Happy Friday!  How was your week?  Good I hope!  This week flew by so quickly for me.  Summer days are long but the weeks are short.  Ha. ;)  I’m sharing my new pool towel rack today.  I’m so happy to finally have a solution for our outdoor towels!  When we finished building our house and bought patio furniture I invested in some cute pillows and these nice striped pool/beach towels.  I’ve loved them!  In the summer when we entertain large groups of people I set them out on the bottom of our lounge chairs for everyone to use.

Or I hang them on these hooks in our little outdoor pool bathroom that’s on the side of our house.  (They are on sale this weekend!)

During the winter months when we aren’t using the pool as much I store all of my pillows and towels in my little mudroom closet.  We’ve used these pillows and towels for 5 summers now and they are still in great condition because I bring them in when we aren’t using them.  I don’t like to use these striped towels for my kids’ every day use so that I can keep them nice for entertaining, but also because the towels are huge!  I bought the largest size (that was all that was available when I bought them – now you can buy pool and kid sizes).  My kids are in and out of our pool all day most summer days (with or without friends) and they just need smaller towels to use to dry off quickly.

I have old pool towels that they use for every day, but because I make them re-use them (so that I’m not washing towels ALL DAY EVERY DAY) our yard usually looks like a mess of random towels tossed over all of our outdoor furniture.  It’s a beautiful sight to see out of our french doors every morning. ;)  It hasn’t been a big deal, but I knew I could come up with a better solution so I started looking for pool towel racks/hangers on-line.  There are a lot of options but everything I found I either didn’t love the look of OR it didn’t hold enough towels OR it cost a lot more than I wanted to spend.  So I started thinking outside the box about what else I could use and found something I’m so excited about!

Then I had Kenny assemble it for me.  While he watched Moana with the kids.  He loves Moana.  He seriously loves all Disney/kid movies a lot more than he loves assembling things for me so by pairing the two together I make it seem like a better deal.  I’m tricky like that.

Ready to see my new pool towel rack?

It’s actually a coat rack!  And it’s EXACTLY what I was looking for!  You can find it HERE.  This could be used in so many different ways to organize!  I love that it has lots of hooks and racks below to set clean, dry towels or pool toys.  I ordered these new pool towels that look like our other pool towels but are a lot smaller and less expensive for every day.  (It looks like most colors of these exact towels are sold out, but I’ll link to lots of fun towel options at the end of my post).  What I really wanted was towels that were smaller and light weight – perfect for my kids to use and reuse every day and a lot easier to wash when I do need to wash them!

This coat rack has so many hooks!  I can easily hang lots of towels or wet suits out to dry.

Remember my cute vintage style hobnail pots from my last Friday 5 post?

I found a perfect home for them!

{Diamonds Rug}

For now my towel rack is sitting by this outdoor furniture set.  I’m loving that my kids always have a towel when they need one AND a place to hang their wet towels after they use them.  Also bonus that my towels match the pillows so everything looks more put together.  No more random old pool towels all over the yard.  Mission accomplished!

{faux white hydrangea stems/similar marble coasters here or here}

Last summer I had real flowers outside on these end tables but this year I went with faux.  It only took 3 of these hydrangea stems to fill my vase!  Now I don’t have to worry about watering them/switching them out.

The simple addition of the towels and my pots made this spot feel more cozy.  It also helps that my white cushions are now sparkling clean!

Remember how dirty they were before?

They look brand new again!  (Details on how I clean my outdoor furniture here.)

I have no doubt my pool rack won’t look this tidy all summer and that’s fine (although the coordinating towels will help!).  I’m just excited to finally have a place my kids can hang their towels and suits.

I thought I’d share this in case any of you are looking for a similar solution for pool towels or for wet suits from time spent running through the sprinklers!

It feels so good to have this area scrubbed, clean and decorated.  Now it’s time to get cozy on this couch, watch the kids swim and enjoy it!

:)

Happy Friday everyone!

*P.S.  I updated my SHOP page (so many cute things I’m loving right now) for anyone who is interested!

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Happy weekend!  I hope you’re all having a good one so far!  Ours has been nice.  Really relaxed.  Spending lots of time outside on hikes and swimming.  We’ve had some pool floats in a closet that my kids got for birthday presents over the years and Kole begged me to get them all out.  I had been putting off blowing any of them up because I didn’t have a good air pump so I ordered this electric air pump (good reviews!) and it worked so well!  I had to share it with you in case you could use one too.  So random I know.. but if you need a good air pump this one is great and has 3 different nozzle sizes.  MUCH better than attempting to blow them up myself!

Living his best life.. ha!  We’re getting very creative keeping everyone entertained at home.  I’m pretty much in the “anything goes and whatever works” stage at this point.

