Someday My (Patio) Will Come

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Dinner al fresco. Ice cream among twinkling fireflies.  Morning coffee and a magazine.

All that comes to mind when I’m dreaming up our someday patio! (I do love to imagine the end result, don’t I?)

Today I’m talking patio inspiration.

The current area where we will be putting a patio tucks into a corner of the back of our house. When we bought this house, there was a considerable amount of water damage to the concrete foundation – which we have fixed. To help prevent any more water issues, we will be grading the yard away from the house, and also putting in a patio to help. (If the Moose says we “have” to install a patio, I don’t ask questions.)

There are three things I’m looking for in a patio:

1. Budget friendly
2. Organic feeling
3. Low maintenance

It’s been surprisingly difficult to find realistic patio inspiration ideas. There are a lot of “builder basic” patios out there online. And the photos I’ve found on Pinterest and Houzz are glamazon outdoor living rooms.

This is a collection of images I’ve saved all with features I’d like to consider when we’re ready to do our patio:

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We’ve discussed creating our patio using three different methods: 1. brick, 2. pavers, 3. stampcrete (or stamped concrete).

We have yet to price everything out, but generally brick and pavers are more expensive (and very DIY labor intensive), and concrete is less expensive. Concrete will also give us more protection from the water issues our home has experienced in the past.

I really like the pattern in the image above – hard to believe it’s concrete! You can also stain concrete. But, I think we’re leaning towards the natural gray you see above.

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I like how this patio has a decorative border around it. It’s a nice finishing detail that really makes the stonework sing.

A lot of patios have a small stone walls, or raised planters to add privacy and designate the patio space. But I tend to like the more organic feeling patios that feel like they grew there themselves! A border is a nice way of making that distinction while still staying ground level.

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Glory Cottage, that’s right! I would love to sit on this patio all day long!

I like the abundance of potted plants on this patio.

Maybe a potted herb garden will be in order?

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There is just something lovely and romantic about pergolas.

I like how this pergola makes the patio feel so connected to the house. Since our patio will be tucked into a corner (kind of like this patio), it’s creates a cozy little nook.

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Again, we’re thinking of lots of ways we can better connect the patio to the house.

We have a walk-out basement, which will lead to the patio. But that means we have exposed concrete bricks where our (supposed-to-be-nice-and-pretty) patio will go. We’ve talked about a number of ways to cheer it up, and one of them is ivy.

There’s something so New England about ivy. We would, however, install vertical trellises so the ivy grows on that instead of creating problems with the roots weakening the concrete foundation.

Mediterranean Patio by Menlo Park Architect Schwanke Architecture

There are two things I love about this patio.

One: if the pergola is too much of an investment, I like the mini-pergolas over the doors. That’s another way to add character without breaking the bank.

Two: I love the shutters! Too often shutters are only on the front of the house, but adding shutters to the back windows on the patio is another way to make the outdoor space feel united to the rest of your house.

Plus, I’ve never been one for outdoor artwork.

Traditional Patio by Pittstown Pools And Spas Liquidscapes

Again with the pergolas. If we don’t want to do a full-fledged pergola, this modified pergola is a great way to get partial shade and still having a patio open to the skies.

Plus it’s an excellent place for hanging plants!

Eclectic Patio by Portland Landscape Architect Visionscapes NW Landscape Design

As if I needed to add more fuel to my pergola fire.

This could be a great way to add a porch swing to your patio. (We currently have one sitting in the basement waiting for some TLC. It was going to go on the front porch… but maybe the patio would be a better place for it?

Such tough decisions. :p

It looks like I have a lot of research work cut out for me!

 

Do you have a patio or outdoor living space?

What’s your favorite part about it? Any recommendations?

I Speak for the Trees

I wish I had something more exciting to share with you regarding our current DIY adventures, but it’s spring. AKA yardwork season. Not typical spring yardwork here – pulling weeds and planting flower bulbs.

Oh no, our adventure is far less romantic than that. Our yardwork is, true to Kat+Moose form, is a project on a much larger scale, way less fun and a lot messier.

We started small.  We started by cutting down 10 very tall trees in our yard.

Yes, really. I wish I was kidding. Our Lumberjack Party turned out to be prophetic.

I apologized to them as I surveyed the yard once I got home.

Moose felled the trees with the help of some (amazing!) friends of ours. [Insert obligatory message here about not messing around with trees unless you really know what you are doing. Chainsaws are not a joke.]

Wait, does this story sound familiar? It should.

Only this time instead of letting 4 cords of chopped wood sit in our yard for six months we are sending it to a happy home heated by a wood burning stove. And we were able to get rid of all the brush in two days with the help of a wood chipper and burning (our town allows burning brush during certain seasons).

Before you go and call the Lorax on me, you should know we live on a very wooded lot. So we still have trees in abundance. Nonetheless, I miss those ones we cut down.

