It should be possible to plant a new tree by grinding up the stump and removing as many of its roots as possible. Live Oaks and Red Maples are both native to East Texas and would be good choices for the spot you describe. The soil is most likely sandy and will be enriched with organic matter once you grind up the stump, but you could always add more compost. Ty

Thank you for all of your comments and compliments... You have reminded me not to rush into changing things. The house has alot of trim work throughout, including on the dining room ceiling, dining room walls, living room, windows, entry/foyer, doorways, etc...In those areas, all the trim has been painted white, but it appears to be the same style and type as what's in the kitchen/family room. I guess I was thinking that the rest of the trim work should be white too. But, I see now that it doesn't have to match and will leave a bit of character to the family room! The wood for the built-ins do appear to be an upgrade over the kitchen cabinets. As much as I love the look of all white trim, the family room has such a warm feeling, as is, so I will probably just keep any furniture in the room light for contrast and accent with color. I will definitely not rush to change to quickly! Some of our main reasons for choosing the new home is because it was custom built, is loaded with trim work and moldings and is in an older neighborhood with lots of large trees and yards. Of course, there is also plenty of shiny brass in all of the bathrooms, door handles and foyer lighting that we will be busy replacing. And, the landscaping needs some updating from the overly manicured large bushes surrounding the front entryway of the home. I may have trouble with interior design/decor, but I am in my element with landscaping and yard work! I appreciate all the comments about the kitchen...My husband and I have done a lot of work ourselves in our current home. He does most of our home repairs too; he hates hiring out! Life has gotten extremely hectic these days, so we have less time for DIY work like the time it would take to do paint the cabinets. But, I think we can easily handle the backsplash and modifying the cabinets with beadboard on the sides, but will find someone for counters/sink and help with whatever we do to the cabinets. It sounds like if we have to hire someone to paint the cabinets, it might put us way over our current budget. While I still love my inspiration kitchen photo, I may entertain the idea of darkening the stain/refacing the existing cabinets, possibly painting the center island as one of you mentioned and updating the counters, sink and adding backsplash and other details. This would buy us time (and save us money), until we can afford to get the wood floors we want and the painting of the cabinets the way GreenDay detailed. I appreciate all the advice.

"it's just not done" I think the pic you've already posted here would be of more concern to most people than a closeup of the tree canopy! Not completely discounting the lightning theory...but my guess would be if a tree this close to houses was struck, it would have been a quite notable event for at least all of the immediately adjacent houses. I think glass panes can be broken by the noise at that range, and the electrical surge via ground can damage appliances. And at least throwing a branch or two down from the canopy or in some other way memorializing itself. But looking at the picture it does appear the damage radiates from a single path coming down from the top of the canopy. Maybe it was a smaller strike that was a finger of a bigger one?

It all looks really nice so far! A cheap diy to get a moon gate ring/garden arch is to buy a used hay ring off Craigslist in the "farm and garden section" and use it for your garden. I've seen them as cheap as $40 around here but I live in a area with a lot of horses etc. They look like this (see link). You just bury part of it or cement it in. They are big and heavy duty. You will need a truck to haul them in. https://www.google.com/search?q=hay+ring&sa=X&biw=1366&bih=638&tbm=isch&imgil=5Jz4J9PD6VwnJM%253A%253BrbzJJTeADn1cZM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.fivestarmfginc.com%25252Fhay-ring.htm&source=iu&pf=m&fir=5Jz4J9PD6VwnJM%253A%252CrbzJJTeADn1cZM%252C_&usg=__6I28hO9E6aETRk3QS8nBj09vglA%3D&ved=0ahUKEwiJ68GOqKLQAhUJjFQKHQ3cA7sQyjcIfA&ei=gpEmWImiKomY0gKNuI_YCw#imgrc=5Jz4J9PD6VwnJM%3A