Don’t get too excited. It’s not so much aesthetic progress, as it is functional progress. We got our old spray painted metal and glass coffee table from our first house‘s living room…
… back from John’s parents (they used it when their house was on the market and then it accidentally got hidden away in storage). Then it dawned on us that although we didn’t have a spot for it inside, a ton of outdoor furniture is spray painted metal and glass (like the round table that the old owners left on our upper patio). So out to the patio it went.
Is it perfect for the space? Nope. Is it great for resting my pasty need-to-be-shaved mom legs? Yup.
Sometimes you just gotta work with what you have (whether it’s a pale set of stems or an old $30 thrift store coffee table). At least until you upgrade (when it comes to furniture, not so much with legs). Here’s another table shot sans any pasty appendages:
And check out the happy surprise going on in the background. Yup, our hydrangeas got all booyah on us and bloomed. We wondered what color they’d be (and actually guessed they were white when we saw the buds) but they surprised us with happy blue flowers when they opened. I know we’ve said it before, but it’s SO much fun to experience the first spring/summer in a new home just to see what sprouts up to surprise you. It’s kind of like Oprah saying: “You get a hydrangea!”, “You get a hydrangea!”, “You get a hydrangea!”
And although the patio looked so charming with some not-outdoor-friendly furniture that we stuck outside for the big patio reveal (John thinks I’m weird but I just got such a kick out of trecking stuff out there for the afters – you know, to help with scale)…
… this is what it’s looking like these days:
Yup, that’s a baby pool in the shape of a whale. It was a gift from a friend who had the very same one when she was a baby and Clara couldn’t love it more. And yes, being the protective momma bird that I am, I totally put a bunch of towels under it so it’s not too hard on those swim-diapered buns of hers.
Oddly enough, although the patio is faaaaar from being “done” when it comes to outdoor furniture and pillows and all the other things that we eventually want to work in, for now… it’s paradise. And it’s such a nice reminder that spaces don’t have to be styled within an inch of their life and filled with perfectly scaled and coordinated furnishings to do the trick. Sometimes a whale shaped baby pool plus an old coffee table = happiness.
Oh and before I go, check out how much our backyard continues to fill in since our first house tour. Here’s a shot of the left side of our backyard that John snapped a few months back:
And here it is now:
Va-va-voom, right? And here’s the right side of the back yard a few months back:
And now:
Crazy lush, eh? Welcome to the jungle. Burger and Clara seem to love exploring. And check out what an old bush that we couldn’t identify turned out to be…
… roses!
At least I think that’s what they are. I’m plant illiterate so that’s my best guess. One thing’s for sure, there’s enough monkey grass to tickle my pale legs for hours.
Anyway, do you guys have any spaces like our patio (laughably unfurnished but blissfully functional)? Did you own the same whale pool that Clara plays in (apparently they’ve been around for decades)? Are your legs as delightfully chalky as mine? You can tell me. I promise I won’t gossip about it. Much.
Carolyn H. says
I’m totally pale. I was just born that way. I’ve got an upcoming beach vacation in a week or so and I’m thinking about getting a spray tan. … Not sure what to think. It seems nasty to spray myself down with so many chemicals. But, on the other hand, I’d feel great in my bathing suit on the beach and I wouldn’t feel the need to use anything less than SPF 50 sunblock when I’m catching rays…
Melanie says
Carolyn,
Do the spray tan. I am a fellow pale person as well, and I enjoy my vacations 10 fold when I use self tanner or a spray. Not worrying about how white and blinding I am, and having it cover flaws leaves time to enjoy everything else about vacation. :) I also like Bronze Bombshell from Bath and Body Works. I feel the same way about chemicals, but it’s probably fine to do a couple times per year. :)
Dana E. says
When we bought our fixer-upper house, there were crazy unidentified plants everywhere! Given that every single one was over grown and had a crazy spreading vine (similar to kudzu but with crazy looking berries) He cut everything down to a nub. A year and a half later, I realized that one of those nubby unidentified plants was a rose bush!
The previous owners didn’t take care of them so the roses are not doing the best, but someone recommended putting used coffee grounds around the base, and amazingly, I’m getting some really pretty roses now! I know you can use coffee grounds in compost, so I’m guessing that they must do some real magic to the soil to get roses that were blooming dead to turn into soft, full blooms! :)
I love the surprises that new yards hold!
Vanessa says
Are the flowers along the path daylillies? They look like they might be.
Our hydrangeas will bloom for the first time this year. My mom planted them after she rescued them from the trash at Loewe’s. Can’t wait to see what color they are.
