Eek! It’s finally done! Here’s all the pretty pictures of my refreshed mid-mod meets boho patio at my new house. You can see the before and after comparison pics here, and get all my resources at the bottom of this post. What do you think? Who wants to come over for a swim and some s’mores under the twinkling lights?
Find of all of my resources here to get the mid-mod meets boho look for your backyard:
Lamps Plus (yes, they have outdoor furniture and outdoor decor!)
Wood outdoor sectional couch and coffee table
Criss Cross Metal & Wood Stools used as side tables – they are out of stock, but keep checking their outdoor tables section
Outdoor Umbrellas
Fire Pit
Rock Water Fountain
Potting Bench
White Wicker Set of 2 Chairs – they are sold out, but check their outdoor seating section for similar items
Door Mats
Metal Basket Hurricane Candle Holder
Outdoor Heavy Duty String Lights
Sika Design
Wicker chair and matching Wicker Lounge
Direct from Mexico
Equipales Table and Chairs
Craigslist
Orange Acapulco Chairs – I got them (two rocking, two standard) for $45 each by scouring craigslist every day for a month
Ikea
Black and White Pillows
Wood Bench
Striped Throw Blanket
Pendleton
Spa Towels
Lowe’s
Terracotta pots
Jackalope Pottery
Gray large square planters
Vineland Nursery
New Drought-Resistant Trees, Bushes, Succulents, and Sod
I hope you guys dig it! You should see it at night at lit up with a fire blazing. I’m so happy in this space. Come over for a party!
Lamps Plus provided me with some of the items listed above to create this beautiful space. Thank you!
Here are four combos that have been big hits this Fall, especially with the kiddos. If you are looking for a quick meal, party nosh, or even a midnight snack, try one of our favorites cheesy themes.
Carleton and I have been married for ten years!!! This feels like an accomplishment. We had to celebrate so we shipped our little lovebug off to Grandma and Grandpa’s and headed to the Big Easy. We packed a lot of fun into a long weekend. We had been to New Orleans before, years ago for Jazz Fest, so we skipped some of the traditional NOLA must-dos (like beignet’s at Cafe du Monde and cemetery tours) and instead went full foodie and funky for this trip. We stayed at the 
It’s also walking distance to the French Quarter and has a rooftop pool, where we started off with some cocktails. 
Aww. 
then walked over to 
We cruised by Faulkner House Books on our way to our next stop – definitely drop in here. 
My favorite bite was a Mufalleta at 
We rubbed the gate at The Court of Two Sisters for luck, 
before heading to the fine dining institution that is 
I loved seeing the styles of each dining room, from inside and out. 
And this sign on the dungeon door made me happy. 
Of course from there we went for pralines 
before ending our tour with turtle soup. Can’t say I loved turtle soup, but I was a huge fan of shrimp remoulade. Hot tip: For the best view in the French Quarter, head upstairs at 
It’s also fun to grab an (umm, not tasty) Absinthe at the 
That night we had a truly fantastic anniversary dinner at 
and the most delicious Isreali meal at 
XOXOX
It’s getting to be sort of cozy and fall-ish around these parts, which means I can indulge my love of making soups. This soup is made with salmon (this recipe calls for raw salmon, but you can easily just pop in some leftover cooked fish instead), which is my go-to protein to feed my daughter. She loves “pink fish” but I get bored of it quite easily. I like this recipe because the chowder is not “fishy” at all – and it was a huge hit with my family. You can customize the recipe to whatever you have on hand (add or subtract veggies and herbs), but if you leave out the bacon, just replace with a few tablespoons of healthy oil or fat (butter). Other than that feel free to add and subtract as you wish. I hope you enjoy my Salmon Chowder Recipe… 
It had been a while since I’d done anything crafty and at a certain point it became hard to jump back in. Ever feel that way? Yesterday I grabbed a scrap of wool felt and some embroidery thread and forced myself to stitch. I had wanted to make a cute cactus pin cushion for a while so it felt the the perfect quick project to start with.
There’s an opportunity here for some seating and/or storage. Maybe a nice bar type thing where that bench is? 
This is where the couch and hopefully a dining table will fit. 
And over here is the entrance to my master bedroom. I’d eventually like to get new doors but for now I’m imagining a fire pit seating area. 
And new sod, or something. This grass is a hot mess. 
I’m working on the gardening, pulling out the dead stuff and adding some local drought-resistant plants, and re-designing the furniture, layout, and outdoor lighting with the help of 
