Reclaiming Outdoor Space

There seems to be a theme happening over here of trying to reclaim neglected areas of our home to make it more "us".

Well, isn't this pretty? Yeah, not so much. I'm not sure I can really say we are "re-claiming" this space, because I don't think we ever claimed it in the first place!

Our home has a partially finished walk-out basement that opens out to this area. It's  approximately 10 x 30, with a very small concrete patio....

 

 

...lots of gravel, an unattractive and noisy A/C unit and a super cute almost-6-year-old boy : )

Above this area we have a comfortable, cozy and much used back porch.
But down here in the summer it can be very hot, uncomfortable and unpleasant. In the past we've had a little plastic pool down here for the younger kids, but it disintegrated over the winter, and I'm not sure if we'll get another one this year or not.



It really does have potential for a cool hang-out space, so today the kids and I started cleaning it up a bit, and trying out a few ideas. They are anxious to claim this as usable kid space, so they were more than willing to help with things like hosing down an outdoor rug! {and little brothers}

 


My 15 year old helped me hang my mason jar chandelier 
over a table on the patio. 




I messed around with bringing a few pretty things out. Then it occurred to me that all this glass hanging in an area where the kids will be playing might not be the smartest idea! Bummer...

Oh well, it was fun to take a few pictures anyway. Can you believe this is all that's left of my Lilac mission?

So sad that they don't last longer. I might try to go cut some more this week before they're all gone for the season. 

Over the next several days I'll be trying to really pull this outdoor space together. As always, there will be no budget and I will have to be extra creative with things we already have around so I can come through, and give my kids an awesome outdoor area for the summer! I'll show you what I come up with soon {hopefully!}.




But just for a moment, can't a mom dream about candles and Lilacs? 

See you soon, friends!

Jeanette

Lilacs in May

Yesterday I was on a mission to find some Lilacs for my table {without paying for them, of course} I took you along with me on the scenic route as we meandered the afternoon away on the back roads of our county. 

Today I just wanted to show you a few photos of them on my table. I didn't have time to set the table, but the Lilacs are just so gorgeous on their own, it really doesn't matter.
When I came downstairs this morning the room was filled with their beautiful fragrance!

 

Thanks so much for coming by and sharing the sweet, simple joy of Lilacs in May with me!

Jeanette

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On the Way to the Lilacs

I have seen so many gorgeous photos of Lilacs this week! In our previous two homes we had beautiful Lilacs in our yard, and I've missed that so much. Thankfully, the area we live in has them growing abundantly, so I set out today to find some to cut and bring home. 

I decided to pack a picnic for the kids and take the scenic route on my Lilac mission. 

Come on along and I'll show you some of the sights on the way to the Lilacs!

We live in a very typical suburban-looking neighborhood, but all around our neighborhood is farm and ranch country. Today especially, I felt like Colorado in May is about the prettiest place on earth.

Don't you love the old truck with a sign in the back for this organic farm?

  
We never get tired of admiring pretty horses.

My son "ooh-ed and aah-ed"  over this vintage truck, despite it's missing parts :)

My 9 year old daughter said of this charming little outbuilding, "You know Mom, I could live in that!"
 

Well, hello little fella!

Years ago, this farmhouse property was almost ours. It had a huge barn, corrals, outbuildings and the original homestead log cabin still on the property! It was going to be our country dream come true, but complications with the county caused the whole deal to fall through. A developer bought all the surrounding property and built a "fancy" subdivision where the owners aren't even allowed to have animals! Crazy. The house was a little shabby back then, but it hasn't been touched and has obviously fallen into further disrepair. Pretty sad, huh?

 

 Well, let's head a little further down the road and take in some of the Colorado scenery, ok?

 Notice the unusual wildlife in this location. 

We stopped at Rifle Falls State Park for our picnic lunch and a lovely nature hike.

I don't know what this breed of cow is really called, but we always refer to them as Oreo cows. 

One of the highlights of this time of year around here is the lambs. 
There's hardly a thing in the world cuter!

If lambs are the cutest, these next critters have got to be the most humorous looking! 
 

Alpaca farms are fairly common in this area, and these animals are always fun to see. 

 But when they've been shorn, they are just the most comical sight ever!

We squealed and giggled over these guys for about 15 minutes.

I hope we didn't offend them : )

We are getting closer to our mission.....

 Ahem...ladies...LADIES! You are not supposed to eat the Lilacs! I want those for my lovely farmhouse bucket in the middle of my table! Helloooo.....
 

 Mission accomplished!

I'll try to show you tomorrow how they look on my table.

Thanks for taking the scenic route with me, on the way to the Lilacs!

Jeanette 

Sharing over at:

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