Even if that means 10 pool floats in the water at once.

{Stripe Cover-Up Romper/Steve Madden Open Toe Slide Sandals}

Speaking of pool and fun in the sun I found the cutest cover-up romper!  Love the stripes and fun neckline and sleeves.  I put this over my suit and took this pic right after I got it in the mail and have pretty much been living in it since!  I bought these cute slide sandals last year and love them in the summer.  They are flat so not great shoes for lots of walking, but for the kind of walking I’m mostly doing right now – pool to the house to the grocery store to the house to the pool – they are perfect. :)  I want them in rose gold too!

Also remember my new Loving Tan self tanning spray and application mitt I mentioned in my last post?  I tried it and will NEVER USE ANYTHING ELSE AGAIN.  Seriously.. so good!  The mitt makes it easy to spread on and you can see exactly where it’s going so it’s almost hard to mess up.  No smell, it dries fast (I bought the 2 hour express) and it looks so much more realistic than others I’ve used.  I don’t use tanners regularly but during the summer months when we’re in the pool a lot I love a little color – especially on my legs.  I bought the dark (comes in medium, dark and ultra dark) and I feel like it’s perfect for me.  I have really fair skin but I’ve found that the lightest tanners are usually too light and don’t make much of a difference.  (So if you already tan easily I would go with ultra dark.)  I wanted to try it out before I gave you my honest thoughts.  So honest thoughts!  Everyone was right.. worth paying a little more for this!  I’m so excited about it.

Ok.. I had this fun idea of starting a new series called Friday 5 where I share 5 similar items I’ve been looking at during the week.  I’m usually hunting for something specific to wear or for my house and I always come across lots of cute options along the way!  This week I’ve been looking at cute pool cover-ups for summer and lamp options for my bedroom.  Of course the idea is that I post my Friday 5 ON Friday which obviously didn’t happen.  I’ll try to be more punctual next week!  But I’m making no promises because like I said.. “anything goes and whatever works” stage around here. :)

1)  PAREO  2)  PACIFIC COVER-UP TUNIC  3)  WRAP MAXI COVER-UP DRESS  4)  SLOUCHY HOODED SWEATER COVER-UP TUNIC
5)   SUNSET SMOCKED COVER-UP MAXI DRESS

Aren’t they all so cute!?  I have had #1 for years.  Such a staple.  The rest are sitting in my on-line cart waiting for me to make a decision.  They’re all too cute to decide!  You can see lots of other fun options for summer here.

{Tilda Bubble Table Lamp}

This picture is truly horrible (I snapped it from an IG story video because I forgot to get a pic of these lamps earlier today!) but these are the cute new lamps I bought for El’s room.  Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of progress to share in her room.  We got started on it, then we got busy, then all things Covid hit and it just hasn’t been a priority.  But her lamps finally came (we ordered them months ago – they were backordered!) and they are motivating me to prioritize her room again.  They also kick started a search for white and gold lamps because I’m so in love with hers!  Thinking I might go for the same lamp look in my bedroom.

These are my favorites I’ve found so far!

1) GEORGIA TABLE LAMP  2)  JONATHAN TABLE LAMP  3)  EMILIE USB TABLE LAMP  4)  CORNWALL BUFFETT LAMP  5)  MARBLE TABLE LAMP

{Ultra soft lounge pants/Steve Madden Open Toe Slide Sandals}

When I make an effort to get out of my swim suit and cover-up these days I’m still just reaching for joggers!  Found this cute pair on Amazon and they are so soft!  They do run a little big.  I’m wearing a small because they don’t come in xs and I had to roll the top elastic part down.  Still keeping them because they are so soft and comfortable and really cute!

{Long weekend pants}

Another fun pain of joggers!  Nordstrom has so many cute pairs that keep coming in.. making this stay at home situation comfy at least! :)

Lots of fun Memorial Day Sales this weekend.  Here are some favorites I already have and things I’m debating!

BUY MORE, SAVE MORE AT PB!

{Pondicherry bed/Malibu Chandelier/Inhale Exhale Print/Faux Fur Knitted Throw/Flax Linen Quilt and Shams/Pearl Pillowcases/Distressed Rug/X-base stool}

20% OFF AT SERENA & LILY!

Playroom Sources & Favorites on Sale:

(*house shoes and other cozy favorites in this post)

25% OFF ALL CLOTHES AND SHOES AT ANTHRO!

30% off lots of Sam Edelman Shoes!

Their SLIDES are my favorite

Up to 50% off some items at Sephora!

