spring fever

With all of these 50 degree days around here lately, I've definitely got spring fever! Sure, my backyard is still a swampy-snowy-melty-mess. But nonetheless, I'm dreaming about what it'll be in just a few short months... Friends over every night, sipping cool cocktails WITH plastic animals dangling off the side of the glass. We'll be seated at the most comfortable and sturdy picnic table EVER and we'll be engrossed in the most perfect type of conversation that only happens when you're in the right backyard setting. We'll hardly even notice when Mike and Rhonda slip away, over to the swing set, to gaze up at the stars and into each other's eyes, and then come right back.
TO DO...
Reinforce and then paint our picnic table and benches. (I picked them up from a garage sale for 5 Bucks because they are somewhat unstable and the paint is peeling.) It would also be great to drill a hole in the middle of the table and attach an umbrella. In fact, if we can't have the picnic table with the umbrella, the table is going on the side of the road with a free sign.
Next, the swing set... When we first moved in, I thought that I'd have that swing set disassembled by the very next day, along with the sand box nestled right next to it. Yes, they are both still there. The sand box will be gone as soon as the ground thaws, but the swing set will stay... with a porch swing replacing the kiddy swings.
I'd also like to buy some concrete stepping stones from Home Depot and mosaic the tops of them. Emily and I have been taking a mosaic class through Minneapolis Community Ed. I've decided that I love mosaicing! I especially love the thrill of searching for interesting plates for cheap at the thrift stores. (I know, I know, just another excuse to rifle through other people's junk) I'm also enjoying smashing these plates. My kitty, however, does not enjoy it when I smash plates. Anyway, last week I found a stack of plates with strawberries all over them, and when the sales woman went to wrap them up, I told her, "Oh no, don't worry, I'm just going to smash them into at least one hundred little pieces." She looked a little shocked, and I liked it. I'm hooked on that shock factor alone. Right now I'm working on a brightly colored pot that'll sit outside and hold something cute like; fade-resistant-no-watering-needed-plastic-begonias. (Somewhere, right now, my Mom has probably just gotten an intense headache)