5 After 5, Ways to Spruce Up the Outside of Your House

Does spring mean spending plenty of time outside where you live? Do you plant a garden, or clean up your porch?

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It's time for another round of 5 After 5!  In case you missed it, last week's list was books worth rereading and if you're new to this series, you can read more about it here - then catch up on all the old editions here.

Today I've got my list of 5 to share, as well as next week's topic for you to stew about over the upcoming days.

And this series is a link party, so be sure to scroll down and join in all the fun with us this week!

List five ways to spruce up the outside of your house

We actually have been doing quite a bit of yard work lately - moving trees that have sprung up from acorns only 3 millimeters from our house and could create costly foundation issues - no, thank you!

I've also been cleaning off our back porch, which is really silly, because there's no such thing as spring here and we're already well into summertime temperatures, so it's just too hot to hang out there for any length of time.

But if we actually had some pleasant weather and could enjoy our backyard a bit more (or didn't have swarms of mosquitoes everywhere), here are five things we'd love to add:

1. Firepit

We've actually been trying to do this for several years - we have a fire ring and everything - but just can't make up our minds where to place it in our backyard and when we finally think we might have an idea - poof! Our 39 seconds of pleasant outside temperatures are gone...

2. Hammock

We also have a hammock and even have two perfectly-placed trees to hang it from - I think I've maybe hung it up and read a book in it once in the over-a-decade that I've lived here.

But I wish it was nice enough outside (and bug-free!) to read out there more often. And if that were the case, I would love a really nice hammock, because the one we've got is not very comfortable or large enough for two (or more) people to lay in.

3. Trampoline

This is something G would love to have (and Gv would go crazy over as well, since she loves jumping on one at a friend's house every week), but I just don't feel comfortable with the thought of getting one.

Do you have any idea how much these suckers jack up your homeowner's insurance? It's hard enough to get insurance in this state, with all the hurricanes and such, so I'm not about to spend a zillion dollars for a neck-breaking bounce mat and then pay another zillion for all the liability...

4. Nice patio furniture

What we've got is cheap, functional, and old. 

I inherited a glass patio table when the old owner left it after I moved into a previous house. It works, and when I added my old glass-and-metal dining room table alongside it on the porch, there's actually quite a bit of space out there to entertain and have dinner and whatnot.

If it just weren't so dang hot!

5. Veggie Garden

Okay, we've got one of these - and it fed us quite well for years, but then Gv came along and we took a year off and when we tried again, the squirrels ate all our food and we've been discouraged ever since.

Will this be the year that we get back to growing our own food?

We'll see...

For next week:

List 5 of your favorite cookbooks

Growing up, my mom collected cookbooks, but I definitely did not follow in her footsteps. 

I'm pretty certain I have at least five that I love, though, so stay tuned to find out which they are - I can't wait to see yours!

And now, here's this week's link party!  Another fabulous blogger has teamed up with me to create a list of five each week and we hope that you'll join us, too!

That's right, every post will be read, pinned and tweeted!  

Every Saturday, just stop by one of our blogs to add your own list of five, then pop over and read as many other posts as you're able to each week - treat it like a true party and really mix it up and mingle with our fun little community!

The rules are simple:  just write your own list following the prompt each week (feel free to interpret it loosely - or in a unique way!), follow both of the hosts on the social media channel of your choice, and then get into the spirit of the party by grabbing your favorite beverage or snack and reading the lists of the other party-goers.

Your Hosts:

Lisa, at Syncopated Mama: Facebook // Twitter // Pinterest // Google+ // Bloglovin'

Samantha, at Motivated Days: Twitter // Pinterest // Google+ 

What's your list?  I'd love to hear!  Either leave a comment below or email me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com.

Also, if you don't want to miss a single minute of fun around here, be sure to sign up for free updates and then look forward to having each post delivered right to your inbox!

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