Decorating the Patio

Currently, our patio consist of a hodge podge of items that we collected over the past 12 years of being together. Allan, being from Miami, and I love the look and feel of the cabanas of the South Beach 5 star hotels. So I want to see if I can re-create the crisp white linens and clean dark lines over looking crystal blue waters.

The backyard make over is one that will consist of several different stages. Within the next year and a half, we plan to install our pool, a basketball half court, and purchase all new decor. So as I decorate I need to stay focused on what we want the over all look and feel to be.

This is the feel that I am going for. This cabana is located at the Fountain Bleu south beach.

This is located at the Bal Harbor Resort and Spa.

Pottery Barn Catalog

I thought that I was getting lucky when I find out that Bed Bath and Beyond was going to start carrying the outdoor drapes. I thought for sure that they were going to be much less expensive than the ones at Pottery Barn but unfortunately, they are the same price. Well sort of. The price of the 50" x 96" is $59.00 but if I use multiple 20% off coupons at Bed Bath and Beyond they would be $41.20 each (times 7 the panels that I need equals $330.40). This is more than I really wanted to pay seeing that they are white outdoor drapes that will probably get beat up. Although, on the other hand, they are made of the Sunbrella fabric which is really nice fabric that holds up well outdoors. Not to mention the fact that I will need the 4 drapery rods to accompany them at $89.00 each ($358.00). There definitely has to be a cheaper way.

Aha. I can purchase this fabric from Fabric Guru and have them made at $7.95 a yard, needing about 22 yards including 1 extra yard for error. That would equal $174.90 plus $4.99 shipping. Voila.

Dog Beach at Honeymoon Island

Bentley enjoying the beach
the kids... not so much.

After a night out with several of my favorite friends, I was thankful that the kids slept in until 8am. By the time we all woke up, Allan had already completed his morning swim routine consisting of his 3 mile swim (better him than me because I would be sure to drown after the first lap).

After getting them ready for the day, I thought "You know, I want to do something nice for Bentley." Prior to kids, we would always take him to the dog park, long walks and now he makes it 4 houses down the street if he's lucky and I have a few minutes to spare. And if he is super lucky he gets to play in the backyard because normally, I would rather not have surprise land mines for my kids to find. So on a whim, I thought "hey lets pack a quick bag of towels and some beach toys and make it a family field trip".

Have you ever had an idea that worked so perfectly in your head, but once you went through the motions you quickly realized that it actually was one of the worse mistakes ever? Although, it was overcast today, there were gale force winds at the beach causing sand to fly EVERYWHERE.

Tip #1 - Avoid taking young children don't understand that they can't wipe the face with the sand covered hands.

Tip #2 - Bring chairs and not towels because toddlers don't understand that the towel is not a place for them to shovel the sand onto.

Tip #3 (The best one of them all) GO to the dog beach with just the dog and yourself and really enjoy it.

Hind site, there are a few alterations I would have made to my plans but to my surprise, Bentley was FANTASTIC and did really well at the beach.

The Journey Begins Here

The past 5 years have flown by. Dedicating my life to every member of my family, my husband, my daughter, my son and even my awesome but sometimes annoying dog, Bentley. Some where along the line, I feel like I lost a part of who I once was and I am ready to bring it all back in addition to being a fantastic mom.

Let's see.... I want to be, you know, "that" mom. No, not that mom, but "THAT" mom. The mom who has it all, or who appears to have it all. The gorgeous mom with the killer body, completely in fashion, well organized, knowledgeable, well read, who has the time for everyone and everything. Many people say that those moms don't exist, because somewhere along the line, they lack somewhere. Well, I am going to set the bar high and if I happen to fall short, well then at least I gave it everything I had.

Which brings us to why, I am starting this new blog. My plan is to stay organized here. Those that know me, know that I am overly organized, some times OCD. This will allow for me to keep all of my thoughts all collectively in one place.

Here goes nothing.