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I finally feel like I can share a little of our pool installation and design with you because I feel like we have actually accomplished something.  So far the process has taken about 10 or 11 weeks and we are still knee deep in work, but we are swimming.  Everyone says we won't swim much after the first few months but that's okay we are living in pool bliss right now and swimming almost every day or evening and loving it.

 

Before we dug the hole we actually had grass and many many trees.  We pulled everything out to completely overhaul the yard.  It is big by Southern California standards and was begging for a pool.  We could not have been more excited to just have a dirt hole.  The first weekend (and the second) we sat out there and stared at it in the sunshine.

 

This was just 10 days after they started digging.. so excited!

 

Our fire pit area with gridded slabs.

Then came the concrete.  This was put in just a week or so before I left on my trip so I have an entire missing section of the progress here..  it went from this to a real live pool with water and everything while I was gone.

 

I also came home to this.. our cabana being built.  Which is still in progress. I cannot wait to get it all together!  

 

There is still a lot to do and I promise to keep you updated..  We expect the sprinklers and the cabana to be finished at the end of this week, so soon we will be able to plant and put in grass.  I have never longed for green and trees so much in my life!  The details of this project have really been challenging and I am so glad to see it coming together! 

Follow along on Instagram to see all of our progress..

Getting back into the swing here has been a challenge as all I want to do is focus on relaxing and getting my pool project completed!  We are finishing up the cabana over the next couple of weeks and then it is onto planting, sprinklers and dirt.. lots and lots of dirt.

My current focus is on the little outdoor shower that will be on the side of the cabana.  I love this look and just cannot wait to get it all together here.  I need opinions please- do you have an outdoor shower?  Do you love it?  Any suggestions on hardware?  This exposed look is what I am after and have found a few things but I always love a few choices that come with recommendations!

I found this little pretty but I am a little worried about the finish being exposed to the elements.

Perfect for relaxing the weekend away!  

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!  We are soaking up the last little bits of France while in Normadie today and tomorrow... shopping of course.

To check out what we have been up to follow me on instagram!

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First off I wanted to say Thank you for all of your lovely comments on entertaining!  I always want to but it is hard to get everyone on board.  Maybe I need to just invite you guys over instead!  

As I am sure you have heard we are in the process of working on a big project for ourselves here.  We are putting in a pool and I am so excited about the possibilities.  I love the idea of lighting outside the pool, candles on the deck, lights in the trees so moody and beautiful when reflected in the water.  

Even though it is not the center of attention here I love it! 

 Do you have a pool?  

Have you ever done this when entertaining outside? 

 I can hardly wait! 

We have spent the last few days trying to iron out details of pool side design, pool shapes and various other needs for our upcoming changes here.  This is much harder than I thought!  There is so much inspiration and so much I do not know about landscape and hard scape design.  The image above is one of my favorites... we are going to do a structure (because I am not allowed to have a pool house) similar to this at the end of the pool!  Yay!  Now to go through the 1 million items to prepare and to look forward to warmer days ahead...

Happy Friday!

I know most of you have been enjoying the summer time fun for the past few days.. we are just now getting away for a little R and R.  Still connected but a little distant.

Wishing you a beautiful Saturday!

I am a little late to the party but let's just say fashionably late.  I have spent the last few months gathering inspiration for what is the beginning of what will be one of our longest personal projects here at home.  We are laying out the garden and it's rooms.  Living in California we spend a great deal of time outside.  In the summer months I work outside to be around the kids and to just have the fresh air.  Our yard is pretty good size for the neighborhood that we are in so we have quite a bit of room to create.  I want a small sitting area just off of the dining room similar to the one pictured above, a sweet space to have tea and waste away Saturday mornings reading magazines and books.

Of course my husband and I also want a pool, never having one really makes us want it all the more.   These are both so beautiful. 

I really love fresh flowers and Hydrangea are some of my favorites, we cannot seem to get Lilac to grow well here but it is so beautiful!  So near my sitting area we are planning for a large grouping of Hydrangea and some hedging to back it.

Of course we will have Wisteria along the structures near the house.

 

I have seen some really beautiful stone troughs that I have been dying to find a use for so we are looking for the perfect place to put a fountain.

We need some large hedges to block out a view from the street above which has been our biggest challenge!  These are fabulous!

 

 These are my dream items (items that the husband is opposed to) I would love to have some ladies in my garden to keep me company and give us wonderful fresh eggs.

Finally I really need a pool house with ivy and Hydrangea, don't you think.  Oh and this is a great example of what I have asked for surrounding the pool,  cement pavers with grass running between.

I am excited to get a plan in place and see these ideas come to life!

Stop by to see what the other ladies have done too.