Outdoor Summer Essentials
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Ahh, summer. I'm looking forward to pulling together some outdoor summer essentials to make these three months of sunshine extra sunshiney. We are in the process of replacing all of our billion deck boards on our back and front decks with new Trex decking (no, the pic above isn't my house, just a super drool-worthy inspiration). Our deck materials had a product recall, so thankfully they're awesome and sent us replacements. The only unfortunate thing is that we're doing the labor (and by we, I mean Ryan) and covering the cost of fasteners (who knew that stainless steel screws could cost so much?!).
BUT, it's going to be gaaaalorious when it's done. No more slivers in kids' feet. No more doling out Bandaids for the tiniest speck of blood your eyes have ever beheld. No more windows cracking from shrill shrieks that can only mean one thing: tweezers.We also are so super dee duper excited about getting a railing system on the back deck! Hurray! Our oldest daughter has special needs and can't safely navigate outside by herself, so we applied for a grant from a couple different foundations to cover the cost of the railing and a few gates. So thankful for these organizations that are dedicated to improving the quality of life for these special kiddos and their families. We've set up our house inside to be safe for her, and we are so looking forward to letting her have some freedom to roam outside too.
The sunshine is mighty powerful and I am pretty thrilled to make the kids play outside all day. I mean...no, that's what I meant. Anyway, point is, I like being outside. I like my kids being outside. I like hosting get-togethers outside. There are a couple of key elements to making it easier to bring the essentials of inside to the great outdoors. Some of these things we have, some are on my list, and some are just in my dreams.
Outdoor lounging: I love sitting on the grass with the kiddos, but I can do without the itchy legs and wet buns. I'm more apt to picnic with them if I have a comfy place to park myself. I know they don't care--they'd sit on rocks and not bat an eye. Mama needs some cushion. This tassel blanket from the Magnolia line is TOO GOOD. I love that it rolls up into a little carrying case. Thanks Jo-Jo. You're the best. I could do with a cute seating set like this one too!! It's a nice touch to have extra throw blankets around for when it gets a little on the chilly side and you want to keep the party going.
Outdoor lighting: Aren't string lights magical? I feel like they're Christmas in summer. They set the mood but also give good light to navigate around that patio with s'more sticks. Hurray for not impaling anyone! Throw in some lanterns with battery operated candles and you've got yourself a sweet evening setup.String lightsBrown weave lanternOpen weave rattan lantern
Outdoor larder: Okay, maybe I was trying to make the alliteration work at all costs and "larder" was a stretch, but I'm basically saying "food". Prepping food and taking a bazillion trips outside to deliver said food and tasty beverage is not my idea of how to spend 2 hours. Enter: tray. Load it up, take it out. Larder isn't harder. Don't forget the s'more stuff!