Our home is nestled amongst twelve acres of wooded beauty, complete with our neighbor’s horse that comes and visits us like clock work every single morning.

So many days, I’ve sat on our back deck with my morning coffee and feel so blessed that this is my view.

Fortunately for us, gorgeous natural elements have been our backyard oasis for many years when finances didn’t afford us the luxury of creating the dream backdrop that we desired. But now that our period of unemployment has passed, we are slowly incorporating key pieces that really make a difference for our family.

With five children, we want our home to be the spot where everyone wants to hang out. Since the ages range from 9 – 18, believe it or not, we’ve been through two trampolines and they are worth every penny.

This picture symbolizes the wonderment of childhood summers. Special cousins from 9 – 15 are enjoying a spontaneous slumber party outside.

And to think that I almost instinctively said, “No.” Fortunately, I did an attitude check and said, “Of course you can sleep out there. That’s what summers are all about.” I admit though that sometimes I miss out on those moments. And then I remember that I really want to be a “Yes Mom” when I can.

We decided to invest in a true blue beach sand volleyball court. Our motto was, “If we build it, they will come,” and by adding some night lights, we have had some fabulous fun..

For years, I have dreamed of outdoor living space. Since we have such a large immediate and extended family, gatherings at our home can easily have 50 people.

(Southern Living)

I dream of gazebos and waterfalls. No, honestly, I just dream of matching deck furniture.

(HGTV)

For my husband’s 40th birthday, I had a surprise “deck building” party. Sweet family and friends all came and we did an old fashion “barn” raising, although it was really our deck. So many of them knew that we had gone 8 years without anything off the back of our house. It was one of those projects that never seemed like it would get done, so I took matters into my own hands, and they truly gave the gift of servant hood to our family.

The deck is 15×30, so we have lots of room for parties, but it has a hodge podge of pieced furniture which I am ready to upgrade.

It has served us incredibly well, and the wonderful thing about hospitality is that people just want to be together – to gather with friends and share life together.

This table that I purchased at a yard sale over a decade ago whispers memories of baby showers, birthday parties, anniversaries and lastly, a high school graduation, but now I want to put it out by the volleyball court and welcome in something more like this.

I’m ready for a more grown up look, and I have been saving so now the decision making process is a fun reality,

Last year, we purchased our first big deck piece and it was a hard cover gazebo worth every penny. We had a builder give us a quote for a covered roof, but we ended up purchasing this at the end of the summer season for 1/4 of his estimate.

With that, we can also considered fabric pieces.

Now that I have shared what turns my backyard into my perfect summer oasis, I want to know what you’ve done to transform your backyard into your oasis.

Share what you think of in a backyard oasis and be entered to win a $25 Sears gift card right here!

Follow me on Pinterest as I start planning my Dream Oasis.

Need help finding your own pieces for your backyard? Sears is bringing the ease of searching for those perfect pieces with their recently launched iPad digital catalog. On your computer? Don’t fear, Sears has an amazing digital catalog built just for you.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sears. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.