The New Patio!

As you may or may not have picked up on... we actually rent the house we live in right now. We do own two other houses in Lex, but when we got married it just made sense to live where we do. And now - it really is hard to leave. We live just steps from downtown. One block from our favorite family pizza shop. Two blocks from our favorite bar. Three blocks from the Farmers Market on Wednesday... you get the picture. We may be graced with 700 square feet of foot space - but you know the old saying location, location, location. It's just impossible to give up!

So, when it comes to house renovations - we have to keep it simple. Raise the curtain rods, sure. A new microwave - sure. New trashcans - well, that was the landlord... re-cocking the bath - that's really what the landlord is for, right? A girl could get used to this. But to say we are spoiled would be an understatement. New trash cans just arrive in the old ones spots without a word. New calking in the bath is done on a weekend we are out of town. New braces under the 1920 original floors - done while we were at work one day.  Well, the latest landlord gift  to us was a patio. We didn't even ask. She stopped J in the yard one day and just asked if we wanted one and if it was "ok" to cut down some old trees from the {her} yard. Yes, she is asking us - too funny!  Of course, we said go right ahead... thinking it would be months or even a year until it was done.

One week later, a guy shows up and the trees are gone. Then the fence was up! The next day, gravel was in place, and then pavers. We took some progress pictures throughout the week, so I could share the transformation with my blogger friends. In all of about 10 days, we went from tiny space for the grill, to large back patio!

The final product {for now}.

Did I mention that she also power-washed the house, sidewalks and front porch.... and weeded the beds and fence lines. Yes, she did. So spoiled! It's so fun to actually have something house related that we can make our own. We bought fun new plants and put some hostas in the ground... purchased some nice new tiki torches, so we can bare through the late summer nights. Now, it's time for furniture. What a better time to buy outdoor furniture than at the end of summer. SALES, here we come!!

I would really love wooden chairs with cushions, but I'm trying decide if they are "weather-friendly" or if they will be ready to toss in the dumpster after a month outside.  Any suggestions?  What kind of patio furniture do you have? Or love? For now, it's the old faithful set from Nashville... holding strong.

Now, it's about cocktail time... and the patio is calling my name.

xo, trace