Outdoor Space: Spring (& Deck Update)

Since the snow has finally all melted here in Michigan, we are starting to do some work in the yard.  Nothing exciting yet, because temps still drop below freezing at night, so no planting flowers or anything quite yet.  We've been working on cleaning up leaves, cleaning out the gutters, and cleaning out some old flower beds.  Like I said, nothing too exciting has been happening yet, because the weather just hasn't been warm enough.

I do have some pretty crocuses that are blooming in my front yard and I love the pops of color they add.  I can see that my daffodils and lilies are starting to come up too!  I'm so excited to add more flowers this year, once the weather gets a little warmer.

Our big outdoor project this year will be re-staining our deck.  If you have been a reader for a while, you may remember that in August, we stained our deck using Olympic Rescue It.  We loved the way it turned out.  It last great the rest of summer and fall.  We had our grill and a table and chairs on the deck.  The dog runs all over the deck and we are on it all the time.  It held up great.  Fast forward to March...the snow started to melt and when we started to see our deck we couldn't believe it.  After the snow as gone, the deck looked awful!  The stain had bubbled and chipped all over.  Huge piece come off now if you barely touch it.  I plan on writing an entire post about this, but here's what it looked like last summer:

And here is a sneak of what it looks like now:

We haven't decided exactly how/what we are going to do to fix it, but I think we are going to power wash it and get it all off, and start over.  Long story short, we are NOT happy.  But like I said, more details to come in a future post.

On a happier note, we have done some work clearing out some rocks/old overgrown flowers from the side of the house.  I love that it is warm enough to do some work outside now.  We spend a lot of time in our yard during the Spring/Summer/Fall.  We love to grill, play with the dog, and just hang out on the deck.

Have you been doing an work in your yard yet this Spring?  Do you have a favorite flower you plant at your house?

Make sure you stop by these blogs to see what they are up to with their outdoor spaces:

Away She Went

Decorating Delirium

A Small Town Rambler

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