Welcome to Spring in Virginia! Specifically, our backyard. Spring around here is lush and fragrant as the foliage surrounding our home fills in, and the aromatic perennials come back to life. With temps lingering in the mid 60s-70s, it’s truly a beautiful time to bring every day living outside.
When our twins were around 1 year and we were pregnant with our third, we build our deck with great hopes of spending those long days with young kids outside. We bought a cheap outdoor table and chairs at IKEA and I did indeed spend quite a bit of time with my littles out there! We played, crafted and ate our way through all the pretty days outside together. Fast forward to the kids starting school, and we just stopped using it like we used to. Partly the natural course of children growing up and starting to have their own activities and schedules, and partly, the mosquitos got TERRIBLE! At the advise of a friend we got a canopy structure with zip-up netted curtains so we could enjoy at least dining outside without the buggers. But, if you have spent any time in Northern Virginia in the last 5 years, you may have noticed how windy it’s become. Our home has survived several tornadoes despite repairable damage to our home. A semi-permanent canopy is just asking for trouble! So, now you’re all caught up on the evolution of our deck, and up until two weeks ago, this is what it had become:
It’s been a sad, unwelcoming extension of our house that we had every intention of enjoying. It was time to reclaim this space and breath some fresh life into it!
We swapped the dining furniture for lounge furniture as that just fits our family better. We have already enjoyed dining out here as a family, entertaining friends, and Albus and I hang out here when I’m getting work done during the week. The versatility of this space now is just what we need!
I found a few outdoor pillows at Society6 to add a little color…since I wouldn’t let Matt get the sofa in Caribbean Blue ;)
To address our mosquito issue (we are nestled into the woods and have a creek on the opposite side of our property), I went to the web in search of naturally repelling plants. I found some great recommendations, took a trip to my favorite Merrifield Garden Center, and put together a planter that would be visually striking AND go to work for us!
Whenever we go out here we rub a few leaves between our fingers and then wipe our necks, arms and legs. So far this is working amazingly well! I can tell a significant difference between the mosquito quantity in our front yard to our deck. Listen, I have that blood type that attracts those suckers, so if I notice a difference there’s a difference!
Here’s what I planted:
And a big pot of mint! Mint is very invasive but effective. Highly recommend it, just in its own pot!
The wood is for Albus. He’s a real chewer and loves wood. You can tell when he’s been out here as there are wood chips covering 94% of the surface.
On a whim I decided to paint the frame around our sliding door. First I painted it a pale blue-green color (Shire Green, in fact), but Matt thought it blended into the siding too much and once he stated his opinion I couldn’t get him out of my head. (Love you!) So I went over with some leftover exterior black paint I had used on our shutters and garage door because I know it will hold up and I really can’t resist a strong black+white+wood moment.
Now available: Albus’ homemade mulch!
There you have it! This space feels like a retreat once again, just as we intended it to be 10 years ago. Let me know if you try your own mosquito repelling planter! The true test will be in the Summer when they get really bad, but I’m feeling optimistic!
Thank you so much for coming by!
