A Porch For January 2010?

In consideration of the devastating earthquake that has ravaged Haiti, I will not feature a "Romantic Porch" for the month of January 2010.

My heart is broken for the people who have lost their lives and homes. I'm sure many of them wish for a romantic porch from which to come and go from home and comfort themselves and others.

Love, Rachel

December Featured Porch

When we travel for 10 or 12 hours, over the river and through the woods...to grandmother and grandfather's house, this is the romantic porch that welcomes us at the end of a long tiring journey. Today is the wedding anniversary of my mother and father in law. December is a special month for them and I thought it would be so fun to feature the ones who gave my husband the gift of life. For that I have undying gratitude. It is truly a gift that continues to give!
This is what my mother in law had to say about their darling front porch. "The Christmas Season is such an important time of the year to me. It is the time of year that I met my husband and then 2 years later we married, just in time to get our own little tree for our very first Christmas together. My husband and I both enjoy the lights of Christmas so much and enjoy sharing them with our neighborhood, by lighting up our porch and the front of our house, we are sharing goodwill with them. Our neighborhood is so pretty right now.

When one lights their porch and house, it seems to inspire others too. I believe because Jesus is the light of the world, that is why we use so many sparkling dancing lights at Christmas time to show our joy of the season."

So Mom and Dad, thank you for being willing to share your romantic porch with us. Happy Anniversary. I'm sure you'll celebrate. Most of all, thank you that your family included my very own "Mr. RP"! I love you too!

Rachel

November Featured Porch

Hello sweet blog friends. It is with great joy and extreme excitement that I am able to share with you another blog post and the November 2009 Featured Porch. Due to patient and heroic efforts of Mr. Romantic Porch, he was able to get our "elderly" computer to be cooperative and Sharon at Rose of Sharon is our featured porch. So take a look and enjoy her gorgeous photos and what she says about her romantic porch." I love fall and I love to decorate, so what's a girl gonna do? LOL!
A few years ago I found this fabulous old cast iron pot at a church rummage sale. It was all rusty and beat up, but I thought it would go perfectly on the front porch for fall with floating candles in it.
I added acorns to the water for an added fall touch. We don't have an acorn tree, so I went down to the high school where there is an oak tree and got down on my hands and knees and picked up all these acorns. People probably thought I was going nuts! Get it...nuts....hee-hee! :0) I was a bit disappointed that most of them sunk to the bottom, only a hand full of them floated, but you can still see them and they add a little drama!
I stacked some old wooden fruit crates to create this little display area by the front door. Most of these items are just things that I found in our garden shed.
Here's what our porch looks like at night with the candles lit.
I know I have a lot of things on the porch, but it is nice because I will leave it all up until I bring out my Christmas decorations. It is very fun and rewarding for me to decorate my home for each season and holiday. I love the homeyness it brings and my family appreciates it too."

Sharon, thank you for sharing your beautiful porch with us. It truly casts a romantic atmosphere for those who come to your front door.

Please visit Sharon and tell her you saw her beautiful porch.
Have a wonderful day. I'm so excited to finally have another blog posting!
xo rachel

September's Porch

Wow! It's hard to believe that is is already September isn't it? This month I would like you to meet Traci. She is a new blogging friend who loves old houses and porches. When I meet someone who lives in an old house, I know I've met a person who shares the common joys of old home living! You will enjoy visiting Traci's blog, Cottage With The Red Door, but first let me share with you, her beautiful photos and what she had to say."My porch is a classic colonial porch. My home was built in 1920.We recently did a lot of work to the front porch. The previous owners had it confused for a Victorian and had painted the porch a lot of different colors. Colors I didn't quite understand such as gold, green, grey,
black and red. So with primer in hand we painted it more traditional white and I painted the front door red.

It is currently decorated for fall. I love the old gate. I tend to leave it out year round just changing the decorations on it.
That being said I tend to break all the colonial rules and lean towards cottage decorating on my porch. I love to decorate for every season.
The chair is a recent addition this summer and I just replaced the geraniums with mums for fall. You can't tell from the pics but on the front door I applied the saying "There's no place like home" and for me there's no place like my front porch!"


Traci, thank you so much for taking time to share your beautiful romantic porch with us. It brings me joy to see a home owner's expression of love through their porch. And you have truly expressed yourself in a wonderful way.

xo rachel

August Porch

Here it is...the August Featured Porch! It is the home of my neighbor. She'll be 92 in just a few days. Mrs. SSS is such an interesting person and spends much time on her porch. She has lived in this house for about 35 years after living right next door for approximately 35 years also. Mrs. SSS loves the trees and vines growing so cozily all around. However this grand porch wraps around 2 sides of her home. When she turned 90, my little girl and I went down and took everything off her porch and scrubbed the ceiling, wall and floor for her with a broom and the water hose. We cleaned the furniture then put everything back. It was her 90th birthday gift from us. She was thrilled.

