I can’t wait until December…it might be cool enough (not to mention mosquitos) to actually go outside. I dream of sitting on a porch watching my kids play OUTSIDE. The only thing to do here is swim, swim, swim, and it’s not bad but my kids are getting a little bored. I can’t wait to set up a little patio in our new home. There is a concrete area in the driveway separated by a wrought iron gate for the kids to play and a small concrete porch in the back yard off the kitchen. There’s not much room for furniture but some of these ideas have me thinking about what might be possible! Tip: Our realtor told us that if you paint the ceiling of your outdoor porch gray, you won’t get mudwasps building nests up there…only gray. Old wives’ tale or truth (anybody know)? All the pictures are from Better Homes & Gardens.

Check out these outdoor living areas. In my fantasy life, I would have a beautiful outdoor porch with a fireplace. I just love the idea of an actual fireplace (or brick oven!). It seems so much more substantial than a little copper pit, although those can be fun, too. I have a girlfriend who got so desperate for roasted marshmallows that she would roast them in the kitchen over her gas stove! I have another girlfriend who likes S’mores so much she purchased a S’more Maker. Yes, a propane fueled appliance just for S’mores.

The only thing that is missing from these porches is a swing. I have the family porch swing that I used to swing on when I was little. It needs some work but it means so much to me and throws me right back to childhood where my cousin Danny and I would play superheroes on it. He was always Batman or Superman and I was Wonder Woman. Good times.

The last picture I wanted to share a thought on is the idea of a sleeping porch. I have read about sleeping porches before in books and had always thought of them as trashy. I simply lacked imagination. Since visiting our friend’s Highlighter Cabin a couple of summers ago, we love the idea of a sleeping porch. They had a room where we slept where all the windows opened shutter-like and it was basically a screen enclosed porch. It was heaven. Our whole family slept there and it was so peaceful and relaxing. I would love to repeat that night with my family over and over again.