Front Porch / Deck Makeover

I have been wanting to make changes to the front porch on our Kentucky cottage for quite some time.  I just didn't know what I really wanted it to be. 

I decided to make it into a deck rather than a porch.  John removed the railings for me after I told him to trust me that I knew what I wanted to do.  I repainted the new deck with two coats of green porch paint.  I added outdoor chairs (used to be James) and colorful striped cushions, potted flowers, birdbath (also James) and a bird feeder.  Now it is a place where I enjoy sitting, and I think it makes a prettier entry for company.  I am going to paint the front door next summer - I'm thinking of doing it in a yellow, but not as bright of yellow as the flowers in the pots.

 















This is how the porch looked when we first bought the cottage.

We had a green metal roof installed, and we replaced the porch railings, and painted them white.  We also painted the decking green, and added a step to replace the cement blocks that were there before. It was like this for quite a while, but I wanted a change.  I decided it was the railings that I never liked.

 

Busy Summer at an End

I have been missing on my blog posts most of this summer, and thought I'd share some of the summer with you today.  There are also projects that I will share in other posts.

A trip to Lexington, KY and the Woodford Reserve bourbon distillery:

Also in Lexington, we visited Three Chimneys horse farm.  The farm where thoroughbred race horses are boarded and bred.  We were able to see Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown, as well as many other beautiful horses:

One of the Stables

Big Brown

 

 

We also went to the horse races at Churchill Downs (where the KY Derby runs), but I didn't take any pictures that evening.  I did win on a few races though.

 

Cruising the Heartland in Elizabethtown, KY was a blast.  Lots of old cars, food and live bands:

 

 

We took a trip to Oak Ridge, TN.  There we visited the science museum, and saw the Secret City Manhattan Project exhibit.  We've all heard of the Manhattan Project that produced the atom bomb, but were you aware that the city of Oak Ridge was a secret?  The city wasn't on any map, nor were its roads.  But at the height of the project, the city's population was 70,000.  Now that is some secret!

 

 

I have started reading a book titled: "The Girls of Atomic City" that documents the lives of some of the people who were there working on the project - they just didn't know what they were working on.

Photo used on the cover of the book - The Girls of Atomic City

There were many types of houses available to the workers, from temporary dwellings to more permanent ones.  This Flat Top house was set up at the museum and open for us to see.

 

We went to the airfield to watch Scott fly his ultra light plane:

 

 

Found a rabbit nest in the yard.  The mom moved them the next day - good thing because it was in a clearing, and not well protected.  Their eyes were not open, and they were just new babies.

 

 

I grew herbs again this year, in the small space at the bottom of the porch steps just off the kitchen:

This year I have Thyme, Rosemary, Greek Oregano, Marjoram, Sage, Sweet Basil and Spearmint:

 

 

 

I found places for the various things we brought home from John's parents home.  I posted the quilt earlier, and most of the other things are mostly sentimental.  I actually needed to bid on James' toolbox because I didn't see it until the day of the auction.  James was a carpenter, and was building barracks on Fort Knox in the early forties when he was called up to serve in WWII, and his homemade toolbox was with him. 

 

 

 

Butter Churn John's mom used, and his dad's lunch pail

Forties or Fifties Step Stool

Small Sharpening Stone

Large Sharpening Stone

Irene's Little Red Riding Hood Cookie and Candy Jar.  Hall bowels, and blue crock bowl.

 

School House Quilt

This full sized School House Quilt belonged to my mother-in-law.  Even though she was a quilter, we believe this was made by her stepmother but it is not marked.  It is all hand pieced, and hand quilted.  We thought it would be perfect for our Kentucky cottage because the original part of this building was the Rineyville one-room school house built in 1874.  I think it is really a beautiful quilt. 

The red fabric had bled onto the white fabric.  Since the quilt needed an overall cleaning, I washed it in mild detergent and added three of the Shout Color Catcher sheets, and let it soak for a couple hours.  I'm so pleased with how it came out, and all of the red stains came out.

Blog Anniversary Give Away

Update 07/14/13:
I drew the name for the little quiltie give away this evening, and the winner is PK Sews.  Thank you all for your interest and comments.

My blog anniversary is coming up fast, and I'd like to share a small piece of artwork with you.  Just leave a comment on this post, and I will draw a winner on Sunday, July 14.  Just be sure that I have a way to contact you by email so that I can let you know that I drew your name, and get your snail mail address from you.

This piece is titled "Downtown Dresses", and is approximately 4" x 6".  The 1920s photo is printed on fabric, and the quiltie is made up of bits of various fabrics and laces and includes one button.

Long Overdue Post - Zion National Park

Utah has beautiful National Parks, and we spent a day in Zion. It is so beautiful. But because it is so large, we only saw a portion if it. Here are a few pictures for you to see.