Choices, choices, choices (II)…
By Never teh BrideThe house that The Beard and I own — or sort of own, because a goodly portion of it still belongs to Wells Fargo — came complete with a backyard deck painted a sort of rusty red color that burns the hell out of our feet on summer afternoons. We’ve got a power sander and a couple of jugs of deck stain at the ready. What we don’t have is time!
Recently, my MIL was in town along with one of The Beard’s cousins, my own mother, and her partner. Watching our relatives carry kitchen chairs out onto the deck was a bit humbling, to say the least. We’d had two of those molded plastic chairs one can buy at the Family Dollar and a little matching table, which was fine for us. Then The Beard dropped one off of the side of the deck, meaning no more leisurely Saturday morning outdoor breakfasts. For now, at least.
Well, it seems my MIL noticed the lack of outdoor seating because before she left, she presented The Beard with a check for a thousand dollars to put toward a nice patio set. Now I’m wasting precious time scouring the Internet for ideas. I can’t decide whether to buy something chic for two (seeing as that we’ll be the ones using it 99% of the time) or a set that can accommodate larger numbers.
Here are two possibilities:
The Provence garden set would be perfect for those intimate breakfasts mentioned above, but less than ideal when guests were in town.
The Al Fresco teak set, on the other hand, would allow us to play host to at least three other people.
We’re gravitating toward something durable that’s less than the amount donated by my MIL so we can buy a few other things for our home. I’m thinking about picking up this lamp from Bellacor:
It’s lovely, it matches my living room scheme, and it costs a mere $151, which doesn’t seem like a lot when you have a thousand bucks to play with. Would I spring for it normally? Probably not because I like the thrifting game too much, but the rules have changed for the time being!
June 25th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
I don’t know what to tell you about the patio set, but you should definitely spring for that awesome lamp! It’s gorgeous!
June 25th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
How lucky! We’re waiting for a patio set at Lowe’s to go on sale, because I cannot bear the idea of spending $800 while we’re saving for a Major Renovation Project that needs to happen just after the holidays.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
/me makes a note to check out our local Lowes…
June 25th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
The lamp is now on sale for $117. Get it!!!!!
For the patio set, I’d go ahead and get something that seat more than two people assuming you have the space out there. It gives you more flexibility for the future in where to host guests.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:46 am
I’d get the larger set. It would kind of suck for your MIL to have paid for the set and not be able to actually use it when she visits.
June 27th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
I would also say to go for the larger set. One, you will probably never think “boy, I wish this table was smaller” as long as you have the deck room. Two, it was awfully nice of your MIL to gift you the money, it would be nice to have someplace for her to sit when she comes to visit.
We have also gotten patio furniture at Lowes and have been very pleased with it.
June 27th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
I have to agree with both Eilish and La Petite Acadienne. Your MIL was very generous to give you $1000 for patio furniture. I’m sure she’d appreciate being able to sit on it the next time she visits.