An Amazing Birthday Break (And Now It’s Time To Buckle Down)
This past weekend was such a fun weekend for me. My friend Lori, who lives in the Houston area, came to town and spent my birthday with me, and I didn’t give a single thought to home projects the whole time she was here other than to show her what I have accomplished since she was here last year, and to tell her about upcoming projects like the storage room. Other than that, I had a complete three-day break from projects, and it was just what I needed. My weekend, including my birthday on Sunday, was filled with conversation, catching up with my friend, loads of laughter, lots of good food, and of course, birthday cake.
I didn’t tell her I was going to do this, but I want to take a second to tell you a little bit about Lori. She and I have been friends for almost 30 years. We met at church here in Waco when we were both in our 20s, and at the time, she was on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ at Baylor University. Since then, she has gone on to start her own ministry, Lori Joiner Ministries, where she focuses on discipling women in their faith in Jesus. She has authored several books and she’s also an amazing speaker. So if you are in Texas, and your church is looking for a speaker for a women’s retreat, a women’s conference, a college women’s event, etc., I would highly recommend that you give Lori’s information to the organizers of your event. You won’t regret it! She is so fun, and such a gifted speaker and teacher, and I know the women of your church would be incredibly blessed to have her come and speak at your event.
Anyway, my birthday weekend was just perfect, and it was the break I needed. After I said goodbye to Lori yesterday as she headed back home, I decided to take the rest of the day off and gear up for this final push on my outdoor projects that I want to finish up before I start working on the storage closet. Here’s the plan:
Finish the skirting on the front porch.
Right now, the front porch skirting looks like this…
I have all of my faux concrete “stones” done and ready to go. I just need to get these adhered to the skirting area, and then I will need to add mortar between them and then prime and paint the stones to match the rest of the house.
Last week ended on a low note as my plan for the adhesive I wanted to use didn’t work out, so I’ve decided to use mortar instead of adhesive. I’ve never used mortar before, but I think it will end up working out better than the adhesive in the long run. If you’ll remember, one problem I’ve run into with my previous plans to cover the skirting area is that the corner of the porch isn’t a perfect 90-degree angle, so getting anything to wrap around that corner properly ends up giving me problems.
That’s the problem I had with the most recent PVC board option I tried. Because that corner isn’t square, I couldn’t get the PVC boards to stick. If I pushed those boards onto the corner so that they would stick, they looked obviously crooked and threw off the pattern completely. So I think if I use mortar, I can not only use that to adhere the stones to the concrete, but I can also build out that corner to make it square and plumb. Using mortar is a little outside of my comfort zone since I’ve never done it before, but I’m up for trying something new.
Finish replacing the skirting boards
After I get the stones attached, primed, and painted, then I’ll need to finish replacing the rotted skirting boards with the new PVC boards. I started removing the old boards a few weeks ago (before I built the side steps to the studio door), but I gave up when I couldn’t get this side board off.
But now I need to find a way to get that board off so that it can be replaced.
Paint the porch boards
I’ve decided that I’m done with stains and oils for the front porch, so this time, I’m going to paint it. I’ll be using the same anti-slip Porch & Patio Paint that I used on the side steps to my studio…
I plan to use the same paint in the same color on these porch boards, which are looking very worn and old right now.
Install new lights
A few years ago, I installed tape lighting around the front porch, and it looked really beautiful.
But I made a pretty big mistake when I did that project. I just relied on the sticky back of the tape lights to hold the lights in place, and I didn’t attach the little cable staples that came with the lights. With all of the humidity that we have, the sticky adhesive wasn’t enough to keep the lights in place, so they eventually fell down. I have new tape lights that I want to install, and this time, I’ll be using the cable staples to keep them up.
I also have new, larger lights that I want to install on either side of the door. These smaller lights will be used on my workshop.
