Analyzing Our Back Yards?

For most of us at this time of year we think a lot about what is or what was. We have the year in review on TV about sports, about the News, and on just about any topic we can think of. We ourselves think about the last year, our weight and the pounds we’ve gained or about our smoking habit and we make resolutions about what we hope to do in the New Year. But for many of us trying to think about our back yards and analyze what is wrong and what I would like to change, is not easy. We know we should do it before we start to change things but it just isn’t natural. For others it is easy and they know exactly what is wrong and what they don’t like but it is hard for them to think about the future and what they really want it to look like. That is life, we are all different.
Some of us try to use software or getting others to do the work for us but that alone won’t do it, no matter how good they are. They need our input before any changes can be made unless we don’t care and we have the money to just say to someone “Just do it”.
So how are your analytics? Have you taken or do you plan to take some time to evaluate what your back yard presently looks like and set new goals for 2008? This is a great time of year to work on it. The easy path and I tend to take it at times and make excuses of “I’m too busy”, is to just keep doing the same old same old. Someone once said that the definition of a fool is “someone who keeps doing the same thing and expecting different results”.
As I think about our back yard there are definitely things I would like to improve on this coming year. I realize that I will never be able to say there is nothing I want to change. That is because I am always thinking of the new and exciting not because I have analyzed it and am making change with a purpose. See that is why I find it harder to do the analytics, I am always looking to the new. I enjoy learning. I enjoy the road of discovery and if it isn’t one thing I find something else to work on. I am looking forward to this coming year. How about you? But to get the best results you need to have a plan and to have the best plan we need to first think about what is in order to have a better future.
Part of that better future could be some new outdoor furniture and you can get whatever you need at one of our two outdoor furniture stores “Teaks n More” and “Outdoor Cedars”. Make them part of your plan.
Next time I will talk about setting some goals for 2008.
Till next time.

What are you thinking of?

What are you thinking of at this time of year? Gifts, family, friends, Turkey, big meals, how you’re going to get rid of those pounds and I’m sure the list could go on. For some of you, church might be important as well.
What happens to the business? For me my online stores “Outdoor Cedars” and “Teaks n More” are important. I love to do well and I would love to be unconcerned about money but that is just not the way it is for most of us. We work hard and sometimes too hard for what we get back.
It’s hard for me to take a break. Yes I know it’s important but there is just so much to do or that I want to do. At this time of year I find it easier to take a break (of course after the big Day). Everyone else is, so even if I don’t want to there are a lot less things you can do so I will take a break as well.
For a lot of us this is a time to both reflect on the past and look to the future. This last year there has really been some major changes in my business life. This has affected my personal life but my core has not changed.
I try to not mix my faith with business but for true Christ followers there is no real way of separating them. We are who we are. If you are a Christ follower then what you do and how you do it is affected by your beliefs. You can’t say I believe in honesty but then in your business only tell part of the truth about what you are selling. You can’t see the needy and not do something. What you do and how you do it is a reflection of who you really are.
This time of year is more than a Great Season or a time for a break for me. This is a special time (but not the only time) that I remember Jesus came to earth, to live, to die and that he will come again.
Happy birthday Jesus!
To all of you may you discover the true meaning of the Season, this year!
Merry Christmas to all of you!

Have a very Merry Christmas and keep dreaming creatively...

Christmas is almost here. If you’re in the northern climate like me you’ll see snow blanketing everything that was lush and green, except the Christmas tree you’ve managed to get into your house and decorate brightly. Days are busy getting everything prepared, braving the traffic, choosing gifts that won’t end up “re-gifted” but express something of what you share with that person. Many gatherings beckon and everyone is happy to get indoors to thaw the chill out of their bones. In the evening as you cozy up to a warm fire and as friends drop by memories are refreshed and new ones made over some hot cocoa or apple cider. These are many of the same friends who drop over for a glass of ice-tea in the summer time and enjoy your back yard. Often you dream together of marvelous vacations, cruises, trips that may be far out of your reach financially. But… now is a great opportunity to enhance and “bring home” some of these dreams. How about helping each other create special “oasis” places in each other’s yard? Is it the tropics you yearn for? An indoor/outdoor plant with large leaves or tall grasses could give much enjoyment year round. Or dressing up the picnic table with new brightly colored table cloths, napkins and some of the new splashy plastic dishes? Gift cards for these kinds of items are also a great idea because cashing in on them after Christmas can give double the value with all the sales going on. There are also many attractive accent pieces out there to dress up a get away in your own back yard. Choose items that delight you and your friends. Do they like butterflies? Planter pots? Animal shapes? Frogs by the pond? Or a new lounger to stretch out on as soon as the first warm rays make their appearance? Perhaps different lanterns in all shapes and sizes. Vacations are for taking us out of the ordinary demands of life – your back yard can do the same and much more inexpensively. If you work on it little by little, get rid of the clutter and replace it with items of beauty and appeal, making room to entertain in a very relaxed, yet tasteful way, then every day can hold a couple of hours of “vacation” for you in the spring, summer and fall. And in the winter long hours can be spent preparing new items such as colorful cushions, checking seed catalogues or picking up bargains that will enhance your special outdoor space.

