Porch Almost Finished

You might remember back in September I started replacing some rotted wood on my screened porch, only to find the whole porch needs replacing.  I only had time to replace one side of the porch before winter and you may remember this is the last picture I showed you on the porch status.

This is the kind of rot I found when I took the porch apart.

Well, this is where I am to date, with the outside finished on this side, all except for the screens which I still have to make.

It's so nice to have gotten this far before winter.  My goal this week is to get the screens made before the wisteria leaves fall and all end up blowing inside the porch. My favorite thing is when I walk up to the screen door and see my newly hung coat rack that I posted about earlier, hanging by the back door of the house.  

  It makes me sad that it's getting cold and I won't be able to sit out here and enjoy the fruit of my labor much longer.  

  Or enjoy a meal at my lovely wrought iron table.

I so hate to pack it all away until next spring, but they are calling for some snow this week, so I'll need to move fast. How do you like the new outside light fixture?  It went from this . . .

to this.

At least I can look out my kitchen window and enjoy the view of a newly painted porch side during the winter and long for warm spring days to come. ~  Linking with ~ Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday ~ Mod Vintage Life for Mod Mix Monday ~   DIY Showoff for DIY Project Parade  

Shore Birds

I just returned from a quick trip to Myrtle Beach, SC and thought I'd share a couple photos from the trip.  Unfortunately most of them did not come out as nice as I'd hoped, but these few have become quite special. South Carolina is probably my most favorite place, and if I could, I would move there in a hot second.  As it is, the quick trip last week will have to suffice, and soothed and restored my soul. These sweet little birds blessed me immensely.  There weren't many around, but the few I saw were dashing and darting everywhere as if life was meant to be lived in a hurry.

Sweetness and simpleness are all we need to succeed in life.

Then there were these three shore birds who captured my attention from our 11th floor balcony.  I only know these three ladies through my camera lens, but the one in the middle reminded me of my Aunt Esther and I imagined them as my Mom and her two sisters.

Life should always be a stroll on the beach ~ or at  least the remembrance of it.  

  Linking with   A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday

 

Porch Coat Rack

Have you ever put off a project only to find you wish you'd done it a long time ago?  Well ~ I bought this antique child's bed headboard way back in the spring.  It had a metal rack attached to it and some funky hooks and was a strange shade of green.  I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I couldn't seem to walk away from it.  That's probably why I put off doing anything with it for so long. Finally I had a vision to use it as a coat rack and would hang it on my screened porch, so I cut the legs off of it and found some cute hardware, but still ended up putting it off for another few months. Now, at long last, just as the season is over, I finally repainted it, attached the hardware and hung it on my porch ~ and I love it!!!  

I hung a cute little tool carrier on one hook since obviously I won't be hanging any coats on it because it's outside. The polka dot on the tool carrier matches the center knob perfectly.

I found this darling green polka dot pitcher on sale at Joss and Main and put it on the porch table and it matched the dots on the cushions and the tool carrier.

I didn't start out with a polka dot theme in mind, but somehow it all just happened to come together perfectly.  I love polka dots and for some reason they make me happy.

The beautiful detail work on the head board is why I fell in love with this piece in the first place and I'm so glad I brought it home with me, even if I do have to put it away soon for the winter.

Linking with ~ French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday ~ Stuff and Nonsense for Fridays Unfolded ~ 2805 for Potpourri Friday  ~ Mod Vintage Life for Mod Mix Monday ~ The Dedicated House for Make it Pretty Monday ~ Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
 

Fall Credenza

Decorating for any season is always fun, but fall seems to be nearly everyone's favorite.  I've been adding things here and there to the credenza in my living room from it's summer display.  Didn't have to change much, just added a few pops of color. ~ I added a few faux sprigs of fall leaves and a bright orange pitcher to these summer white sunflowers and now it looks totally bright and fallish, especially with the sun streaming in the room.

I found this transfer ware container at the Springfield flea last weekend for only $5 and quickly filled it with mini white pumpkins and dried gourds.  They are the perfect color combination of browns and off-white.

Moving to the opposite end of the long credenza are these cute little birdies.

Aren't these guys so cute?

So here is the long view of the entire credenza tucked in alongside the sofa.

So on a sunny afternoon, there's no place I'd rather be than curled up on my sofa that is loaded down with pillows.  I knew that my sofa fabric would be perfect for fall decorating and by this season I would love the choice I made.  Not sure how I'll feel about my orange sofa for Christmas, but I'll deal with that then.  For now ~ it's time to plop on the couch and enjoy what is left of the late afternoon sun filtering in through the shutters.

Linking with ~ A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday  

This Year's Fall Porch

Every year I try to decorate my front porch a little differently, but it seems to always end up very similar to the year before. I buy all my pumpkins at the Springfield Flea Extravaganza because they have a vendor with the best prices.  Then it's time to come home and play with the pumpkins.

I used a variety of pumpkins, mums and kale in an attempt to coordinate with a new wreath from the Pottery Barn Outlet.

