Monday, June 7, 2010

Hospitality: How We Greet Our Guests

I grinned when I read about the Practicing Hospitality Party over at Southern Fried Dreams. This is a new weekly party with an actual theme to it! This week, Southern Fried Gal wants her readers to share how they greet their guests.
I was really excited to post about this until I went outside and saw that what counts as "curb appeal" at the T house might make guests drive on by and make a U-turn on the next cul de sac. For honesty's sake, I'm showing you exactly what I have going on here right now, as well as noting possible improvements that are in the works.

I do, however, refuse to give you a full shot of the house right now because while T was sweet enough to keep the girls all weekend while I was in Texas, he did not have time to mow the lawn and it currently resembles a Brazilian rainforest.

Any and all (kind) suggestions are welcome.

I'm getting ready to phase out Springy bunny stuff, but this "Bunny on a stick" waves back and forth in front of my sad, peonyless peony bush and greets guests at the curb.

My flower beds are all weeded, but those pesky dead daffodil stalks sort of ruin the ambiance. You can see them behind my hydrangea and my potted marigolds on the front walk.
I can tell that T watered the plants in my absence, but the lack of flower buds makes me wonder how thirsty my plants were before he remembered.

I love garden flags, and I change mine out monthly. This one will be replaced later on in the week with something more Summery.
Don't you love the bag of Miracle Grow in the background? Just keepin' it real, folks.

My front stoop is pretty unassuming. This is the area that needs the most work. I'll post about my wave petunias another day.
The white "brick" is courtesy of MS Paint and is blocking my house numbers. Take that, stalkers!

I need to clean up the ivy spilling out of my large planters, and I have been hoping to spray paint the outdoor lanterns that flank the front door. They disappear into the brick, and I think a coat or two of black spray paint will make them pop. T is dubious, but I hope to win him over.

He absolutely won't budge on painting the front door (?!), so I am hoping to do a cute vinyl piece with house numbers or "Welcome" to fill up some of the white space.

I've tried putting planters on either side of the front door, but because one is under the awning, and one is out in the open, the plants tend to grow at different rates and things end up looking off.

So, truly, my home is lacking in curb appeal right now. When I break out the 4th of July decorations, it won't look so blah, but it really needs some work.

If there's anyone else out there who needs some curb appeal tips, maybe we can all take a peek at Kate's Weekend Curb Appeal Projects.

I could hold on and wait for Santa to bring me a hunky lawn guy, but with my luck I'd end up with a yard gnome and that's a whole other dilemma.

{Any suggestions for the less-than-welcoming front of my home?}

*Don't forget to come back and link up on Wednesday for the next Dishing It! Party right here at Serenity Now. You can click here to see the topic for June, as well as the code for the party button. Anyone who links up with a (valid!) link will get an extra entry in this week's Giveaway from Scentsy! Hope to see you here.*

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13 comments:

  1. Girlfriend, you crack me up. You need to give yourself a break - you have a lot of fun stuff going on to greet your guests!

    Last summer I had a bag of miracle grow on my front porch ALL SUMMER LONG!

    That blue pot is beautiful and I love how you have it in the ground.

    For your front door I think it would be cute to have three pots in varying heights to one side. Your door is perfect for an asymmetrical vignette!

    Anywho - hope that helps. If you want to brainstorm more, give me a holla! I get giddy doin' that kinda stuff!

    Thanks for practicing hospitality!

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  2. I think painting the lights AND the mailbox would be stunning. I always admire those brightly painted doors, but I don't have the nerve to do it. I really like those petunias. I never had much luck with pots of things for some reason. I think your entry is welcoming as it is. And I have to laugh because I've had a bag of potting soil on the patio so long the bag is disintegrating.

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  3. Dear Santa: I'd like a lawn boy. Preferably a hunk. And, a cleaning lady. She can look anyway you'd like.

    I'm sorry... I don't know why I went there. =)

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  4. Isn't our home always a work in progress - it's never "done" and such is the way with yards especially! I love it!

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  5. I think it's charming. I love the keepin' it real comment. You are too cute.

    I need to just spruce up a bit. Wipe away all the cobwebs and dirt. I can get pretty lazy with anything to do with outside. Shame on me.

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  6. LOL at take that stalkers and the yard gnome! I think your front looks very welcoming..I love the petunias. What if you just added a funky chair painted in a fun color by the front door? Later gator~

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  7. I think it looks pretty darn good. Maybe you could use just a little color. That's all. I do think painting the lights and mailbox would help.

    I'm totally jealous you have living flowers. I kill all of mine. I'm not even allowed to touch them anymore, lest they die.

    And the miracle grow? That's much better than the big ole cardboard box that sat on my front porch when my mother cleaned out her attic and brought me a box full of junk from my childhood room. It sat there SIX MONTHS! I am such a procrastinator.

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  8. I got Wave petunias this year, too! So far I'm loving them...no dead-heading!

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  9. Oh, our yard is far less inviting than yours! We so need to get out there and clean it up.

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  10. I think your pictures show that your home does indeed have curb appeal. Pretty flowers and a cheerful flag are a great way to great visitors.

    Painting outdoor light fixtures is on my "to do" list. We put in some really cheap ones on our deck that were black and promptly faded to grey. I wonder how easy they are to take down and reinstall? Would you go first please and tell me how to do it??

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  11. You are so funny! Your home looks very welcoming and cheery! I think we're our own hardest critics as the saying goes:-)

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  12. Too funny! I think you've got a grand start on your curb appeal. I love all of the pots you use in your beds. And I think the paint would be a great touch!!

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  13. Hi Amanda, I love your honesty in your post. It is an ongoing problem owning a house, projects are endless. My suggestion for your front door area...you need height. If you can I would replace the front door fixtures (rather than paint them) with bigger longer ones. It seems that the scale of them are too small. I think you need height on the right side of the door where the awning isn't for balance. Maybe a tall topiary in a pot and put 3 smaller pots of flowers on the other side rather than trying to match each side.

    Love your blog, won't have a "dad" dishing up post though,(I don't seem to post very often as it is!) but I look forward to reading other bloggers posts.
    Take care
    Stephanie

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