Whose Idea Was This Anyway? (The Outdoor Sitting Area)

There is something special about an outdoor sitting area. Whether it is a front porch, a backyard fire pit, or a quiet place under the shade of old trees, these spaces often become places of rest, reflection, and meaningful conversations.

Sometimes outdoor sitting areas are beautifully decorated and perfectly clean, and other times they are covered with leaves, dust, or the evidence of everyday life. Yet isn’t that so much like life itself? The very things that bring us the greatest joy often require work, patience, and a willingness to embrace a little mess along the way.

An Outdoor Sitting Area Idea

Back in the summer of 2020, I had the idea to do a DIY project and build an outdoor sitting area in our backyard.  We had the perfect place under the canopy of a couple large trees and a fire pit that a friend had built for us. 

We found some antique bricks that Jay’s grandparents had stored behind their barn and got busy!

I literally had no idea how much work this little project would take; it was definitely a labor of love in this hot Texas heat. If it hadn’t have been for the canopy of the trees, we would not have been able to do it.

Getting Started

As I mentioned, we started this project in the middle of the July heat in Texas! Not only was it extremely hot, but it was the summer of Covid, and we were actually recovering from the virus. Building the sitting area was a great use of our quarantined time. 🙂

What I thought would be a simple project turned out to be quite an ordeal. We had to:

• Take the measurements
• Dig up the grass
• Level the area
• Put down a barrier
• Add a lot of sand and level again
• Put the fire pit in the middle
• Arrange the bricks in a circular pattern
• Fill the gaps with small crushed granite
• Build a wooden frame around the edges
• Add white rocks between the brick and the frame
• Rinse the bricks off

Although the antique brick was beautiful, it was the most challenging part of the outdoor living space.

There is no room for perfectionism when working with very old bricks!

After we finished all of that, the real fun began!

Finishing Touches on the Sitting Area

I really wanted this outdoor space to be comfortable during summer nights and warmer weather as well as during the chilly nights. We wanted to enjoy this perfect outdoor space as much of the year as possible, as long as the weather conditions would allow.  

We ended up adding:

• Adirondack chairs – We started off with plastic ones, but we ended up getting these.
• Throw pillows 
• Outdoor string lights – These also help us keep the skunks away from the dogs!
• Storage box
• Potted plants and flowers
• Outdoor end tables
• A few other decorations
• Fire pit – We ended up getting a gas powered one.
• Fire starting supplies
• A Hammock on a stand, off to the side
• The fresh air was FREE.

This outdoor living area turned out to be one of our favorite places.  It is a great place to have our quiet time, sit and drink our morning coffee, read a good book, or just sit and listen to the birds sing.

It is a perfect way to unwind after a hard day. In fact, many Friday nights we sit out there, talk, and just listen to music. It has been a great investment of our time, effort, and money!

The Outdoor Sitting Area the Following Year

When the next summer came along, and the outdoor sitting area didn’t look as nice. Over time, the bricks had algae growing on them from the rain and watering the plants. Fallen leaves from the canopy of trees had gotten into the surrounding rocks, and you guessed it, the birds had left their mark on the place.

As much as I did not want to, I got out the power-washer and cleaned the area really well.  The problem was that it caused most of the crushed granite between the bricks to go everywhere, including into the surrounding rocks.  It didn’t look as nice as before, but I left it and enjoyed another year.  

And Yet Another Year

As every summer approaches, I know I will need to clean it again. Because:

• The trees that give us much needed shade scatter leaves all in the rocks.
• The grass that makes that backyard so nice starts growing in the rocks and between some of the bricks.
• The cute little creatures (rabbits and our sweet fur babies) that we enjoy watching play in the yard dig in the rocks and spread them in areas they shouldn’t be.
• The fire ants that keep the fleas and ticks out of our yard build large mounds in the sitting area.
• The birds that sing so peacefully and give a feeling of calmness still leave their mark.

I will never forget the first time we went to take a look at the sitting area after the winter was finished. We walked out to assess what all needed to be done and Jay asked, “Whose idea was it to put it under these trees anyway?” Immediately I thought of a scripture:

Isn’t that the truth in pretty much everything?

Blessings in the Mess

A friend of mine used to have a dairy farm, and she had that scripture posted at the gate. She always said that without the mess that the cows made, they wouldn’t have the milk or the income that they provided.  They go hand in hand. 

Sometimes you have to endure some unpleasant things to enjoy the good things. When you think about it, the benefits usually far outweigh the unpleasantries.  I can’t help but think about a few of these things:

• Having the chore of cleaning house, but having a nice place to live 
• Doing dishes, but having food to eat
• Having your carpet shredded (& pillows, rugs, etc.), but getting to enjoy the love of a dog 🙂
• Having your clean house messed up, but getting to make memories with family and friends 
• Traveling a long distance, but getting to enjoy a vacation
• Paying for gas, but getting to have transportation
• Having to clean up a sitting area, but having a place to sit in the shade, listen to the birds, and enjoy family

I guess it all comes down to a mindset of thankfulness.

There is one more area that fits perfectly into this category – grief! When you think about the pain of grief, you know that it is the price we pay for love. If you have lost someone dear to you (which I would say is all of us), you know that grief is hard. However, as hard as it is, I don’t think any of us would trade the time we had with our loved ones to avoid the pain.

I could go on and on with this list.  As you can see, they are all well worth the cost! I look forward to hearing some of the things you could add to the list. Please share in the comments.

A Clean Outdoor Sitting Area

We always get the outdoor sitting area completely cleaned up each year, and one year we decided to seal the bricks.  That helped with the algae, but we still have to clean out the rock area, refill it, and add in new pavers’ sand between the bricks. 

The area usually looks really great, just long enough for me to snap a picture.  Leaves still fall, and the birds are still full of life.  I will take it though, because the good far outweighs the bad!

Many of God’s greatest blessings come packaged with responsibility, effort, and sometimes even a little inconvenience. However, when we step back and look at the bigger picture, we realize the blessings far outweigh any burdens.

I would love for you to join me each week as we study God’s Word and take a look at our daily lives. If you would like to join us, the sign up is below.

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Until next time,

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“When I am filled with cares, Your comfort brings me joy.” Psalms 94:19