As another warm season winds down and we prepare for fall, there can be a lot to do depending on how much you live outside. For me, I enjoy our large deck the most and then we have an abundance of flower beds and things that also need to be taken care of also. Though some people may find the fall depressing for various reasons, I welcome yet another reason for me to stay inside of the house if it is too chilly outside! Not that I don’t stay inside a lot for the summer but I feel a little less bad when I have to stay inside from the weather being too chilly unless I have to go somewhere!

The easiest part to take down is the deck. Mostly because it can be done in one evening and put into a few boxes and BAM, finished. Right now I have lights up, some are homemade so I need to actually remove the shades from the bulbs. Mostly because I do use them for our Christmas display out front too. The shades and lights are separated though as if they are put into a box together they risk the chance of the shades being damaged and well, I obviously dot want that to happen! I had made them and talk about them here and have a photo of them at the old house too. They should be protected and I should be working hard to ensure they don’t need to be remade often as it can be quite pricey.

Another aspect is all of the little trinkets and candle holders that also will need to be put away. I don’t need to do a whole lot though. I use the place mats and things to insulate the breakable items so that I can save them from year to year. Since half of our deck has an extended roof though I will leave the chairs up. And we do leave the table out also too. As mentioned in previous posts, unless I’m pregnant which we do hope would happen this winter, than it will just sit there but at least we won’t drag it up and down risking breaking it. And it is pretty well protected because snow doesn’t normally pile up underneath. We are pretty lucky to have a deck that can basically be used the entire year if we really want it to.

Next is our gardens. They basically have been self sustaining since we moved in not to mention they are overgrown with weeds. Maybe I’m dumb but I also am really hoping to weed them when the weather gets colder. That way they can be prepped for the next season where maybe we can put a little bit more effort into them now that a lot of the indoor things have been done! There is also a large section to the left of our backyard that has little trees and overgrown plants. I really want to make this spot cleared in hopes that by next year we could perhaps have some sort of play set for the boys to play on. Right now we are good with the deck but still, a play set will go there eventually and Id like to start clearing now sooner than later.

Another thing is planing on decorations as well. Not necessarily a take down but I will be making decorations with left over wood from the basement so planning on where that does is also a good thing as well. I want to prep and already think about where that stuff will go eventually also!

Plants are probably one of the last things I have to really take care of before bringing them into the house. Mainly because I hate bugs and I need to really prep them to not have any bugs though! I have never really taken to plants in my entire life until this year when I had some tropical ones and outdoor plants to take care of also. I really want to make the ones I am bringing inside of the house successful and healthy so I don’t want to have to worry about bugs being brought in. I also have to really pay attention to them and take good care of them. Never did I think I would be a house that would have plants regularly however that is okay too! Before I planned to bring some of the plants in I had started to spray them with a diluted rubbing alcohol mix with water, this was to prevent the bugs from wanting to stick to the actual leaves and things. Next I used a sort of peroxide and water super diluted also solution to water then few that I was bringing back inside. This is to kill any bugs that were actually in the soil, however I will say that the dirt for a lot of them has been dry and the weather has been not so hot so I’m sure that there maybe bugs that have moved on too!

Regardless of what you have to do, The changing from summer to fall can be a somber, sad place for many people. Days get darker faster and for longer, sometimes people even are dreading the time change. I just know for me, embracing the outdoors for the first time since I was a small child has been some what therapeutic for me. I welcome the coming seasons and what they have in store for me to continue to grow and try new things. In fact, the plants have shocked me the most because I legit had no idea about anything and I also could have cared less about them before. But I know that they can really make a home feel great and that is exactly what I am all about here!