Fourth of July Pool Party 2018

I can't believe we've been having our annual July 4th pool party for five years! We started it the year after we put in our pool at the last house. Everyone had so much fun at the first party that they asked if we were going to have it the next year. It ended up snowballing into an annual event!

Earlier this year we installed the terrace pillars and railing. It also ended up being the perfect spot to add bunting.

This green sweet potato vine had choked my pink petunias I planted earlier this summer so I added red vincas a few days before the party. When I was digging in the pots I noticed there were actual sweet potatoes under the dirt about the size of a golf ball. I guess that's why they call it a sweet potato vine! I also added small American flags to each pot. I just love how festive it turned out!

Here is the biggest change! We added landscaping to the back yard along the fence line. We started behind the hot tub and went all the way around the pool and up the side of the house. It's kind of hard to see anything but mulch in this photo. I will show you more as soon as I take pictures. It was nice we were able to finish just two days before the party. We also installed a drip system for the potted plants, added more landscaping and patio lights, and put in a new outdoor speaker system. We were able to DIY everything so we could have everything on our wish list. We spent an absurdly small amount of money for everything. I will go over those details in my next post in case you are also wanting to make exterior updates. There's still a bit more to add and tweak, but it's basically done. Our backyard has come a really long way from last year!

A quick family photo before the party started.

Thankfully, I have one friend that always remembers to take a photo during a party! She also has a home decor Instagram account. Follow Leigh @ourwoodforesthome.

I've been reflecting back this year on how my kids and my friends' kids have grown up over the past five years. They were so little back then, and now most of them are tweens and teens! I'm also thankful to have such great people in my life for so many years. I love their company and watching their kids grow up with mine. I hope they have fun memories of going to the Clark house for the 4th of July when they get older!

Wine Tasting Party On Our New Terrace

I've been calling our latest project of turning a retaining wall into a balcony, but it doesn't really seem tall enough to be considered a balcony. Terrace is a more accurate description. Doesn't terrace sound better anyway? It immediately puts me in vacation mode. In my last post I showed you the before pics, the plan and the work just starting to begin. It is semi-complete at this point. It looks great from a distance, but there are a ton of touch-ups that need to be done to the stone and railings. I'm waiting for those to be finished hopefully by next week before I add planters to the tops of the pillars for reveal pics. I was so excited that we could move a wine party we had been planning for months outdoors. The weather was amazing and the contractor was hurrying to clean up the space so we could set up the tables by the pool.

That's our wine host in the photo above, Chiara, from Tenuto Torciano winery in Tuscany. My husband and I visited the winery last summer and were told they travel to the U.S. for private in-home wine tastings every spring. The best is they are completely free! Of course they would like our guests to buy wine. I knew that wouldn't be an issue with my crowd of friends!

Ciara set up the wine and oils on the new stone pillars. I thought that was a brilliant idea! Here is my husband and I before the party. Sorry, it was hard to get a good photo with the sun setting behind us. We were also careful not to touch the railings because there was black paint in some spots that hadn't dried. The contractor was leaving as Ciara pulled up to our house. The timing was crazy! You might notice the stone is a bit different from the pool wall. I'm actually okay with it since I haven't ever been a fan of the brown stone in the pool wall. I was worried that it wouldn't look right since it didn't match, but there is enough brown in the stone to blend with it.

This pic shows the brown in the stone a bit better since some of the others haven't been cleaned of the dust yet. Again, sorry for the poor quality pics! I did a screenshot from my IG stories since I hadn't thought to take blog pics.

One day I'd like to continue the stone on the facing of the retaining wall and stairs. You might also notice the solar lights on the wall. We installed those an hour before the party started. I bought them yesterday and let them sit in the sun so they would charge up. It was great having that bit of extra lighting by the tables.

I rented cocktail tables instead of regular tables because when we were planning the party for indoors there wouldn't have been enough room for chairs. The flowers are from Trader Joe's and I put those together the day before so the prep would be minimal. I already had the candleholders, and I found the glass vases at Target for $2.99. I should probably let people think I had a florist, but you know I have to share a deal!

Also, I had looked up pricing at local Italian restaurants for to go food. I was thinking that I would make some of the easier dishes and pick up the more complicated ones. After talking to the catering manager at a local restaurant I realized I couldn't cook for cheaper than what she was offering me. She even included a server at a minimal cost. I was so surprised by the cost of catering and party supply rentals. I would have done this years ago, but I just assumed it would be too expensive. You really just never know until you ask! The best part is since we had a waitress we could have her serve small plates to pair with the wines instead of one big dinner.

