PORCH UPDATE
Before school was over in May, I posted a Before post on our back porch. I had all of these wonderful plans set in motion to really update it and make it an awesome place to hang out this summer.
Before 
It was a hot mess (still is). I have done a bit of cleaning and rearranging, but we still aren’t finished yet.
I bought this beautiful black and white striped umbrella that I just knew was going to look amazing and fit our umbrella frame that we already own. Well….
That was a big ol’ no. I spent $50.00 on the umbrella thinking it would fit our frame, then I thought I might as well just buy the new frame and stand, but that was $50.00 more, and I just didn’t want to spend that much. I can do better than that. (Just so you know, I’m still looking.)
Then, in my rearranging and cleaning process I was moving our water hose out of the way and found this! 
Yep, that’s a snake skin. Now I’m paranoid about snakes being coiled up along with the hose. But to look on the bright side-at least it was just the skin and not an actual snake. Pretty sure I’d have told Paul to start packing because we were moving.
Progress
Basically I’ve rearranged the furniture. I put the table in the middle and the bar cart off to the side.
Yes my dead ferns are still sitting there. When my niece was staying with me one afternoon, she wanted to go outside. Well, she took one look at my ferns and said, “Oh, we need to water your plants.” 🙂 Bless her heart! 
I don’t have a pretty pot for my Zinnias yet, which aren’t doing so well. My mother-in-law is an amazing gardener. She just has that green thumb that I was not blessed with. She planted the colorful flowers in the terracotta pot on the cart and gave me the zinnias on the table. She said to water them and talk to them. I do both, but I don’t think they like what I have to say. 
My pineapple rug got so dirty from all the rain and water runoff. 🙁 
So that’s as far as I’ve gotten. Maybe by the fall, when the weather gets nicer, it’ll be ready for some al fresco dinners and entertaining. Until then, I’ll enjoy the air conditioning and searching for a cheaper umbrella (preferably one that will fit my existing frame) and keep my eye out for more slithery friends. Let me know in the comments if you’ve seen any striped umbrellas that are cheaper than $100. Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great one!
I feel your pain. I finally got mine going and I liked it and the deluge started. I haven’t had coffee out there yet. But it is cute. Pier One, World Market, and Target all have umbrellas in various sizes and the best part—all of that kind of thing goes on sale around the Fourth of July. Target has really pretty out door rugs, so does WalMart, and they are under $100 when they are not on sale. Your mom told me y’all had seen a Five Below? They have some cute outdoor accessories like little drum-shaped tables in great colors. FYI, Boston ferns can’t take direct sun. Macho ferns can and they get really big and pretty.
So much info! Thank you! The black and white striped umbrella came from World Market. It was the 9 ft. one. The 5 ft. one was too small. Pier One were outrageously expensive when I looked a while back, and I haven’t checked Target. I did see their rugs, though, and they were fabulous! I’ll have to search out a Five Below. It sounds familiar, but I don’t know where I saw it. My first stop will probably be Walmart. And thanks for the advice about the ferns. These were on their way out when I brought them here, but they really kicked the bucket shortly after we settled in. I’ll be looking for the Macho kind. 🙂 Thanks again for all the info! And thank you for stopping by!