Yes, I'm Alive...No, I Have Not Done Anything Creative Lately....

Give me a break!  I have been traveling for my job....you know, keeping me in funds to do creative projects around my house as well as Christies.  I spent a week in Washington DC and the surrounding areas...a city that I love with people and clients that I genuinely like but boy was I ready to come home! 

I have to say that I love the Old Town Alexandria area though for the great architecture, brick streets, and general neighborhoodlyness.  I say this as someone who lives 10 miles at least from the nearest grocery store and moderately appropriate coffee shop.  The neighbors of my neighbors walk on four legs and eye me dis- trustingly when I head out in my leather shoes.  Good news....little traffic most days (unless someone loses a load of those giant hay bales)...bad news...no neighborhood vibe. 

So one of the projects I plan on tackling in between travel in the next two months is the creation of a front porch bench.  Hopefully this will allow me to get to know the phantom people behind their doors on my street.  Here is the front of my little abode:

The "glamour"shots before I bought my house.  These come in handy for the Before pics!

 See, now it is hard to tell but that column on the right of the opening to my front door is exactly 4 feet from the brick wall next to the front door.  Keep up with me now....I am going to build and install a great 4 foot bench in this area.  The design I am thinking of will have the back outfitted with 2x2 wood slats from the top of the back of the bench to the bottom effectively becoming a "wall" for Snickers.  That way she cannot escape into the yard. Then, when I want to hang out on the front porch, I can just move her "Snickers" baby gate to the main opening to my front porch area. 

She and I can sit out there and just chill hopefully getting to meet the surrounding neighbors.  If not, well until I get the back patio built with appropriate shade/rain coverage, this might just be our go-to area when the weather is not so nice.  Well, as long as the weather does not look like this:

Yep, that is Texas in March 2010 right after I moved in...

Have a great holiday couple of weeks and if I get industrious, I promise to post some kick-butt projects that have been languishing around my house.  That or drink and eat myself silly...not sure yet!

Shelley