All of that planning paid off! Once Ciara started her presentation from the balcony with the string lights behind her while we were at the cocktail tables below by the pool, I just smiled so big. It was honestly magical! It felt like we were in the middle of Italy with the cypress trees behind the pool. I heard similar comments from my guests. I'm so glad I was able to take a little bit of the magic of Tuscany home to them. I'm guessing they loved it by the massive amounts of wine they ordered!

This was so much fun! It's nights like these that break up the mundane of daily life with a little something special. I'm getting better at planning events, whether it's a party or a new activity with a friend (tennis for the first time as an adult this week, wish me luck). I have asked myself many times why I do these things up until the day of the event, but I never regret it in the end!

My New Backyard Project: Balcony Railings

You've probably heard me mention the need for a balcony railing on the retaining wall in the backyard several times. We had no idea when we built our house that the backyard was on a large slope until the lot was cleared. My husband was upset because a pool was something we wanted to put in right away, and he didn't think it was possible. I assured him that we could build a retaining wall and have steps down to the pool that would look amazing. I was right, but I didn't realize how much more expensive retaining walls and balcony railings would cost. We were way over our budget because of it when we built our pool so we nixed the railing. I was so nervous someone would fall off the retaining wall that I added these tall potted junipers for a visual barrier. They did the job for a good two years, but my youngest son did fall off the wall right before Christmas. He slipped on ice when we had snow and freezing rain as he was running from the back door to the side yard. Thankfully, the chaise lounge broke his fall and he just ended up with a bruised bum. He has since decided he doesn't like snow!

Do you see how dangerous this could be? I haven't measured, but I believe there's about eight feet between the kitchen island and the drop-off. That distance is probably why we haven't any other accidents. My first priority this spring was to install a railing after a contractor no-showed last summer. I also really wanted to replace the chandeliers in the living room, dining room and foyer too. In order to do both I considered adding inexpensive fencing panels I found at Home Depot. My husband was convinced he could do it. I decided to just get one more quote to see the price difference. It turns out after talking to the contractor that those fencing panels were open on the ends and would end up rusting within a year or two. That means no chandeliers! Not only did we get a quote for the railing, I also got a quote for stone pillars. I noticed this look in several homes and on trips to Mexico and Capri. Even though it was more expensive for the pillars I decided to go ahead with it because it isn't one of those things I can go back and add later.

Sidenote-I also want these umbrellas and clay pots!

Here is the closest example of what ours will look like when completed. Eventually, I'd love to add the stone on the face of the retaining wall and stairs like in this photo. 

BHG

The stone we planned on using is the same as the pool wall. It's a split face travertine with a combination of cream and brown split face travertine. 

The only problem is the company that supplied it no longer sells it, and the contractor can't find it anywhere else. The contractor did find this exact cream colored stone, but there just won't be any brown in it. I have to admit that I'm not that upset because I've never really been a fan of the brown stone. It doesn't really bother me, but it kind of looks like patchwork to me. My only concern is that we would have two different types of stone back here. I was in a bit of a quandary last night when they told me about the stone being discontinued. 

I decided to go ahead with the cream stone instead of trying to find the cream/brown one after thinking about it. The deciding factor was knowing I eventually want to add stone to the front of the retaining wall. If I'm not thrilled with the way it looks on the pool wall then I definitely wouldn't be happy with it on a larger surface. Maybe when I get the retaining wall done next I can ask them to replace the brown stones on the pool? I have no idea if that's an option, but you never know until you ask. FYI, this is an old pic. You wouldn't believe how tall and wide the trees have gotten!

Here is the progress with the cinderblock framing for the pillars. I forgot to take a picture, but I was able to screenshot a previous Instagram story. There will be black iron panels between the stone pillars. They are plain for cost reasons. Honestly, the reason why we went with the stone pillars is that an iron railing with any detail to it is almost the same price as the plain iron with the stone pillars. 

As I'm typing I can hear the guys outside cutting the iron panels. The stone work is just beginning, too. I'll update on my Instagram stories later today so you can see the progress!