Before this year is up, why not to treat yourself to at least one new piece of wood furniture while it’s on sale, a bench, chair or bistro set in lovely scented western red cedar, or the ever popular teak (a wood which with “benign neglect” turns a lovely silver gray with time). You’ll be able to enjoy this with your friends for years to come. Check them out the links to our stores “Outdoor Cedars” and “Teaks n More” are over to the right.
Have a very merry Christmas and keep dreaming creatively… may 2008 see many of your dreams come true!

The Garden room!

This is my favorite room full of beauty and solitude. The room I’m talking about this time is the botanical garden room and it could look quite different from yard to yard. I love my flowers and sitting enjoying the sound of water from my water garden, the birds and a breeze in the trees.
In bigger yards than I have there could be a number of trees in the back of the yard with a winding path through them with resting places spaced along the path. These are perfect spots for a garden bench or a couple of wooden chairs just to sit and relax. Some might even like to have a garden glider bench to get into the rhythm of nature. If your yard allows for a more wooded area like this (and my yard right now doesn’t) it is a wonderful opportunity for a garden room that provides a kind of private space. I love the smell of the leaves and forest it takes me away from the busyness of life and allows me to relax and enjoy God’s creation.

This room for me needs color and so I have a lot of perennials that grow and bloom and change with the seasons. The color brightens my spirit and calms my soul. This area doesn’t have to be large but it does need to have a quietness which means a sense of enclosure that is usually created by trees, shrubs and sometime structures like garden arbors or fences which allow us to feel separated from the busier parts of the yard.
Whether there is a lot of space or only a little, the garden room is where I want to be. Every time I’m in a yard with this kind of room I find myself gravitating in that direction very quickly.
If you have this kind of room or are just planning or creating it you can find all the garden furniture you need to make this space special in your back yard at our stores “Outdoor Cedars” and “Teaks n More” the links are over to the right and right now everything is on sale till the new year.

Where can we Play? Part 2

Last time we were talking about the back yard pool or the “pool room”. This week let’s talk about where the kids might play.
This space often changes with the age of the kids. And will definitely depend on the size of your back yard. For younger kids this could be a swing set or climbing gym of some sort. It could also involve a tree house or fort. I know when I was a kid I loved to build my own but today there are lots of choices at the stores to choose from. The things to look for are that they are well built and safe for the kids to play on. When thinking of our back yards this area needs to have enough room with space so the kids have room to run. Lots of grass is the best as it provides for a softer landing when the kids fall and they always do, fortunately most of the time it is just another little bump on the road of discovery.
The key to this room is that it needs to have some boundaries. It is easy for the kids toys to take over the whole back yard and though when they are young we may think they don’t know any better and that may be true, that is precisely why it is good for this room to have some clear boundaries so that we can still have some room for the things we want to do ie: like our intimate room for when the kids have gone to bed. We also don’t want to be tripping over toys every time we turn around. As the kids get older it could be a place to play catch or a mini ball diamond or soccer pitch. As we boys get older we always find new things to play with and they also seem to require more space.
My back yard is only big enough for a few small rooms and maybe yours is as well. When our kids were young they occupied most of the back yard. Now I get to do with it what I want.
We each have to make these choices and I trust as you think of your yard you can see it evolving over the years as we go through the different stages of life.
The fun room is mostly about space that the kids can have fun in yet helping them to not take over the whole yard. Let’s let them be kids they will have to grow up fast enough.
For us we need some comfortable furniture to relax in while they play. Garden benches, chairs, loungers etc. For Great Garden Furniture check out “Outdoor Cedars” and “Teaks n More” the links to the right.
Next time the “Garden room”.

