Yard Shmyard

Let’s talk about this weather people!! OMG it has been absolutely gorgeous here the last couple of weeks. I’m going to be seriously disappointed if we get some freak snow storm or the temperatures go back down to what they should be at right now. I can’t believe that we have been in the 80s! That shit cray. As I’m sure you are all aware, this mama (thumbs pointed at me) doesn't like the cold. So if the temperature gods know what’s best for them, it’s to not mess with me and my warmer temps. Mutha fuckas!!  It would also be nice to be a darker shade of pale this summer. Seriously- I’m like translucent. You can literally see every vein in my arms. It’s kind gross.

I’m not sure if I’ve shared my hatred for my back yard with you all yet. But let’s just say that we don’t get along and leave it at that. I fucking hate it.   The front and sides of the yard had sod when I moved into the house (which now has turned into the crappiest grass ever) and the back was seeded- but the only green that came up was weeds. 

And here is the "green" part of the yard.  The weeds.  

The good news is that my neighbors yard is just as bad as mine, if not worse.  So I've got that going for me.  

Since I bought the house, I have always envisioned a big outdoor oasis in the back (one can dream, right?) with lots of seating and a huge fire pit where I can have friends over for summertime bbq’s and hang out late into the night. I have a fairly large lot for being in a development which means that I have more room than most would have to be able to make my back yard something cool. Well I got some quotes last year for a stamped concrete patio and almost fainted when I heard the total. So I’ve been trying not successfully to save some money to be able put it in this year. More than likely it won’t happen. Whomp whomp. Big flippin ugh. Very disappointing. I am really hoping that one day I will walk into Lowe’s and the crew from Yard Crashers is there and they pick me. Again- one can dream, right?  Here are some inspiration photos of things that I like all courtesy of Pinterest.  

I'm loving this type of stamped concrete.  It's stamped to look like a wood floor.  

And some other shots for inspiration.  The first one below would be something like the shape that I'd be going for.  

  

Because I wasn’t able to do the job last year I also didn’t purchase a patio set since it would just sit in my garage for another year so why bother spending about $500 for one for it to sit in a box? I did however purchase some chaise lounges when they were clearance’d out at the end of the summer 2 years ago. They are Martha Stewart from Home Depot. I got them for half price plus they were free shipping. Also, one of them was a Christmas present from mommy dearest so I really only paid for one of the two. Score. I almost lost my shit last November when one of the cushions blew away in a huge wind storm that we had. You should have seen me walking around my neighborhood in the pouring rain in the dark trying to find it. It was pathetic. I was literally crying. It was a major bummer. I emailed and called HD to give them my sob story and they had the best customer service ever (or they just wanted me off the phone). I was able to get a replacement cushion for FREE which was awesome. I still can’t believe my luck with that one. I would like to get the matching conversation set eventually but that one never seems to go on-sale on their website. Boo. Fingers crossed for it this year though!

Anyway- when I built the house I added an additional patio slab off of the screened porch where my grill resides and the chaises are in the summer. 

Since I don’t have anything bigger than that (I believe it’s 10 X 16) I can’t really fit a dining set onto it if the chaises are there so it hasn’t really bothered me too much the past couple of years. But I would really like to be able to do SOMETHING this summer. Enter Miss Wendy and Jon.

I worked all day last Saturday and when I came home around midnight I had a surprise left for me in my garage! They purchased a new patio table set for themselves so they graciously gave me their old set!! Totally sweet! Plus on Sunday they brought over the brand new cushions that Wendy never used and the matching umbrella. Double sweet!!! And the color of them matches the rug and the pillows on the furniture inside the screened porch. Triple sweet!!! 

The chairs are a little rusty and Wendy worked all last summer on repainting them so I just have a little bit of touch up to do on them and then I will put them outside. They will go in the spot where my chaises went and I’ll just have to figure out something for those in the meantime. But how flipping fantastic is that? I really have some awesome friends.

So who’s coming over for some grilling this weekend?  Any landscapers out there want to help me with my terrible lawn situation?   What about writing in to HGTV on my behalf for my pathetic excuse of a lawn?