Simple Spring Back Porch And A Mother’s Day Reflection

Are you dreaming of a simple spring back porch? I created this space just in time to celebrate Mothers Day. Let me share it with you!

This Mothers’s Day I found myself sitting right here on my back porch. This is currently a quiet little oasis that I enjoy spending time in … but tomorrow it will all be different. Tomorrow we begin adding a huge concrete living area back here and I am so excited about it. While I will miss the serenity of the current ‘back yard set up,’ I just know that the changes will be great – we could use some extra living space out here. But, before we change it all up, let me share with you a few details about my current simple spring back porch setup that I think you will love.

First of all, I love these old windows that I found at a yard sale a few years back. They are the perfect way to add interest to the back side of our home – without adding any nail holes into the siding! I simply leaned these large glass window frames up against the house and I secured them in place with this old white bench that we painted.

Adding live plants and flowers are sure to enhance any back porch setup and this time I used a mixture of pinks and greens. I used Sedum and creeping figs and well as pink hydrangeas and azaleas. I also picked up a few white Mandevilla and the large one was the perfect choice to add a little height. I like to put my live plants and flowers in all kinds of pots too! As you can see here, I have a pretty good mixture of old and new ones! This large vintage green McCoy is my current favorite and is the perfect fit for my large pink hydrangea!

I love to add a little vignette here and there when I can so I used my vintage metal outdoor table to add a little springtime vignette to this simple spring back porch area. Using things that I already had on hand, I added in a cloche with a flower frog, a little spool of twine, and a potted white Mandevilla that echoed the larger one in the back corner to help tie the whole space together.

I love using unique pieces to add interest so I added in this old concrete quail and a weathered cast iron bunny. I enjoy the feeling that these items just make the whole space a little more inviting and charming!

While I do not often share a whole lot of my personal life here on the blog, in honors of Mother’s Day I wanted to share a few thoughts that I have come to mind as I sit out here on my simple spring back porch relaxing on Mother’s Day.

A Mother’s Day Reflection:

In October of 2000 I was told that I may not be able to have children. I had been in a car accident that had crushed my pelvis – the doctors stopped counting at 17 fractures. Hearing those words while lying in the hospital bed didn’t even phase me because at 23 years old the idea of having children was not even on my radar. Luckily, I was able to make a full recovery after almost a year of rehab and PT. When it was time to actually begin thinking about having a family, Mark (you can read the story of how we met here) and I felt so blessed that it was indeed going to be possible! Carrying a baby was not easy for me because of the trauma to my pelvis caused by my car accident. I had some pretty big complications with my pregnancies but I didn’t mind the discomfort for a moment because I felt that each baby was a direct gift from God. I felt so blessed to have this to “second chance” at motherhood.

Like so many moms out there, when each of my babies were born I was dumbstruck with how much I instantly loved them. There was nothing that could prepare me for the feeling that I would have as I laid eyes on each of my children for the first time. These are by far some of my most cherished moments. And, as each of my babies came into this world, my conviction to be the best mom for them grew stronger. Like millions of other moms out there, the blessing of being a mother and the gift of being able to raise three innocent souls was not wasted on me. I wanted to make sure that I honored this “second chance” at being a mom.

I did learn pretty quickly that with a love as strong as this comes a little sacrifice too. I willingly gave up a career that I had worked so hard to earn to stayed home day after day to raise these three babies the best that I could. I willingly spent countless hours researching things like food options, vaccination schedules, and preschool programs. I spent any extra money we had during those early years on preschool dance classes, kiddie swim lessons, and peewee soccer. We went to the library and on walks and to the park to pass the time. We read a million books, had countless dance parties, and played all sorts of games. Mark would leave the house at 6:30 am and get home at 6:30 pm – those were some very long days! If you were a stay-at-home-mom then you know how tiring this season of life can be. For many years, I was indeed physically exhausted (I looked forward to nap time more than anything each afternoon)… but my heart was more full during those years than I ever dreamed it could be. Motherhood was hard during those early years but along with smelly dirty diapers and long sleepless nights came huge bear hugs and sweet glances and a million kisses (butterfly kisses were my favorite). Oh, what I would do for just one butterfly kiss today!

I would give anything, on this mother’s day to have a day alone with my three little kids again. While it was such a hard and busy time in my life it also was the most magical. I found a purpose during those early years of raising my kids that was more fulfilling than anything that I could have imagine. I am so honored to have been given the chance to raise them when they were little. But, I have learned that ‘raising them’ continues as time marches on. My children are now older versions of those tiny babies that I raised, and I can look at them and smile with a feeling of pride. And, while they are 17, 14 and 12, they do still need their momma to redirect them, lay down the law when needed, and to give a helping hand daily. Our days together look a lot different than they did years ago – but I am still here, as a mom, trying to ensure that my ‘second chance’ wasn’t wasted.

There was a time in my life when I thought my ‘job’ as a music therapist was my identity. I was wrong. My identity lies within the faces of each of my three children … they define me in every single way. And now, the best “mothers day gifts” are quietly given to me when I least expect it throughout the year. When I see one of my kids “put into motion” a lesson that I have taught them …. when I see them make a mistake and try again … when I see them do an act of kindness for a stranger. Those are the gifts, just like those butterfly kisses from years ago, that mean so much to me now. While I miss my children being small, I am so excited to see what big things they do in their lives … there has been no other joy greater than raising my children. I just pray that time slows down a bit.

And one more thing, I would like to say thank you to my own mother who also sacrificed so very much in order to be the best mother she could be for me and my brother. I now understand how hard she worked for Geoffrey and I. There are no words that can adequately thank you for the love that you poured into us mom.

Happy Mothers Day.

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