was cute, cheap and would go perfect in the corner of the room near the tv. It arrived quickly, but I had to put the entire thing together. It wasn't a simple screw in the legs either. I thought it looked a little small, but when I put it in the corner I realized it was extremely small. I've been trying to come up with ways to make it work because I really didn't want to go through the hassle of shipping it back. I realized on Monday there was no way I could keep it in my living room. I put it in the office as a desk chair and it was even too small for the desk. Who knew there were even chairs this small?! I tried it in the tiny space that I thought was too small for a chair across from the desk and it fit perfectly!

I've been considering adding a bit of tan in here for a while, but this sealed it. I dug out some old Ikea linen (linen-like) curtains and they went great. I still needed a desk chair and immediately knew one that would go perfect from World Market. I took a girlfriend with me and she watched my indecision firsthand as I stared at it. She's seen me do this before so she dared me to buy it, lol. So, I did!

It's amazing how two chairs and a pair of curtains have transformed this room. Now, I just need to clean it up and hang the pictures I bought a year ago on the walls. If you're wondering what took me so long to work on this room it's because I avoid it like the plague. My husband took this office over and uses it to work out of the house a few days a week. There is stuff everywhere and I don't know what's important to keep or throw away. I have just been shutting the door with the hope he'd eventually find the time to straighten up. It never happened, but he will now be working out of his real office in the city instead so I'm taking this room back! Yes! He promised me we would de-crapify it this weekend. We'll see...

While I was at World Market I also picked up these cute wooden starfish. I've never been one for seasonal decorating until the past couple of years. I used these and a few other things I already had to make a summer centerpiece for my island. It's a bit cheesy, but the kids like it. Okay, the kids don't care, but I like it. I'm sure I will be horrified and think WTH was I thinking later, but it works for now.

And, finally...the oar in my son's room got it's stripes. Do you remember me saying last week I was going to paint red stripes on it?




Well, I actually did it and love the way it turned out!

It took me less than twenty minutes to tape off and spray paint it. I roughed it up a bit after it dried so the red would look a little distressed like the white areas. My son still isn't interested in his room, but that's okay. It just gives me free reign to do whatever I like in here. ;) I'm off to buy a few things today and keep this decorating mojo going! Have a great week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Surfer Dude’s Room Progress

If you remember, my youngest son (aka surfer dude) is getting a room makeover. There's still a bit of work to do, but since I'm the slowest DIYer ever I thought I'd show you the progress so far. I'm especially thrilled with these blue stripes on the wall.



My first instinct was to add some type of wainscoting, but I already have so many projects I need to finish that I wanted an easier solution. Since painting stripes is new to me I started with one wall to make sure it would turn out. I followed directions from several blogs (thank you blogs!) and I was amazed at how perfect these stripes came out.

Here's a closer look.



You probably already know how to do this, but I used a laser to help me tape a straight line and then I "sealed" the tape with the white paint already on the walls to prevent the blue from leaking. My jaw was on the floor when I took the tape off. I couldn't believe it actually worked!

I will admit that I never planned this room out. I was frustrated with the chipped paint and stick figures my son drew on the walls. I had some left over paint from the boys bathroom and went to town. There! It felt clean...and very white...too white.



I had a moment of panic. What the heck was I supposed to do now?! I considered wainscoting or using navy paint. I didn't want to caulk all that wainscoting and I knew navy would make this room too dark. I focused on the artwork/wall decor instead.







That was a good decision because all of that lighter blue in the accessories inspired me to go with a similar color on the walls. I chose a wide stripe because I didn't want the room to feel busy. I placed the blue stripes in the middle too so I didn't have to tape off the baseboards or paint near the ceiling with the blue color. You know that would have ended up all over the ceiling, right? This is basically just two blue stripes in the middle of the wall. Easy peasy.



Look at the difference!



The only request my son has made is to add more red in here. Besides finishing the painting, I'll be adding red accessories next. This oar will be getting some red stripes soon.



Despite having absolutely no design plan, I'm loving the direction this room is headed. What does my son think? He could not care less! As long as his chair is directly in front of the tv, he's good. He might only be six, but his man genes are in full force. I'm hoping that once I add the red accessories he might be a little more interested. I doubt it, but we'll see!

A Tropical Update

Are you ready for some palm trees?!



It all started with the two palms behind the waterfall. I just wanted to soften the rocks a bit and loved the way it looked so much that I went back for more a few more palms, and then a few more. Throw a few hibiscus in and I now have a vacation in my backyard. I also had enough dirt in the back of my suv to sprout a garden. That's the price of DIY!

I'm so eating my words now. When we put in our pool I told my husband I didn't want any tropical plants since it didn't fit with our landscape or our home. We planted crepe myrtles and knockout roses instead. They are pretty, but I just wasn't getting that vacation vibe when I walked outside and saw this.



Blah

And now...



Much better! I finally bought a couple of pool loungers, too. I decided against the teak loungers that match our outdoor dining table since it hasn't held up that well. You just can't beat the durability of plastic. And they were extremely cheap so if they get damaged I won't feel sick over them.