My Cozy Fall Porch

One of my favorite spaces in my home is my back porch. It's the perfect place to sit in the evenings in front of the fire to watch TV with a glass of wine or a Moscow mule. My boys have been making s'mores every night after dinner in the fireplace, and then getting in a little trampoline time in the backyard before bed. Our Texas summers are brutal so the entire family is taking advantage of this weather.

I didn't do much this year to decorate the porch, but a little orange goes a long way. I've had this Ikea plaid throw for years and I paired it with a new outdoor pillow I found on clearance for $13 several months ago. I just added a couple of pumpkins and my little orange owl, and it was just enough fall decor for this space.

I have to admit that although I love this traditional look, I miss my light blue summer decor. I had planned on decorating with red next week for Christmas, but I think I'm going to bring the blue back out and decorate in the lighter colors I prefer. It's less seasonal pillows to store, too!

Operation Landscape

I had planned to add grass to our barren backyard and make it look as neat and presentable as possible until next spring. That's when I figured it would be the best time to have a professional landscaper come in since the extremely hot weather isn't the best for plants right now. Landscaping is not something I have succeeded at anyway...ever. It's just one of those things that's best left to the professionals in my household. But, I happened to notice a sign at Houston Garden Center advertising 70% off all plants and trees. I had to check it out even though I didn't really believe everything would be that cheap. It was! Actually, it still is because the sale is still going on. I bought Knockout Roses for $6, boxwoods for $2, wax myrtles for $5, and huge crepe myrtles for $36. The crepe myrtles were $119 regularly. I did not completely believe the prices until I checked out at the register. We went twice on Saturday and back again on Sunday. I now have a full yard of plants for...drumroll please...$300!






I've always love the way boxwoods look in front of roses bushes and now I have a place that's sunny enough to plant them. I also put a sweet potato vine in front of them to cascade over the small retaining wall. I initially wanted to break them up with other cascading plants, but I couldn't find anything I liked as well. I can always do that later or let a landscaper tweak it because these can be replanted somewhere else. Oh, and they were under $2 each! Since I have a black thumb, I'm going to let our yard guy plant these after he adds a bit of soil.






Here's the view as you walk out the back door. This is so much better than looking at mud, lol. As you can see my husband has repaired the fence. We saved so much money doing it ourselves and it really didn't take much time. He worked on it for two days, but only spent a couple of hours each day on it since we had thunderstorms that weekend. My plan is to eventually have the fences completely covered up by plants. The roses aren't going to be quite tall enough so I would love to plant something that climbs on the fence. I love the idea of honeysuckle, but I'm not sure if I want to attract every bee in the neighborhood. Oh, and have you heard about the killer bee attacks lately? Terrifying!




The other side of the fence might look a little wimpy in comparison, but these wax myrtles grow to be 12 feet tall. I love the privacy that these will give us. Another benefit is that it will hide the extreme slope next to the fence since they grow so large. According to the salesperson at the garden center, they will take about a year to get halfway up the fence. So, two years to cover the fence? Well, if I don't kill them by then they might get that tall.



We have a couple on the other side of the fence, too.




And the best deal ever! Can you believe this crepe myrtle was only $36? Look how tall that sucker is. It rivals my neighbors been-there-forever pink crepe. I decided on the white because I've heard people complain that the brighter flowers can stain concrete and pool plaster.




Of course, I couldn't buy just one. I bought three for the back fence. I'd also love to have them along the side fences, but the amount of flowers they drop that close to the pool changed my mind.




I bought a few filler shrubs, too. The dark green ones in the back get very large. It's also the same as our neighbor's shrubs that are peeking over the fence. I got my inspiration from what I see in my own neighborhood instead of gardens I love in pictures. The plants I've killed in the past probably weren't really meant to be planted in this climate and soil. I'm talking about you, hydrangeas!




This corner of the yard is storing all of the plants we didn't have room for, but it will be the same as the other side because I'm not creative enough to go asymmetrical and make it look good.

