Patio Furniture

I finally did it! I have revamped my back yard. It looks simply splendid. If you read my previous blog, then you would know that I bought some flowers and stuff like that, which by the way, have not died on me yet. After taking a step back at what it looked like, it seemed like it didn't make significant change. Yes, in time the yellow flowers might grow from the trellis to the fence, but how would I sit there and enjoy them? So, I got to thinking...there is no place to sit or relax and enjoy the back yard.

On Tuesday, I had gone to Target, and totally splurged on some outdoor lights. I bought two different types. Butterfly and what I would call Balloon lights. I don't really have a ladder, just a step ladder that I used back at Memorial Middle. I paid for it so I got to take it home with me. It came in very handy. I hung the lights and finally plugged them in. Problems! One of the light sets wasn't working. I thought maybe the fuse had gone out. After a thirty min. fight with the stupid plug, I was victorious in getting both fuses out. Even when I replaced them, the light set still wouldn't work. "What can ya do" I'm sure it would look great when everything is plugged in and working.

[This is spawning from too much time on my hands!]
Yesterday:
So back to my previous thought about sitting....I know that the first of the month is coming up, and I always have a little extra money to spend on one really big purchase. For example, I bought a Christmas tree in December. Since summer is coming up, I want to use this months purchase on my backyard. I started looking online. It's amazing the range of patio furniture there is out there. Materials, sizes, colors, and themes are just the beginning of it. After about a day of research, I knew what I wanted. The set I originally wanted was from Wal-Mart. It was made from solid wood and already came with an umbrella, which I have wanted since I was a little girl. The shipping alone was over $40.00. I decided to go to the Wal-Mart near my house and maybe see if it happened to be there, so I wouldn't have to pay the shipping fee. There were so many choices. Mine unfortunately was not there. As I was looking, I did happen to see the same set, but made from aluminum, a glass table, and of course the umbrella. It came in two colors. I opted for the cool blue. It reminded me of the beach. [By the way, I must interject with my love for SUV's. They are perfect for impulse buys such as this.] It was a hundred dollars less than the wood one I had originally wanted. Sure the material was cheaper, but I would have that cash to spend on something else I had already had my mind on. The cashier loads it in my car for me because it is too heavy for me to lift, which makes me think how I am going to get it down.
So before I even get to my house I have planned everything out in my head. The box is too heavy for one girl to lift, but the items alone are not. So with the box still in my SUV I take out the items one at a time. First the chairs. Then the umbrella. The only heavy item was the glass table which needed to be assembled. Thank goodness for the little Moving Men my parents bought me. I simply slided the whole thing to my backyard. I never had to lift a thing, so I never strained my back. Yea for me!
After some minor assembly (all by myself) the patio furniture is up and looks perfect. It's not too big and will still sit four people. It's colorful, so it really pops against all the greenery.
Today:
I returned the butterfly lights that did not work. If you have ever gone to Target and returned something you will know that they give you cash for that item and ask that you go and find the new item you want and purchase it all over again. This is bad for me. It means that you have to go back in the store. Of course I end up purchasing more lights. This time the lights were for the umbrella. The picture on the box looked really cool, and I figured that since I now own an umbrella, I should dress it up. Yet another task for me outside. Turns out that you have to put little clips on yourself. After I got started, it was like clockwork putting the lights on one by one, and by the time I finished it was barely getting dark, dark enough to see the beautiful lights all plugged in.
In the future:
So remember the thing that I had on my mind....well I found it online. Perfect. Anyone who knows me knows that I have always wanted a hammock. I finally got one for Christmas years ago, and set it up at my parents house. It never really worked because there was no stand for it. It was tied to one of our trees and the wall. I spent a lot of time in that hammock, and actually wonder if its still there. Needless to say, that is what I truly wanted. I found one. I was looking for one that came with a stand. Even if I wanted to do the whole tree thing again, I couldn't. My backyard has absolutely no trees. Weird huh? So now I really need the stand. I found a better one. This one comes with a stand but is portable. I could even take it to the beach, if I wanted to. [I'm planning on spending some time there in the summer as well] And what do you know? It was exactly $96.00 with shipping. Looks like the hundred I saved on the patio furniture worked out. Now all I have to do is wait for it to come in.

This whole time of spending my evenings outside has really been good for my soul. Jasper loves going outside with me. He loves running and has a huge backyard to do it in. At first I was a little apprehensive of letting him outside. I thought he would for sure run away. He always runs out into the garage when I am closing it, and escapes outside to the front. In the front, cars are always passing by. I just get nervous, him being so brave and all. I mean to test his ability to reach the front before the garage door goes down is a test itself. Since I was spending so much time outside, I decided to let him out. After all I would be there to watch him, and he has a bell so I would be able to hear him at all times. He never once tried to climb the fence. I even shot a great picture of him laying in the grass. Bella on the other hand does not like to be outside. She will sit at the glass sliding door and watch everything we are doing, but will not go outside. I think she is scared. It's OK. One curious cat is more than enough for me.

I got into a small spat with a student today. She is actually one of my favorites, which is really weird. I said something and she said something under her breath (which is one of my pet peeves) and then it turned into a battle of who would have the last word. She explained that she was "pissed" at something another student had told her from another class. I told her that it was not my fault and that she needed to "calm down". I have had a bad history with the words "calm down" when said to me, so it probably did not help her. She never looked or spoke to me the rest of the period. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Update:
My roommate has just asked to eat outside with her boyfriend. I am so excited about people using the backyard! I can just imagine BBQ's and parties. Even though I'm happy about the use, this makes me kinda sad. I wanted to be the first to enjoy it. Aww....Marty, come back. LOL...the weather is perfect tonight too. A small cool front is coming in and the air is blowing the sweet perfume of the lemon blossoms. Smells like spring.