The Perfect Patio

What sold us on our townhome nine months ago was the giant outdoor space. Mike is a genius with a barbecue and I desperately wanted a space to improve my gardening skills (or lack thereof) and have an area to entertain outdoors. Unfortunately, we missed the mark by about a month to get those end-of-season deals so we decided to put off our hunt for patio furniture until this year.  

A while back I made a collage of what my 'dream' patio would look like and this is what I came up with:

When it comes to furniture, I am picky and Mike is frugal which makes it really difficult for us to settle on any big purchase. Fortunately for us, we found this sectional on Overstock on sale and, while it was still expensive, was the look we wanted for much cheaper than what we were finding at pottery barn, crate & barrel, etc. We could have waited for those 'deals' but we both agreed we didn't want another summer to go by without being able to really use our patio so we took the plunge.

We've had it for a few weeks now and it completely gives the patio a new feel. We were lucky enough to have our families come to our house this year for Easter and I loved that everyone was outside lounging on the sectional and enjoying the sunshine. Even Goose is a fan -- but his mom could do without the muddy paw prints!

I still want to add a little cafe table and chairs as well as a big umbrella but it's coming along. Mike is all about a fire pit too but personally I'd like a non-wood burning one so I don't smell like a campfire everytime we light it up.

Can't wait to crack a few beers and enjoy a book or two out here. Is it summer yet?

Back to (almost) Normal

Oh, hello there. Long time, no post. Taxes were calling my name and they aren't keen on sharing.

I won't bore you with the details of my day to day but let's just say that I'm happy that I most likely will never have to fill out another 1040 (besides my own) as long as I live. I'm not quitting my job or anything but will mainly be focusing on Corporate tax from now on. Corp tax has a 'busy season' as well but it's less hectic than individual tax as we are working year-round to figure out taxable income. If you ever have a case of insomnia, come ask me about book-to-tax differences and I'll sure to bore you to sleep.

I ended up taking Thursday and Friday off last week for my best friend's wedding which was absolutely amazing and beautiful. I used to think that there really wasn't much difference between being engaged and married if you already share housing/finances/a dog but there is something magical about promising yourself to another person for life in front of a hundred people.

Speaking of weddings, July 19th is coming up fast. I'm definitely looking forward to it but will feel a little relieved when there isn't a list a hundred lines long of things left to do. I am trying to live more in the present but in truth I'm more looking forward to the wedding being over so Mike and I can carry-on being husband and wife.

Well now that you are updated on my life since I last posted, I'm excited to share with you some little updates we've been doing between all the craziness. It's funny that no matter how much life throws at us, we still find time to visit Home Depot (sometimes twice in one day!).

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Fiddle Leaf Fig

Between the two of us, Mike and I have four brown thumbs. Seriously, we kill just about every plant we get our hands on.

With the new house and an actual patio, we've decided to give gardening another try and are both pleasantly surprised that the few plants we've bought haven't kicked the bucket yet. I attribute this to the the fact that most of the grassy areas in our complex are way over-watered so any that seeps into the ground surrounding our yard provides enough to keep our plants from dying during the 'dry spells' when Mike and I forget to water.

Along with the few plants we've put in the ground, we also have a lime tree in a container that's really taken off as well as a few other little flowering plants that seemed to die at one point but are now back with a vengeance.

All this luck has pushed me to take the plunge and try my hand at a house plant I've been coveting for a few years now - the fiddle leaf fig. Now that you've seen one, I bet you will notice a million more as they've become the 'it' plant of home decor. I've read from other blogs that a few years ago they were super expensive and virtually impossible to find but now they are more common place at big box stores like Home Depot and Lowe's.

As we do almost every Saturday, we hit up Home Depot this weekend for a few items and ended up coming home with a cute little fiddle leaf fig for $16. Right now it's about three feet high and more of a bush than a tree, but already adds so much color to the living room. These plants can be a little finicky but do well in front of a window with a lot of light and consistent watering. At the very least, I have comfort in knowing that if it dies within a year, Home Depot will gladly take it back... though I'm hoping that won't be necessary.

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