Spring Sanity.....Al fresco living

Oh how I wish I had a few girlfriends over, having a margarita right here with me. Doesn't this look inviting? I am striving for this look, but certainly have a way to go, and haven't figured out how to make my space on the waterfront like the pic, ha ha. Here is what I have so far.....(dying for any ideas, suggestions, etc if you wanna share!)

Saturday night we had our first al fresco dining of the year right here and it was sooooo nice. The breeze was blowing, candles flickering, and my hubs kabobs were sizzling. This is our screened in porch. A must have in the south. The 'squitos will get you, you know....

Here is a wide view. That door leads to the living room. I had two of those huge hurricanes, but the wind blew one off, and left me with one, and a mess. Ugh. The wind really whips through our backyard. The view, however, is amazing and this pic really doesn't do it justice. I love Tennessee. Wide open, rolling hills......clean air, friendly people. Gotta love it.

In the spring, summer, and fall, you can find me here. Especially during naptime, usually with some very intelligent reading, like US weekly. I have to keep up with my friends, right? Ha. I strategically shut part of the curtain so you didn't have to look at the swing set. I do it for myself too, because when I sit out here I like to pretend I am at The St. Regis in Punta de Mita. Yes, its a stretch. But I can get there. I have the memories (pre baby) and I can close my eyes and feel the breeze.

Here is a little better shot of the view from the dining table. It is really peaceful. It is nice because we live in a 'subdivision,' but we have space. Brentwood is big on green space.

This is the view from the sofa. The patio USED to look cute. Until we hit tornado season this month. K and I spent yesterday and LAST Monday in my closet. She watched Elmo on the Ipad. It was scary, but not as scary as last Monday. This is the part we DON'T love about Tennessee. See the dent in our outdoor heater? Ugh. The pic below sums up why the patio doesn't look good anymore right now. Double ugh.

THE FYI:

-All of the furniture and pillows are from the Chesapeake collection and Chesapeake sofa by Potterybarn. Of course, I bought mine at the outlet in Dawsonville, Georgia. The week we moved. I had it delivered right on to the moving van, ha ha. Not kidding.

-The outdoor rug in the sofa area is from the Restoration Hardware outlet in Dawsonville, GA as well.