We are Building A Greenhouse! Fall 2021 One Room Challenge
We are building a greenhouse! Join in the fun!
The One Room Challenge is here again, and this time we are building a greenhouse! You can check out all of the details and follow along on the One Room Challenge page. Be sure to sign up for the weekly ORC updates, too!
Thanks to my sponsors for this round!
Update: Our Stock Tank Pool One Year Later
How do we feel about our stock tank pool after a year? Pretty awesome!
As the COVID-19 pandemic began, my husband and I looked ahead at a long, sad, dry summer and decided there was just one thing to do: build a stock tank pool. I’d been angling for one for several years, but he wasn’t convinced it would be enough to satisfy our swimming needs. So here we are more than a year and almost two summers later, and I’m happy to report: a stock tank pool is perfect for us here in Colorado!
Now, having lived in California and Texas and other states with long, hot summers, an in-ground pool is perfect for lots of people. But in the four years that we have lived here in Colorado, we have had snow as late as the last week of May and as early as Labor Day weekend. So… having a big, expensive pool simply doesn’t make much sense for us here.
Our stock tank pool was a very reasonably-priced option — before the price-gouging and supply problems began. I’ve been watching prices, and I see that supplies seem to be easier to find now and prices have come down considerably. Phew! I also have noticed that several people have begun installation businesses in various parts of the country, so if a DIY pool isn’t in your skill set, there are others who can help you. But the DIY option isn’t hard, so don’t be scared of attempting it yourself, either.
So, what did we do differently for year two with our stock tank pool?
Change to a Reusable Filter with Filter Socks
So, first let me say: this pump has exceeded all of my expectations. It has now worked beautifully for two summers, running 24/7 for months on end with no issues. I am really impressed! Last summer I used the disposible, paper-based filters which work very well. But even with washing them out and reusing them over and over again, I was concerned about the waste involved and the fact that they really aren’t recyclable. So when I saw an ad for Orca Filters — “the last filter you’ll ever buy,” I read the reviews and then bought one.
Does it work as well as a paper filter? No. Not without a filter sock. We have had days of cloudy water which we never had with a paper filter. The filter sock helps with this, but it’s not perfect either. However, the filter socks are essentially small stretches of pantyhose material, so they can be washed over and over again rather than being thrown away. I just hose off the Orca Filter every few days, put on a clean filter sock, and all is well. I collect the filter socks together and then throw them into the washing machine
So I would give the Orca a mixed review: it is better than throwing away filters, but it just doesn’t keep the pool as clean and clear.
Expand the Pad Around the Pool
We have an old, cracked concrete pad where a hot tub once stood. The hot tub is long gone, but the pad — located just off of the patio — was a natural spot for the stock tank pool. Last year we placed it on the pad and just enjoyed it. But this year, I wanted to plant around the pool, so once it was scrubbed out and in place, we framed out a bed of gravel around the pool. This serves two purposes: it gave me a place to place the green planters I made, and it also keeps the weeds at bay. With all the splashing that happens in the pool, weeds and grass grow partiucularly well around the pool!
A larger perimeter of gravel, gave me a little more control about what was growing. Less bindweed. More tropical plants. Someday I’ll cover that gravel with a few inches of pea gravel so it is more attractive, but this gravel was free — we have tons of it in the front of our house, so we are working to repurpose it around the house.
Add Barrel Planters
I wanted large planters filled with plants to surround the pool, but large planters are expensive. So I bought some 55 gallon barrels (food grade) on the Facebook Marketplace. They were $16 each, and we made two planters from each barrel. I painted them each a deep green, and filled them with tropical plants!
Tropical Plants: Lots of Them
We live in Colorado. It’s not the tropics — by any stretch! But the pool creates a little microclimate that’s just a bit more humid, and I wanted color and blooms around the pool. So I ordered canna lilies, caladiums, hibiscus, and gladiolus to plant in the new planters around the pool. I wanted to create a little tropical paradise — even if we can’t go to Hawaii. The canna lilies have some nice height to them, too, creating a screen around the pool which, when you are soaking in the pool, provides some privacy.