Our neighbor was very close friends with the lady (her next door neighbor) who lived in this home before she and her husband bought it. It was built in 1900 by the lady's grandfather. She can remember her grandfather cutting trees from the woods and taking the logs to the sawmill to be made into lumber to build this home.

My 92 year old neighbor doesn't read my blog. She doesn't have a computer. She was fine with the fact that I was going to post photos and write about it though. Many days when I drive past her home to make sure she's OK, she'll be sitting on the porch reading or writing letters. She writes me the most interesting letters...sort of like continuing conversations of questions that I asked her when I was down there talking to her. Such as what life was like during the Great Depression and what our town was like when she was a child. Her latest letter to me mailed from just 3 blocks down the street was filled with interesting information about homes around town and 2 photocopied pages of black and white pictures of how our courthouse and several main buildings looked years ago.

My neighbor has never driven a car. When she walks past my home I have to run to catch up to her. She retired from a lifetime of teaching in elementary school. Yet she has traveled the world, written two books, and owns a two acre island one mile off the coast. She has spent every summer there for years and years. This summer she's only going when her children can stay with her. That is the way they will let her go now.

A few days ago she called. "Rachel" her voice came through loud and clear, "I'm just checking on you," I heard her say. Ah, she's 92! I thought she was at the island.

And so I took her a bowl of chili and listened to some more great stories. We talked about the end of life and the love of life and the joy she finds in living.

She said we'd had several days where it was too cold to sit on the porch. That's true. We have. I suggested she could wear her fur coat! She laughed her hearty fiesty laugh. Life is good on my neighbor's romantic porch.

Love, Rachel

July's Featured Porch!

Ah, here it is July 1st and I am almost panicked with the way summer is flying along. But I love the warm months of the year, so I am trying to slow down and savor each moment. Today I would like you to meet Stella and visit her sweet blog. She has a beautiful romantic porch loaded with flowers and water features. After a visit with her, I'm sure you would agree to sit and linger and savor the moments of the warm summer months too. Hey come along, maybe Stella would have us over for a little watermelon on July 4th. This is what she has to say about her lovely outdoor space.

" Although our front porch is where we greet our family and guests our back porch is where we live from early spring until the first frost sends us fleeing. The back porch is really two separate units connected by a walk. The first part is a covered patio and the second part is a wooden deck. By using similar colors on both they flow to together as one unit. This enables us to use the space in any weather because part of it is protected from the elements. My husband and I often have coffee there early in the morning and watch the sun touch the tops of the trees. In the evening we often have a drink and snack together while we feed the goldfish. Our family pets Max and Anne are always close at hand hoping we might drop a crumb or two. One of our greatest enjoyments are the two water features we constructed. One is a simple teakettle that drops its' stream into a small gravel basin. The second was made by stair stepping two barrels that feed into a pond where we have goldfish. Yes, the goldfish do have names. We also enjoy having our family and friends over for BBQ, lemonade and cookies, or something as simple as a watermelon feast.

I hope you enjoy our porch as much as we do."

Stella

Stella, thank you so much for taking time to share your lovely porch with all of us. Maybe we can take the chance to drop by your blog to see more! Your porch is beautiful and lush with all of your gorgeous flowers. It is truly a romantic porch! I really think your hanging "candle chandy" is quite stunning and romantic also!

Love, Rachel

P.S. Thank you sweet friends for your sweet anniversary comments and sharing your wedding memories too. I'm trying to get around to each one of you to thank you personally. I appreciated it so much.

Meet Joni and See Her Beautiful Porch

It is a delight to have the opportunity to introduce you to Joni who is another old home owner and old house lover. So read along and see what Joni has to say about her porch that is featured for the month of May here at "A Romantic Porch".

Hi, my name is Joni!

Welcome to the porch at our Old Centennial Farmhouse. This old porch was one of the main reasons this home appealed to me so much when we first pulled in the drive to look at the old farmhouse one fall afternoon in 1991. Our home is a fairly typical Michigan farmhouse and is a Designated Centennial Farmhouse because the original farm was farmed by the same family for one hundred years.

There's a process that the original family had to go through with the state of Michigan to get this special certification and a sign on the land, all once they proved the farm's longevity with the same family. It was built in 1898, by a carpenter who earned a dollar a day for his work.

