Hello, porch friend!
Welcome to Front Porch Appeal!
August is here and don't we know it! This month is back to school (at least for our grandchildren in Tennessee and Virginia), National Sandwich Week (August 5-11) and Bargain Hunting Week (August 12 - 18). Did you also know that August is International Dog Month and Happiness Happens Month?
The 2024 Summer Olympics are ongoing in Paris France! Do you enjoy watching them? Which events?
In the month of August, might we say it's the dog days of summer. Oh so warm! It's that time of year when I relish the thought of crisp October days and walking through colorful, crunchy leaves. Do you love summer to last forever? Or for autumn to quickly come?
Welcome to this month's edition of Front Porch Appeal. We are so happy you're here, so please enjoy this month's topics.
Happiness Is a Comfortable Porch
In the year 2000, the Society of Happy People dedicated the month of August to actively pursuing happiness. They named it Happiness Happens Month. Just think about the things that make you happy and maybe give them a go in August.
For us it would be to spend time on our porches, going on picnics, family time and enjoying our hobbies. How about for you?
You can read more about the Society of Happy People here.
Our Before and After
Back Porch Makeover
Starting in late February through early May, we did a makeover on our back porch. You can see the pics and story below.
We love hearing from you about your porch updates, too. Just reply to this email and send us your pics! Thank you so much.
Before the makeover
Sometimes when we live with something for a while we simply get used to it and don't realize how awesome it would be to make some updates.
That's what happened with our back porch which is 11 years old. After quite a few years, we decided to give it a fresh new look and oh my, how that has helped up-level our enjoyment of it.
In the above pic, please take note of where our steps originally were. That's one major thing we changed, which you will see in the following pics.
While the steps were in the original location, we couldn't put furniture in the traffic area between the back door and the steps.
After the makeover - notice the new location of the steps
This is the after picture which shows you the dramatic difference. Notice how we moved the stairs (meaning how Dave moved the stairs). Now we can come out our back door and immediately go down the steps. This frees up space for furniture where you see the chairs.
A couple other major changes are the color of our porch and the new aluminum railings.
In years past, we always stained our deck, but this year we decided to paint it with a solid surface paint (Behr). Instant porch brightener! I wasn't sure I would like it, but now I love it.
And our favorite part is that we took down the heavy-feeling wood railings in favor of black aluminum railings. Not only do they give our porch a more modern appeal but they also make our porch look bigger and more open.
Dave also extended our landing pad to make our two walking paths join up with each other.
Here you can see the new steps from the side. Dave put solar caps on the posts which add a touch of light in the evenings. I like watching them turn on, each at their own time.
The black lattice panels underneath pull it all together.
I painted some new wall art for our back porch to go onto the columns. You can see them hung in the next picture.
Our new porch is very pleasant! See our wall art on the columns?
We chose a new rug in navy, green and gray, blending in nicely with our wooded location.
We decided to go with four new chairs and a fire pit table. All four chairs rock gently and two of them swivel.
Close-up of our table in the corner
This is our glass table that has a leaf, which doubles its size, when needed! We enjoy lunches on this table and doing art here, too.
This is another close-up to show you one way to keep a table cloth from blowing off an outdoor table. I cut four pieces of elastic and tied them around each of the table legs. Works like a charm. You could do the same with twine or with zip ties.
Otherwise, the wind going across our porch blows the tablecloth around, making me go a little crazy. ha ha.
Oh....and as much as we love plants, we decided to go with faux plants on our back porch. We found succulents in pots that look so fresh and real!
Back to School in August
Many of us can remember when September was back to school month. Do you agree? For many students, even college students, school now begins in August. Our grandchildren in Tennessee return to school on Friday, August 2nd, which always seems so early to us.
Back to school supplies are in the stores already in June. If I were a kid, I'd think that a little rough.
The silver lining for our TN grandchildren is that they have an autumn break in October - and that's a wonderful time to take a break.
Being the New Kid
Speaking of kids returning to school, it's not easy when you're the new kid. We'd love for you to take a look at my book, Molly Jo Daisy: Being the New Kid.
While Molly Jo's younger, likable brother thrives on being new and making friends, ten-year-old Molly Jo struggles to meet people and adapt to her life in Maine. Everything at her new house and hometown seems different and awkwardly unfamiliar. Living in a different house, in a different neighborhood, and in a different state are totally not Molly Jo's ideal.
Molly Jo's Grandma, her confidante, has constant faith in Molly Jo and encourages her to make friends and give her new home a chance. Molly Jo learns how to be the "new kid" with grace and determination.
Some of my readers say that this is a great family book. Adults will enjoy the gentle humor. Thank you for taking a look at my book.
Popular Articles on Our Site
Perhaps one or more of these are of special interest to you:
- Mobile Home Porches
- Ranch Home Porches
- How to Make Privacy Panels for Your Porch
- Wheelchair Ramp Designs and Specs
- How to Build a Scarecrow
International Dog Month
Ol' Kirby Boy (photo by Erin Neese)
Happy dog on the porch
Our granddog, Frank E Two-Guns
He loves loves to be held and snuggled!
If we're going to hug each other, he wants to be included.
Our granddog, Lunar
Lunar is a retired seeing-eye dog and our son's family adopted him. He is a super soft and gentle dog.
Our granddog, Blue
Blue loves to watch for foxes in his backyard.
His favorite thing is being outside as long as his family is out there with him.
Finding Joy in the Small Things
Finding joy in the small things can bring a sense of peace and happiness to everyday life. Our neighbor Liz gave us this sweet turtle for our garden. We call him Fred.
He brings a smile whenever we see him. Sometimes the flowers grow right over him and then he waits to be uncovered again.
Taking the time to appreciate these simple pleasures helps us stay grounded and reminds us of the beauty that surrounds us.
From Our Treasured Sponsors...
We greatly appreciate your support of our treasured sponsors. Each of them is like family to us and we are very proud of their products. They have been with us for a long time!
Beautiful photo courtesy of VintageWoodworks.com
This beautiful home features twin Posts, with 3 at each corner. Though not traditional, they provide a wonderful look for this wrap-around porch.
We are very proud of our sponsor, Vintage Woodworks, a leader in handcrafted house trim since 1978. They can assist you in choosing just the right design options for your home.
PCA Products, one of our fine sponsors, takes sliding patio doors to a new level.
Look at this gorgeous, inviting door named Samson.
PCA Products believe that sliding patio screen doors should withstand an active lifestyle. They designed the Samson Patio Door to prevent against typical nuisances like screen blowouts, the door derailing from the track and the frame bending.
Please stop by their website for inspiration and to see for yourself what they offer.
Isn't this a memorable cottage?
The Porch Store products featured in this photo surely do level up the wonderful appeal of this sweet home.
- Drummer Boy 2.0 panels at the top of the stairs
- Picket Stair Panels
- Hermitage Sleeves and Cap Kits
- Timbertech Premier Rail Kits
We welcome you to take a look at all of The Porch Store products at their website.
They have long been sponsors to us and we could not be more proud.
Till Next Time...
We appreciate this lovely photo courtesy of Ian Macdonald on Unsplash. The fresh white paint and those shakes, the pretty red geraniums in the hanging baskets and such a spacious porch. Oh my!
We all live busy lives, so thank you for being in our porch family. We appreciate you.
May you enjoy the month of August and all that goes with summer. We hope there are days cool enough to enjoy your porch. A fan surely helps whether it be a ceiling fan or a box fan.
Please be safe this summer, too. Sending you best wishes for a wonderful month.
See you on the porch.
Our best always,
Mary and Dave