Build a Cabana for Changing
It might sound crazy, but we are building a cabana next to the pool as a changing room. This will actually fulfill a few functions. First, it will give us a place to change and to rinse off before and after swimming. There will be a small heated shower, too, as well as hooks and a bench for changing. It also gives us a bit more privacy in the pool — blocking off sightlines for our closest neighbors. It will also help to screen the air conditioner and other utilitarian parts of the backyard that no one wants to see when swimming.
The One Room Challenge Begins!
Exciting news! The Fall 2020 One Room Challenge has begun! Check out all of the details!
You can get all the details on the One Room Challenge and my projects here:
I hope you will stop by!
XOXO
A
Hello, Fall!
Fall is my favorite season! Check out the projects and ideas I have for this coziest of seasons!
Friends,
It’s been a minute — or a month! I hope you are well and are staying safe wherever you are. If you are new here, and there are a bunch of you, WELCOME! I don’t email often, and I always try to make it worth your time to read. So, thanks for following along, and always feel free to ask questions!
My favorite season is here! We are still staying home and staying safe — that’s not going to change for a long time. We have spent the last six months or so living outside. It has been truly wonderful, actually. A few weeks ago on Instagram, I did a look back on all the projects we have taken on this summer. It was eye-opening!
Here are some of our summer highlights:
We did four major backyard construction projects this summer: putting in a Stock Tank Pool, building a stage with a screen, putting a tree house in our Maple tree, and building a deck off of the workshop.
This was also the first summer that I have truly gardened in this house. We put in a vegetable garden — my first successful veggie garden ever! And I have had cut flowers all summer long which makes me incredibly happy. We even saved the garden from our freakish cold snap and SNOW at the beginning of September. Oh, Colorado! You always keep us guessing!
During this pandemic period, I have also taken up embroidery — it keeps me from doomscrolling at night! I’ve done several patterns and ventured out into creating my own free-form patterns, too.
Now it is time to celebrate Fall and bring the beauty of the season into our home! I have lots of easy, DIY fall projects that don’t require leaving the house — or even spending much money at all.
I didn’t spend any money to decorate this year. I used some old books, feathers, and paper grocery bags. Seriously. Click the link to see what came together!
DIY Fall Decorating Ideas
If you or someone you know is struggling with school at home, don’t forget I put together some tips and ideas to help make that a little easier. It isn’t perfect, but our school at home experience is SO MUCH BETTER than last spring! I hope you feel the same!
Successful School at Home
And finally, I am getting ready for the Fall 2020 One Room Challenge! It starts on October 7 which is somehow NEXT WEEK! Yikes!
The One Room Challenge is a super-fun event where hundreds of people around the world commit to truly finishing one room in their home over six weeks. Some people are very ambitious and gut and redo kitchens or bathrooms. Others tackle those rooms that just never seem to take shape or style without a real deadline. There are designers and professionals as well as DIY’ers — and everything in between — who participate. It is a ton of fun!
Next week I’ll be able to tell you what I am taking on. I have some really fun projects planned for this round, and I know there will be lots of people doing amazing work.
Until then, check out my rooms from the 2019 ORCs. I love doing this — and actually finishing a room in my house!
Stay safe! Stay home and wear a mask!
Cheers!
Angela
DIY Workroom Makeover
Fall 2019 One Room Challenge
DIY Guest
Room Refresh
Spring 2019 One Room Challenge
The Thoughtful Giving Guide is Here!
The list of the most thoughtful and useful Christmsa gifts for everyone on your list is now available!
I have been searching all year for unique, useful, and thoughtful gifts, and they are now collected together into one place. The 2019 Thoughtful Giving Guide is here! Enjoy!
Budget-friendly gift suggestions for everyone on your list! Lists include:
My Favorite Gifts | Gifts Under $15 | Gifts for Mid Modern Lovers | Gifts for Children | Books to Give Gifts to Make | Wines to Give | Bubbles for the New Year
New: The Library!
Introducing the Mid Modern Mama Library of downloads and printables!
Is there a better place to hang out than a library? I’m hard-pressed to think of one! So I’m excited to announce my own personal library of resources available to anyone! So many of the projects I post here have downloads of one kind or another — patterns, graphics, Cricut files. So I put them all in one place: the Library! Here you’ll find all of the file downloads for every project on Mid Modern Mama. And the list of files is growing all the time. So pop by and take a look! I am ready to decorate for Fall, and the files for the Autumn bunting are in the Library now. Very easy to find, and it is an easy project to make, too!