Fortunately, we were told a lot about our old house by a gal who was born here and grew up here with her family. She is now ninety years old and lives just a mile across the field out front in her own farmhouse! We are still in the process of restoring the place. Luckily for us, most of the home had not been altered or any of the original woodwork destroyed or covered with multiple layers of paint and the basics of the home are mostly as they were in 1898. We happen to be just the third owners in 111 years! The porch had been restored before we bought the house, but due to using the wrong materials, rot took over because of Michigan's heavy snows and improper draining from the floor of the porch. About eight years ago, my sweet husband tore it all off and patiently remade all the gingerbread and redid it again. I think of the porch as one of the treasures of our home. It's sad to me that new homes often overlook one of the most pleasant places to spend some time on a spring, summer, or fall evening. This porch is pleasant mostly because of the big silver maple planted here by our ninety year old neighbor when she was only eight years old and living here as a child. The maple shades the porch and is home to many birds, and provides a pleasant sound when a breeze is in the air...which is most of the time here on the "prairie" of Mid-Michigan...an open land of farm fields surround us. Many evenings we can sit in the wicker rockers and watch deer or wild turkey or pheasant in the surrounding fields. It's a favorite place to sit and share a glass of homemade lemonade and visit and rock in the wicker with a friend. The porch overlooks our front flower garden and an expanse of green lawn, and when the crops are in the fields, those are pleasant to watch grow up and mature. We enjoy this porch in the daytime, or at night when the stars are out and the fireflies flit around the yard on a summer evening. If you're chilly, just pull a small quilt or throw off the back of your chair and cover up! (That patchwork one came from a garage sale for $3!) Of course, I have a lot of fun decorating this old porch with found treasures, either those found here at the farm as we tore down old barns, or finds from our own attic used in a new way, or from pleasant days spent either at flea markets, antique stores or yard sales. There's always a flag flying year-round, and I try to keep it bright and cheerful. I like to have a small wind chime to provide pleasant music that you can hear in the living room, dining room, or the bedroom overhead. In the summer it changes with a whim, as the pole barn has a stock of neat old props like an old red tricycle, a wooden carriage wheel, barrels and galvanized items and old crocks. The shade-loving annuals and the hostas provide lots of color during spring and summer in the border surrounding the porch. Spring is wonderful with lacy leaves and bright emerging bulbs and the carpet of emerald velvet to feast your eyes on after a long, dreary winter. What you see in the photos for spring are some fun vintage displays in the corner and one near the main door. For Flag-day and the Fourth of July, there are buntings to drape the railing and a special old '76 flag from our country's centennial celebration. I fly it from the front railing and place small garden flags down near the steps to carry a patriotic theme. In the fall, there are lots of maple leaves drifting in to kiss your cheek while you enjoy the bright colors of pumpkins, scarecrows and corn shocks. As I change what's on the porch with the seasons or the holidays, Christmas stands out as a favorite time when the railing is adorned with real evergreen garland and old-fashioned Christmas lights and red bows, as well as evergreen wreaths and vintage sleds and snow decorating the porch railing is a perfect bonus. I'm glad you stopped in, let's take our lemonade to the porch and get to know each other!

Joni, thank you so much for giving me the privilege of featuring your beautiful porch for the month of May. I have enjoyed hearing all about it and I know my sweet blog readers have too.

Hey y'all, drop over and pay Joni a visit on her blog Old Centennial Farmhouse!

You'll be glad you did.

Love, Rachel

Claudia's Porch

I am pleased to feature Claudia's porch for the month of March. You will enjoy meeting Claudia and learning about her life and work far away from the comfort of her husband, doggies, friends and home. This is what Claudia has to say about her cozy porch.
"I grew up with a porch. In my suburban neighborhood, it was the place we sat and talked, called out to our neighbors, read, ate, sheltered from the rain and sat watching the 4th of July fireworks.

When we were looking for a house to buy, we had many ‘wants’. One of them was a porch. On the day we saw our house for the first time, we walked onto the porch and saw that it was a wraparound porch
with a lovely railing and a floor made of blue stone. I stood there and thought, ‘This is it.’
Many of the things on our want list didn’t come to be, but the porch was better than we ever dreamed.
It is full of potted and hanging plants, an old rusty glider (that I wouldn’t change) with comfy cushions, a wicker rocker, some wooden benches and a table. The dogs love nothing better than to lie there looking at the world outside, while I read or knit and my husband plays his guitar. I can survey my garden and all is right with the world.

I love my porch and hope it is a welcome sight to those who pass by."

Claudia, thank you for sharing your darling porch with us. Thank you sweet blog friends for hopping over to Claudia's blog and getting to know her. You'll be glad you did.

Have a wonderful day, y'all.

Love, Rachel

Katherine's Cheery Porch!

For those of us in the frosty coldness of winter, I thought maybe a view of beautiful sunny Florida would be just what the Doctor ordered for the Featured Porch for the month of February. You will also enjoy meeting Katherine the gracious lady who graces this lovely central Florida home and writes the blog, Yellow Rose Arbor.
This is what Katherine says about her beautiful porch.


"We live in central FL on the east coast, near the ocean.

We don't actually have a front porch, but have a courtyard right next to our front door.

