Backyard Living for Summer and Birthday Party Prep

It was Zjena's 8th birthday two weeks ago and we decided to have the party at home. We opted to go with a Puppy and Pool party, which meant there was some cleanup to be done. 

We tried to edit down some toys to tidy up things. And we tried to re-gravel just a bit. With big fruit trees in the back that shade a lot of the yard plus our dog, gravel seems to be the only way to go. Notice how low those big, juicy oranges are hanging. Tall people: Watch your head!

Another view of our rustic backyard. In the summer, we really do live and cook back here. We don't need to drive a couple hours to stay at a hotel, because just walking through this gate makes us feel like we are getting away from it all. 

Here's my chair when I'm watching the kids in the pool. Yup, we picked this up from the side of the road. Thanks, neighbor!  And that's not a prop book. I'm actually reading It: This one is The Mists of Avalon. Milo and I have been avidly watching the BBC Merlin TV series on Netflix so I've been newly intrigued with Arthurian legends. Marion Zimmer Bradley does an amazing recreation of those tales with Mists of Avalon.

Having a party at your house is a great way to force yourself to get things cleaned up. We lived in this guest house during our home reno and we had neglected it once we moved back into the main house. It took one week and some hired hands to get it in shape again. No more spider webs, though! And even the books have been dusted. Just cleaning the barbecue took two days!

Here's what I think looks like a fairy tale gate. This is the view from the guest house up toward the main house. It's our portal between the two worlds.

This is no fairy tale  here. Just a reminder of how far we've come--and how much we're living happily ever after now.