Porch Update: The Front Door

Hi there... I hope you have had a wonderful Father's Day!  I thought I'd give you a little update on our front porch progress.  We're not quite to the fun decorating stage yet, but we're getting a lot closer! 

 The porch remodel has actually been a lot of work, but it's exciting to see it shape into something that is more our style and hopefully more fitting for our house.

BEFORE

AFTER

You can probably get a better view in the first photo above, but the very first thing I did was tear off the shutters.  I know it's a little shocking, since it does give a much simpler look, but they were non-functional and certainly not original to the house.  I love how it opened up the porch. 

Next we replaced the light fixtures with these energy efficient lights that Lamps Plus sent.  I spent a lot of time deciding what color scheme I wanted to go with... I alternated back and forth between nickel and black, but in the end, I felt nickel was the best choice, especially with our nickel colored barn lights in the back.  These light fixtures are very lightweight and let off a surprising amount of light. 

Justus actually rewired to accommodate these fixtures... it's hard to tell in this picture, but he lowered them a good few inches so that they were more in proportion with the door frame. 

 One of the biggest changes for me was painting our front door because it has always been a bright red.  I wavered between black, green and gray and then after being inspired by this picture, realized I could bring in a dark color that would still be in the green family.  I loved the idea of a color that would match our green metal roof, but wouldn't be the exact same shade.  I went to our local Benjamin Moore store, picked up this swatch and knew it was perfect.  The color is Essex Green (semi-gloss, exterior).  

Our front door is original, including the wavy glass.  We have a storm door as well, which had gold hardware.  After reading about Rust-Oleum's Universal Hammered spray paint here, I found it in the color Titanium at our hardware store and set out to spray paint the door hardware to match the nickel lights.  And once again was reminded why I'm terrified of spray paint... I have never once had a successful spray paint story (user error).  It stuck, it chipped, you name it... it had to removed with paint thinner and then I let the expert (Justus) spray them the second time around!  It was a great, affordable way of changing out the color though.

 This weekend I finally picked up a plant for the round galvanized tub from Lamps Plus that I chose to use as a planter.  And now here's a confession... instead of the tub sitting, I've been using it for every imaginable thing around our place.  My most favorite thing to use it for is weeding in the garden... the handles are so sturdy and it's just a perfect all-around size.  So I think I'm going to have to order another because I've already been missing it (smile).  

I planted a Mini Penny hydrangea in the tub, which is a compact hydrangea that is re-blooming.

I also spray-painted the number plate beside our door and then this weekend gave the siding a good cleaning.  I'll be giving the porch floor a fresh coat of paint this week, but it will remain light gray. 

 The other side of the porch is still a construction zone.  We're framing in the columns so they are square, and I am so, so excited.  Justus made some great progress this weekend though and I've been working behind him with wood putty (smile). 

Happy Father's Day! 

Growing Heirloom Lettuce

For the past several weeks we have been enjoying lettuce, lettuce and more lettuce.  This is the first year I've ever grown lettuce and I'm not sure what took me so long: it's easy to plant, grows quickly and tastes deliciously fresh.   

  I planted seeds in the ground in three small rows and so far it has just about grown quicker than we can eat: we've shared with the neighbors, my parents and the chickens!  Yesterday, while we were driving home from our beach vacation, my mom sent my husband a text, "Warn Andrea that her garden is out of control, weeds and all!  I've been picking lettuce all week!" 

So far I haven't touched the weeds, but I did harvest some lettuce first thing this morning (smile).  I've found that the easiest way to harvest is to use kitchen scissors and snip about an inch above the base of the lettuce, so that the larger leaves are easily removed but it doesn't upset the roots.  Literally, it seems like within just days the lettuce has grown back and is ready for harvesting again.  I would love to learn how to grow it (mostly) year round... I'm going to try!  (If you have any tips, I'd love to hear!) 

I planted three varieties of heirloom lettuce: Little Gem, May Queen and Grandpa Admire's (all from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds).  All three varieties taste wonderful and so far haven't been affected by the warm days.

 As you can imagine, we've been eating salads pretty much on a daily basis.  I make this salad for my husband's lunch more often than I can count and frequently for myself as well.  I toss in some lettuce, chopped almonds, goat cheese and whatever fruit I have in the fridge (oranges, strawberries or blueberries all taste delicious).  The dressing is a simple combination of equal parts of extra virgin olive oil and vinegar (I used balsamic in this picture) with a dash of honey, salt and pepper. 

On a personal note, we had a wonderful vacation at the beach in Florida with my husband's family!  It felt so nice to relax, play at the beach and take in the warm sunshine.  The girls had so much fun!  But it's always nice to be back home too, weeds and all (smile).  

 Hope you have a great week!

Picnic Perfect Potato Salad

 

I hope you had a nice weekend!

I made this potato salad for a cookout we went to this weekend and thought I would share it here.  I made it for the first time a few years ago for a birthday party and it's since remained a favorite. Easy and delicious, it's perfect for summer picnics and cookouts. 

Potato Salad Recipe

3 lbs red potatoes, cut into 1" pieces

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped celery

3 Tbsp sliced green onion

3 Tbsp chopped dill pickles

Parsley for garnish (optional)

1.  Cover potatoes with water in a large pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until fork tender.  Drain potatoes.

2.  Meanwhile, mix together the mayonnaise, cream, mustard and salt. 

3.  Place potatoes, celery, green onion and pickles in a large bowl.  Pour the mayo dressing over the potato mixture and stir gently to combine.  Garnish with fresh parsley.

Note: I refrigerate the potato salad at least an hour before serving so it's nice and cool.  

It's a busy week here as we are leaving for a vacation in a few days.  We're looking forward to relaxing, spending time with family, and playing at the beach.  I think when we return everything will be in bloom around here... as wonderful as vacations are, I'm sure it will be a happy sight and welcome back home.

Hope you have a great week!