Except now our yard looks a lot bigger now. It’s similar to getting a major haircut when you’ve got a head of long hair. It’s painful through the process, looks strange right away and then you realize your yard (or face for the purposes of this analogy) looks light years better.

It wasn’t exactly by choice anyways. There’s a much longer story at hand here that has been brewing since we bought this house two years ago. But I’m going to spare you the gory details.

The short story is we are excavating our entire front and back yard, laying down some pipes for drainage, and will be hopefully gaining a pretty grass lawn for the first time we’ve lived in this house. We will also be putting in a patio and expanding our existing deck to cover the old deathtrap of a crumbling staircase in our backyard.

Just a fraction of what we are dealing with here.

I’ll be back later this week with some patio inspiration I’ve been collecting. That was actually the goal when I sat down to write this post, but I’ve babbled on for long enough.

Our existing “patio” is a mudpit. So pretty much anything will be an upgrade. I’ll do what I do best. Ignore the work at hand and find pretty pictures of what I want the end result to look like. : )

How are you welcoming spring?

Top 9: Spring & Summer Scarves

I’ve said it before, but I’m an accessories girl. Earrings, necklaces, shoes, and scarves.

Scarves are one of my favorite ways to accessorize and also keep me warm! It’s definitely spring here in Boston, but my scarf-loving ways will stay strong at least until June. (Then I usually don’t bother with them until October or so.)

Besides, it’s been far too long since I have done a top 9 post!

Not that I need to add any scarves to my collection, but here are 9 of my favorite for spring and summer:

1. Multi-Stripe Scarf from Talbots – $59 You can’t get more summery than crisp white and bright colored stripes.

2. Pop Art Scarf from Kate Spade – $128 While this scarf is out of my budget, this classic summery print is still tempting! And dressy!

3. Coral Open Knit Scarf from Forever 21 – $8 Square bandanna style scarves are totally underrated! This coral color will also look great with a tan. : )

4. Cornflower Circle Scarf from Modcloth – $25 This color is just lovely. The end. Pair with any t-shirt.

5. Graduated Stripe Scarf from Forever 21 – $9 Black and white stripes will go with every color and every season. Dress it up and dress it down!

6. Echo Graphic Geo Wrap from Zappos – $38 Now this scarf is my jam. Three words: Hint, Hint Husband.

7. Pashmina from JCP – $10 You can’t go wrong with a classic pashmina, try one in a fun citrus shade!

8. Riley Scarf by Lily Pulitzer – $78 If this cabana-stripe doesn’t say white shorts and sandals in Nantucket, than I don’t know what does.

9. Marker Swirl Scarf from JCP – $10 Spring scarves don’t have to be brightly colored. This emerald gauzy scarf is lightweight, and pretty too!

Before and After: The Family Room (Buh-bye Wood Paneling!)

Silly me. I forgot to share a before and after of the Sunroom-turned-Family-Room.

Once upon a time, people loved knotty wood wall paneling, drop ceilings and linoleum floors. And strange uncomfortable built-in benches.

I must say, this wood paneling was in GREAT shape and really quality stuff. Part of me hated taking it down, but Moose convinced me *and he was right, per usual* that we needed to re-insulate this room.

This paneling had a happy ending though! Our neighbor ended up taking it all to do something in his basement!

But now when I sit in the middle of our (empty) new room… every painful moment of removing mouse-poop infested insulation was worth it.

It’s hard to believe this is the same room! The room was completely gutted, STARTING with the built-in bench you saw above.

Since the room is built on a concrete slab there was no heat in the room. We added two baseboard heating units (one of which you see above) and can now control the temperature in that room separately from the rest of the house.

We replaced all of the windows, and installed new window trim to match the rest of the trim in the house.

When we gutted the room, we exposed the back of the fireplace – thus my many DIY distressed brick posts!

Tips on a DIY Whitewashed Brick WallBrick Wall Tutorial: Tinting a Brick Wall

Here you can see the original door from the living room. Also notice that the original room was a step down. When we redid the floor we built a new sub-floor to rise the height of the floor, so now the flooring is now the same level.

And looking back at this one door…

…it looks so skinny compared to the new french doors!

Since we have an older home, we don’t have a naturally open floor plan. Adding in these french doors definitely makes the spaces feel more unified.

I still have nightmares about removing these ceiling tiles.

If walls could talk they might say, “Ick-Ew-Gross”.

Our new smooth walls and ceiling are plaster. And the ceiling fan was replaced with recessed lighting.

(And we installed about 10 extra electrical outlets along the way! That’s the royal “we” by the way.)

And here you can see the beautiful new crown molding installed by Moose! Painted by me – I have to get some credit somewhere, right?

