The Front Porch Project

A Sneak Peak

Good ideas do not always come out of thin air.  

Many hours are spent brainstorming, talking, and then heading to Pinterest to find the exact picture of what you want something to look like.

This is our front porch inspiration...

source unknown

 and this...

houseplansandmore.com

Knock Knock

Update Your Front Door in Minutes

Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Doris.

Doris who?

Doris locked, that's why I’m knocking.

A Dresser in the Dining Room

Dressers are the bees knees to me.

I am always on the hunt for a good old dresser that I can makeover. The hubs is actually starting to ban me from looking for them.

And I really enjoy them anywhere but in bedrooms.

All of our dressers are in our closets or in other rooms. We have one under our TV and one in the dining room.

This one pictured is my childhood dresser.

I thought my dad would have a heart attack when I first painted it.

He didn't. {Thankfully}

And now....now it needs a change.

I contemplated painting it last summer, but ran out of time.

This room is a little heavy with all the black.

Black chairs, black on the table, black picture frames.

I want this house to feel light and airy…beachy, if you will.

Even though we live in the mountains next to a lake.

So here's the question my friends, what color should I paint it?

Enjoy the day!

{Trina}

My Big Pink Huffy

How To: Twine Mason Jar Candle Holders

My first big girl bike was totally radical.

It was circa 1982, which made me about 6 years old.

I fell in love the first time I laid eyes on it.

That Huffy bike was all pink with a really fat cushy seat {also pink}. 

And the kickstand made this really great clicking sound when it went down.

{I can still hear it…music to my ears}.

And the wheels…none of those skinny 10 speed wheels for me....they were big and fat.

And who needs to change speeds when you have baseball cards in the spokes?

Although, I think those came later when I was older and wiser about all things bike riding.

The Great Debate of the 1990's

Recipe: Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Trifle

There is an age old debate.

It has been talked about for decades.

This debate is very heated....one that draws clear lines between sides even though both sides can be argued equally.

What is this debate, you ask?

It Happened Suddenly

A Porch Remodel Started {Plus Some Dirt and Rocks}

When we had our Realtor come over to appraise our house last month she oohed and aahed over the kitchen tile. 

She told us the living room, albeit long and rectangular, was arranged perfectly. 

She loved the paint colors that we had chosen for the walls.

But she also said something that struck me to my core.

We would have to sell the house from the inside out.

Yikes...Where was that guy from Curb Appeal?

We had spent so much time working on the inside that the outside had suffered.

No Training Wheels

5 Minute Fix for Uneven Candle Wax

My oldest son started reading around age 3. Listening to him made my heart sing {I am a reading teacher, after all}.

And he made it look easy....a natural.

But when it came to riding a bike without training wheels, he gave up. It scared him.

I don't blame him...it is definitely scary.

I am hoping that this is his year though. I will bite my nails all the while he is learning. I will pray that he doesn't fall and skin his knee.

I just know in my heart of hearts that soon I will see him zooming up and down our quiet little lane in the summer sun.

The Real Reason My Husband Married Me

Recipe: Mac N' Cheese

When we got married almost 13 years ago, I didn't know the real reason why my husband proposed.

He kept it on the down-low for a very long time. We just went about our business like a normal everyday couple. I never suspected anything.

And every once in awhile the hubs would say, "Some of your mac n' cheese would be really good in my belly."

Yep. That is how he says it.

And happily, I would make this dish for him.




Then one cold and snowy day, about 8 years in, I figured out his secret.

My husband did not marry me for my smile.

He did not marry me for my savvy money sense.

Indeed, he did not marry for my green eyes {although he would tell you otherwise}.

Egg & Oil Free Cake 

Apparently, Mother Nature is having a good laugh at us right now. 

It is the fourth day of Spring and yet we are looking out our windows at a foot of snow on the ground.

And it was new snow this week.

We had no snow last week at the end of the winter. 

It doesn't surprise me though...we do live in upstate New York.

Super Heroes Wanted

Ceramic Tile

Sometimes ceramic tile is more than just tile.