Our Screened in Porch Gets a Makeover

 Hello friends! How are you? I've been soaking up every luscious moment of Summer and also getting some projects done. Today, I'm going to show you my screened in porch makeover. I love how it turned out! Above is an after picture.

 Here is a before for reference. To the right, there used to also be a pool table that took up way too much space. That was one of my hubby's grand ideas but I was able to get him onboard to remove it and now it's sitting in our garage. Anyway, once it was removed, the space already began to feel much lighter. To the left, I had a little sitting area that I had carved out for myself.

 There is also an elliptical that I used in the mornings to exercise while I listened to the birds chirp. As you can see, there was a lot going on out here! With this makeover,  I wanted the porch to serve just one purpose and that was for an additional area to entertain or just for us to lounge.

After we cleared everything out, the hubby pressure washed the space to get it ready painting.

The first thing I did was to paint the concrete in a concrete stain. I used Solid Color Concrete Stain by Behr in Silver Grey.

via pinterest

 For the walls, I planned on repainting them in a similar coral color like the one pictured, but the color was not available in an exterior formula. I didn't want to go with the interior version since it's the screened in porch and it's exposed to the elements. The color would for example fade very quickly...

I decided to repaint in the same color (Benjamin Moore Snuggle Puss) since it is already available in an exterior formula and I still do love the color.  If you look at the before pic further up in the post, you'll see the difference since it's been repainted. It's much brighter and much more vivid.

 I also repainted the wainscoting.  It was originally a creamish color and didn't go with the concrete stain, so I repainted it in Benjamin Moore Simply White.

I had the blue chair already and  recently bought the other one. They were both bought from TJmaxx.  The rugs and other accessories are from 'me shopping my house' and reusing items. Also, of course, a porch makeover is not complete without lots of plants.

this pic was captured by Lea Hartman

This side remained the same except I also repainted(in orange) the table since it had faded.

And that's it friends. I've already spent so much time out here. I also love the mood of the space in the evenings when the string lights are lit- so cozy. xx

Real Talk, Real Moms: Finding Your Confidence as a Mom

 

        I was a teacher who had been teaching for over 10 years when I became pregnant with Zion, my first child. I never lacked confidence in dealing with the many students I've taught over the years. I was very good at my job too. But,  I remember clearly the day I found out that I had to go to the hospital right away when a routine OB visit after work took a turn I wasn't expecting.  I was 36 weeks and apparently my amniotic fluid was very low. I was "leaking fluid" and didn't even know! A wave of doubt fell over me then- all the confidence I exuded in my job fell to the wayside. I burst into tears at the clinic and remember thinking, "... no, I'm not ready yet!" I felt so unprepared.

       After his birth,  Zion wouldn't latch on to my breasts and I wasn't prepared for that. I felt so overwhelmed but thank goodness for the lactation consultant at the hospital who worked one and one with me and after a few nights he was breastfeeding like a champ. One of the things I learned about myself during this time was I needed to let go of the "being a perfect mom" goal. I always strived for perfection in other areas of my life and I entered motherhood with that same attitude which definitely added to my stress level when things went array. Like so many new Moms,  I read parenting guides voraciously and tried to devour all the "enlightening information" on how to be the best mom.

     However, those parenting advice manuals  and "enlightening sources" tend to inspire expectations that new already struggling Mom may find difficult to live up to.

     I had to turn off the outside noise and learn about MY baby. He was not a great sleeper and I went against everything I read and we did the cosleep thing. In fact, I would often have to place him on my chest so that he would sleep AND so that I could also get some rest.

     I also learned to not compare myself to other Moms. Though so many portray an "I have it together," image, they actually have struggles just like I do.

    Sometimes, you have to relinquish control to get some alone time and recoup. I have to admit this was an area, I really struggled in. Even when family members offered to take care of Baby Zion so I could rest, I hesitated or said all was fine because I just didn't want to relinquish control of being his care taker.

   I am much more confident today being a Mom and I've found being happy and healthy is much better for my children than  attempting to prove I can do everything perfectly.



Be sure to check out the other lovely Mamas' thoughts on this topic:

The Effortless Chic/ Design for Mankind/A Daily Something/The Fresh Exchange/ Oh Lovely Day/ Aves Styles/ The Sweetest Occasion/Apartment 34

Hey June!

We've been having a lot of rain so everything is looking as nice and green as my lovely fiddle leaf fig, Glory. Summer is in the air! xx