Don't start grilling the burgers yet...

You can tell it's been a busy summer (and that I haven't had a party yet) when I'm just getting around to my deck now. The furniture has been out, and the odd accessory, but no va-va-va-boom.

So I started to tinker yesterday, and then decided to take my own advice when it comes to redesigning a room (and a patio is really just a room outside). I started from scratch, emptied the deck and then arranged the furniture.

You can throw all the accessories you want at a room, buy artwork, pillows and trinkets, but you will never be happy until the furniture arrangement is right.

So, I moved a bench from another part of the yard up to the deck and arranged potted trees to form a wall of sorts from the rest of the yard. I wanted the bench to be the focal point of the deck, what you see when you look out the French doors from the family room. There's another chair with an end table you can't see in this photo.

Now that the skeleton of the deck looks good, I can get the fun stuff ready. I need to buy some flowers and the cushions are in the laundry.

I'll let you know how it turns out when I'm done.