BTW – don’t knock the pasty legs. They go well with my farmers tan.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, yup day lilies and monkey grass galore!
xo,
s
Sharon Sprague says
So I’m moving into my boyfriends house and we are going to be weekend warriors for quite some time. I can not WAIT! He has a kidney shaped outdoor in ground pool that is beautiful. But the surrounding concrete needs to GO. It would be quite a job and would love to do interlocking bricks. It would be so pretty. Any tips? I can share pics sometime, too.
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, we’ve never tackled interlocking bricks. Maybe try googling for tips? Good luck – it sounds gorgeous!
xo,
s
Crystal says
I love your hydrangeas! I wish I’d inherited some of those – instead of all the strangely placed tulips and rhubarb we’ve got going on! =)
And don’t worry about the pasty mom legs…at least you aren’t redhead-radioactive-white like me and my sister-in-law at the pool…it’s just sad. When my niece was born her stepsisters looked at her and then my sister in law and said “well, good. It looks like she’s not gonna get your ‘paleness'” like it’s a disease. So we just blame everything now on our paleness… =)
Carole says
i used to walk in the mornings with a women that kept on suggesting that I needed to use self-tanner on my pasty mom-legs. She just wouldn’t let it go. as someone who freckles instead of tans, i’d rather be pasty than speckled!
Barbara says
I am seriously surprised that you didn’t paint all the patio furniture white. What’s the deal with that? :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, just working with it as-is for now. I’ve noticed that light colored things outside can show a lot if dirt and cobwebs – and you know I’m not the kind of gal to scrub down outdoor furniture on a regular basis, haha.
xo,
s
Jill says
We recently bought our first house and have been enjoying the yard surprises so much. And they really are surprises, since the previous owner pretty much appeared to neglect the yard completely at least as far as mowing and weeding are concerned. We actually have a gorgeous small rosebush, a blooming butterfly bush, and a TON of irises that haven’t bloomed, though we’re thinking of digging them up and planting them somewhere where they may be happier. I want hydrangeas SO badly. I have serious hydrangea envy going on right now. Hopefully we can plant some in the early fall!
Barb says
My grown daughter, who has traveled a lot to other countries, is so pale that she has been asked by the locals to have their picture taken with her! One time they thought she was a movie star! It’s hilarious!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s amazing. I’ll just wait for that to happen to me. Still waiting…
xo,
s
erin says
Hi guys,
I love how you’re transforming your outdoor space. We’d love to work outdoors more and devote some time to redoing our backyard, but these darn Richmond mosquitos are ruining all the fun! How do you protect yourselves and Clara from these pests and actually enjoy being outside?
Thanks
YoungHouseLove says
Good old citronella candles and these little natural bug deterrent incense sticks from Wild Bird Unlimited here in Richmond. A fan works wonders too!
xo,
s
Susan says
Yep, on the pasty legs question. Thank goodness for tan in a bottle or I’d blind innocent passer-byers when I’m out shopping in shorts or skirts. ;)
Sherry, I have to tell you my “baby pool on the patio” story. When my son was about 2, I kept his baby pool on our concrete patio just outside the kitchen/breakfast room doors, because whenever I filled it with water out on the lawn, it would about kill the grass underneath it if it was there for any length of time. Well, one day he was climbing out of his little pool and tripped/fell…giant goose egg on the forehead. It was HUGE. Scared me half-to-death and I felt terrible beyond words. Pool went back onto the nice cushy soft lawn and I said to heck with the grass. :) Fortunately, he was ok but it scared the heck out of me! Just wanted to mention…in case it’s helpful.
Britt@knewlywifed. says
Love your outdoor space! And love the reference to the ‘mom’ legs! I’ve got a 7 month old and I want to know how my legs turned to mom legs in such a small period of time?!!
Kayla says
OMG, I am pasty white too! My sister even told me I needed to supply her with sunglasses when I bared my pasty pale stems to her!!! It’s true….but still!
Rachel says
i will always have fond memories of the first year in our house it’s so fun to see what blooms and grows that very first year when you’re still getting to know your home. i enjoyed your pictures, and your backyard is so beautiful and green and lush!!
Shelley @ Green Eggs and Hamlet says
My legs are just as pasty (if not pastier!) than yours. I still sport the shorts and I’m glad you do too. I keep telling my boyfriend that I’m bringing pale back (feel free to sing that in a Justin Timberlake “I’m bringing sexy back” kinda way).