The large tree is a queen palm. I was hesitant to plant something that gets up to 20ft tall so close to the pool, but the roots are very small and won't damage the foundation. The sago palm is the smaller one and it gets to be a max of 6ft tall. They are nice in flowerbeds, which is why I put one in the bed near the fence.



I love the knockout roses, but I really want to cover the eyesore of a fence. They will probably be transplanted to the front yard later this summer.



As you can see, there is quite a bit of fence to cover up. Once the plants get marked down to 70% off in August at our local garden center I will load up on more palms, banana trees, and elephant ears.



If you're wondering why we have gaps in between the hibiscus, it's because we needed to leave the area behind the fire pits open.

We had a patio area of flagstone put in for chairs when using the fire pits.




The second fire pit and patio on the other side of the palms.



And, a Mario photo bomb.



Isn't this so much better? I'm finding any excuse to go outside and enjoy it. There's still a lot of work to be done out here, but it's come such a long way. Have a great weekend!

My Two Favorite and Inexpensive House Plants

How was your weekend? We had great weather here and then it turned windy, cold and rainy yesterday. Before the temperature dropped 35 degrees we took full advantage of the weather and bought enough plants to turn our backyard into a rainforest. At least that's what my 8 year old called it. I love my kids perspective on our projects. I'll have pictures later in the week of the backyard (or rainforest) once the sun comes out again. I also picked up two of my favorite house plants while out shopping. I love them because they go in any room.  Most of the stores have their orchids out, but only the grocery store has them for $10. That store is HEB for fellow Texans! I picked one up to replace the one I killed in the living room.

I've been moving it around the house to see where else it could go-the mantel, the coffee table, the end table, the bedroom, the bathroom vanity and tub (it's called a garden tub after all :), and the entry table. It looks good everywhere!  I also bought a couple of regency palms since Wal-Mart had them on sale for $10. You probably noticed them on my upstairs balcony in a recent post.  
I have two of these on the balcony. One is behind the camera in the corner. They are great for privacy when I want to wear my pjs out here, which I did yesterday. Not to mention there's something about palms that put me in an instant vacation mood. As with the orchid, I've been moving them around the house and they look good everywhere. One ended up in the entryway.  

And the other is in the living room.



I also like the way they look on the front porch, the office, the bedroom and the dining room. It's a great and inexpensive way to fill an empty corner. Doesn't every room have one of those? Now, I'm off to find a couple of new planters!

Easter in the Kitchen

So, I've never decorated any part of my home for Easter. Before I had kids I always imagined that I would have a family of ceramic bunnies in my kitchen and giant faux Easter eggs in my front yard. Then, I had kids and realized my former self was insane. I can barely keep up with the necessary parts of Easter, like stuffing tons of plastic eggs with candy the night before my kids' school egg hunts. This year I finally shopped early and spent the extra money for pre-filled eggs. Why didn't I do that before? I also found a few Easter décor items for the house while out shopping this week. I can't tell you how together I feel right now.

Breakfast Room Centerpiece




The coffee bar got bunnified, too.



The eggs are from Pottery Barn, which are already on sale. Both of the bunnies were found at World Market for just a few dollars each. These touches of Easter may be small, but they made a big impact with the little guys in this house. Plus, smaller décor is easier to store!

Outdoor Spaces

It's the most wonderful time of the year! For enjoying outdoor spaces, that is. Alfresco meals, doors and windows thrown open to let the breeze in, heated pool for the kids, and margaritas on the patio at local restaurants were the highlights of my weekend. We are beginning the best season for weather in Houston and I'm planning on taking full advantage of it before summer hits. One of the things I love most about my house is the number of outdoor spaces I have to enjoy this great weather.

The front porch




The pool







And the balcony off the master bedroom

That's a lot of outdoor spaces for a fairly small home. How small? I'm not sure if I've ever revealed this before, but my home is just under 2300 square feet. When you have three boys, an escape room is important. Outdoor areas are perfect since the yelling from inside is muted.

Besides the plants I killed, the front porch and balcony are in pretty good shape. I never really got to finish the pool area last year since most of the décor was sold out by the time our pool was finished. Here are a few things I have my eye on to finish it off.




I really wanted this black and white striped umbrella last year from Ballard Designs, but considering I needed two of them I could not justify the cost and went with plain red ones. I'll be watching these at the end of summer for a good sale and a coupon. I have to at least get two seasons out of my red ones. Isn't the black and white so chic?

Pool loungers are at the top of my list!





I've also decided to put in palm trees behind our waterfall. I feel like the rocks need a bit of softening. Have you ever priced palms? They can be insanely expensive and it's so hard to decide which ones to buy since there are so many varieties. I'm leaning towards the Mediterranean Palm because they're pretty. We'll see what my yard guy says tomorrow about these. I hope he doesn't burst my bubble by telling me they shed or won't grow well in this climate. He'll be planting the trees for me because I don't trust my planting skills. Painting, yes. Planting, no.


This is probably my first project that doesn't require woodwork, paint or any elbow grease at all on my part. I could get used to this!