The wreath was a little pricey, but I liked it's muted colors and the leaves that look nearly gray and match my house.  It doesn't "pop" off the front door, but has a quiet subtle look of fall that I really like.

This sap bucket and stand were also purchased at the flea market and gives me the ability to add different levels and heights for displaying the pumpkins.

I also purchased some kale this year.  I've never grown it before, but they said it would last until winter and at 3 for $10, it seemed like a real bargain.  I used the other two in my urns that I'll show at a later date.

The kale drinks a lot of water and along with the ferns, needs attention on a daily basis even with the cooler weather.

I love decorating for fall with it's bright colors ~

it always looks so warm and inviting.

Linking with ~ Mod Vintage Life for Mod Mix Monday ~ Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday ~ The Dedicated House for Make it Pretty Monday ~ A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday   

Fall Sedum

I was outside in the garden the other day and noticed my fall sedum was not only blooming, but covered with bees.  Honey bees in my yard are always a delight to me since they are becoming more and more scarce.

Some years ago, I used to be a beekeeper and always enjoyed their presence in my yard.  Now it is a very cherished treat.  

  The sedum is so delicate and such a sweet shade of pink . Such soft shades of pink are sheer delight, making me wish it were spring instead of fall.   

  I found it inspiring to see the bumble bees and several varieties of honey bees all sharing the same flowers without any bickering.  Their friendliness shows they know that nectar gathering time is drawing to a close and suitable flowers are few and far between.  It reminded me how important it is to share what we have with others, even if it isn't much.  

   Wishing you all a lovely weekend and reminding us all to  ~ Bee Happy ~ Bee Thankful ~ Bee Kinder than Necessary  ~ Bee Generous ~ Linking with
How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday

   

What A Mess

Between Naps on the Porch
Have you ever started a project and found it was 100 times more work than you expected?  Well ~ that's where I find myself right now.  This spring, I discovered that the corner of my screened porch was rotten.  The wood under the paint was mushy and I knew it needed replaced.  The people who built this porch before I moved in 23 years ago, did not use treated lumber. Here is a picture of the side of the porch so you can see what it looked like before.

This is not the side I'm working on, but just wanted you to get an idea of what the before looked like.  About ten years ago I had the plywood replaced and I added the trim to dress it up. This is the corner that is rotten.  It consists of three 2x4's and all three were rotten halfway down to the bottom.

I was so hoping it would be a minor repair and the rot would be only above the trim ~ not. To make matters worse ~ the rot was in most of the 2x4's.

And so a long hot day of work began, tediously pulling things apart and replacing the wood, one post at a time.

Each time I replaced a piece and tried to nail it back in, I discovered the next piece had rot too.  Trying to stay true to my new motto, "Replace and repair to the best of my ability and affordability", I realized that while the porch is torn apart, it was necessary to keep replacing each piece in the interest of structural stability. Now the corner that I originally started with was sound at the top and since it consisted of the three 2x4's and was tied into my arbor, I cut out the bad wood at the bottom and then replaced it.  If I had a husband or handyman, I would have torn out all of the three pieces, but I don't have either of those, so did the best thing I could do instead.

Not the best solution, but the best of my ability.

While up on the ladder I kept hearing a noise in the gutters.  I thought it was just a bird pecking around in the gutter or at worst a squirrel.  But when I kept hearing it and I was working and banging right there, I climbed a little higher to see over the gutter and this is what I found.

Can you see it ~ those two little beady eyes in the gutter? That rip in the shingles represents where the wisteria on the arbor had grown through the shingle and up onto the roof.  When I cut it out earlier this summer, I slipped a new shingle underneath the ripped ones to stop any water from leaking through, but underneath the wood was rotted and flaky.  I was planning on covering it up with new wood when I worked on the porch, but now I have this new problem ~ mice inside the eaves.  He was pulling crab apples out of the gutter and taking them into his nice little home (my home) for storage.  Now I have to think about how to get him/them out of there before I close it up. Anyways ~ at the close of the first day, this is how far I got.

Better than before, but still a long ways to go.  The bottom and top will get treated plywood and trim, and the door needs replaced, it's frame and the cat door.  Then I'm going to attempt to make my screens so they can be taken in and out for repair instead of being stapled to the frame. I realize now, getting this side done right will probably be all that gets accomplished before winter and I'll have to wait until spring to tackle the other two sides.  But at least now I know what to expect as I work my way around post by post. ~ If there's one thing I've learned this summer while working on my own home instead of working on furniture to sell ~ it's inspecting your gutters and downspouts regularly.  I have found wisteria growing through the shingles, roots growing 18" up inside the downspout, mice, and wisteria laying on a gutter causing the high end to overflow during heavy rains, which ultimately led to this porch rot. During a heavy rain, take an umbrella and go outside to see where the gutters are overflowing and how the downspouts are draining.  If you see any problems, don't put off dealing with them ~ a hard lesson learned. ~ Linking with   The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays    Between Naps on the Porch  for Metamorphosis Monday