TIM-BER!!

This was the view from our back door this morning:

This fella (aka Tree Guy) had our mondo maple down on the ground within a few minutes.

Crazy!

Initially startled by the crash, Kendry could not stop saying "Wow."

"Wow."

"Wow."

And then the tree guys went home because Justin intends to chop up this tree himself.

Looks like you've got your work cut out for you, babe.

Funny how trees can look so much bigger once they are on the ground.

Yes, its somewhat tragic to cut down such a large tree,

but it needed to go in order for us to do this:

This fall we're planning to finally put in our patio!

And because I am addicted to Pinterest these days,

here is some of our my inspiration.

{I really need to show Justin my Pinterest board to be sure we're dreaming of the same patio.}

How cool is this stamped concrete?

source

I love rounded edges.

source

source

Our plan is to pour a large but simple concrete slab off our back steps,

and then to build wooden stairs over the existing ugly concrete steps.

I love how the fire pit is built into this one:

source

Alas, I'm not sure we'll do a built-in firepit at this point.

But a freestanding one will suit me just fine for the time being.

I would love to build this one some day:

DIY Network

This is what we have in mind for shade:

Google

Although I do love a beautiful pergola too.

Google

But first we've gotta take care of this:

While Justin is busy with the chainsaw tomorrow morning I will be at a subdivision yard sale, searching for a steal on a patio set.

What home improvement projects are you working on this weekend?