As much as I have been complaining about the recent heatwave, I really love the fact that Southern California weather makes it easy to eat and entertain outside pretty much year round.  I have kind of become obsessed with browsing through the patio designs at HGTV and finding new ideas to spruce up my little patio for some fall relaxation. I am currently drooling over this Moroccan-themed patio:

Sadly this entertaining area is a little too elaborate for my space, but I feel like some other features could be easily incorporated.  For example, I love this “Chef/Pass-Through Table” and could totally see using it as a bar table:

Also, this Chef’s Garden is totally inspiring me to take another stab at the container garden.

For the time being, though, I think I’ll start with mint for some great Moroccan tea!