Where can we Play?

We are currently talking about designing our back yards as rooms. Areas where we design it furnish it and use it for different purposes just like we have different rooms in our house. This week we will talk about the “Fun Room”. I have been thinking there are so many different rooms we could design here that we need to take more than one time to look at it so this time I am going to talk about the pool room. No not the one with a table, balls and cues but the water playground of the summer.
More and more the pool has become a big part of the back yard and for those who like swimming and sun bathing it provides a huge amount of fun and pleasure. Many times it becomes the focus of activity in our back yards. The thing I don’t like is how they can sometimes take over. I have no problem with having a pool in the back yard but it needs to be sized right so that it allows for other activities as well. So once we get the pool sized right for our yard we can put it where it works. I personally like to see some room between it and the house so we have space for our entertainment and intimate rooms. We also don’t want it to be inconvenient. We need to think safety first so that we need to have the proper fencing and make sure we meet the municipal codes and all. I think there needs to be a good walking area around the pool. This should be 4’ minimum and could be concrete or paving stones if the pool is in ground or decking if it is above ground. All of this takes space and for some of us, we just don’t have enough of that but sometimes a hot tub is the right answer (maybe not for the kids though). The landscaping design around the pool is important and can take a rather plain back yard with a pool to one that is both enjoyable for the kids to play in but welcoming and a pleasure to the eyes as well.
To make it all work right we need to have the right furniture, loungers, chairs and tables for those times when we want to spend time in the sun working on our tan, relax and have something to drink or just enjoying the view.
When you are looking for furniture to meet these needs check out “Teaksnmore” and “Outdoorcedars” they both have wonderful outdoor and patio furniture, loungers and chairs. The links are over to the right.

What’s your idea of an intimate room?

If you were asked to describe an intimate room in a word or two what words would you use? You might say things like: small, cozy, special, just right for the two of us. All of those things certainly could be true. What I’m not talking about here is the bedroom. So if you were to paint a picture of what the intimate room would look like it might be a small room or area on the deck with a small table and a couple of chairs where you would spend some time in the evening by yourself or with someone else having a great time of conversation along with a glass of wine. We talked earlier in another article about lighting and here is the perfect time to use candles for both lighting and atmosphere. Another time you might use this room would be in the morning reading the paper and enjoying a cup of coffee before your busy day begins. A Bistro set would be perfect for this. It is also a great spot to spend some time with a friend during the day over a coffee or drink. Any time there are only a couple of you this room is the right place to be.
For this room in your back yard you will need an area no bigger than 10 x 10 and it could be a fair amount smaller. The name I have given it really tells you the feel it should have “intimate”. A small gazebo or corner on you deck are perfect. It could be near a hot tub in case the conversation leads in that direction. It will want to have a feeling of enclosure (a feeling of walls if at all possible) so if you don’t have a gazebo then an area that has that kind of feel is what you are looking for.
I personally have enjoyed my times in the morning having a coffee and doing some reading listening to the birds and the sound of water from my water garden. It’s very relaxing.
Think about your back yard and where you could set this room up. Mine is in a corner of our deck. I have flowers hanging around from and overhead beam it feels just right.
If you are looking for a bistro set to set your room off right check out the ones we have at "Teaks n More" in the oak section. The link is to the right or click here. While your there have a look around at all the choices there are of Outdoor Garden Furniture.
Next time we will talk about the “Fun Room”.

Do you love to entertain?