This courtyard has an arbor above it and the bougainvillea grows on the arbor.

These pictures are of the courtyard.
We have a back porch that we enjoy in pleasant weather, it overlooks a man made lake."



Take a minute of your day today and visit Katherine. Get a breath of fresh Florida sunshine, and tell her you saw her beautiful porch here!

Love, Rachel

January 2009 Featured Porch!

For the month of January, I am pleased to feature the porch of Carolyn's guest cottage. I have enjoyed her blog for quite some time now. She hails from Prince Edward Island. After visiting Martha's Vineyard several years ago, my hopes are now set on visiting Prince Edward Island someday. I suppose I visit there vicariously through Carolyn's blog. Carolyn thank you for your hospitality to us each time we visit your lovely home, cottage and garden. Carolyn writes, "Our little cottage has been used in the past as a little retreat for our children in summer and a garden storage shed in winter. However, when it was no longer in use in the summer I had some fun decorating it as the gardeners retreat in summer and the Christmas cottage in winter. On our garden tours it is very popular and has been photographed many times. I think it is a very romantic little hideaway!"

Well Carolyn, I think it is too! Thank you so much for giving me the privilege of posting your photos on my blog. I know that people will enjoy visiting you.

Love, Rachel

And The Winner Is..................

...Victoria Lynn

from Sweet Victoria Antiques.

View her beautiful porch photos and read what she says about each one. Drop by and wish her a Merry Christmas!

Victoria writes,
"I am a single mom of a 22 year-old daughter, named Rachel (smiles). I moved to Middle Tennessee on June 1. I am celebrating my first Christmas in the South! I have tried to stay in the Southern Spirit of decorating for my porch.





I decorated the wreath and garland myself.



The topiaries came from Home Depot. I enjoy antiques, sewing, gardening, floral design and of course, decorating! I have been blogging since March of 2008 and love all the friends I have found through my blog. I am a Christian and look forward to Christmas each year, not only as a time for having fun decorating, but to remember the true reason I celebrate, the birth of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. "



You will love Victoria's blog and home decor. If she's not already on your "favorites" list, I'm sure she will be soon.



Thank you to each one of you who submitted your beautiful photos for the contest.

Love, Rachel

November and Another Darling Porch

Can you believe that it is already November?

Karla at Ramblin' Roads and her family moved into a new home in March. Through the Spring, Summer and Fall, she has enjoyed her cozy little deck just off the kitchen. I am so happy for her to have such a beautiful place to relax for a few seconds, or even linger a bit longer with a hot cup of coffee and chat with her husband or laugh along with her fun lovin' daughters. Karla tries to never miss seeing the sun set each evening. As you can tell, she has the perfect place from which to catch a glimpse as it slips past the horizon and out of view.

Mr. Jack - O - Lantern was happy to visit for a few days. He enjoyed his stay immensely, though I think I heard he was just a tad hot a few times! However, to see who the real porch "DIVA" is, you'll have to hop on over and visit her blog. Once you're there, you will soon see how creative she is. You will enjoy reading about her love of road trips and reading! AND Karla, is directly responsible for the fact I'm in blog land. Before I started "blogging" she emailed me and said she had a blog set up and ready to go. Now how could I resist that! But it took six more months before I jumped in. Karla is one of the first people I knew to have a blog! "A what", I thought?! I think she's had one for 7 years or something cutting edge like that. And you can probably find her on a ton of other social networks. I can tease and joke with Karla. She's my niece!

Karla celebrates both her birthday and her anniversary in November.

To honor her this month, I thought maybe you'd like to get to know her too! She is the oldest child of my third oldest sibling. Remember, there is a whole collection of siblings in my family! Karla is 18 months (I think) younger than me.

Happy Anniversary and Happy Birthday Karla. I'm glad we are family by birth and friends by choice.

Love, Rachel

October Featured Porch

If you haven't met the extremely talented Donna Lynn and her beautiful dog, you don't know what you're missin'! This amazing lady can sew, build furniture, paint a house and probably anything else that sits still just a tad bit too long! She arranged all the flowers for her son's wedding and "baby-sat" his puppy to boot. She home schools, cooks, and loves her family. Her beautiful home was featured in Country Sampler this spring. Donna Lynn zips her way around blog land leaving happy messages of encouragement and cheer.


She has a BFF Victoria who is highly talented also and made this beautiful and crisp fall arrangement in Donna Lynn's window box. It is simply breathtaking.


Donna Lynn, whipped these little black wooden benches together in a couple of hours. Can you imagine? In my opinion, this porch ensemble is darling beyond description!



Tiptoe up and knock on the door. Her pumpkins send a seasonal greeting. I think I smell mulled cider perking. Give Donna Lynn a great big hug at Blushing Rose Antiques, and tell her I sent you!




Have a wonderful day!

Love, Rachel