You know how there are certain things around your house that you pass a thousand times and think, each time, "I really need to do something about that..." but you just never do? 

That "thing" has been my porch light. Given the lovely stone entrance to my house, one of my favorite things about this house, this pathetic little ceiling mounted light fixture was an embarrassment, an eye sore. Not to mention broken with a missing glass panel and most recently, the home of a very persistent bird whose repeated attempts to build her nest in the fixture were not only making the light's basic function NONfunctional, but also making it a fire hazard. Dry twigs next to a hot bulb? Bad idea.

I have a running list of home projects that need to be addressed, and this was at the top of the list. I had even spent months looking online for outdoor light fixtures.  On my vanity upstairs, for some reason, I had clipped a page from Pottery Barn with several outdoor lighting options I liked, and it had been sitting there untouched for months. I finally just said, "It's time. There is no good reason not to do this right now."

It's funny how quickly things move when you just make a decision. I ordered the light and boom, next thing I know, it's here and it's a rainy Good Friday, and Kyle puts it up!

It's the Pottery Barn Fisherman Light, and I chose it because I liked the way its round shape mirrored that round little glass window in our front door. 

I was honestly astounded at how much bigger it was in real life than it looked in the magazine pages. In a good way. It looks really good in the space.

And compared to the weak light filtering through our former, twig-infested light fixture, this light seems to BLAZE in our porch, like a lighthouse on a dark, stormy night! It's a drastic improvement.

And long overdue!

And speaking of DIY...all the rain we've had the past week has kicked my trees and plants into grow mode! My Japanese maple outside the front door has sprouted baby leaves overnight. 

A potted hosta from last summer has poked up its initial spikes of green - one of my favorite markers of spring growth.