This was the first room we’ve starting doing molding in and he did an AWESOME job! Now for the rest of the house! ; )

Not only was the original floor a step down, but it was a disaster! The old linoleum was cracking and breaking off of the concrete slab. Not much to miss here!

To finish off the room, we continued on with our honey-colored hardwood floors that are in the rest of the house.

This room has by far been the biggest “change” – I guess that’s what happens when you gut a room!

I remember walking into this room on the first day we looked at the house – we had so many visions for it then. It’s hard to believe nearly two years have passed and the vision is finally coming to life!

We’ve ordered a couch for the room, and when that comes our television will be moving over there! We’ve talked about some DIY attempts at furniture making for this room… so I will have to keep you posted on that!

Read all about how we DIYed Family Room:

• The 70s Called, They Want Their Knotty Wood Paneling Back.
• Sunroom Renovation Progress (There are Real Walls People!)
• Paint Me a Family Room
• Tips on a DIY Whitewashed Brick Wall
• Brick Wall Tutorial: Tinting a Brick Wall

Who doesn’t love a good before and after!

By the way – it’s National Library Week! Get on over to your local library and check-out a book, pay your late fees or listen to the Story Lady read a book! Celebrate and read!

To Boston, With Love

I cry every Marathon Monday.

Usually it’s because I’m reading so many inspirational stories about the thousands of people who train to run 26.2 miles through the beautiful state of Massachusetts, ending in our lovely city of Boston

However this year I cry because of the tragedy that happened in Boston earlier today.

Marathon Monday, officially known as Patriots’ Day (commemorating the anniversary of the battle of Lexington and Concord), is a celebration in our city.

I’ve stood on Heartbreak Hill and cheered for all the runners of the Boston Marathon, caught in the frenzy.

I love Marathon Monday because it’s full of dreams and hard work.

And strangers cheering on strangers.

(We tend to stick to ourselves in New England, thus it makes it all the sweeter.)

To this day, when I’m slugging up a hill on my runs, I think about some of the people I’ve watched pass by and it spurs me onward.

Sometimes there are just no words. Prayers for Boston.

(We are both safe.)

Dinner Menu for a Lumberjack Party

If there is any “rule” in my book to hosting a dinner party, it’s don’t make it too complicated!

What’s the point of preparing and hosting a get-together if you’re going to miss it all?

For our Lumberjack Party I knew I wanted a hearty menu to live up to the ruggedness of the theme. What’s a universal man meal? Meat and potatoes.

Lumberjack Menu: All Recipes/Links in this Post

• Turkey Chili
• White Chicken Chili
• Baked Potatoes
• Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread
• Maple Bacon Cupcakes
• Maple Flapjacks Cupcakes
• S’mores on a Stick

The best part of this menu? I made most of it 1-2 days before the party to minimize day-of preparation craze.

I made two pots of chili – a traditional tomato based chili with beans and ground turkey. I also made a white chili broth-base with chicken and cannellini beans.

Turkey Chili Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 lb ground turkey
• 2 large onions, diced
• 3  15oz cans kidney beans
• 2 15oz cans black beans
• 1 15oz can Mexicorn
• 60 oz diced tomatoes
• 30 oz tomato puree
• 30 oz water
• 3 tsp salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 5 tsp taco seasoning
• 4 T sugar
• Tabasco to desired taste

Brown the turkey, garlic and onions first, then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes.

White Chicken Chili Recipe:

Modified from the Tennessee White Chili at FoodRepublic.com

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 large onions, diced
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds diced chicken breast
• 3 15-ounce cans cannellini beans
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 15oz can Mexicorn
• 1 15oz can black beans
• 1 container chicken broth, to desired consistency

Saute the chicken, garlic and onions first, then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes.

Baked Potatoes

Baked potatoes were the easy solution to the potato part of the meal. After I scrubbed some yellow potatoes, I wrapped them in aluminum foil. I cooked them on a cookie sheet at 300 degrees for 90 minutes.

Since I made the chili two days in advance, an hour before the party, I stuck the chili on the stove and the potatoes in the oven. Everything was self-serve.

I created a toppings bar on the sideboard of our dining room:

For the Toppings Bar

• sour cream
• shredded cheddar
• chopped up bacon
• black beans
• diced chives
• assortment of hot sauces.

Cornbread

I rounded out the meal with some Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread. I made Jiffy Cornbread, adding 2 de-seeded, diced jalapenos and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar per box of corn muffin mix. (For our party I made 3 boxes). Cook per box directions.

Beverages

I had several bottles of water on the table and several bottles of pop in the fridge. I also picked up some fun drinks: Maine Root Handcrafted Soda-Pop in Blueberry and Mandarin Orange (YUM! The Blueberry is my favorite. We discovered it at my cousin’s Maine wedding this summer!), Angry Orchard Ciders and some Summer Shandy (hopeful thinking – it’s almost summer, right?)

