A new cute chair for the front porch

I've been looking for a chair for our front porch for about a year now. I like to sit out front after Ben is asleep, it faces the sunset and our little street is so peaceful, I love it. I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted, but I knew I wanted it to be kind of small, since our front porch is tiny, and something with a cool shape. I ended up picking this amazing AMMERO dining chair from Ikea. Don't you love it?

It was only $75, which is pretty great for a nice outdoor chair (most that I've seen are well over $100). It's small but actually pretty roomy when you're sitting in it, and it's surprisingly comfortable. I think it's perfect!





Since we brought it home I have spent many evenings after dinner out there, wrapped up in a blanket, catching up on blogs, drinking tea, and watching horrible, horrible television shows (I actually can't stop watching Jennifer Love Hewitt's new Lifetime show. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME.) And here's a pic of my view. Pretty great, right?





Oh, I love it. All this extra time outside has me thinking SO much about the garden and what plants I want to add this year. Tomorrow I have a cool (kind of lengthy, sorry in advance) post to share that's all about the best plants for people who are NOT good gardeners...hope you check back to see it!

Egg Bird Feeders by J Schatz

Now that I'm getting the garden all set for summer, I'm constantly looking at outdoor accessories. How cute are these egg bird feeders by J Schatz? Love.

Image via Swiss Miss

The (exterior) house to-do list

When we moved into our home a few years ago, I had a TON of plans. I planned on having the entire place gutted, new floors, new basement, new appliances...you know. But, in reality, you have to be patient with these things. NOT easy for me. 


While we've done a lot of cosmetic changes on the inside, we haven't done much to the outside.  The garden is pretty established, it just needs a LOT of pruning and overall management...which I have sadly neglected this past year or two. I'll get to it eventually.


But the front of our house needed some work. It actually needs a LOT more than that (when we win the lottery, right after I go on a shopping spree and finally buy the iPad that I know I don't need, we'll redo the driveway and stairs...) but we can do a lot with paint and plants for now.


This is a true 'before pic', taken during our home inspection. That's my Mom in the front door, my Dad is a home inspector so these things are always a family affair.





Since then we have done some landscaping, changed the house numbers and painted the front door (I know, pretty ambitious). Lots more to do.


Some of these are short-term goals, and some are longggg term goals. Some may never happen, but they're on the list, so that alone makes me feel better. Yep.


Exterior Goals

1. Paint. We actually bought the paint a while ago, and didn't get around to it. Doesn't that sort of thing just eat you up inside? No? Just me? I don't feel too bad though. We had a baby. Gimme a break.
2. Build up this little area with shrubs. I have planted some, and it needs time to fill in. This year I plan on pruning and making sure they're situated where they need to be. Maybe adding more if needed.
3. Add a chair to this little spot. It's tight, but I think it's doable. I love sitting on the front porch waiting for Billy to get home from work after Ben's in bed (YES, I bring out the monitor). I'm going to be that old lady on the porch one day. 
4. A new railing, AND new stairs. This railing is one of though awful metal ones. I think this year I might paint it out black (not sure that will even help) but eventually it has to go. And the stairs are concrete and not in great shape. 
5. Again, build this area up with shrubs. there are some established ones, and I'm tempted to rip them out...I don't like how they were initially places, so I might change it up. Either way, the areas around them also need to be planned better and edited. Also, there are a ton of white tulips planted in this section, and I am more into these. We had them at the old house and I miss them. Will be ordering them this fall. 
6. A new pathway. This may not happen...I kind of like the way ours is (it's pretty bumpy and weathered), but it has a certain charm. Not sure Billy agrees with me on this.
7. In this area, which is an awkward bed on the other side of the walkway, NOTHING grows. It just ends up looking like a pile of dirt, and I'm sick of it. This year I'm going to level it out and plant grass seed there. Done.
8. Below our huge maple there are mostly hostas and daylilies. I actually hate daylilies, so I think this year I'm going to pull them out. I love hostas, I especially love groups of different types, so I think I will fill this area with more hostas. We have a lot on our property, but I've been splitting them to fill bare areas and so I think we're running out. We'll see after I get out there.
9. A new driveway. This is pretty badly needed...ours is rough. But it's also huge, and will probably cost a fortune, and I like to buy things cute spring clothes and magazines. So ya. We can wait.

I plan on working on our short-term goals this year....you know, in between naps and diapers and everything else. Ah!


There are a ton of amazing home exterior pictures that I have been seeing lately that are motivating me. My house will likely NEVER come close, but these are some my my favs. I want lots of green, lots of texture, and lots of tidiness. Perfect.


Sigh.





Via House and Home





Via Marguerite Gardens Inc





Via Marguerite Gardens Inc





Via Marguerite Gardens Inc

Yes, we're those people.

I ordered this a while ago to put on our door, so we are now officially snobs. My logic is, a knock at the door = Cohen barking like crazy = not good with a new baby. I certainly don't plan on having a silent house, there is always vacuuming going on and this will continue, and I know the importance of getting baby used to every day sounds. But, in my defense, we live in a neighbourhood where there is a LOT of door-to-door stuff going on. Religious groups, lawn maintenance guys, high school kids selling stuff....it's pretty crazy. And Cohen doesn't just bark once and then wait at the door to see who it is. No, she goes bananas.

So, I just had to do it. Too bad.

Spring/Summer 2010 Project - Exterior Painting

As expected, we are busy planning all sorts of good-weather projects this year. The garden is a huge one, and we're already working away at that. The plan includes ripping out a LOT of things, and planting new things...that's about as specific as we can get at this point.

Another project we're planning is to give the exterior of our house a little face lift. Below is a picture of the house that appeared in the MLS listing...we've already made some changes, but this still serves as a very good 'before' shot.

The main areas we want to tackle are the areas of siding, the trim areas, and the foundation. We have dozens of colour combinations we're considering, but this one is in the lead:

The door is currently a blue/black colour, which will serve as our accent colour. The swatch below is not our exact colour...for some reason I couldn't find it on the site (perhaps, gasp, its been discontinued). But this is very close.

This project will be waiting until Katie and Corinne's weddings are both over...it's going to need a good few weekends for us to get the job done. But, it also gives us time to really finalize our colour choices, and to read through dozens of helpful how-to articles. Rona, of course, has a great one I thought I'd share!

....

Exterior painting (via Rona)

At first, you may think the process is easy: simply buy exterior paint. Although the exercise doesn't have to be complicated, there are rules to follow and tricks of the trade to remember.

Picking the right time

What season? Certain weather conditions such as excess humidity cause paint to crack; frost can take the shine out of the paint while a hot sun will cause the paint to blister. Ideally, you should paint in the spring or fall when these factors are less important and while trees and bushes have no leaves. In a pinch, you can paint in summer, if it's not too hot, making sure you stay ahead of the sun as it goes around the house.

Read more...