This weekend was one of those weekends when I wished I had a she shed to have hidden in there was so much drama happening here I began to think I needed not only one drink but several drinks. I have a question for you. Have you ever looked around your house and thought, “Everybody has a place to call their own, so where exactly is mine?” That is the question I’ve been asking myself lately.
We live in a townhouse, and while I’m grateful, thankful, and blessed for our home, finding a little space just for myself isn’t as easy as it sounds. When you share your home with your family, everybody has their own place to settle in, and sometimes Mom gets left wondering where she is supposed to go.
When you walk through our front door, you see the living room, where Junior has claimed his spot. Then there’s our dining room, or what used to be our dining room. These days, it’s David’s man cave. We have the half bath and the kitchen, too, but none of those spaces feels like the place where I want to settle down with a book and a cup of tea.
Then there is the back porch which is kind of a extension to the Man Cave and storage room for things that wouldn’t fit inside our home. Then you climb the stairs to the upstairs, there’s the2 bedrooms, one is David’s bedroom as far as I’m concerned, but during the day its supposed to be my office but more times than not everyone ends up in it.
Then Charlie has his own room and he thinks the upstairs bathroom is all his even though everyone has to use it because its the only one with a bathtub. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life hiding out in a bedroom just to find a little peace and quiet!
The back porch is another possibility, but there’s too much activity back there. People walk by, the dogs bark, and before long, a quiet moment isn’t so quiet anymore. Then I started thinking about the one space nobody uses. My upstairs balcony! I tried to get Charlie to take that bedroom when we moved in because its bigger but he thought someone might take him so he refused to use it. LOL
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Glenda, that’s a balcony, not a front porch! You’re right. But I’m going to call it Glenda’s Front Porch anyway Buttercup. After all, a front porch isn’t just a place on the front of a house. To me, it’s a place where you can sit awhile, visit with somebody, watch the world go by, enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, and feel comfortable enough to be yourself. Not only that the balcony is on the front of the porch. And that’s exactly what I want.
I’m going to turn that unused balcony into my own little retreat, with room for Phoebe to keep me company and enough seating that David and Charlie can join me when they want to. But here’s the fun part. I’m not planning a plain, boring outdoor space. I’m thinking back to my hippie days!
I want bright colors, flowers, cheerful decorations, and signs that remind me of the days when peace and love were more than just words on a wall. Give me some flower power! Give me a peace sign! Give me bright colors that make me smile when I step outside!
I want to find fun signs that say Peace and Love. I want flowers and happy colors that bring a little bit of that old hippie spirit back into my life. And right in the middle of it all, I want a sign that says Glenda’s Front Porch. It might not be a traditional front porch, but it’s going to be my porch, my little corner of the world, and a place where I can enjoy the things that make me happy.
I can already picture sitting out there with a book, enjoying the breeze, and remembering how much fun it is to let a little color into your life. One thing I have learned is that you don’t have to buy everything new to make a space feel special. In fact, some of the things that mean the most to me are the things people have given me over the years.
I already have a five-piece garden set that can be separated and used in different places. I can put some of the pieces downstairs and use the long bench upstairs on my balcony. That bench is long enough for me to stretch out and read a book, although it definitely needs new cushions.
I also have a wrought-iron sign that says Welcome. It came from the back of a swing we never really used that we brought back from my dads, I’m thinking about hanging it on the balcony railing if I can secure it properly. That way, the welcome sign can have a new purpose instead of sitting unused somewhere.
And then there’s cozy blanket. I will be using for my porch, but I don’t necessarily want to go buy a brand-new one. I’d much rather use one David or Charlie gave me, or even one that reminds me of Suzzane. Those blankets would mean so much more to me than something I bought just because it looked pretty in a picture.
That’s what I want this project to be about: using what I have, remembering the people I love, and making something that feels like me. Of course, I can’t forget the dogs. David reminded me that we need to think about the grass for them, and he’s right. But why cover the entire balcony with artificial grass if all we need is a little designated spot for the dogs?
If the space allows, I’d like to use a small piece of pet-safe artificial turf for them and keep the rest of the balcony open for my seating area. I’ll need to make sure it can drain and be cleaned properly. I’d also love a little red outdoor welcome mat in front of my chair or bench. If there isn’t enough room on the floor, I can always hang the sign on the wall instead. The goal isn’t to cram everything onto the balcony. It’s to make the space work for all of us.
I can see myself sitting on that bench with a book, a warm cup of tea, and Phoebe beside me. I’d like a small storage trunk where I can keep some blankets and outdoor cushions when they’re not in use. I’ll need to choose one that fits the balcony and protects its contents from the weather.
I also want some pretty lights for the evenings. Solar lights in the shape of flowers might work if the balcony gets enough sunshine, and battery-powered LED lights are another possibility. And wouldn’t it be nice to have a little table where I could enjoy breakfast or a snack outside?
We already have our usual breakfast spaces inside, but I like the idea of creating another little spot where I can enjoy the morning air. I’ll just prepare my tea or coffee safely inside and carry it out rather than trying to run an ordinary extension cord through the door. Nothing fancy has to happen here. A book, a snack, a blanket, and a few flowers can go a long way.
This project is also reminding me that making a home comfortable doesn’t always mean spending money. Sometimes it means looking at what you already own and imagining a new purpose for it. That old sign might become the centerpiece of a balcony. A garden bench might become the perfect reading spot. A blanket from somebody you love might become your favorite thing to wrap around yourself on a cool morning.
And if I need to buy something, I’ll shop carefully and look for items that fit the space, the budget, and the way we actually live. I’ll be sharing some of the things I find along the way, including outdoor cushions, storage ideas, colorful decorations, lighting, and other products that might help somebody else create a little retreat of their own.
But I’m not going to pretend I need to buy a whole new porch. I’m going to start with what I have and add the pieces that make sense. Because the best part of this project isn’t going to be the furniture or the decorations. It’s going to be having a place where I can sit down, take a breath, enjoy a little sunshine, and feel at home.
So, here’s to bright flowers, peace signs, happy colors, a little hippie magic, and making room for comfort even when you live in a townhouse. Here’s to a place where Phoebe can keep me company, where David and Charlie are welcome to sit awhile, and where I can enjoy a few quiet moments without feeling like I need to disappear into a bedroom to get them.
And here’s to remembering that we don’t have to have a big house to create a space that means something to us. Sometimes all we need is an unused balcony, a few things we’ve held on to, a little imagination, and a whole lot of love. Welcome to Glenda’s Front Porch. Peace, love, and flower power
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Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.
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Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
