A little bit of change.

we painted the shutters from a maroon to this green but i am actually going to change them to black in a few weeks. I cant get enough 110 degree outside work. but the front flower beds are cleaned up. I didn't have time to get a before picture but it will come later.
This is the kids little table, above it we hung these lanterns and put these neat battery powered tea lights in them instead of a real candle.

I wanted something to hide all of Parker and Reese's large plastic toys (basketball goal, slide thing,) as well as the many little plastic outside toys. I was trying to clean our yard up but I always felt it looked trashy with these toys all over the yard or stacked up in a corner. SOOO one day we were out and I saw this guy tearing down his old fence and putting it at the curb. I told Cason to stop the car, and after I convinced him I was not going to embarrass him I jumped out and asked the guy if he was getting rid of it and if so could I use some of it. He told me Merry Christmas and to take as much as you need. Cason WAS embarrassed when I made him get out and help me load it up. He kept asking why we were getting more trash to put in our backyard. The backyard we were trying to clean up.

We got the fence up with just enough room for a door. We had some left over shutters so we painted them red and put them up on hinges as doors. Then my moms creativity was set loose and she decorated it up to look like a kids garden house. Needless to say Parker LOVES it!!!! He said thank you for my house a thousand times. It is really neat and more than I could have hoped for.

Parker painted he and Reese's name on the red board and mom painted up the bottom board.

It reads:

"Parker & Reese"

"Grow'n like weeds"
Its one of my favorite parts. I love that he got to be apart of it.

our patio before....

this is the after of the backside of our house
I can never get the order right.

This is the patio all decorated out. The busy after photo.

Again the after of the patio.

here is the before of the backside of the house.

My $10 yard sale find. I LOVE it! I painted it 3 times, 3 different colors until I had it the way I wanted it. The sign on it cost as much as the whole cabinet. I put there outside shoes, bug spray, sun screen, towels, and other things you need while you are outside.

The swing facing the house. this is not a bad before but it helps to see what I did for the after.

I turned the swing around and made a little sitting, conversation area.
One of my mother in laws friends who sister lives in Memphis and had these two chairs that had a little damage was going to throw them out and asked it anyone wanted them. She asked Connie if I would want them and of course I did. My Dad fixed them and I spray painted them black to match the decor and now they are perfect.

another view

again, another view

and another view

Before

This is the flower garden area. Mom had this great idea to make a patio to put our table so that we could eat under the trees....then we cut 4 trees down but I was already set on the idea.

here it is with the new stone patio and all new flowers (thanks to Granddaddy). He loaded my SUV up with plants and flowers so that I wouldn't have to spend money buying so enough to fill it and so that I wouldn't have to wait on the plants to mature.

another view.

the stone patio...mom you are amazing!!!

This post is for Granddaddy, Nannie, Aunt Charlotte and everyone else who told me to take pictures and email them to you. I hope you like it!!!! Thanks for all the help, advice and just being excited about what we are doing.