Do you see that huge hose lying on the ground? That's a temporary main electricity line. Yesterday, our power went out except for in two upstairs bedrooms. We called everyone-the pool guy, an electrician, and finally the electric company. Our first thought was that the breaker was overloaded, but we finally paid the emergency electrician fee to find out for sure last night. He immediately said the main underground line was not working. When we told him that the pool was only completed two weeks ago he said he was pretty sure it was nicked during the digging and they unsuccessfully tried to repair it. That doesn't surprise me since they cut our internet line and never said a word about it. Thankfully, our electric company is the only ones who fix this free of charge. If we lived 10 minutes south in a different county (and different provider) we would have had to pay $3000-4000 to have it fixed! I'm sure it would have been a mess because when we told our pool builder about it he immediately said it wasn't them. Okay...it's quite the coincidence the main line stops working a few weeks later. Anyway, the electrician was so nice and called our electric company for us to have someone come out last night. Despite the extremely high service fee, I can say it was well worth it to have air conditioning!


Just to recap, remember what this yard looked like just a few weeks ago?




And, now...



What a difference! I might not be very good at landscaping, but it's a definite improvement. I can't wait to see the plants in the ground and the flowerbeds mulched.

Mario is really loving having a backyard again. Keep on christening the yard instead of my rugs, boy!


A before of the side yard.




Now




Can you believe all of these plants only cost $300? That's crazy! If you live in the Houston area, run to Houston Garden Center. I bet everyone is clearancing out plants right now though. It might not be the best time of year for planting, but it certainly is the best on your wallet!

Fire Pits and Backyard Progress

Our backyard is coming along, but first I've got to show you the pool at night. I was too nervous to turn the fire pits on while my husband was out of town last week, so I snapped a couple of pictures when he got home Thursday night.











Yes, that's a birthday balloon in the pool. My five year old was completely attached to it for some reason. I promise these kids have more than enough pool toys. If you follow me on Instagram you know this!

Oh, and as a disclaimer for those breaking out in a cold sweat over the fire and the kids being so close, the kids are not allowed on the rocks while the fire pits are on. Even when they are off, they are only allowed on the two lower shelves since they are wide and flat. We're making up the rules as we go along, but we realized a few things the first night. We also realized beach balls and fire did not mix the hard way. ;) You can see my little guy gathering up the airborne toys for me in the last picture. They still have plenty of toys to play with that don't go airborne, but I can't say they are that interested. I love seeing them make up games as they race each other swimming across the pool. It's nice to see them use their imaginations again!

My five year old can swim the width of the pool, but not the length. We bought him a thin Speedo life vest from Target and it has been the best thing ever. Not only does it give me piece of mind, but his swimming skills have improved dramatically and he can enjoy the entire pool instead of just the sun ledge and hot tub (aka baby pool). I wish I had known about these sooner. I only knew about the thick ones that are really uncomfortable and make swimming difficult. If you have little kids, you've got to get one!

In case you're wondering, Mario does like being outside by the pool. "By the pool" are the key words. He does not like being in the pool, but the kids wanted to see if he could swim. Luckily for Mario, he's a natural born swimmer. When he gets a little nervous around the boys he heads inside where he can safely watch what's going on from the window.




When I showed you the pool last week the deck had not been acid washed so it looked a little chalky. I was thrilled to see it when I came home from work Thursday. It's the color it's supposed to be and the best part is we're not tracking that chalky mess in the house any more.



I love how it matches the flagstone coping so nicely.




Irrigation and grass were added this weekend. We've been the DIY route before with both of these projects, so we know the extra money to pay someone else to do it is well worth it. The areas along the fence were intentionally left alone because we're going to add flowerbeds. I'm hoping to find something that grows tall fast so we have a little privacy when we're outside. The fence isn't the most attractive thing to look at either.




When it does get cool outside we want to be able to sit near the fire pits. My five year old is looking forward to making "snores." That's the reason for the half circles behind the fire pits. We're going to place large pieces of flagstone here to make a patio for chairs or benches. We need to move the sod from behind the other rocks because there will be plants here instead. I'm hoping to find something that will soften the line of the rocks and drape over them a bit.




We've been so busy enjoying the pool that we haven't made too much progress on the beams, but we did get all four of them boxed in. Before, we just had the two front ones done. We just need to add the trim and paint them next. Eventually, I'd love to add a tongue and groove ceiling on the porch with a fan, but the landscape is taking priority right now.




I also found LED candles at Target for the lanterns. It makes such a difference to have these on at night. I'm just crossing my fingers no one kicks them. My husband already broke one trying to put the candle in it. He said he just turned it over and the glass came out. Hmmm...imagine that. Thankfully, Lowe's had one left.

I still haven't shown you all the outdoor serving pieces I have. I keep forgetting to take pictures when we have parties. Don't worry. We have pool parties several times a week!