The Porches at Buttermilk Cottage

You know the saying about..."best laid plans..."

I had every intention of showing off newly planted

flower boxes on my front porch for

Kim's Blog Party today.

The above picture is how my bedding plants looked

this morning after returning from the garden center.

I love red, blue and yellow together and

these fit the bill.

The pansies from last winter and spring were definitely

looking a little tired and ready to be replaced.

This is how they looked last month.

 The new plants are all in, the pansies are gone.

However, it was hot here today and the new

bedding plants need a little time

to themselves to "bloom."

That won't stop me from sharing the porches

here at Buttermilk Cottage.

The front porch is well loved, and well used,

throughout the year.

In summertime it's my favorite place for a

morning cup of coffee.

We use the front lawn and porch each summer

for our Porch Bistro.

We served cold iced tea on the porch the last time

Buttermilk Cottage was part of the neighborhood

garden tour.

The front porch even serves as the entrance

to our annual Holiday Show.

The front porch dressed for the holidays.

I can't talk about porches and not mention the little back porch here at Buttermilk Cottage.

It's a small enclosed porch and...

...a perfect transition from outside into the house.

A baker's rack just outside the backdoor

is the perfect spot for all those lovely things

we'll soon be bringing home

from the farmer's market.

Because it's unheated,

it's also the perfect place for storing

 goodies during the holidays.

Since, I wasn't able to show you my newly planted

flower boxes on the front porch,  check back later

and I'll be sure to share!

I'm linking this post to

Summer Decks & Porches Party

at Savvy Southern Style

Curb Appeal

My neighborhood is designated as a "historical district" within the city where I live. It is also within walking distance of a midsized university. That means I live in an eclectic neighborhood. Which usually is fine by me.

We have some real mansions here.

There are some houses that can take you breath away by their sheer majesty.

There are also smaller, sweeter houses,

and those that just say "home."

Some houses that "get it right" every time.

And then, there are some...

which could actually be quite charming, but...

The only thing I have to say is that if God had meant for upholstered furniture to be on the front porch, he would have named it the "living room."

Just saying...