YoungHouseLove says
I like it. So much that I’m singing it as I type this. Loudly.
xo,
s
Danielle says
Those roses are definitely “knock-out” roses. Super easy to grow, hard to kill and aren’t meant to be tamed and pruned like “fancy” roses. They abound here in Virginia!
Lacey says
Love the pool-We have one too, and it is from good old Tar-jay!
Love the pasty white legs-I have those too and *singing* “I got em from my momma, I got em from my momma!”
Love the patio (we have an old lack side table/discontinued red chair that we got from IKEA on ours and it works just fine…for now.
Tamara Lin says
Your yard/plants are so beautiful. I wish our yard looked like that! It’s way too hot & dry where I am to have a yard like that. Swoon!
My first thought when you showed the 2 sets of chairs & pool (cute!), is to switch the chairs so the metal chairs & table are together, and the wooden chairs with the pool. You might like it better.
Michelle says
I love how you have two chairs perfectly positioned for soaking momma’s and daddy’s feet in the whale pool. I’d take that over one of those fancy-schmancy built-in foot tubs any day!
Eva says
Patio looks nice! I just dropped by to tell you that I am moving in two weeks time and inspired by you guys, I made a list of all the foods in my cupboards and we’re trying to use it all up before we go, I am currently working on a jar of choco/hazelnut spread… with a spoon. Clearing out the cupboards is actually a bit more yummi than I thought it would be ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh gosh those were the days! Have fun.
xo,
s
Kristen says
I know what you mean about spring being so fun in a new place. I found similar gardening surprises when we moved into our home (a 1950s brick ranch) a couple of years ago: http://lifeovergradschool.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/springtime-blooms-both-outside-and-in/
There is nothing better than finding pretty flowers and plants that the previous owners put in. You get all the pretty and none of the work!
Also, I hear prickly legs are making a come back. No? Well, darn.
Whitney says
Wish I had a little whale pool where I could soak and tan my pasty/stubbly legs! :)
Alison says
I have pasty need-to-be-shaved mom legs too!! hotness
Lucy says
Can you recommend your BBQ?
YoungHouseLove says
We don’t use it much but like it! We recently learned it had a huge recall so they sent us new parts (including a whole new hood) really quickly. Good cust. service. It’s a Perfect Flame from Lowe’s.
xo,
s
Sara says
We are going through the same thing at our new home right now….new flowers that we didn’t know we had keep popping up everywhere! We got married in April, and when we returned from our honeymoon we were happily greeted by yellow and red tulips in the front bed. We also have a fuscia azelia (sp?), daffodils and yellow lilies – all very exciting!!
Lara says
White? Yes.
Freckled? Yes.
Content? Sure:)
Question for ya: What brand of kitchen appliances do you think you will be going with in your new kitchen?
YoungHouseLove says
We were really happy with the Frigidaire appliances we put in our last kitch (on sale from
Lowe’s). Not sure where we’ll end up though!
xo,
s
Kate S. says
You’re mentioning the pale state of your legs an AWFUL lot lately, Sherry. I, for one, think you should embrace pale legs. I did so years ago and now proudly display my own pale legs in shorts and skirts all summer long–when anyone comments (which is rare) I just smile and mention my amazing lack of skin-cancer and wrinkles: ) There’s nothing wrong with skin being it’s natural color. You shouldn’t be self-conscious about it.
Jessica says
I have six matching chairs for the patio….but no table. Go with what you’ve got I guess! Just makes eating outside a bit wonky.
And Sherry, my body only does two colors, white and burned. I stay white.
Aimee says
Ladies with pasty legs unite! Personally – I like to refer to myself as pigmently challenged :-D
Melissa@Julia's Bookbag says
I’ve heard the pallor of my legs described as “FISH BELLY WHITE” — how’s that for a descriptor? Your outdoor area has really filled in and is looking super swell! Hydrangeas are the best! When in doubt, plant a hydrangea is my motto :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, hilarious description.
xo,
s
hillary says
Your back yard is looking awesome! We are having a make-do kind of summer so I appreciate your “use what you’ve got” patio furniture.
Rachel @ We Heart Minnesota says
Your yard and patio look like paradise. Everything is so lush. We have awhile to go before our hydrangeas hit us with that booyah in Minnesota.
And I don’t think there is anything wrong with unfinished functionality. We totally have two different sets of chairs that we lug around the deck and yard depending on whether we want to lounge in recliners or just roll with the upright chairs since we have yet to invest in nice patio furniture.
Joy says
Your mystery bush is a knockout rose. They are the bomb-diggity. Especially here in hotter than Hades Texas where just about everything pretty up and dies come summer. But not the knockouts! They bask in the sun and bloom like crazy! And they can get HUGE, just so ya know!
