The kids are finished with school and they are at an age now that I’m no longer their cruise director. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to take them different places during the days but their range of age makes them variably interested in things so I just leave their entertainment up to them.

That leaves me extra time to focus on a few house projects. I started recovering my porch cushions in March but was undecided about the fabric. I interrupted that project to recover my friends’ porch cushions.( I mentioned that here). Although my color scheme was different, I poached my friend’s pattern for the settee and stuck with stripes in the same color pallete for the chairs. It looks way better in the deep red that she chose. To be honest, my combo looks kind of blah but it’s way better than my worn out, cat-pee, old cushions. Since I’m not LOVING the combo, I decided to save time by not bothering with piping on the chair cushions. The cushions are good enough. It does brighten up the porch a little and I’ll finish accessorizing and do something about the drab indoor/outdoor rug situation later in the summer.

Here’s what my chairs looked like before….

Pretty nice-huh? I was a kind of psycho about lining up the stripes on the tops and sides. It didn’t waste too much fabric and I don’t think I’d be as particular with a pattern.

I recycled the guts and the zippers. Fair warning, I still probably spent about $10-$20 on each cushion. I found that the densified foam inside was washable. I also was surprised to find that the foam was 2 inches with 2 layers of densified foam on either side. These cushions are 4-5 inches thick and very comfortable. If I ever make cushions from scratch again, I’d use this method for the insides.

Here’s a photo to show you the insides… I think the densified foam makes the cushions dry faster if they get wet. I was surprised that the yellow foam was in good condition and didn’t smell like mildew or cat pee in spite of having gotten wet or damp plenty of times over the years that I’ve had the set.

I purchased this porch furniture at Target about 6 years ago after my wicker furniture fell apart. It’s held up very well and it’s sturdy and comfortable. We have brought it inside for winters and that’s probably helped.

I did my friend’s cushions because I wanted to practice. I found out that while I’m getting better at this skill, I don’t have a passion for it. I would not want to do it as a business. It is tedious and time consuming. I’d be happy to do a box cushion here and there for a friend but 6 is A LOT OF TIME! I was happy to do it for a lot of reasons. Just saying, this will not be my new venture.

So that’s what I’ve been up to around the house….now for what I’ve been reading…..

I just finished Stephanie Nielson’s memoir, “Heaven is Here”and really loved it. That seems like a weird thing to say about a story which chronicles a young mother’s recovery from a tragic and near-death plane crash but I really loved it. It was well-written, so relatable, sometimes painfully and brutally honest but completely endearing and inspiring. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t just a rewrite of blog posts that I’d already read (though I wouldn’t have blamed her for doing that). My friend, Alicia (Hi Alicia!) always passes along good books and this was no exception.

I was surprised that more than her struggles as a mother, I was most touched by the tenderness and attention her siblings provided to make her well. I guess I wasn’t surprised that her parents or husband or even her sisters did everything they could to help, but her brothers were so sweet and nurturing and I truly could see each of my brothers taking care of me that way if I ever faced a crisis. I guess I know it because they were so kind, gentle and attentive with my dad when he lost his leg four years ago and before he died this spring. (I know I haven’t written about that-a little too raw still). I’m so proud of all of them and feel blessed that they have my back.

Be sure to check out Elizabeth Foss’ blog for more inspiration on good reads and fun projects.

That’s what I’ve been up to. I love summer!