Navy and White Upper Deck / Patio Makeover

Our deck was in dire need of some TLC, so we decided to give it a little makeover!

I wish I'd remembered to take a "before" pic.  Just picture a really ugly, weathered upper deck with absolutely nothing going for it. ;)

A fresh coat of "deck coat" (thank you Dustin!) and a new privacy hedge of potted cedars were in order. These made a huge difference to the look/feel of the deck! A fun navy and white chevron rug from Target, as well as some bright outdoor cushions added a bit of punch to the whole place. We have been loving every minute spent on our deck since we spruced it up, and I'm sitting out here as I write this post with my feet up at the outdoor propane fireplace :). 

Bliss.

We are so lucky to have little chickadees living in our birdhouse for the first time! There's a whole family of them in there, and the chorus of tweets that rises up when mama chickadee comes home with a snack is so adorable. We can't wait to see them all fly out when they're ready!

I'm looking forward to lots of summer days and evenings on our deck! It's already had a lot of use, and the season is only just starting.  The boys were so excited when they first saw it all set up and have been loving the much-needed extra living space to play in! "Mama...is this ours to keep?? Like our very own hotel?" haha! 

Have a wonderful week!

xo

Outdoor Sectional: Walmart

Outdoor cushions/pillows: Target

Patio Umbrella: Target

Outdoor Rug: Target

BBQ: Weber

Propane Firepit: London Drugs

A Rockstar Music Party

I think we lost our marbles when we agreed to a rock and roll music party for Toby's 7th birthday!

It was all his idea. Right down to the band, the cake design, and the drumstick favours. I've created a monster!!

A party monster!

You know I love it, tho ;) I'm a complete sucker for party planning. I love all the little details, and the fact that I don't have a lot of extra time in the day makes things just all the more interesting!

We rented a little hall for this party, and it worked out perfectly. There was a stage for the band, and lots of room for the musicians to go wild! 

And let me tell you,,,,they partied hard. The band rocked out to a variety of tunes.....ok...mostly "Sweet Child of Mine" (Toby's current favourite song to drum to!) :) And it was LOUD!! eek. My ears are still ringing.

But seeing the looks on their little faces as they sang/drummed/played/danced their hearts out was worth it! 

sigh...I tried to make Toby's cake dreams come true. Thankfully, small boys don't notice things like bulging/collapsing fondant ;) What I got was "Oh MAMA!! You did SO well!! It's the AWESOMEST CAKE EVER!!" :) 

We had some fun in the dark with glow sticks (during intermission)

A HUGE thank you to everyone who came to party with our little man! And to everyone who helped with the music equipment (yes...there was real music equipment on the stage! Us "grown ups" enjoyed a little jam session after the party as well!) and cleaning up afterwards! (you know who you are) :)

I can't believe our Toby boy is 7. Somehow that just seems pretty big. Several times  during the party he ran up to me just to say "This is the BEST PARTY EVERRRR!" :) 

And that's why we do it!

The ever-changing living room mantel...

This is a completely random post.

whatever.

As I was climbing up onto a chair to pin up balloons and tissue poms for this party, I thought about how many times I'd done that over the past few years and decided to take a walk down memory lane :)

Ok..so I might be a little out of control with the mantel thing. 

Just sayin'

Our plain jane little painted fireplace mantel has been dressed up and undressed more times than I can even remember. The thing is, I really love doing it :). Such a nerd. 

And this is how it looks these days....Betsy Frederick still has her place of pride on the mantel. I, surprisingly, haven't got sick of her yet. She makes me happy, with her big long eyelashes and bright cheery colours. 

Have a great weekend! 

xo