Jenny says
I’ve always been pale but I grew up in San Diego and wore shorts all year. I was white, but there was some daily sunshine on my legs, so I wasn’t THAT white. Now I live in Oregon and my legs are amazingly white. Except they aren’t nice white like yours…..they’re kinda purple blue white like a corpse. Awesome.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh I’ve got some awesome blue veins showing. I’m basically see-through. Totally hot. Haha.
xo,
s
Jenny @ DIY Newlyweds says
We’ve been using an “indoor” table for our patio for the last two years! It’s actually a kitchen table from Ikea, but it’s metal and glass like yours. It’s held up pretty well, but I recently gave it a new coat of spray paint to just freshen it up.
jamie says
I have the opposite issue at the moment. A brand new patio set in basement storage and gorgeously colorful cushions hiding in my dining room madness… all ready for the patio home they’ll have when we move next month. We live in the city (Chicago) and upon deciding we were moving to the burbs, patio furniture was the first thing I picked out. i totally heart outdoor living!
Lola says
I read on the bumgenius website that you can use a cloth diaper without the insert for swim diapers!:)
YoungHouseLove says
Love it!
xo,
s
Veronika says
I wish you added a picture of Happy Clara in the baby pool. It feels lonely without her…
Thumbs up if you agree!
YoungHouseLove says
Wish we had one to add! We keep forgetting the camera when we’re out there with her. Next time!
xo,
s
Tiffini S. says
Hilarious. Glad to see I’m not the only Nervous McGee Mom who has patio chairs pulled right up to the baby pool. Our pool is a little bigger and our boy is 2 years older, but I’m still right up in his bidness while he swims.
Let me guess – Ms. Clara is covered in sunscreen and hats while she’s out there?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha yup. And we the citronella candles going to scare off the bugs.
xo,
s
stephanie says
In case no one has mentioned it yet, those are knockout roses. They are basically indestructible. They will bloom all summer long. You will have a giant blooming rose bush e every year. Note: I pruned my all the way down the first year (like one would with traditional rosebushes) and they did not like it all. They need slight pruning of dead buds, and they will keep on flourishing! Enjoy!
carolinaheartstrings says
You already have such a wonderful start on a great space. I want it!
Tanya says
My legs are as pasty and unshaved as any Mum’s legs should be!
On a side note, if you want more blue on the hydrangea, bury big nails near the roots… something about the metal’s reaction to dirt make for bluer flowers. Just thought I’d pass the old wife’s trick around!
As for the patio being unfurnished, our 10-month old reminded us lately of how good it is to have unfurnished places in and around the house to start toddling about… A lot less sharp corners and bumped heads!
Melody says
I just started working on my patio the other day…after four years of living in this house!
When I saw the monkey grass in your yard my first thought was “that would tickle your legs so bad!” so I had to laugh when you brought it up!
Suzanne says
S, I think you’re right about the hydrangeas needing time to “take.” I’ve just planted hydrangeas for the third time hoping for just that. I killed the first ones and seconds not knowing that they have to be waterboarded pretty much daily, otherwise they die REALLY fast. Very depressing because once they get going, they are so beautiful. One of my favorite flowers.
Tara says
Don’t worry…my legs make yours look tan!
Suzanne says
P.S. My legs are pasty too. Not creamy pasty. Splotchy pasty. Really sexy.
Sarah T. says
We have that same pool, too! We use some of those foam lock-together playmat squares underneath it so our little girl doesn’t hurt her heels when she kicks (which she loves to do).
Nicole says
Can I ask where the iron patio chairs are from? My husband and I sat in some like that, with the coil rocker, while on vacation recently and fell in love with them. We are moving next week and they would be perfect for our front porch.
YoungHouseLove says
Those were left by the old owners. So sorry not to be more helpful!
xo,
s
Amanda says
My boyfriend and I just bought our first house a few months ago. (At which point a friend of mine suggested your blog.) It’s 100 years old I’m totally in love with it. Of course none of our side of the road/hand me down stuff fits style or scale wise and it some times feels like it will be forever before any of our ideas for the place take shape. But it’s so wonderful to just be in our home with our dogs.
Whitney says
Love all the new flowers and plants blooming! Oh and I’m pretty sure your legs aren’t as pasty as mine. See here in Oregon it’s mid-June and we have yet to see the sun but a few days. And for me “No-Shave-November” has turned into no-shave-december,january,february,march,april,may, and so far June! Oops :)