Perfection

I love, love, love, my momma! For all kinds of reasons. One of them jumped out at me toady while we were out at my parents house today cutting more seats for more crate chairs. Since Robbie was doing all the work (I promise I'll help in later stages - but cutting the plywood is all him), I was walking around the yard on this beautiful day! My mom is the queen of "just go with it". She can always find a way to make things work - and make things absolutely beautiful in the process.

Take this:

The front porch. Cute things, beautiful things ... but the dogs always push them around so that they can comfortably lay  behind whatever is on the porch. Today, someone was shooting guns. Since our huge dogs are also wimps, they were both "hiding" on the porch (the other one is behind a chair in the other corner). There is always a piece of furniture pushed slightly out of its place so they can lay behind it. Mom sighs and brushes the dog hair off the porch  --- but the porch just wouldn't be nearly as beautiful without the puppies laying on it :).

Then this:

Dad put in a outdoor furnace. He built a little shed deal over it  so that in the winter when  there is wood stacked all over the concrete pad, the wood stays dry. In the winter this space is functional and cozy looking with walls of wood. In the summer, its ... well ... not very pretty all on its own. So, mom makes it pretty. A little furnace in the corner with chairs and a table - sometimes there is a fire in it for easy marshmallow roasting. Usually there is a picnic table for lunch in the shade, too. And always, always beautiful flowers around.

Next:

Adorable seating on the edge of a concrete pad that serves as a basketball court. Perfect place for the kids to sit for a break. The old tractor seats just fit with the rest mom and dad's place. :)

These are "my" lilies. And so, they never get pulled up - they stay right where I planted them when I was ... 7? 8? I STILL love those lilies! Probably my favorite flowers ever - perhaps because my momma said "sure Katie, you can plant them right there!" I actually had the whole side of the shed as my flower garden at one point - the lilies must be the hardiest thing I planted, because they are the only ones still hanging on :). 

AND my current favorite:

There is NO POSSIBLE WAY you could guess the story behind this.  Okay, its not actually THAT exciting - except it just tells so much about my parents. :) My dad had spent aaallll day replacing ... something? I am 99.9 % sure it was the exhaust system. He was hot and nasty and sweaty, but he finally got it done. Tired, he left this stuff all over the driveway where he'd been working. Mom picked it up, but, because she is my mom, her and Isaac made a MAN out of the parts! I mean, seriously, who thinks of this stuff?! This guy had been sitting by the shed for a couple of months now. Dad likes to tease her for painting his expensive truck pieces. But seriously, you cannot help but smile when you pull in their driveway and see this dude!

See? If I can get my yard to be half as awesome as my parents, I'll be doing good. Their space says so much about the awesome people that they are! (And dad FINALLY almost has the pool ready to swim in! woo hoo!)