Speaking of projects, we are having a busy weekend around here getting ready for the One Room Challenge this weekend! Next week I’ll be able to tell you which room I am taking on, but let me tell you: it promises to be a BIG transformation. It’s one of those rooms that we tend to neglect in our homes, but by the end of it all, it will be so much more functional and beautiful, too. I am really excited!
And email subscribers will get a sneak-peek at the plans before anyone else, and will get to see the room’s progress before anyone else, too. So if you haven’t already, sign up!
Finally, on Instagram this week I’ve been sharing some of the Greener Living changes we have made in our house — an effort to reduce our carbon footprint. Because I know not everyone is on Instagram, I’ve collected all of those posts together to share here, too. Enjoy!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Ciao!
Angela
Greener Living Tips
a few easy ways to reduce your family’s impact on the Earth
9 Easy Tips for Greener Living
Easy and inexpensive changes we have made in our home to be more environmentally friendly.
This week on Instagram I’ve been posting about simple and inexpensive ways to reduce your carbon footprint. And I wanted to pull all of those tips together into one post — a list of a few of the things we do in our house to be more eco-conscious. Plus, not everyone is on Instagram! So here are the posts in order with tips and ideas for making small changes to your lifestyle which can add up to big differences.
Buy Vintage
Say “NO” to plastic holiday decor
Repurposing
Don’t Rake!
Buy Secondhand Kids Clothes
Freecycle
Mending & Visible Mending
Composting
Small Daily Habits Add Up to Big Changes
Pin it!
Gardening Galore!
Learn how to make a Dinosaur Garden for children to enjoy on your patio or in the backyard. Also included: DIY Trash Can Planters and the relaunch of PiningforRome.com, Angela’s travel website.
DIY Dinosaur Garden
Bambino and I spent time this weekend working outside — not the hard work of weeding or tidying up. That still needs to be done. But one of his birthday gifts this year needed to get into the ground: a Dinosaur Garden. Now, to be clear, it isn’t just for dinosaurs. During the inaugural play several dinosaurs moved in along with some cars, a snake, a crab, an airplane, and a magic crystal. I suspect there will be other occupants as well! But I wanted to give Bambino a place in the dirt that was his own — and a fun place to play, too.
This is an easy project. If you have a bit of dirt — even on a patio — you can have a dinosaur garden. We happen to have some raised vegetable beds, so I turned one of those into the garden. But you could use a small tub, a wading pool, a corner of your yard… even an old sand box. You simply need a container that will hold a bit of earth.
I have all of the instructions plus bunches of photos on the Dinosaur Garden project page:
DIY Trash Can Planters
And I am also refilling our trash can planters this week. This is a super-easy and inexpensive project I put together last summer. You’ll find all of the details on the project page here:
Pining for Rome Relaunch
I am late getting all of the summer gardening started this year. We had so much snow well into May, and then our family took a trip to Belize for a week of snorkeling and swimming and sunburning!
Just before we left, I relaunched my travel website which has been under renovation for months! It isn’t perfect yet, but it is completely redesigned and reorganized. Did you know I have been writing about travel for more than 12 years? Yep. I started my first travel blog in 2007, and I have spent the last six months taking all of that content, updating it, and reorganizing it so that it is much easier to use — and better to look at, too. I hope you will check it out, and all kinds of details about Belize will be coming soon!
I recently shared one of my favorite tips for beachy packing on Instagram, and it really is one of those things that makes travel so much easier. I keep these in my travel toiletries kit and never leave home without them. Click the link to learn more!
Newly refreshed and completely updated!
Easy Packing Tip
for beachy or pool trips
One last note: I’m working on launching another exciting tool for my regular visitors. I’m pulling together all kinds of materials into a resource library. If you are a subscriber to my emails, you’ll get the password to the library , and you’ll have regular access to downloads and tools which I hope will make your life easier, prettier, and more fun! More coming about that soon, so if you aren’t a subscriber, sign up! I don’t want you to miss a thing!
So there is lots going on both here and on Pining for Rome! Happy almost-summer!
XOXO
Angela