And finally…
Finish painting the new bedroom door
I still want to do a lot of caulking around this door to see if I can disguise some of the wonkiness in this area. This is the most unlevel room of our house, and it’s very obvious on the exterior as well, especially with a door in this section that is installed level in a very unlevel section. So before I head inside to work, at the very least, I want to get this door all caulked and painted.
The steps to this door will have to wait until we have cooler weather. So I’ll get it caulked and painted for now, then head inside to work on the storage room during the hottest part of the summer, and then I can head back outside when it starts to cool down and hopefully get the steps to this door finished.
So that’s the plan for the next couple of weeks, and those are the projects I really want to finish outside before I head inside and start working on the storage room. Obviously, I didn’t meet my goal of finishing up my outdoor projects before my birthday, but that’s okay. That was a pretty arbitrary date that I set for myself, so I’m not too worked up about the fact that it’s going to take a bit longer. I am VERY excited about getting started on the storage room, though. But I also don’t want to leave these outdoor projects unfinished. I think if I can finish up these few, that will be a good stopping point for now, and then I can pick up where I left off when the weather cools down.
I’m feeling rested after my fun, long weekend. And I’m feeling a renewed sense of determination. I’m ready to get going again!
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Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
A very happy and blessed Birthday to you! Breaks are so important – they reignite body, mind and soul.
Love your new photo – so pretty!
I kept looking at the photo and wondering if it was new. It is SO pretty!
BTW Lori should visit more often. I’m thrilled that she could spend your birthday with you! Happy Birthday!
Happy belated birthday. It sounds like your weekend was just the respite you needed. Hope weather holds up so you can finish your plans.
Will you not put some kind of ramp on your bedroom exterior door since it was primarily an emergency exit for Matt (as I understood it)? Maybe a very small deck/porch with a chair and some pretty flower pots? My (unsolicited) thoughts on that bedroom exterior door is that it should be painted all white or a combination of white trim and the house color on the door itself so it fades into the wall and doesn’t call attention to itself. A second bright pink door on the front of the house just seems too confusing and distracting to me. Anywho, I’m glad you had a wonderful birthday visit with your friend. Happy Birthday!
It won’t have a permanent/built-in ramp, but there will be a ramp. I don’t have room for a deck because of the gas line. But I was never planning to paint that door pink. 🙂 It will be white with dark blue shutters to match the windows.
Belated happy birthday 🎂
Happy Birthday! Sounds like you had a great day.
Happy belated birthday! Sounds like the perfect weekend.
Things to consider. It’s hard to tell from pictures how wonky your porch skirt is and how big the gaps are around the door. You may want to consider doing a little bit of pre-repair with the mortar before you do the stones. If it’s a lot of mortar that you need to do, you may find it easier to do it in two steps. The same with the door gaps. Either spray foam or a backer piece before you caulk. Too much caulk can be problematic long term.
I don’t anything about mortar other than my dad always adds fire clay powder to any rockwork mortaring. Maybe something to check into.
I am so glad that your long weekend was so good and that your friend was able to spend some time with you. I already approve, what’s not to like about a gal named “Lori”. I love what you are about to do with the front. A lot of work, yes, but the results will be awesome. You will figure out the mortar, you always do. Looking forward to seeing how you solve that corner issue, I’ve got a few of those myself and would love to see another take on how to “fix” them.
Cheers to you, Matt and the Fur Birthday Squad!
Happy belated birthday, and…love the new picture!
Happy Birthday!
I have a feeling mortar won’t be too bad, you’ve worked with mixed up goops. You understand why to get a feel for workability and grab. Hopefully it’s not a terrible experience. If unsure, watch a few mixing videos with mortar first.
my material fandom I remembers years ago a big brand sold small batches of the mortar mix in heavy duty re-sealable bags. You added the water in, seal, and mix in bag. To later snip a corner and pipe on as needed. This made less than a quart, but was perfect for repairing existing joints aesthetically.
So happy for you to have a great weekend, and great birthday celebration. You deserved this very much, and of course, it gives you renewed energy…perfect!
Happy Belated Birthday