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my summer happy spot

we spend most summer & fall evenings outside on the back porch.
and right now all the plants are bursting out of their pots and it’s so colorful!

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i loved getting back into gardening again after taking a break for a few years.
i missed it!
i like to plant in all kinds of old containers.

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my love for rust and chippy paint goes to extremes when it comes to outdoor spaces.
my friend who lives several hours away found the green cubby and sent me a text saying “i think you need this”
i agreed and sent her money through paypal.   🙂
and a month later her husband dropped it off while he was in town.
it was three times bigger than i thought it would be.
which made me love it three times more!
i think maybe i will figure out how to plant succulents in it???
wouldn’t that be something?!
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the butterfly sign is from Jaxn Blvd.
the little fan, the egg sign and the black rooster sign are from tjmaxx.

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a view of our fire pit area… which is about to get maxed out!
it’s almost chilly enough now in the evenings for camp fires!
we are all looking forward to that.

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this black & white sign is also from Jaxn Blvd!
it’s the perfect quote for this space… exactly how i feel.
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Delta Girl Frames sent me this fun rainbow frame!
i can always hang a photo or print in it later but loved it just as a statement on its own.

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craig hung outdoor speakers this year and his big tv.
i wasn’t thrilled about the tv but apparently every inch of the house doesn’t belong to me?
HA HA HA.
and now that it’s there… i don’t mind it at all.
it’s mostly for sports on mute so he can enjoy the outside too and not be stuck inside when the game is on.
and the speakers are awesome!
we have music on pretty much all the time and they are perfect for outdoor movie nights!

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the outdoor rugs were from world market, along with the orange stripe table cloth and several pillows.

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annie and some friends spent their last summer night out in the tent.
they really roughed it by dragging out twin mattresses, extention cords to charge their phones and a dvd player.

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this is our resident toad who has shown up every evening for two summers now.
we have named him Beuford.
he clearly has found PLENTY of bugs at our house.
he is quite a big toad.
people on IG mentioned that he may be poisonous…. i am 99.9% sure he is just a regular old kansas country toad.
i like him and i appreciate all the bugs he keeps away.
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our kitty Jay Z likes to hide behind the plants to be safe from curious dogs.

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the very back of the yard is the chicken coop.
filled with all my favorites clucky ladies.
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it’s going to be really weird when they cut that corn down.

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so that is my happy space.
where i have coffee every morning and most dinners and hanging out each night.
happy happy happy!

🙂

meg duerksen - The garland is made from gingham fabric napkins I found last year at Target. I chopped them up and made bunting.

Amy - This is amazing! What a blessing for your family. Love the color everywhere! How did you make the checkered garland?

Eight Things | a glass of milk - […] journal; Meg’s porch; tv bullet […]

The Countess of Nassau County - Best. Backyard. Ever. I love this.

Lindsey - Bravo! Every single detail is lovely!

Mickie Lara - That looks like SUCH a happy place to me. I could sit out there for hours. Our plants have just not done well at all this summer so our pots look SO sad and yours look amazing! We are just going to consider it a write off for this summer and concentrate on Fall.

CiCi - Where did you find the rainbow striped pillow? Love it!

Cassandra - Love it!! All that color, all the chippyness, just perfect!

Sharilee Ensz - your yard is soooooo beautiful. we have sandy soil and we cant grow much. our back yard is clumpy grass, sand, and cat poop. you must be the coolest person in the world to have as a mom!! (i love my mom too) 🙂 🙂 i love you!!!:) 🙂 😛

Lisa - Those beautiful pentas and lantana are my favorites! AND the happy doggy faces – so funny!

Kelly Krause - I love this whole space! It must be pretty protected, cuz I thought the winds would howl over your Kansas plains. I know I could never pull that off up here in MN!

Kelly Krause - I love this whole space! It must be pretty protected, cuz I thought the winds would howl over your Kansas planes. I know I could never pull that off up here in MN!

amy - Megan– where’d you find the grey slip-on Chucks? I have them in a lighter grey that were exclusive to Nordstroms–I need a new pair and they’re out in my size. Love yours!

