The front porch

Color plays a big part when decorating a porch. It pulls it together and makes it work if you have a pleasing palette.  Ever since we moved to our little white cottage about two years ago, I've been changing the way things look there quite a bit.  From this pretty palette of blues and turquoise, to white, to black.

A cottage will usually have lighter, softer pastel colors, but I wanted to blend things up a little to make it work with the colors of the cottage, which are the whites of the walls, black shutters and the red door.  So this year, I kept the same colors I already had there the previous year.  I only added a few things.  New pillows that are really not new in the whole sense of the word because I got them at a second-hand store, along with this super cute 'old' but new to me, cow throw, which I adore.  And it has all the right colors too!

The focal point and main pop of awesomeness there this year, however, are the lovely Endless Summer, blue hydrangeas, which, after two years of being planted are finally getting established and producing an enormous amount of amazing, beautiful blooms...

The roses on this photograph were starting to bloom, earlier on the year, and things were not as lush as they are right now...  

I love coming here on early mornings.  It's like coming out to a brand new world and stand on the tip of this world to wait on God.  To be welcomed to the new day by the Creator Himself.

Some of the new things I also added to our porch this spring are the two thrift store chairs I painted and upholstered, using a cute little dress.  You can read the story HERE, if you like.

Looking lovely sitting on the porch

The potted geraniums are the same from last year.  They are planted on a smaller pot, that I keep inside the larger pot so I can bring them in during the winter.  I took care of these geranium all throughout the winter.  I never gave up, and they are now doing splendidly...

I have planted hostas in that same bed. These hostas were not doing well last year and had signs of pest infestation, but I am learning.  Hostas are relatively resistant to insects and other pests, but nematodes, weevils, grasshoppers and snails, can make a meal out of these popular perennials.  I am in the look for these critters and removing them by hand.  It is the most effective way..

Red door.  Red geraniums

These inexpensive Halloween, witch's caldrons turned into hanging baskets have some ivy geranium growing in it.  The birds must love them too, for they have chosen to build their nests there.  I was quite surprised the other day as I started to water the pots and a frantic mama bird almost crashed right onto my face... I didn't know she had her nest there and felt so terrible afterwards thinking I could had drown the wee ones...  I still haven't mustered the courage to look in and investigate...

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The Iceberg roses I planted in front of the holly hedge when we moved here are all in bloom right now, bending down with the weight of pearl-white beauties over the path that leads to the front of the house... like a snowy carpet, letting visitors know they're welcome. 

I find that these roses are some spindly things, with long, thin canes and a low profusion of bloom.  I am not too happy with this outcome and haven't been able to figure out why is this so. They get all the necessary amount of sunshine and care, and still seem to resist aiming for excellency.

Petal-covered path love...

And here it is... the cottage surrounded by trees seen from the top of the road... trees bordering all its corners.  It is a circle of perpetually flowering privet trees, surrounding an area of green grass and red roses.  I just can't love it any more... so so in love with our little white cottage and so very thankful for the simple life we live.  

We'll be heading down to FL early tomorrow morning and won't be able to post for a few days, but I will be reading.  It was fun creating the name aesthetics of all your beautiful names...  you can still leave a message on the previous post if you want to have your own name deciphered.  I'll be happy to work on that after we come back....

See you then!

Front Porch

Our front porch looked really cute last year with the settee painted in turquoise and the assortment of pretty pillows in lovely bright colors I had there...

This year, however, I decided to be less bold and go for a more sophisticated look instead... I wanted colors that blended with the palette of the cottage rather than competing with it.  

With our little cottage being white, the shutters black and the red door the pop of color that blends it all, I decided to kept things relatively simple this time.       

First, I had to paint the old settee in white again.  There was no need to replace the sit cushions this time though, as they were in perfect condition, but green was definitely out of the question.

Instead of buying new cushions, I headed over to our local thrift store to see what I could find there. And indeed!  I found a black king size bed sheet for $1.99, gave it a good wash, and covered the cushions with it....

For the back pad cushions I wanted something soft, comfortable and inexpensive at the same time. Of course! ;).  I found the perfect Mainstays Microfiber Body Pillow Covers at Wal-mart, for only $6.99.  Economical and functional too.  Just how I like it.  This black and white cover it's so pretty.  I stuffed a couple of pillows in it that I already had and came up with an instant charmer!  The old settee looks so pretty now.  I love it!

Someone likes it too!  urrgh! ;)

 Oh dear me, can feral cats spread disease to people?  

