Around Cinco de Mayo we fall in love with our outdoor living rooms in our backyard.
This is when our warm early summer weather truly begins.
And if you add 153 days to this date, you will still find us outside. Give or take a few days.
Our weather here in Northern California is sunny and warm with evenings that are so perfect for hanging around the table and just chatting the night away.
Ok, before I dive into my funny stories, I want to remind you to visit my talented blogging friends on the list below.
Some of us are sharing our gardens and some of us are sharing our outdoor living rooms!
By the way, I did write a post about refreshing our deck.
Here are Our Outdoor Living Rooms
So, back to my yard.
Our outdoor living rooms have been a hilarious combination of hard work, patience, money, and humor.
Since I’m sharing my garden, let me just say,
things aren’t always coming up roses around here!
And did I mention that almost every project has been a debate between my husband and me?
Does this happen in your home?
It boils down to a blend of money and aesthetics.
And it might be helpful to know that our personalities are polar opposites.
Sometimes it surprises me that things even get done around here.
Let’s take a look at our outdoor living rooms
We finally dealt with the big fire engine red deck that stood next to our pool.
I even cringe sharing it with you, but if you are curious you can view my original deck, here.
I have to post a disclaimer since I had nothing to do with that color.
You see when we bought the house it came finished with the lovely red deck.
So, here is how the problem came about.
You see when choosing out a new deck stain, my husband gravitated towards the natural colors and I pushed for a clean pristine white stain that matches our house trim and existing pergola.
Hey, at least we agreed that the original fire engine red color just stood out like a sore thumb.
Seriously I have nothing against the lovely color red.
We went back and forth between a boatload of colors.
Yup, our deck has about three stain colors under the final one.
We drove our kiddos crazy since they were my painters in training.
It was a stalemate and something had to happen.
I painted the deck white…
I know it is a bit passive aggressive but sometimes you have to make a move.
Of course, a couple days later my husband admitted that I was right.
Now on to our another one of our outdoor living rooms.
One of my husband’s biggest concerns is to not spend money.
That darn budget!
These adorable chairs were given to me, hooray for free.
So when they start to look worn out, I slap on a coat of chalk paint on them and they are ready for another summer.
I’m learning how to be frugal. 🙂
The firepit was showing a bit of rust so I sprayed a bit of high heat bbq spray paint on it and within minutes it was a happy bbq!
Yup, originally my husband was like, you’re going to buy a firepit?
Well, now he loves it.
This is the story of my life, are you seeing a pattern here?
Oh yeah, I didn’t even talk to him about this adorable umbrella. I just bought it. All done by a committee of one… moi.
Now, the patio flooring has never been our favorite and every spring, we sit at our table and brainstorm on how to replace it.
Right now, I would love to stencil the whole thing, and my husband wants to sandblast it and get more years out of it.
Oh boy, here we go again!
Overall, I must secretly admit that it is good that my husband is keenly aware of saving money. I’m a bit more inclined to be creative and not quickly replacing our decor with new items. So as a friend says, it is all coolio.
If you are interested in the pretty pink pillow featured, here is the link: Lumbar Pink Pillow
Cheers,
PS: I will be following up this post with a recipe for the delicious breadsticks pictured here.
*This post contains affiliate links
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Summer Adams
Oh my goodness… Everything is absolutely gorgeous! I hope my backyard grows to be as beautiful as yours is! All of your flowers are beautiful and everything looks delicious! You never cease to amaze me, sweet friend! XOXO
Martha
Oh my goodness, I love your backyard!
Karen
Okay…all so beautiful! Can you come do my patio?!! Love Love! And I get the husband thing…sam here : )
Rhonda Hallstrom
This is so amazing! I am in love with all the colors. I think it’s time for a visit!
Joan
Janine your backyard is so welcoming. You are an amazing gardener; your roses are gorgeous!!!! You’ve created a beautiful relaxing space….and that pink lumbar pillow!!!! love
Ashley
You nailed it Janine! The colors just pop and all your photos are just spectacular as always!
Judy
Janine I love your outdoor rooms! Your furniture is beautiful ????We’re replacing our deck so I can totally relate ???? I would love to do something bold like black, but hubby wants natural ????♀️ I think we have the same pool patio and I have know idea what to do about that!
Bethany
Janine this space is beautiful! The fire pit and the chairs look brand new! Isn’t it amazing what a coat of paint can do? It looks like a perfect space to enjoy the outdoors.
Jackie
Janine! It’s such a lovely patio. My goodness and getting to enjoy it for so long is such a gift.
Kim Hazel
Janine, Your outdoor spaces are so gorgeous! We are jealous of your year round indoor outdoor living, you are so lucky! Loving your bold colors and beautiful flowers!
xoxo
Kim & Lacey
yuni
Janine, you are such a great storyteller! I cracked up reading about the deck ordeal and how you painted it white. hahaa!! I love everything and you have the gift of making everything look so good. Thanks for sharing your beautiful home and tips with us all. Happy Mother’s Day, sweet friend!
Amie Freling
Janine! I am so in awe of your beautiful backyard. I cant get over the flowers that surround you. I absolutely love the pink and good luck with replacing that back patio floor. We are right behind you with that kind of project! Great job as always my friend. xo