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”.