He terrifies me

Evidently, the orange peel concoction I was using as cat repellant didn't do a thing to kept him away...  Oh but I'm not giving up on him yet...  

I then collected several of my old flower pots and painted them all in black.  I also retouched the color on tables and plant stands in white and placed a pretty black and white area rug outside the door that match perfectly with the pillows on the settee.

With the furnishings now in white and the flowers pots in black, 

all I needed was to let the flowers in pots and flowerbeds match the red door. 

Oh and remember this chair here?  It looks so pretty and elegant in shiny black!

This chair had gone through quiet a few metamorphosis in her short life... she was just plain wood when I found it, then I painted her white, and white it was for a few years until we moved to our little white cottage.  I then painted her in pink and put her in our guest bedroom.  But she didn't belong there.   She lived outside all through last winter until I brought her in again and painted it in a pretty see green this time (I lost those pics when I got the computer virus - sorry).

She looked really cute in my dinning room for a while, but she really didn't belong there either.  Until... I finally discovered her true self...  So this is her real self.  And this is where she belongs...

Pretty!

I have a climbing Americana rose growing at the feet of one of the columns.  I can only imagine  the glorious view once it starts growing up the column of my sideporch

Both of the hydrangeas I have growing in our front porch are doing marvelous.  The big flower pot I placed by one of them does not only offers support, it also offers some much needed shade... so I know this beauty it's definitely going to thrive nicely this time...  The other bush it's planted by the front door, where it gets all the sun and shade required.  Thus, it is growing nicely and healthy and I can hardly wait to see it bloom.

A neighbor walked by our little white cottage the other day and came over to thank me... for all the beauty I brought to the neighborhood.  Isn't that nice!  People here in the South are so friendly, they tell you what's in their heart with the best of intentions and true sincerity.  And I like that.

I have met many of our neighbors already; all good, hard working people.  It amazes me how they seem to know who I am, even before I get the chance to mention I'm the owner of the little white cottage up the hill. 

Even furs seem to like it here... Ruby practically lives here. Only problem is she loves to swim in the pond... oh poor fishes...  I'm so determine to have them survive this time!

I hope you liked our front porch as much as I do.  My next project there consist on painting-staining the cement floors and paths.  What color should I use?

Be happy!

Be thankful!

The countertops

Back to the little white cottage right at dawn to retake what I left unfinished the previous evening. The cute Cottontail was already there—I like to think waiting for me? He saw me and started to flee up the hill… but then, something strange, and magical, happened. 

It was a natural response in me; as spontaneously as morning sunshine I pleaded: “Oh please don’t go”. And to my utter surprise, the rabbit stopped—his peripheral vision and right ear turned toward where I was standing… as if listening.  Of course, that prompted me to continue. “You can stay if you want to… I say.  I won’t hurt you—I promise”. Then, without further ado, I kept onto my business, never turning back to verify whether the rabbit was still there… 

That’s how I made the first contact… now the little cottontail and I have gotten acquaintances... he knows me and knows I don’t pose a danger whatsoever. Back at the house in the roses I used to talk to the mourning doves that lived in my garden. And they listened… oh they listed indeed.

Once, one particular female decided to make her nest right among the thorns of the Sally Holmes roses growing by our bedroom window. When I discovered her, I made sure to introduce myself. I told her it was OK to make my garden her home. We both could share that wonderful place God had given us, but on one condition. “This is my domain”—I said. You can have your babies here, and I promise I won’t hurt you, or hurt them, but you’ll have to trust me… You’ll have to let me go on with my duties in the garden without freaking out every time you see me... and it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen happening in my garden. I walked and worked so close to her it amazed me, but the dove would not minded a bit. She lived there until her babies where able to fly… Then one day a dove and her young showed up in the garden… they were so trustful and their eyes… oh they could talk those eyes could.  Looking at me everywhere I went… I knew immediately who they were… but that’s another story for another day.

Anyway, going back to the little white cottage... it was lovely this morning when I got there… love the peacefulness breathed in songbirds and Oak Toad’s chants.  And there are birds nesting in the cornices in the front porch.  They like it there, it seems, and I saw one bird standing on the new pendant light I put in the front porch… maybe looking for a place to make a nest?

I started weeding today to prepare new beds for planting… just by the front porch… I cut out and removed sod layers and weeds, and weeds and stems and roots stuck to the soil…  awwrrrr!

I want to get rid of the holly bushes surrounding the house; maybe plant hydrangeas, or roses, but my husband likes them and wants them there… and they do provide some privacy, so I may have to leave them. Shall I go against hubby’s wishes and get rid of the hollies?  

