Yard Work

Our yard has needed some tender loving care this year. It was time to lay new mulch; re-sod some areas; and do a general clean-up. Between school, work, and an extra yard job, Mike hasn't had a lot of time. I wanted to hire it out, but he insisted on completing the work himself. He said that this was his way of helping to pay for his mission. What a great kid!

 Mike spent countless hours preparing the yard for mulch. He even laid outdoor fabric in the gardens to eliminate weeds.  The many hours he spent in the yard, sometimes involved working until late in the evening.

 Today I purchased some beautiful flowers, and plants to finish off the yard. I asked my good friend, Becky Parry, to help me arrange the flowers. She has a great eye for decorating - both inside and out. We arranged the flowers in the front yard, removing them from their cartons and placing them where she thought they would look the best. I was invited to Sarah's for dinner, which was fabulous, and was planning on returning home to plant flowers into the night.

 As I drove up to my house I couldn't believe my eyes. All of my flowers and plants were planted! It looked beautiful! I was a little stunned, so much so, that I stopped the car jumped out, left the door to the car open, while taking in the situation. I thought perhaps Mike had a little extra time before he left to plant them. As I walked around, I realized that ALL my flowers and plants were planted, and that they were planted by someone who had a great eye for design.

 My front and backyard look absolutely gorgeous! My back patio was even cleaned off, another job that was going to done another day. As I was viewing my beautiful yard, I got teary knowing that someone or several someone's had done us a great service. When I told Lizzy I was getting teary she said, "Well, flowers are hardly something to get teary about." Kids - someday they will have a house of their own and realize how happy that makes a mother.

 When I called Becky Parry to thank her, she him-hawed around about who had done such a great service. She finally confessed to calling several families in our neighborhood to come help plant. Thank you Parry's, Stobbe's, and Smith's! What a wonderful surprise!