The first room I will talk about is the entertainment room.
This is the space we will use to entertain our friends or family. The size will depend on our habits, desires and the space we have to work with. Do you entertain one other family at a time with the total number being 20 or less, or are you a “big time” entertainer?
In this room we will need to have a place for a table and chairs for eating. You will also need a place for the BBQ and a place to set the food and/or the drinks on a bar area or side tables. All this means that it probably should be very close to the house for the ease of getting the food from kitchen to our outdoor room easily. Often this room is on the deck or patio just outside the back door. This is not a necessity. If you have the money, some people build a small outdoor kitchen complete with stove and frig, counter space the works so they can do all the prep work outside as well. Whatever the case you want the room big enough so that people won’t feel cramped but small enough that people don’t feel lost. Often the walls are the railing on the deck but if you have a patio or are out on the grass try placing some large pots of flowers around to give the room it’s own space. This works great if you want your room to be able to be sized differently depending on the number you are entertaining.
Having a good table set both attractive and comfortable is a must. Do you remember the picnic tables we used to have, about 4 x 8 with a bench on each side, practical (well sort of, remember trying to get seated at one), but not much to look at? Well the world has changed. The patio sets today look so much better and there is so much more to choose from. It seems like every department store out there has them (in season that is).
The choice you make will depend on your taste. I personally like wood. It is more environmentally appealing in the natural setting and I don’t know but it just makes me feel more comfortable. After dinner it’s time to clean up and play some games or just enjoy a relaxing evening of conversation, so the furniture you use needs to be comfortable. For me the other important factor is quality. There is nothing worse then spending good money on something only to have it break or looking old in a short period of time. Cedar wood or Teak wood furniture is great for this. They both stand up well outdoors and last looking good for years.
Teak costs a little more but needs no finishing and lasts the longest because of its natural oils that protects it from the weather.
Now is a good time to start planning for next summer and start making some purchases so it doesn’t hit you all at once next spring.
Have a look at our outdoor furniture at our stores "Teaks n More" and "Outdoor Cedars". I love the styles! If you are looking for more casual sets you can find them at "Outdoor Cedars". The links are on the right.
Next time we will talk about the “intimate room”.

Making it look Great!

When you start thinking about your back yard one of the big things to think about is design. Our Back yards are quite varied, big ones small ones plain ones and meticulously groomed or barely groomed and everything in-between.
We all love going to a back yard that a lot of time and energy has been spent on, along with a sense of style and design and we say wow. Many though would not want it for their back yard. Why? They don’t have either the time or the money for it.
Well in this series I am going to talk about design but not a specific design, but a way of thinking about design that will help us make the right choices for us as individuals. This will help us develop our back yards in a way that will get us not only what we are really looking for but one that will fit our needs our desires and our budget.
We are going to talk about our back yards as rooms. So what do I mean? Well like we have different rooms in our house with different purposes so we can have different rooms outside. Each of these rooms will have a definable area. The “walls” may be a couple trees or some scrubs or a flower bed or hanging baskets or the railing on our deck. The room could be the deck or patio or it could be just a part of it. These rooms could be small like 8-10 sq feet or huge. Have you ever been somewhere and felt uncomfortable or lost in a yard or park because the space was so large that it made you feel uncomfortable. What we want to do here is to size our outdoor rooms to the activity we are using it for. In our house often we find a small room or large closet and make it into a room for reading. Why? Because we feel comfortable and cozy there, and we feel lost in the living room when we are there by ourselves. We want to feel comfortable where we are and we sure don’t want to feel lost in our own back yards.
So we are going to talk about how to define our rooms, what we need in the room, where the best place is to locate it, and many other things as we think about this together.
Next time we will talk about the “Entertainment room”.
So til next time keep enjoying your back yard and if you get a chance check out our furniture stores. The links are to the right.

