Screened-in Porch Addition... Welcome to the 23rd Metamorphosis Monday!

One of the best parts about blogging, if not the best part, is making new friends. Sometimes, after several weeks or months of chatting via e-mail, we actually get to meet face to face. Other times, we just meet heart to heart.

Selena is one such friend...though, we've never met in person, our hearts have surely met. That's because we both share a tremendous fondness for all things porch. Selena recently shared pics of her beautiful porch with me, and I can't think of a better way to kick off our first official day of summer than with a tour of her fabulous porch.

Since it's Met Monday, I asked Selena to share what was in this space prior to the construction of her porch. Selena told me, "First, it was just yard, then a large patio, next a screened porch (shown below) with indoor/outdoor carpeting...

...which really worked out great when the kids were tots. They could swim in a pool inside the screened porch and I didn't have to worry about mosquitoes or bugs. All of us enjoyed the porch so much, that I missed it during the winter, so I had the old porch torn down and a new one put up that included glass inserts so that we can use it year round."

As nice as the old porch was...WOW, take a look at the current one! Selena said, "It is a screened porch during spring, summer and fall. In the winter, I put in glass windows that I can open from the top or bottom. This is the porch with the morning sun flooding the porch with light. I also added a cathedral ceiling with six skylights (instead of four) and tile flooring."

I think porches help keep us young at heart, because Selena wrote, "When you were a child, do you remember watching the clouds moving through the sky and trying to figure out what they resembled? I still do that...except instead of laying in a large, old cardboard box that I "constructed" as *my* personal space and informed my sisters they were not allowed to enter, I now lay down in my cushioned swing with lots of pillows and watch the clouds move through the skylights."

Selena's grandchildren, Tyler, age six and Elsa Grace, who is five, also love spending time on the porch. Selena told me, "When they spend the night with me we turn the porch into a "sleeping porch" and fill the entire space with flameless candles. (LOL) You can't imagine all the fireflies that attracts! I put my George Forman grill out there and we grill out hotdogs, play board games and tell spooky stories 'til they finally doze off.

"I enjoy watching the morning shadows dance on the floor.

"I love birds, and birdhouses, and nests...

.... can you see the little nest in the eves?"

I know Selena's grandchildren must love being in this special place...every porch needs such wonderful touches of whimsy! :-)

Selena said, "All my plants seem happy and thrive on the porch.

"During the winter, I call my porch, my winter garden, because I make sure I have bulbs blooming at different times and certain flowers keep blooming because of the warmth of the room. This was taken when we had a deep freeze one winter."

This Met Monday post also includes a lovely tablescape! Selena shared, "I have a little bistro set out there where I enjoy breakfast while listening to the birds sing and splash in the bird baths."

Selena has two sweet furry faces, too. She said, "I have two Himalayan brothers (Boo & Magic) who love the porch as much as I do."


About the following pic, Selena explained, "this is one where I have the glass in and it's raining...one of my most FAVORITE times to be on the porch and watch the rain coming down on the six skylights."

Doesn't she have some of the prettiest lamps out on her porch! I think I may see a little bird on top of this one. :-)

What a view! Do you see the fountain surrounded by gorgeous flowers? I think we may need to ask for a garden tour sometime this summer! :-)

Beautiful!

A view of the patio that's right off the porch...

Selena confides, "This has become my sanctuary...

...my personal paradise...

...a cherished haven that has brought me delicious hours of pleasure."

Thank you for sharing your treasured porch, Selena...it has truly been a pleasure for us as well!

I'm looking forward to seeing the changes you've been working on for this Metamorphosis Monday!


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