April 22, 2020
(Thankfully updated September 2024)
Making the front porch the place to be. Good company, family traditions, and old-fashioned relaxing.
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35
THE DESTINATION
The front porch at our house has become a place of relaxation, togetherness, and tradition. It’s always been there, but hasn’t necessarily always been “the place to be.” Until we decided to make it a destination.
The road we live on, once a country road, is now a busy route for commuters and school traffic. Thankfully there’s a lot of space between the house and the road. So we can sit and watch folks go by, and often we get a little horn beep from a friend.
Once our first grandson was here, sitting on the porch became a really important pastime (Pastime: An activity that someone does regularly for enjoyment rather than work; a hobby). GrandDaddy spent lots of afternoons with that little fellow on his lap, pointing out the different vehicles traveling by. By age three he could recognize all the major auto makes!
And sometimes I would let that little boy get up early with me and go out in the quiet to listen to the birds sing, and watch the sunrise. Those times became so special, our own little tradition that we kept for years, even if we had to wrap up in a blanket!
Now it’s turned into an after-supper tradition. And a morning tradition. And an afternoon tradition.
Porch Memories.
Front Porch, Screened Porch, Back Porch.
I’ve got a long-time friend who has a wonderful front porch (and everything else about her is wonderful, too). She created a little tradition with our group of friends, inviting us to breakfast on her porch every so often. She cooks amazing food and is a true coffee lover. It’s sweet to remember the time we spent together on her pretty porch.
I have another really creative friend who has a huge screened porch, beautifully decorated. We gathered there for friendship, refreshments and relaxation. Once she even supplied colored pencils and pages for us to color. Surrounded by green plants, we were enveloped in tranquility as we snacked, colored, and retreated from the stresses of the day.
Is it the people? The activity? The location?
Maybe it’s not all about the porch, but what if that’s important?
What are your porch memories? I think there is definitely a connection. I want to have that. The rich things that happen when two people (or more) sit down and spend time together.
This is why you’re invited to the porch. It’s virtual with you and me, but I’m working to make it as real as I can. Don’t you need a safe place, a quiet place, to spend a little while refreshing your spirit?
THE STUFF
Sigh. The porch. Always a work in progress. Outdoors, things can gradually wear out, can’t they?
We had new steps and rails built, which really freshened up the look.
Now we need something to make the floor pretty.
Why is it like this? You can drip paint on concrete by accident and you will never get it off as long as you live with anything less than a jackhammer. But decide you want to paint concrete and you have a series of important and absolutely necessary steps to take so the surface is prepared and the paint will stick.
I just don’t get it!
We will figure out the floor. But first, the rockers.
THE ROCKERS: The old rockers were old — almost 40 years old. And you know what? It was really hard to find new ones. Like everything else, the size has been reduced, the quality is disappointing, and they just aren’t sturdy. Until…
We looked into “oversized” rockers. Yep, that’s the new name for what used to be a standard size rocker.
Did it cost us? Yeah. But not much more than the cheap stuff.
Are we happy? Absolutely. We chose Polywood rockers (I’ll never paint rockers again!) The brand is Cecarol. I would absolutely do that again.
THE DOOR: And we got a new front door. It was really time for that, too. Again, 40 years of subtle shifting, wear and tear. Friends, a new door will set you back. A lot. Sticker shock almost kept us from doing it. But the joy of being able to open it easily, the insulation value (which is significant) and the beauty — we aren’t sorry.
THE COLORS: While I liked the warm neutral look of the cream/tan/brown before, I also like the sharp contrast of the black rockers, and lots of green plants. The more I looked at black/white/green porch ideas, the more I liked it.
THE RUG: I didn’t like the old one. It was thick and heavy. I didn’t feel like I ever got it clean. Then this one! It’s bright and light and curiously comfortable. I got it from Amazon. It’s very smooth under bare feet, almost like cloth, which is nice. Also, it’s lightweight and dries quickly. I don’t think it would do well without furniture holding it down. The wind will sometimes flip up the corners. It’s that lightweight.
It’s been fun to add a few things to pretty up the porch, and it usually is almost clean, and almost cute in a rustic sort of way. It gets neglected during winter, which in Georgia sneaks in for some of January and February, and maybe some other months. We never know.
Spring Porch Decor
Usually in the spring I get really excited about refreshing the porch. I wipe off the rockers with a damp microfiber cloth. Then I fill our same old planters with young plants, and get ready to spend more time there.
Check out the pictures below.
Some days I’ll get out the festive outdoor dishes, and hang around to watch the hummingbird feeders. The grandchildren will drink lemonade or eat popsicles, and dance to some crazy tune I find on my phone.
And we will watch for company to arrive. Maybe you.
And if you’re on your own porch, I hope you get to make some sweet memories there.
It’s a great place to pray, and to just be still. Every morning.
If you’d like, take a quick look at My Current Prayer. It was current when I first started the blog. Do you write your prayers? Or use your phone notes? I sure do.
Moms, especially moms, need ways to claim tiny snippets of peace. It helps to be more mindful about the words and actions throughout the day. If we pay attention to the moments, the hours will be more pleasant.
I hope you find your snippet.
Thank you for visiting! At GFP company is always welcome!
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-Grammye
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