Our focus this year for spring/summer was to finally get the front porch built (scratched last year due to lack of time and funds) and otherwise work on our landscaping and curb appeal. The front porch was always part of the house design, but was not strictly necessary to complete prior to moving in, closing out our permit, or general quality of life projects. Which meant it was important to the overall look of the house but fell down the project list for other more impactful projects.

Even for as incomplete as it is now, it still looks great and I know it will only look better as we do the finishing touches to amp up the front of the house. Not to mention that our deliveries will stand some chance of not getting soaked in the rain if we can’t pull them in right away. Also, I am super looking forward to having that as another area to decorate for Xmas. But here’s what we did manage to make progress on.

• Finally finished the last of the closet trim. I personally felt like this was never going to end. Not to mention the disruption it causes to empty out mostly or entirely a closet of all the stuff you’ve so carefully utilized for great storage. Ugh, but it’s done now!
• Moved hostas and ferns saved from the demolition (2018?) in the back of the property to the front flower beds we created last year. It was great to ‘shop my yard’ and reuse those plants like I had intended to. The price was very nice too! The yard is very much my domain, but I got great assistance from Jim in digging up and moving all these plants that really helped the landscaping start to look like SOMETHING was going on.
• Mr B finished elementary school and is on to middle school next year and Miss K finished 8th grade and starts high school in August. Time is a scoundrel.
• Submitted and went around and around on permitting the front porch project. You’d think something part of the original design that has no safety or load bearing issues wouldn’t need a permit, but it does. After several weeks we were finally approved.
• Planted our veggie garden. Third year is another year of old reliables (tomatoes and sugar snap peas) along with some new experiments (radishes, beets, zucchini, and sweet potatoes). We’re trying carrots again, but I’m just not convinced. I’m hoping that planting some extra flowers in there will assist with our crop.
• Porch is done to the sheathing step and has passed inspection. Now it’s time for roofing, flashing, miles of trim, guttering, etc etc.
• We had to fix the spigot on the front of the house for the second year in a row. We’re pretty sure the polar vortex we had right around Xmas did it in. We have decided that we’re just going to have to do a little redesign to the basement ceiling to get better access to the shut off valve.

We’re hoping to finish out the summer by wrapping up the porch project and maybe one other small landscaping project. The fall will hopefully bring crown molding and the range hood in the kitchen. I think it will be a busy season (aren’t they all?) as both kids have decided to do a fall sport so whatever time is left after that will be for house projects and maintenance.