Talia - What a gorgeous spot! You have quite the green thumb. I love flowers and would spend every free moment on your lovely porch!

Michelle from Australia - Annie and I have the same thoughts on camping! Way to go girl.

And I wonder just how much excess luggage I will be bringing back home with me after my visit to Kansas in November? I suspect it might be some…..

Thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures.

Beth - This space is FLIPPIN’ adorable. Well done! I’m inspired now. I dabbled in potted plants and mixing up containers this summer, but I’m committed to amping up my plant game next spring! Love this! Now to find a cat in Alabama named Jay Z…

meg duerksen - Tiffany – yes most guys would. Craig doesn’t seem to care so I’m happy about that. Life’s too short to worry about nail holes in the walls. ☺️

meg duerksen - It’s some kind of wood product siding – not aluminum. I just screw right into it. Most husbands would flip out but Craig’s cool about most things like that. ☺️

meg duerksen - Rhonda – it’s some kind of painted carving. I can’t recall where from. It was at the barn we go to for camp and a camper bought it for me as a gift.

meg duerksen - Dawn – yes! I get a hammer and a big screwdriver and I bang on the screwdriver with the hammer until it goes through. Repeat four times. That’s how I make the holes in my containers. It’s not fancy. And it’s loud. But it works!

meg duerksen - Holly – I water everyday and fertilized three times this summer. 🙂

meg duerksen - Heather – gardening for fall? I don’t do that because everything will freeze soon after. I’m not a planner either. I just go to the nursery in May and buy what looks good. I go to four or five different nurseries though… Not just one. And I get what looks best at each of them. It’s always different.

heather - i would love love love it if you could share your gardening plans for fall ahead of time so my plants could even be 1/10th as fabulous as yours! what a beautiful space you’ve created.

Heidi - I really love this space. I wish it were this awesome at my house too. I guess I have work to do. Maybe when my kids (9, 6, and an 8 month old) get older I will put more time and effort into pretty things! Thanks so much for sharing. 💗

Tammy - Wow, it’s absolutely perfect! Thanks Meg for sharing it with us!

Holly - Love all the color and your plants look phenomenal! Do you water a bunch or use a lot of fertilizer? If so how often? My Texas container garden is getting through by the skin of it nose.

Dawn - One question–do you drill drainage holes in your metal containers? Just curious how they drain. I love the look!

Rhonda Elder - Such a cozy, beautiful space. I’m curious about the colorful painting to the left of the window. What is it?

Kristen - How do you hang things on the house’s siding? Does your husband flip out at you decorating the exterior walls at all? Love the look!

Tracy - Well…simple enough! 🙂 Thanks, Meg!

Marsha Kern - It is beautiful! I love the containers!

Tiffany - Truly, what a H A P P Y porch area!! Love every inch of it! How do you hang the pictures on your house/siding? I think my husband will croak if I hammer nails in our siding… 🙁

meg duerksen - Katie – only the side with the white cabinet gets wet when it rains really hard and it just drys out pretty quickly when it’s over.
and i may take stuff down in the winter but i may not. It depends on how severe our winter gets. 🙂

meg duerksen - tracy we just use bug spray.

Tracy - Meg – I love it!! I love your porch and I love how you do movie nights and ice cream sundae parties out there! But one thing I always wonder when looking at your awesome pictures is how do you deal with mosquitos? I LOVE to be outside in the evenings as well. Summer nights are the BEST! 🙂 But the mosquitos chase us away within minutes! Do you have a secret you could share? 🙂 Thanks!!!

Tiffany Day - love it so much! Thank you for posting more pictures – its inspiration for me – I really want to get my back porch/deck decorated!! and being that is uncovered thrifted chippy stuff is PERFECT!!!! love it all!! thanks again for sharing!

Katie - Loveeeee it! What all do you take down/bring in in the winter? And what about in the rain? Just super curious 🙂

Jennifer Greeley - Your plants look amazing. The Texas heat just about killed everything but the sweet potato vines in my backyard. I hope you get to enjoy your space for many more months!

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