Outdoor Living for all Seasons – Harvest/Halloween Parties for kids

Hi again! We’ve talked about extending our living space into our backyard and the basic elements it takes to make it enjoyable and fun over the past few weeks. Today I’m thinking of some of the fun ways to use this space to the fullest – parties – and not just for adults – for kids!
Autumn, Harvest time, Halloween all are rich with outdoor fun. Nature provides the backdrop with colored leaves and many harvested items. Cornstalks, Hay Bales, Scare crows, candy apples and pumpkins are some inexpensive, all time favorites. After their trip through the neighborhood your little trick-or-treaters and those of your friends’ can join in your yard for a wonderfully scary trek of Halloween fun. With simple décor such as ghosts made from sheets, spider webs found in dollar stores, dim lighting (if using candles keep them up high and out of children’s reach), spooky jack o’lanterns are great to line walkways, silhouettes of bats, witches or black cats to hide in corners (with some back lighting), add some spooky music and your stage is fully set for some great fun. Since the candy will have revved up the kids you’ll want some fun games to have them spend your energy. Depending on the weather (this is a good time for your outdoor heater to shed warmth) you may be able to combine outdoor and indoor activities. Pin the nose on the pumpkin (tack a large cardboard pumpkin to the wall. In turn blindfold each child and give them a black nose with double sided tape on the back. Have them walk to the wall and pin the nose on the pumpkin), pumpkin penny toss (carve out a large pumpkin, give each child a handful of pennies. Have them stand an appropriate distance from the pumpkin and try to toss the penny in, one at a time. For each penny into the pumpkin the child gets a Halloween candy. Wrap the mummy (divide the children into groups of three to five kids. Select one child in each group to be a mummy. The other children receive a roll of toilet paper and are instructed to wrap the mummy with it, leaving eyes, nose and mouth uncovered. The first group done with their roll of paper wins). Search the internet if you want more games at your fingertips. Wrap up the evening with yummy treats such as hot dogs, apple cider, root beer, caramel apples and other kid friendly snacks. All this should add up to a memorable and safe evening.
I’m sure you can see how in all this planning appropriate lighting, heating and sturdy but attractive furniture will be foundational to making the party a success. Find some great outdoor furniture at either of our sites "Outdoor Cedars" or Teaks n More" (the links are on the right) and create cozy outdoor spaces for all seasons and parties.

Outdoor heating do we need it?

For years we have sat in Our Back Yards on cool evenings with a fire going to take the chill off.
Most of us would have a fire pit of some kind and enjoy the fire and gain a little heat while cooking some hot dogs and marshmallows.
Today most of us can no longer do this because of city regulations. Today we may have a fire container with wire covers or one of those ceramic gene lamp looking things that will keep the fire contained. Some may have an outside fireplace and they can be quite attractive but expensive to build. Today these are not always allowed in our cities as well. There are other problems with this type of heat. The smoke, I don’t know about you but every time I sit by an outdoor fire the smoke heads in my direction and gets in my eyes. I love the smell I love the heat but I don’t like the sore eyes. Another problem is the wood, where do I get it? It is easy for some but for others finding and buying it is a chore.
So what are some of the other choices today?
For our fireplaces in our homes we have moved away from wood as well. Today we are often making a choice for either electric or gas. These options are available for our back yards as well. There are many attractive designs that can add to your back yard. Often they look like old street lamps which get the heat above us and reflect it down. They are clean so the neighbors can’t complain about the smoke. They are not cheap but can be found in a price range that most can afford. The fuel, propane or electricity is easy to obtain. These seem to be the wave of the future when it comes to our back yards and can be bought at department stores and big box stores as well as specialty shops.
The real thing to keep in mind is the whole concept of extending the seasons of usage of our yards. You can be out earlier in the spring, later in the fall and even in the middle of the summer we can get a cool evening when a little heat takes the chill off and makes it pleasant to sit out and enjoy our company or just enjoy some solitude. If you have had any experience with some of these new heaters let us know.
The other thing that makes our yards comfortable is the furniture we are sitting on. Check out our outdoor and patio furniture stores at OutdoorCedars.com or TeaksnMore.com .

The importance of Lighting!

Hello fellow backyard enthusiasts,

I don’t know what the weather’s like where you are, but in this part of the country temperatures have dropped considerably and for sure we will have to talk about heaters of various kinds next week.

This week, as promised, I want to talk about the second essential elements to outdoor living in all season and that’s the many facets of attractive and purposeful lighting. Any landscape architect would assure you that well chosen and placed outdoor lighting can transform your property at night, it is also essential for safety along paths and around decks, patios and stairs. I was reminded of this recently when I attended a backyard party where the lighting was sparsely placed and dim and all of us groped carefully around not seeing obstacles or stairs very well. It was a bit unsettling.

I’m sure you would agree that there are two considerations for our comfort, individual style and budget. Yikes – if it wasn’t for budget, the sky would be the limit with all that’s offered out there!

However – it doesn’t take too big of a budget to light your yard with candles. They come in all shapes and sizes. It’s a great idea to collect tall glass containers of various shapes, sizes and colors at garage sales or Art Fairs and place the candles in them to keep them candles burning in the breeze and safely out of reach for children. Arrange them in groups and experience the magic. Lots of attractive lamps that only require tea lights in them are also available.

