Prettying Up the Parti-o

The main reason we chose the house we did was because of it’s behind.

What I can I say? I know what I like…

It has a big backyard, it’s up against a conservation/pond, and the patio is over 400 square feet. We’re big entertainers here in the salted chocolate household (I do a mean rendition of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance), so as soon as we saw all that – we were sold.

Interestingly enough, when we first looked at the house, we didn’t even go out onto the patio. The owners had big dogs locked outside, so we basically just pulled back the shades and looked. And loved.

Of course since the house sat for 8 months, a little weathering took place so it needed to be cleaned. ManFriend took care of that as a part of his “I do the outside and you do the inside” plan. I was ok with that … at first.

Until a few weeks went on with no patio set, no plants, no nothing. ManFriend’s “setup” included a few lawn chairs and a beer cooler – which is OK if you live in a fraternity house. Since we’re grown adults now who actually like to sit in real chairs and place our beers on a real table, I decided to throw out our little “outside/inside rule” and take the frat parti-o into my own hands.

A little sweeping, some hosing down action, and some new ish made the place look brand-new. It’s gone from a ManFriendly ManParti-o to a normal-but-still-awesome-for-people-who-like-sit-parti-o. I’m still trying to convince someone to buy me an outdoor karaoke set. (ppssstttt… it’s almost my birfday ;0)

Sorry in advance, neighbors.

What’s a parti-o without some vino? Nothing. Perfect prop if you ask me…

• Martha Stewart Living Patio Set – $499, Home Depot
• Chevron Multi-Color Outdoor Rug – $50, Walmart
• Orange-Striped Outdoor Pillows – $10 on sale, Kohl’s
• The Kewlest Aloe Plant and Yellow-Flower Cactus, $5 each, Walmart
• Decorative Citronella Candles – $5, Publix

… Sitting on that newly decorated parti-o with a glass of vino and some great friends – Priceless.