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Recipe modified from The Fresh Fridge – for in-depth directions, check out her tutorial.

Maple Bacon Cupcake Batter: (This recipe yielded 24 cupcakes)

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (I replaced 1 tb with bacon fat)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

**NOTE: Keep an eye on these cupcakes while baking. I over-baked mine just a touch. Due to the maple sugar/brown sugar consistency it’s harder to tell when they are finished.

Maple Frosting:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 stick (8 tbsp.) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar

Candied Bacon

Fry bacon as usual in a frying pan – add brown sugar to pan while frying. Watch carefully to prevent burning. When finished separate bacon to dry and harden. I chopped into smaller pieces for the cupcake topper. I used 8 slices of bacon.

I sprinkled the tops of the cupcakes with cinnamon and plopped the cooled-down bacon on top.

Maple Flapjack Cupcakes

I’ll post on this separately – basically it’s just sugar cookies and maple chocolate frosting. I’ll share my technique later!

S’mores on a Stick

See process here.

(This time I used chocolate chips and crushed graham crackers.)

Suffice it to say, we were all stuffed…. and candied bacon is dangerously easy to make.

Could you eat a bacon cupcake? Everyone was freaked out to try it, but I think they liked them!

A Lumberjack Birthday Party for Moose

If there’s anything that makes my heart pitter-patter, it’s a good theme party. (Besides you, dear husband.)

And it’s been far too long since I’ve thrown one.

The reason you haven’t heard from me in the last week is I was busy planning a Lumberjack Party to celebrate Moose’s birthday with friends. TIIIIMBER!!!!

Today I’ll share decorations and I’ll follow-up with a post on the Lumberjack Dinner Party menu.

This was the largest sit-down dinner party we’ve had in this house so far – our new record to beat is 11 people at our dining room table.

For a general theme I was shooting for woodsy, rugged fun!

Every good party centers around food. So the dining room was the first place I started.

Instead of a formal, fancy centerpiece, I created a meandering trail of center “items”.

Some of those things included: Ikea Lanterns + pinecones, my Coffee Can Centerpiece with Rhody leaves, green wine bottles with red berries (Michael’s), white candlesticks and birch tree tealight holders (from my Mom – borrowing is a beautiful thing).

I laid down 2 yards of green buffalo plaid flannel from Joann Fabrics as a runner.

For the place settings I used woven chargers (Pier 1) with my yellow everyday dishes and red napkins.

The adorable mason jar glasses were favors from my cousin’s wedding. The heart is made from chalkboard paper! I added some adorable red striped straws that I bought from Amazon a while ago.

You know I love a good before and after photo:

The sideboard in the dining room was where the “Toppings Bar” was located:

The Nearly No-Sew Autumn Bunting has been hanging there since the fall, and the “runner” was made of plaid wrapping paper from the Dollar Store.

I added some natural colored raffia (to look like wood shavings) and pinecones.

I should just write my Mom’s name all over this post. The hilariously appropriate “Got Moose?” napkins were also a gift from her! She found them at Marshall’s.

She was a key part of this party theme coming together!

Of course the graphic designer inside of me couldn’t help myself.

I made labels for all the toppings and desserts and stuck them with toothpicks.

I used the font “Tall, Dark and Handsome” for all print materials for the party. It’s a free download from DaFont.

I moved the Front Porch Desk inside to hold the desserts.

The “Timber!” sign was made from wrapping paper and drawn on with chalk. I also strung red and black streamers throughout the house (also from the Dollar Store).

The ADORABLE cake stand was borrowed from my friend Heidi. She had the cutest “gnome” birthday party and lent it to me!

For the “S’mores-on-a-Stick” holder I put my dear Moose birthday boy to work.

I chose a perfectly shaped log from our stockpile and he drilled dozens of holes in it to place the s’more sticks in.

         

And… I couldn’t help myself. I made more cupcake flags.

They had woodsy phrases on them, like: “Hey There Lumberjack”, “Moose”, “Timber” and “Happy Birthday”.

In the hallway I hung the remainder of the red plaid wrapping paper and made a little photo station. I bought some felt rectangles from Joann Fabrics and cut out beards and mustaches.

How can one be a Lumberjack without a massive amount of grizzly facial hair?

And of course there was lots of plaid, flannel, Carhartt and Lumberjack Hats to be had.

Don’t mind the cut-off heads.

For the mantle I used some wooden trees (borrowed from my Mom – so I don’t know where they are from, sorry!), built a few log cabins out of Lincoln Logs and added raffia and pinecones.

The bunting is the same I used at Christmas. It’s made from burlap.

PHEW! That was a lot of photographs!

We had an AWESOME time with friends. Happy Birthday Moose!

I’ll be back later with food details – YUM, YUM, YUM!