"I have never felt that anything really mattered but the satisfaction of knowing that you stood for the things in which you believed and had done the very best you could." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Tuesday Temptations

As promised, this edition of Temptations will be all about the pool, entertaining by the pool or simply water related.

As many of you know, I am a Cancer and we are generally ruled by two things:
  1. Water
  2. The Moon 
Because of these things, I am drawn to water and it is most certainly one of the best ways for me to rid myself of stress.  I can accomplish that in the garden tub, the shower, the pool or the ocean.  As long as I can remember I have always used water to help me sort things out.  A hot shower helps me relax and let things that trouble me dissolve and disappear down the drain.  A soak in the garden tub allows me to float off and concentrate on dreams or ideas.  The pool lets me escape or imagine, depending on what I need.  I think that is half from the water and half from the sun.  The ocean marries me back to the moon because of the tides.

    As many of you may also know, I have been working diligently to get the pool ready to "open" for the season.  We have a salt water pool and having had both types I can say that I prefer salt water over traditional chlorine pools.  There were a lot of things for me to learn this past year but I am a fast study and I enjoy the work because I know that I can swim if the pool is maintained and ready.  SF has been a very patient teacher and we are fast becoming a finely tuned machine when it comes to the pool.

    I have been looking at the poolside space this past year trying to decide what we need to do.  At present, SF's decoration of this area is spartan to say the least.  There is a table that seats six, complete with an umbrella.  There is also a side table with two additional chairs.  She also has a pub style table that seats four still in the box in the garage.  The furniture is functional but does not scream "use me".  I know that part of that stems from the fact that she does not view this as "living space".  We have begun to discuss it a little more, so when I get the chance, I show her things I would love to see us purchase.

    Now, some of what I want is not practical, but it does have a romance feature and I'm all for adding romance where ever I can.  I mean, why not?  There are no children that live with us, so what the heck?  One such item would have to be this five-piece lounger. The canopy is a bonus that lends itself to privacy from the neighbors and the fact that it can be one whole unit or pulled apart for entertaining is a bonus as well.  Of course, I would also love this lounger.  It lacks the privacy factor but looks of so inviting.  Of course I be a lot less subtle and just get this.  I'm just sayin', it is a queen bed for heavens sake.....water, sun, adult beverages and a pool-side queen-sized bed.....oh my.

    Now, I would also be remiss if I didn't show my outdoor living space idea that I have been pitching.  I think that a seating arrangement like this would be beautiful for the space.  With the weather that we have in Texas, minus hurricanes, we can entertain outdoors a lot longer than many parts of the country.  An arrangement such as this would allow us to enjoy the outdoors so much more.  If we were to add one of these or one of these, we would have no real excuse not to be out there a lot more.  Of course if I add this to the mix, then I would never have any issues.  We could watch sports or whatever from the comfort of the outdoors and never miss a beat.

    All women will agree that sitting on the side of the pool with our legs in the water would be great if the surface of the outside didn't snag out suits, leaving our buts looking less than sleek.  Poolside has now gotten a lot nicer since I discovered these.   And you can bet that two sets (blue) will be ordered post haste.  Of course you can't be in a pool for long without wanting a float to rest upon.  We have to that are still fine, but why wouldn't I want these instead?  Adult beverage recipes included..... I would also accept these as alternatives, should SF frown upon the other suggestion.  Of course we could also get these or these but they are so plain.  We also need this to store them properly.

    Now, I would be remiss if I didn't also include that I am looking at ways to make the master bathroom fell more like a spa.  With the one year anniversary of my moving in approaching, I felt that I needed to begin to make some more impressions in other rooms.  There is a fine line between SF's existing style and what I can change or add.  So much of what is here was specifically purchased when the house was designed and built.  The basic floor plan is still similar to the original; however, SF made numerous changes that make it different than any other house in the subdivision.  So my changes aren't earth shattering.  I would like to see a basket on the back of the garden tub filled with bath bombs, bubble bars, bath salts, luxury bar soaps and luxury bubble bath products.  Candles are the least of my worries, as I have lots of them and SF loves candles.  We have some luxurious towels already but we could both use a spa quality bath robe.  I haven't found any yet that suit the bill, so if you have a favorite, please let me know.

    Ok, that's all for today.  By the end of this day I will have given both Sassy and Eraser their first baths outside of the year and brushed them.  All in addition to the daily job.  Have a great Tuesday!

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