The Cottage: A New Front Porch

Today I'm sharing a few additions to the front porch of our new home.

Most "cottage" style houses do not have large front porches. A few of the homes we looked at in our current neighborhood had more of a covered stoop than a full porch.  We were pleasantly surprised to find that our model has a much wider porch, with ample room for a rocker or two.

Yes, I did bring my new welcome mat with me to this house. I left an older back door mat at the Illinois house, but this one had to come with us...it matches the chair cushions perfectly! I couldn't leave it behind.

I picked up some flowers at bargain prices this week! Hanging baskets, potted plants, a few flags and stars for fourth of July.

Hello, Miss Jemma!

The barberry bushes were really overgrown, and the beds were filled with weeds. My husband and I spent a few hours last Sunday cleaning it all up. My sister, Jenny, loaned us her power hedge trimmers, and that really saved us a lot of time and effort. Six yard waste bags later, and the front yard was looking presentable again.

Why would anyone plant pokey barberry bushes along a sidewalk? In all honesty, I think contractors plant cheap bushes from garden centers, and then homeowners think that have to keep what has been planted.

Not this homeowner!

We will probably do some major re-landscaping this fall. For this reason, I decided to just plant some annuals out front, and leave the major perennial planting for another day.

I found these great shepherd's hooks at Aldi this spring for about $5. What a deal! I had to buy a new hummingbird feeder this week when I saw a little guy hovering in front of my office window as if to say "Lady! We're starving out here!"

Last night, Sam and I stood in the front yard with Jemma and took it all in.

"Wow. It's only been two weeks, and already the house looks so much better!"

We are really loving our new home and neighborhood. The neighbors are friendly, with lots of dog walkers, bikers and strollers in the evenings. The natural setting is idyllic, with creeks and woods attracting birds, deer, and lots of woodland animals.

In the evenings, I sit outside and watch the bats swoop over the marsh, gobbling up insects as the frogs chirp. So peaceful!

It's hard to imagine that Independence Day is next week. I want to press the pause button on this summer. Time to slow down and enjoy.

Blessings, cafe friends!