OUR PORCHES

Oh My Gosh Man

how do I 

LOVE 

a festive porch

and possibly my favorite festive porch is the autumn porch

we are surrounded in our little farming community with

crops and crops and crops of 

MAIZE

that we take our machete and chop

they only need an old dairy bucket and some yellow mums to go with

but you know me...I can't stop there

oh no

nope

gotta have a bit of fun and spookiness!

and can you just not get enough of mums?

and pumpkins?

this year I found some seeds from Mike in a drawer

they must have been 20 years old

but they worked!

this is my first punkin' crop

you know who I miss?

I miss so badly my old friend

Ray...and his 1960ish chevy pickup

filled to the brim with pumpkins

gosh I miss him and think of him often every October

he would have loved to have sold me pumpkins for 822

I think I was his best customer!

makes me want to buy a turquoise truck and sell pumpkins!

last year I tied some corn and maize to my porch posts

but this year

(thank you Loi)

I have added 

myrtle topiaries

which reminds me

do you bring your plants in for the winter?

I admit I am not only a cheapskate

but I love the challenge of keeping them alive all year

like this one...I cannot bear to think of this lovely freezing

seriously...do the harsh cold winds hurt your heart?

you know why?

and between the beginning and 

a small mishap

life unfolds on our porches

scary

better!

my next favorite thing is a festive window box

ok...I tend to get distracted

WINDOWS

YIKES!!!

I cannot even believe this is our house!

As we near the end of our "planned" renovation

I walked through the house this morning as I often do

to just 

BE GRATEFUL

for getting to live

in such a wonderful home

do you agree that windows are the soul of the home?

I would imagine that these storm windows were the bombdiggity at the time they were installed

but

can we say 

REPLACE???

as we set about to renovate 822 we replaced

EVERY SINGLE WINDOW

big expense?  not really...we didn't replace the windows with windows but with

glass...windows are expensive but glass is cheap!

We splurged in a few areas 

like the beveled diamond panes

in the front and in the turret

for a grand illusion!

inside the turret

inside the living room

and I just love stain glass...so it was a for sure

but you know?  I bought these both for

$75!!!

there were 2 strange doors but rather than take out the cool wedding cake porches

we just put windows in..they are really my favorite!

these came from Ebay 

my intentions were to take a stain glass class and make them

maybe someday..

...but this works for now

what I love about old houses?  the cute stuff that no one thinks about anymore

speaking of garage sales

I adore old windows

these will be the little windows that go in the new addition of our

"fancy lawnmower shed"

they will be put between glass and built in to protect them

seriously...I'm not exaggerating...I do have the exact figures stored away somewhere,

but I think $150 covered this window

it's no wonder I love to do the supper dishes in the morning!

This looks out into the backyard

we've come a looooong way!

it's a wonder I get any work done on my newspapers looking out this window!

do you have a favorite window in your house?

it's hard for me to choose, but I love this one in our guest bathroom

it's surrounded by ivy

and has the most pleasant view!

the glass block was here

we just built a shower around it!

this little window was here too...we just made it better

there are lots more windows in this old house

but that's kind of the tour...you're probably bored right now

me?  I will never get bored with the windows at 822

they are probably the one thing that make me still say

wow!

SEPTEMBER 26, 1980

When we first met we were so young....

I was 22 and she was

zero

from the moment I laid eyes on her I knew

that I would love her for the rest of my life

what I didn't know

was the blessing that was in store for me

today....

she is 33

and these are the things she is...not just to me but to all that know her

a great sister

a special sister

smart and educated

a loyal friend

who is a blast to be with

a chicken farmer

brave

soulful

a celebrater of life

and a spreader

of peace

she comes from a long line of love

that she shares without limits

that grows deep within her as the years go by

she is an inspiration... mother to mother

and she does not hide her light under a bushel

no

September 26, 1980

thank you God