I like hostas and candytuft and want to plant them by the front door…  I also cleaned both bathrooms today.  Cleaned and unpacked and put everything in their new place.  Then… the guys arrived!

With the new granite countertops!

Happy happy meeee!

Yuck...

Things always get worse before they can get better!

Isn’t this a beauty!

Waiting patiently...

The granite guys did such a good job.  I particularly enjoyed talking to them in Spanish.  We were supposed to buy a couple of corbels to support the island countertop overhang, and have them installed at a later time, but these guys were so nice and provided them for me, and even installed them… for free.  I only have to paint them now.

The sink and oven had to be unhooked in order for the granite to be installed, but the company who Home Depot hired was not duty-bound to put everything back in place.  They said I needed a plumber to do all the connecting… they could offer names, but I had to pay… so I had to contact Home Depot and pray that they could send someone to do all the connections for me… thankfully, they did send someone; a very nice gentlemen by the name of John who did all the connections on my appliances and even helped me with the old latch on my back doors that wasn't working… free of charge.    

I brought more roses to celebrate...

I’m so happy and pleased with how my kitchen is looking and humbled, oh humbled and gratified by God’s mercies upon this speck of dust that I am… 

I will post more pictures tomorrow and will answer your questions on my previous post soon.

Thank you my friends... for your kindness and words of encouragements and for being you and you and being always here with me... you know who you are! THANK YOU

The autumnal days

Have you notice?  Days are shortening, nights are lengthening... and it happens that we have started having our breakfasts in the purest, loveliest darkness of day—that time just right before dawn.  It is pure magic.  Little lights are now scurrying shadows in the early morning, as outside birds prepare to wake the day up with their autumnal songs.  It is a different song, I should say, than other songs carried by birds on any other season...  

I am in love, enamored of this time of year, this little white cottage in the woods of ours and all this quieted, lovely country solitude I'm surrounded by...

I can't seem to have enough... enough days to enjoy all the beauty, all the colors and scents and sounds Nature have to offer me throughout my days.  Outside our little white cottage, it is a mingling of seasons, a confusion of sorts of dead leaves and blooming geraniums, and everything beam, and speak to my soul in infinite beautiful, melancholic ways and vision-words, that keep touching my heart, and transforming my soul... my bird-soul.

I wonder if leaves love the grass and wood's floors, to kiss them ever so gently and cover them with such enchantment... they certainly do work some magic in my soul, to give it such wings...

Did you all had a fun Halloween?  I love little children, and as with everything in life, this love is always reciprocated.  For I seem to attract them like bees to flowers... thus, if there is a thing to love about Halloween for me, it has to be those tiny knocks of tiny hands on my door—happy, innocent faces full of trust as they wait excitedly, tucked in funny suits and costumes for me to fill buckets, pails, sacks and containers of all sorts with all sorts of goodness.  This Halloween year, however, things were a bit unexpected, and different.  No little ones came.  Not one. 

Because the previous two years since we've been living here in the South we had happened to be traveling on Halloween, this absence of kids was a totally unexpected thing for me.  As darkness descended upon the land filling every corner and crevasses of our neighborhood with the accustomed sense of loneliness and doom, a most appalling lonesomeness crept onto my heart, and I found my thoughts running back to the house in the roses on those happy frosty Halloween days of yesterdays when little children as well as those not so young came to our door seeking candy and whatever little warmth they could find coming from the cozy insides... and I would run to them with the very same enthusiasm, and said hello and rejoice in the spirit of Halloween and costumes and youthfulness and excitement running through my blood in a joyful contagiousness... moms would asked me whatever was I cooking, because between opening the door and refilling the candy baskets I would be making our dinner; the black beans simmering on the stove, the illuminated cozy home inviting while all the goodness of dinner wafted out the door...

I miss all of that, the cheerfulness, the frosty nosed-kids in funny suits and happy hearts at my door.  I'm learning, however, that things are a bid different here mainly because that's just how it usually is in the country, where houses are spread out in great distances among each other, and with no street lights to illuminate the darkness, things can get pretty spooky, if not dangerous quickly.

When darkness descends upon the land around here, everyone is already tucked inside.  Only shadows would linger, and only the witches of the night would go by your door to either knock on it, or just pass right along it...  I am glad they all passed by our doors and not even one of them decided to knock this time...

How about you... did you see any witches roaming your properties?  Any creepy creature of the night?  Fairy, prince? ;)  

I know...

I only hope my neighbors don't ever get to see me playing 'me silly' in my garden! :)

Have fun within your precious self my friend, be happy, be inventive,

Be you!