Wakeup a Boring Backyard With My Outdoor Oasis Plan
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Hey, have you ever had a plan in mind, and then out of nowhere someone or something just comes in and throws the whole thing out of the window?! Well, friends, that’s exactly what happened to me. I had a whole plan in place for the backyard that I was excited about. In fact, the backyard will be one of the first areas that we work on.
Boy did I have big plans; I wanted a few fruit trees, a two-seater swing, a plot for my herb garden, a fire pit, a grilling area, and a play area for my son…but did I mention that the backyard space is only 328 sq ft?! LOL - That’s not really big. Thankfully, our home has a communal playground right behind our property so CJ can always play over there.
I do believe that some of my plans will still go into affect; like the fencing, which is very important to keep the dog within the property and to make sure no one messes with my future herb garden! I am learning the importance of zoning out your area, this way you can see if there’s enough room for everything that you want and if it even makes sense in your space. The main areas that I need is a shaded area to sit and eat, a wall space to hang my herb garden, and an area for CJ.
As this is our first home, in hindsight, I guess a smaller yard will be more manageable for us. Living in South Florida with the possibility of back to back hurricanes, I’m going to be honest with you, …yes, I do want a gorgeous backyard but I refuse to do too much of the “pretty” stuff because of the possibility things can blow or flow away! Let’s just keep it nice and simple.
Now that things are finally happening with the house, I can’t wait to watch the kids playing while my husband fires up the grill. Fun fact, I knew nothing about grills. I thought that was as simple as throwing coals in a metal bowl, lighting it up, and cooking your camping meals. Now there’s a whole science to it! You have charcoal, wood-burning and gas grills, even grills with smokers….whatever that means. That’s great and all but we just need a grill that gets the job done, and well…if it’s cute that’s a plus for me!
I was browsing through HomeDepot.com to see what grills I could find and I found a grill that would speak to both me and Skiler! It is Palazzetti Bajkal Charcoal Outdoor Pedestal Grill, which in my eyes looks like a mini version of those big outdoor fireplaces. At 30 x 28 x 38 inches, I think it will be perfect for our space!!! If you look at the diagram I created, you’ll see that I am putting the grill by the window and a/c unit. That was the only reasonable spot that we could think of to put it. We won’t have it too close to either area of course but I knew it couldn’t go over to the other side due to a tree being planted there.
Another thing that I look forward to starting up, is a herb garden. Talk about adulting! I want parsley, mint, basil, cilantro, aloe vera, lemongrass and more. For the past few years now, I have been using more DIY cleaning products and what better way than to have it at arms reach all the time. Not only will the area smell good to humans but it will smell bad to insects, which is exactly what I want.
Fun fact, mosquitoes hate lemongrass, lavender, and citronella and ants hate mint; so I will for sure want those planted close to doors and windows.
It’s funny because as I am writing this, I am realizing how wonderful God is for blessing me with a family and a house to soon call our home. I can’t say it enough how good God is! Well I hope that you will continue on this journey with me, until next time!
