Window

I bought this window at a yard sale a few years ago and it's been floating around my living room ever since. But it's crumbly around the edges and I worry about there being lead paint on it, so I finally got the idea to hang it on the front porch. I was proud of myself for coming up with an origional idea until I saw some on Pinterest. Oh well! 

I really like it but I know it's a fine line between being amazing or tacky. :) Fingers crossed that it's on the amazing side! And I think I'm more sensitive to "public" opinion since the front porch is so visible to all who pass by...

I feel like a big girl for doing this project without any help! I bought the chain and eye screws from Lowes and hung it by myself. I'm getting handy with my screw gun!

I'm not sure if this is normal, but in our marriage relationship I try to do everything I can by myself so that when I really do need help he'll be more likely to - we kind-of keep a mental score of who owes whom. (I have no idea if I got the who's and whoms correct!)

 For example, I helped him lift a heavy barrel and he helped me carry my son's dresser upstairs. I just remembered that I helped him with the second barrel... so he owes me, except that he did help me the the scary chop saw yesterday! Now that I really think about it, he does have to help me alot more than I help him - maybe we should just call it even...

...moving on :) I'm so happy with my blooming beauties! 

Somewhere in the Bible it talks about a gardener who plants, waters, etc. but it is God who gives the increase... the Creator did something very good when he design flowers...

Front Porch Progress : Finished!

Our porch has undergone a lot of changes this spring. The run in with the car in March (read about it HERE) set us back time wise, but because we had to patch the floor, we were able to sand and paint it.

So now, I'm kind of glad it happened. I think...

I love the floor painted, it looks so clean and bright. The dark stain that we put on it before was pretty, but impossible to keep clean, it showed every footprint. And it didn't hold up well at all.

Here it is, freshly sanded and just before I started painting.

I used an oil based porch paint in a dark gray premixed color. I wanted it to contrast with the lighter gray of the siding.

I didn't prime first, but thinned the first coat with paint thinner so that it would really soak in. 

More pictures at different angles...

My hydrangeas are blooming, but they are pretty messy, I'm hoping they'll be happier next year. And the one on the end is down to a single branch, the leaves just keep turning yellow and then brown and drying up. Does anyone know what this could be?

The pillows I made from a remnant of an outdoor fabric that I bought at U-fab. (A local discount fabric shop)

I have more to make pillows for the back porch. Outdoor fabric has come a long way, this is 100% acrylic but so soft and not shiny at all.

So, I hope you enjoyed seeing some real progress - I know I am so glad to be done and hopefully will soon have something to show of the back porch!

Random Goodness

My mother picked and brought me these strawberries from my Aunt Rachel's garden.

These were the first homegrown strawberries I have had this season, and YUM! so very good!

I just now brought in most of my lettuce - with the weekend heating up I'm afraid it will get bitter.

I love getting up early and doing a little gardening! 

Not so happy to see what the deer ate, though!

Here is some front yard progress:

We got the stone slab/step moved back in place and patched the porch floor.

I was all excited about getting the porches sanded and painted but now it looks like we'll have to let the new wood dry out before we work on it.

I'm going to go ahead and plant my Annabelle Hydrangeas - and woe to the workman who so much as bumps them!  (Only half way joking. We'll be hiring someone to sand the porches, and I think I'll put trashcans over the hydrangeas!)

I've been dreaming of Hydrangeas for a very long time and I'm so excited to finally get them!

I was told not to expect to much in the way of blooms this year but next year they should be beautiful.

You all have a happy three-day weekend!

Progress?

I have been planning to show you all an update on my flower bed progress, there is progress in spite of an unexpected setback.

This is how my front yard looked last Friday when I went to bed.

This is what my porch looked like early Saturday morning!

No, it wasn't a natural disaster, just some poor soul whose car left the road and barreled right through our front yard and into our porch.

It was 6:30 in the morning, The Pilot was on a week long trip to California, and  I was sleeping upstairs with my windows open.

At first I thought a tree had fallen on our house, but as I went to the window, the loud banging noises continued as the car backed up and left our front yard. It was so dark I could only see the taillights as it drove off. 

I highly suspect that it was a drunk driver, I mean, who else would just leave like that?

I'm just so glad that I hadn't planted anything in the front flower bed. 

Then I really would have been upset!

Oh, and the car pushed our big stone slab that you can see in the first picture, pushed it about four feet.

Now we get to do more front porch/yard work than we intended.

So, anything bizarre, crazy or exciting happening to you?

Front Yard Progress

Oh yes!! We are makin' some real progress!

I decided it was time to landscape the front area. 

Here are a few pictures from way back - I love to compare and see how far we've come!

Wow! The house was practically sinking down into the ground. We removed so much dirt from the front yard.

Here you can see the new porch and much lower yard. We also installed a french drain.

The crawl space has gotten wet a few times and so we haven't wanted to do much landscaping for fear of directing the rain water right under the house.

But I have hated to leave it so bare. 

Here's how it looked last summer.

White paint on the band boards made a huge difference, and I even experimented with filling in the gaps under the porch with stones. I loved how it looked, but it wasn't sturdy and we didn't want to completely close off underneath the porch.

( We did install lattice as you'll see.)

I decided to "very carefully" make some flower bed borders. The plan was not to change the height or slope of the area.

My husband really wasn't too happy with me messing with it and decided to pull out the big equipment.

First, the area was tilled.

(Isn't that one cute little tractor?)

Next, more dirt was removed to make a low area for the water to drain away from the house.

I get excited whenever I realize that something big is happening!

We spent a lot of time smoothing dirt.

You know the children's song, "Don't build your house on sandy land, don't build it too near the shore...) I would also add, " Don't build it on right on top of the dirt either! 

Here is how our front yard is looking right now,

out the front door to the left,

and to the right,

the area above has seen the most improvement, with lattice and now, the prospect of flowers!

I really want to plant a border of hydrangeas - I need advice to help me decide! Like, which kind, and will I be happy with only one type of plant. (when they're done blooming that's it.)

On around to the side of the house,

I would like to make a screen to hide the heat pump.

This side gets the most sun - I've already bought two knockout rose bushes and I have peonies to transplant.

If the grass will grow, and the flowers will bloom, by next year this time it should be even better!

This is so much fun - I love the progress!

The sweet peas on the left are dated 1933, I'm excited to see if they will do anything!

And the sugar snap peas are from my niece - I can hardly wait!

Old Sled...

I've been seeing runner sleds decorated like this a lot. I decided this would be easy, and it was!

I have it on my front porch - you can see, I tried to blur the edges of the picture to hide the dirty floor.

Sometimes, I think I try too hard.... oh well... would have been easier to just clean the floor.

Hope you all have a great weekend, today was the last school day until January - Yes!!!

Looking forward to some cozy days with my little family - now, some snow, please!

Edited to add:

I'm linking up to:


Primp

Porch Swing

Last night I replace the ugly, plastic-coated chain on my porch swing with rope.

I once again, got the idea from Home and Harmony

I feel like a thief, the way I take advantage of others creativity.

Almost all of my ideas are borrowed from other blogs.

Here is my swing with chain.

I bought the rope at Lowes, I think it was 5/8" thick. It was 57 cents a foot and I bought 40 feet.

I spent some time adjusting the knots to get them even, but even so, it only took about 30 minutes.

Reminder to self : Make sure faces are clean before posing for pictures.