*You can see all of my favorite make-up/hair products in my organized bathroom post 

Also always cute stuff at Nordstrom on sale!  My favorite bras are marked down (LOVE Natori) and so are my favorite flip flops!

We took the kids on a drive the other day and stopped at a gas station and I snapped this pic.  I was cracking up at it when I got back in the car!  I didn’t tell them to all look horrified!  Ha ha.  Honestly it looks like we’re attempting to rob the place.  These are crazy times aren’t they!?

Feeling especially grateful for my family and those who have died for our freedoms this year.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!  I’m praying for everyone’s safety, health and peace of mind.

Anything goes and whatever works right?

We’ve got this. :)

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{Shouldered Clear Glass Vase/Similar Bowl here or here}

I’ve had some questions about how I clean my outdoor furniture cushions lately so I took a few pics when I cleaned them last week!  I love this time of year when the sun is shining and kids are swimming and it’s time to clean off outdoor furniture.  Also it’s lilac season!  Do you have lilacs blooming where you live?  We don’t see them much in San Diego (they are harder to grow in climates like ours that never get a long period of winter chill).  My grandma had a beautiful lilac bush in her yard and when I was little spending time at her house I remember how much I loved that bush and the way it smelled!  They have always been one of my favorite flowers.  Remember when I found lilacs in my grocery store for the first time and was so excited?

That excitement didn’t last long when they started to look like this the next evening!  I love lilacs.  But this?  I just can’t.  Those little purple petals were everywhere!

{faux lilacs/Artisan vase/similar wooden bowl/kitchen rugs/faux pink peonies/marble tray}

So I’ve gone faux and have never been happier.  How gorgeous is this arrangement!?  So realistic looking.  Plus they are huge!  I love them.  These purple stems are currently sold out but are still available in pink.  I did some hunting on-line and have found a few other fun options if you want mess free lilacs in your home this summer too!  Pair them next to a bowl full of lemons and you just updated your space for summer. :)  (This cute top and other favorites are linked in my last fashion post!)

My friend has these gorgeous faux lilac stems that are also beautiful!  A lot smaller and less expensive which is nice too.  I also found two other great realistic looking options here and here.  Such a fun and easy way to bring summer into your home!

{round rattan tray/diamond indoor/outdoor rug}

Now that we have the table arrangement covered it’s time to get our outdoor furniture cleaned and summer ready!  Last year we got this beautiful outdoor furniture set and because it sits on our back porch and is covered I didn’t even think about bringing the cushions inside during the winter.

That was a mistake I won’t make next year!  The white cushions were filthy!  Can you tell where the pillows were sitting on this couch?  Ha.

Two of the cushions I didn’t photograph were even worse with bird poop all over them!  So much fun right?

It’s actually really easy to clean outdoor furniture cushions so I’ll share my simple process!

First I spray off a section of my pavers with the hose so I’m not setting them down on more dirt.  Then I bring out all of my cushions and lay them flat and spray them off.  You can use a hose or a pressure washer for this.. I always just use our hose.  Some of the dirt will come off just from spraying them.

Then get a bucket and fill it about half full with a few squirts of mild dish soap and about a cup of Borax.   (I only filled this bucket 1/4 full because it’s huge!)  I used to just do this with mild dish soap but I once read that adding Borax makes a big difference so I’ve been doing it that way and it does!  Looks like Addison’s lingering slime supplies came in handy after all. ;)  You also need a good scrub brush with a handle!

Then just start scrubbing!  Kole loves to do anything that involves spraying things with the hose so when he saw me cleaning the cushions he hopped out of the pool to assist. :)  I like to start on one end of the cushion and just work my way across.. put some muscle in it and really scrub and keep rinsing off your scrub brush with the cleaning solution.  You’ll be amazed how clean you can get your cushions with a little soap and scrubbing!

When you’re done scrubbing spray off all of the soap.  Then flip the cushion and do the same thing on the other side!  After scrubbing both sides spray them off one more time holding them up off of the ground so you get ALL of the dirt off.  Then I fold them in half as best as I can to wring some of the water out.

After that just find a sunny spot in your yard to prop them up to dry!  They will sparkle so clean in the sun and you will feel oh so accomplished! :)

I love May.  Like many of you moms out there I’m usually running around to 368 end of the year activities with all of the school and extra curricular stuff for the kids winding down.  Some of that I miss this year (and my heart goes out to all of the seniors!).  But I don’t miss the stress, the overwhelm, the long days with a never ending to-do list and little sleep.  Over the past few years May has become even busier than December for me so while our current situation is hard, I’m trying to focus on the positive this month and enjoy a slower start to summer with my kids.  I hope you are all able to do the same.  We’ve got plenty of time to clean our outdoor furniture cushions!

Such a gift. ;)

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