We have been working on our backyard and working on pulling everything together with our pool addition. For Friday Favorites I wanted to share some random updates outside! Speaking of outside…have you tried to shop for planters? They are hard to find! We found some planters at our local nursery that were a great price, but just not the right color. Luckily we have spray paint in our back pocket…ready to spray! We had chalk spray paint that we tested on a small planter and it ended up working really well! So we went for it…
See the difference?! We used Behr Classic Noir! That’s all, nothing on top of the spray paint. Kevin took the pressure washer to them after to see if the spray paint would come off with rain or washing and nope, the spray paint held up!
The tallest planter has a juniper in it. The medium is a boxwood we shaped into a ball. The smaller one is a boxwood topiary. And the very smallest is a boxwood that I added some succulents to the base.
I get asked often if the boxwood will last through the winter. YES! Mine have! Some people wrap their boxwoods with burlap in the winter- but I read that this is generally a pointless practice when it comes to winter damage. Keeping the boxwood hydrated is the only thing that will save it from the dehydration that causes winter damage! And also add an extra layer of mulch to the pot to protect the roots.
LOTS of messages on our fire table. It is out of stock! I really haven’t seen many fire tables that are in-stock. Maybe it will come back or might be in-stock where you live.
***Find our chaise lounge chairs HERE, umbrella HERE with THIS base, white storage chest is from HERE***
Speaking of fire…my kids love s’mores. I am not a huge fan, I like them occasionally. I have this blog post with healthier options! If you want to upgrade your basic s’more to something a little healthier, above are things I like to grab on Thrive!
Our stripe towels I found HERE, but sold out. I found THESE gray towels!
When we have guests we needed an extra spot for serving, loved this outdoor serving cart. I got it HERE, looks like it is sold out HERE is the brown version you could easily spray paint.
Planning on doing a full blog post on our pool house but wanted to quickly answer some frequent questions we got. The most asked question was if we have design plans for it or if we built from scratch. Out contractor built from scratch. We did the maximum size we could do- 10’x14′. I saw a photo of a shed that had the window above, so we added that! Rather than adding a window to the sides, we added glass doors to let light in, we wanted to maximize all the walls. The sides are AZEK, we haven’t painted it yet, but plan to fill the holes and paint it white.
We painted the doors in semigloss Tricorn Black. Lights are black matte, you can find HERE. The planters have boxwoods in them, find the planters HERE.
Can you tell we like boxwoods?? We added them around the bottom of the deck too. (Find info on our pool HERE). I plan on doing an updated blog post about the pool area- let me know any questions you have! I will include it all in a post soon!
Have a great Fathers Day weekend!!! We know where Kevin will be…using his new gift (we got THIS grill).
Where is your pool pump located in your back yard? Has your electric bill gone up alot more?
Hi! It is on the side of our home! I will show a picture of it all soon! And it has gone up…. I would say about $60
Hi Brooke. I have been following your blog for several years now. I have to admit, though, the past few times I have clicked on it to read I have been a little uncomfortable. It’s a very difficult time for some people. Lots of folks are out of work, people have died with the virus. People are really struggling right now and it seems that for weeks now your blog has been about everything new at your home. I used to love all the decorating tips and fun stuff that you talked about. That’s not your blog lately. I am not trying to take anything away from you or embarrass you but I feel a little squeamish when I read “we got this” and “we got this”, etc. I am really happy for your success and I realize it has come with hard work. Just an observation from a reader. All the best.
I don’t know this family from Adam, but she has made it very clear that they’ve been saving for a long time to do all these things. It’s HER blog post. About HER family. HER life. One thing we all need to do is realize that life goes on. We can’t pause our lives or live in fear because of a virus. People die will every day regardless. For you to make her feel guilty about her life and what she buys, builds or has going on, is more than merely an ‘observation’. Maybe you’re jealous? Maybe you wish you would’ve made smarter decisions to have the money to enjoy your home? Maybe you want a Kevin? Either way, your passive aggressive comment does nothing except make yourself look bad. But of course, these comments come with the best intentions. (That doesn’t make it feel better, does it?)
Best.
I appreciate you Lana. It is hard because often I am sharing my home, and that means what “we bought” or people ask me so I create a post about it. I don’t want to hide what we have or “put it under a bushel” because it makes others uncomfortable. Right now with COVID we are helping with small businesses. And we are fortunate to work on our home and fix it up. And we try to give back and share ways to update homes on a budget too. It could be how I write my posts too. Appreciate the feedback.
Brooke- Have followed you for a long time and just love your home and your heart. You and Kevin have worked so hard to get where you are and sharing your progress is nothing to be ashamed of!! Not to mention the number of makeovers you give away to people in need either financially or emotionally, and how generous you are with your time and talents! Keep doing you, I love seeing all the updates and can’t wait to plan my own custom IKEA closet!
Thank you so much Kelly. So much love to you ❤️
I’m sad to see that her blog posts make you feel uncomfortable Jacqueline, but keep in mind this FAMILY, not just Brooke are very conscious about helping other people in need during this super difficult time too. Brooke, I love that you dedicate your passion to make others feel good and get a leg up. It’s great to see your successes and how hard you work for all of it. Not to mention you stay humble. Go girl!
Brooke, I missed the link to the dining table and chairs from Walmart in your stories. Could you post it again? Thx!
Sorry! It is linked here- https://nestingwithgrace.com/patio-table-styled-3-ways/
Hello! Everything is lovely in your home! I have a quick question about your pool. We are actually putting in a pool as well and are debating between fiberglass and concrete. I read your comparisons and appreciated the info. It’s hard since I have never seen the fiberglass one in person (we are looking at the leisure pool ultimate as well and our original concrete design. I honestly have not seen a fiberglass pool in person (except The sample at the county fair in the 80’s 😂 And I know things have come a long way from them) I just want to make sure it doesn’t have that plastic-like look that they used to have. Sorry for the long question! It is just such a big investment I don’t want to goof it up! Yours looks amazing so I am pretty confident that I’d the way to go! Thanks so much and I look forward to hearing back.
Hi! Mine doesn’t really look like plastic at all in person. It is fiber-glass and looks really good! We are so happy with it!I would ask to see one local from the company!