It's What's on the Outside that Counts

Just in time for Jon to leave for a year, we got our outside patio looking much much better!

Remember that this was our start and our to-do list:

TO DO LIST:

• Clear out the junk
• Scrub down the concrete
• Add an outdoor rug
• Move the grill
• Get some outside seating

We got our outdoor rug and for a while were just rocking it over the messy concrete:

But I finally bit the bullet and got down and handscubbed all of the yucky black stuff off.  It took me a few weeks, but lucky for me, Avery was a huge help.

I just used dishsoap and elbow grease, but there's more than likely much better stuff on the market.  Here's a little before and after:

Before the scrub

Two slabs clean

FINALLY clean

And with a clean patio, we could put our new Walmart furniture on it!  Summer furniture goes on sale pretty early in the summer, so we scoured around looking for deals and ended up with this great set for $263.  The chairs and couch are very comfy, and the table is awesome.  

So with that, technically our to-do list is finished:

TO DO LIST:

• Clear out the junk
• Scrub down the concrete
• Add an outdoor rug
• Move the grill
• Get some outside seating

But it still seems a little beige and bland.  I'd like to get a brighter rug (waiting for more sales on those) and some pillows as well as one of those bright colored stools to put some more plants on.  But, if you're going bare bones, I'm pretty happy with it!  I bring Cassidy's high chair out there and let Avery run around and play while I enjoy a nice glass of wine.