Let's face it.

The Summer months in Alberta are just too short.

So, us Alberta girls have to pack a lot of Summer living into a very short time frame.

Once the snow melts,

which could be any time from March through May,

most of us are itching to get our patio furniture out.

It seems that spring hardly arrives, before the leaves start turning,

and the temperature begins to drop once again.

That's why I feel it is so important to take every opportunity we have,

to enjoy our beautiful, Summer season.

Our family lives on an acreage, and it is our favorite place on earth,

especially during the Summer.

We tend to spend most of our time around home during the Summer months,

so, we're investing in making our five acre parcel as much of an "oasis" as we can.

Because of this, we decided to invest in building a large deck as well.

Welcome to our simple, Summer living space.

During the Summer, we treat our back deck as an extension of our house.

I've sectioned off the entire surface area into three, separate living spaces,

much as I have inside.

This is the first area.

These patio doors come off of the master bedroom,

and lead to my favorite area on our deck.

After a long day, my husband and I love to sit out here and enjoy our evenings.

The gas fire place gives off just enough heat, and looks so pretty... especially at dusk.

On cooler evenings, we have a propane deck heater to add a little extra warmth.

And, if needed, a cuddly blanket will add in all the cozy comfort I could desire!

The afternoon finds this area enveloped in shade,

so on a sweltering, hot Summer day,

I love to sit and read in this cool spot.

Like I said,

Summer is soooo short here.

We need to take advantage of every moment we can.

The second area, on the other side of our deck, closest to the house,

is our outdoor eating area.

During the warm Summer months, we eat out here every night.

Because it sits under a covered portion,

we are offered a little protection,

so, we have been known to eat out here during a light rain as well!

To me, nothing feels as much like Summer, as an "alfresco" meal.

The third, and final area of our deck, is this casual sitting area at the front.

And, I do mean casual.

This area is a "hodgepodge" collection of outdoor furniture.

All of it has seen better days.

I purchased these plastic Adirondack chairs at Canadian Tire for $20 7 years ago.

They are not fancy, by any means.

The color has faded drastically, but they are very comfortable to sit in.

I don't remember how long I've had the "wicker" bench......

Years and years, I think!

Because we have the fireplace as a centerpiece in our other set,

I tucked the coffee table from that set, in here.

It is a simple and very inexpensive seating area,

but still, I think it looks very Summery and inviting.

When I'm looking for the sun, this where I sit.

A glass of lemonade and a pair of sunglasses,

make for the perfect sun-soaking area.

I've opted to use simple, potted cedars in the two outside corners of the deck,

and one in the middle.

They add a little luxurious, uniformity and pull everything together.

All in all, I believe these three separate areas,

each offering a unique purpose, come together beautifully.

As I mentioned earlier, our acreage, and this deck, during the Summer months,

is our favorite place on earth.

For us, it's the perfect,

Simple Summer Living Space.

#simpleliving #simplicity