Our New "Outdoor Room"

I spent a large part of this past weekend completely decking out our tiny little balcony....and I have to say that James and I are both very pleased with the end result! I decided that since we have no backyard and will miss that a lot this summer, we should atleast have a nice mini outdoor retreat the help compensate! First, I ordered this adorable little bistro set from Walmart (for an amazing price). It arrived on Saturday and we assembled it. Immediately after assembling it, I headed off to Home Depot to get some plants and other decor. Originally, I was hoping to grow tomatoes, cilantro, basil, and peppers. I was so excited that we might actually be able to have a garden right outside our window. Unfortunately, I realized that all these plants need "full sun" and we definitely only get "full shade." After going back home and researching, I learned that we can only grow a few varieties of flowers in the shade. So I bought one cilantro plant (I figured I would try and grow this and if it dies, oh well), some Columbines, and planted a bunch of impatiens seeds in the planter. We also got a hummingbird feeder, mini candle lanterns, and a citronella candle to scare away the swarm of mosquitoes we're expecting to appear soon. James thought I was going a little too crazy with doing-up the balcony, but when we got to eat a romantic candle-lit dinner OUTSIDE on Saturday and Sunday, he decided that he loves it too! YAY for our mini backyard...feels good to be outside! :)