A number of lantern sets, such as Noma Moonrays can be attractively placed in the yard to backlight plants, highlight ponds, or light the path to the refreshment tables so no one stumbles. An added attraction to these sets of lights is that they require very low voltage one set only uses an equal amount to a 15 watt bulb. Similar lamps are offered in a solar light which eliminates the need for electrical outlets altogether. This kind of lighting makes the backyard look like a fairyland in the wintertime with piles of snow reflecting a soft shimmer throughout.

Magic can also be created with strings of tiny Christmas lights woven through bushes, tree branches, arbors and entryways. These can be picked up quite inexpensively just after Christmas, so keep an eye out if you’re interested.

If budget allows, there are gorgeous tall lanterns on the market, one of the ones I saw is called a Firefly solar light (check it out on the web). It’s a stainless steel stake topped with a delicate hand-blown glass globe. During the day the solar panels charge up re-chargeable batteries which turn the lamp on automatically at dusk providing a wonderful amber glow. They are easy to relocate, help the environment by using a renewable source of energy and are easy on your electric bill.

Many similar sources of lighting are found at art or antique stores. It may take a bit of electrical know-how to bring fresh use to antique lanterns, or it may just take a candle or tea light. The important thing here is personal taste to bring that extra cozy comfort or that flair of elegance you’re looking for.

Mixed in with this continues to be the right choice of furniture. Last week I shared about red cedar outdoor furniture. Another long lasting outdoor choice is teak wood, it is imported from Indonesia. Having been used for boat building over the centuries, it has proven durability and strength. The outdoor teak furniture I’ve seen displays a quiet elegance, even in the most casual pieces. If this is part of your personal taste, teak is a good choice. Go ahead, check out one of my favorite sites on Teak Garden Furniture at, TeaksnMore.com.
Feeding the words "teak wood" into Google will also get you more info about the wood and "outdoor lighting" will get all the endless possibilities for lighting "OurBackYards". Have fun!

We’ll talk about the third essential element, outdoor heating, next time and try to make things comfortable with Halloween just around the corner!

Welcome

Welcome to “ourbackyards”. I say “our” here because of a couple of things. One I will be sharing the writing with my wife and two I hope you will also contribute to our conversations and therefore share with us some great information as well.
We will be talking about Design aspects, to help make our backyards look GREAT.
We will be talking about functionality, like what it takes to be able to entertain, or maybe it is solitude you are after and how we might achieve that in our back yards.
Maybe a little about gardening and how it can contribute to the overall design and functionality. I am not sure what all we will be talking about but those are some ideas.
We will be sharing hopefully a lot of helpful practical stuff and I am looking forward to your contributions.

Outdoor Living for all Seasons…

Slowly the muggy days of summer are giving way to autumn. In come cooler, sunny days and we can enjoy the outdoors without those pesky natural pests. Are you thinking that all those fun picnics and barbeques are over for another year? Think again! Our backyard can continue to be a focus of entertainment and fun, all we need to do is build the right atmosphere and we can entertain outside any time of day or year.

What we need is basically 3 key elements:
Sturdy, attractive and comfortable seating, well placed lighting, and a source of heat (for the colder times).

Our first element, sturdy and attractive seating, is available in a variety of materials, such as wrought iron, stone and several types of wood. Canada has huge forests in the north and one of the trees that makes wonderful outdoor furniture is the Red Cedar. Red cedar is affordable and makes long lasting and comfortable outdoor furniture, it also emits a delightful scent. Much of the Adirondack style outdoor furniture has been made from western red cedar. (you might enjoy browsing one of my favorite sites when you have a minute www.outdoorcedars.com) Cedar is a healthier choice for outdoor furniture than wood materials that have been treated with preservatives. It doesn’t warp and its fibers contain oils that help the wood resist rot and decay. This makes it excellent for moist or humid climates and needs very little maintenance. Add a few colorful cushions on the chairs, some brightly colored dishes, the smell of a barbeque on the go and the cheerful glow of candles as evening sets in and your guests may wish to purr with contentment.

And speaking of candles, they provide atmosphere, but there are many other attractive ways to light your backyard space as well to add comfort and enjoyment.

Join me as we talk about this second essential element next week…
T