cozy little nook

One of the reasons we orginally bought our house was the screen porch on the back, off our kitchen.  Through the years, and two kids, and many parties, it always proves to be a great gathering spot and a place to relax.   Or if you're 4 and 8, eat popsicles. 

Having a screen porch wasn't on our list of criteria when we were house shopping 8 years ago, but its sure nice to have.  And adding one yourself is a pretty extensive and expensive project.

This weekend we changed it up a little bit, adding a patio table and chairs to the corner.   We thought it might be nice to have an area to eat outside, and still be on the screen porch.  Our table and chairs on our deck (off the screen porch) are almost constantly in full sun, and that makes it too hot to eat out there very often.  But putting a table in the screen porch, where have a ceiling fan, is just the ticket for a nice place to have a cup-o-coffee and read the paper.  Its a nice little sanctuary, and when we have parties, it will give us more seating out there too. 

I love when we find better ways to make our living space more enjoyable and comfortable.  Our house is showing its age in some ways. And we live in an area where many of the houses are brand new with lots of bells and whistles we don't have.  But the things we love about our house: the big flat yard with trees, the huge family room, the screen porch, the finished basement, and the big bedrooms, and now our gorgeous bathroom, make it a very comfortable place to live. We just have to find ways to make it shine a little more, and to show off its strengths.

Also, since the day we moved in, there were some hideous vertical blinds hanging as the window treatment for the kitchen sliding glass door.  I mean, they were circa 1982 office ugly.  I've hated those things for years, but for some reason other items on the to-do list always moved ahead of that one.  I think with the bathroom being so pretty now, I'm looking at the house with a new vision for how I'd love it to be.   Anyway, we hung a valance over top the the blinds, trying to spruce them up a bit.  Really, it was like putting a bow on a hairless cat. Doesn't really hide the fact they were still butt ugly. 

Thursday morning, I came downstairs, looked at those awful vertical blinds, and told Andrew they had to go.  "Right now?", he asked (in shirt and tie ready to go to work).  "Right now," I answered.  And being the awesome guy that he is, ten minutes later those suckers were down and in the garbage.

What took us so long to get rid of those awful blinds, I have no idea. They were the four D's: dusty, dirty, dull and damn ugly.  I went out and found some nice, light airy curtains instead.  It really softened it up in there and gave it a more updated look and feel.   Less than $25 and a little touch up paint, and 30 minutes.

Ahhh, much better.