Life on the frozen Tundra.....

The sun is shining here on the frozen Tundra.

We are still working on the inside of our cottage.

The tub is being re-glazed as I sit here, and type.

The colonial chandelier that hubby painted white, and I decorated with my collection of crystals was finally taken down this week.

It hung over three dining tables, until I finally found a chandelier that I think will work with my ever changing decor.

I added a few of my favorite baubles to it, and am pleased with the way it looks.

It reminds me of one of the large chandeliers hanging in RA's barn...in her Prairie book.

The arms on the chandelier look wonky in these photos...but in real life, they aren't.

Or...maybe they are all screwy, and I just "think" it looks good in real life???

Whatever....It's not the type of lamp for everybody. It's a unique look. Hubby really isn't real keen on it.

He's never really understood why I have chippy, rusted, cracked furniture in the house in the first place.

As long as I don't bring something home with termites in it, he's okay. He still doesn't "get it", but he's okay.
Until next time.....xoxoxoxoxo

Some rearranging going on.

Since it's another stormy day, I decided to rearrange the living room.

The room is so large, we actually split the room. One side is the area for TV watching. The other side is my "play room".

That's where I have all of my antiques, flea market finds, and treasures....or as the Mr. might call it..my junque'.

Earlier today I pulled off the rest of the material that was glued onto my vintage dress form...Mannie.

The poor thing was wearing it when I bought her.

She's now al'natural....and looking wonderful!!

She's beautifully aged, and fits in the room well.

If the weather is an issue tomorrow, I'll probably be painting the bathroom.

I have some wallpaper left...so maybe I'll use it in the bedroom.

I figure I might as well get things done inside while it's still too cold to be working outside.

Have a wonderful weekend...whatever you decide to do.
xoxoxoxoxo

A fun weekend.

The weekend was absolutely wonderful!

Melissa, Kevin, Maddie, Charlotte, and Olivia were here for three days.

Kevin showed Grampa how to put the subway tiles up in the upstairs bathroom.

The girls tried to play outside, but the snow was too deep.

They kept Bella, and Bosco busy most of the time.

It seems like we ate more than anything else.

Homemade potato soup, pizza, biscuits, and gravy, omelette's, broasted chicken, etc.

That doesn't include all the ice cream, fruit, popcorn, and other snacks we ate.

Being trapped inside is not a good thing!!!

We did have fun together, though.

I love having the kids here!!

They bring such joy to my heart.

I've learned to let the house go when the grand kids are here at the cottage.

Instead of worrying about keeping the place all neat, and tidy....I let the little ones play, and scatter their things all over the place.

I want them to feel comfortable, and have fun while they are here.

 The weekend was over all too quickly. The kids had to be on their way, and Grampa, and I had to get back to work.
The tile job was finished.
We had a great visit with our family...and more memories were embedded in my brain.
My quest for joy continues.

I hope your weekend brought happiness to your heart, and a smile to your face.
xoxoxoxoxo

Happy Weekend.

I am really looking forward to this weekend.

Our youngest daughter, Melissa, her husband, Kevin, and their three girls are coming up to stay at the cottage.

Kevin will be showing the Mr. how to put in tile around the tub in the upstairs bathroom.

After the tile is installed, we will re-glaze the tub, and  work on making that room ready for the pretty shabby chic shower curtain I found at www.summersatthecottage.com. 

I've purchased gorgeous ruffled bed skirts, and pillows from their site.

When we finish the bathroom, I'll show you the shower curtain...it's beautiful!

I spent time cleaning the tiny, attic style bedrooms here at the cottage today.

I don't have many options, as far as moving furniture around.

The ceilings are on such a steep slant, it limits where the bed can go.

We cannot get anything larger than a double bed up the narrow stairway. We wouldn't have enough room for a queen size bed in these small rooms anyway.

You find the joy in what you are given.  When we were young, we loved cuddling, and falling asleep in each other's arms.  
After about five minutes....I realize something has changed....my neck starts to hurt, his hip gets soar, we both snore, I'm sweating..............It's time to roll over..or better yet, move to the guest bedroom.
Have a great weekend everyone!!

Sunday afternoon.

It's a crisp Sunday afternoon at the lake.

The flakes are floating lazily to the mounds of snow already resting on the ground.

The day has set my mood.

I've been curled up in my big chair, in front of the fire, watching the Olympics.

There are so many things I could have accomplished today....but sometimes it feels good to take a break from the normal routine.

 What did you do today?
xoxoxoxo

Dust in the Wind.......

What a gorgeous day here at the cottage!

The sun is shining, and the temps are actually out of the teens.

I understand that some of you are tired of the weather...the cold, wind, and snow.

I'm not going to pretend to love the cold. I'm more of a summer person.

I LOVE sunshine, the beach, and the sun dancing off the water like diamonds.

There were days when I was unable to enjoy the warmth of the sun on my skin. 

I couldn't take a walk in the rain.

Building a snowman with my girls wasn't possible.

Life was spent lying in bed...day after day...listening to my little girls playing in the yard, laughing, running, growing, without my eyes to watch them.

I would have given anything to be able to just get up, and go outside for a snowball fight with them.

Or lay in the cold snow to make snow angels, and let the snowflakes fall on our faces. 

There WERE times when we could spend moments together. It's not like I NEVER had time with my family.

What I am trying to say is......I understand how it is for the people that long for more "time".

How they cherish those moments they had with loved ones....like the time the girls and I laid on a blanket on the grass late one night, to watch the meteor showers.

Those times of joy that  may never come again.

Because you've been diagnosed with a terminal disease.

You no longer care how cold it is outside.

It doesn't matter if the wind is howling, and the snow is two feet deep.

What difference does it make that Spring is still six weeks away??!!

You can barely breath on your own.  You would gladly face another THREE snow storms if you could just have more time with your loved ones.

And to think, just last Summer you were one of the people complaining how hot, and humid it was.

You couldn't wait until Fall arrived so you could put on a pair of jeans, and a nice fuzzy sweater. 

Life is so fragile.

Time is short.

We are all here for just a moment, and then we are dust in the wind.

Don't waste your today's grabbing for tomorrow...because tomorrow brings you closer to departing this life.

2014 is the year I am seeking a joyful life.

For me....joy is a decision, not always a feeling.

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy: at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalms.16:11 

Vintage looking wallpaper.

This girl is on fire!!!

I like that song, and the artist.

The Hubster would say the song that would best describe me lately would be, "She's a Maniac"!

I'm pretty  sure he would say that song would aptly describe me any day of the year!!

I'm still "doing things" to the cottage.

After looking through my Rachel Ashwell Prairie book a couple of months ago, I got the bug for some vintage wallpaper.  

I finally found some that was planned for the bedroom....but ended up being hung behind the sideboard in the dining room.

I like the vintage look of the paper. It's pretty close to the wallpaper in RA's book that I was attracted to.

I pulled in an old sash that was hanging outside. Since it had a little window box attached...I added some dried moss, sea lavender, roses, a little vintage lace, some ribbon, and a nest with eggs to it.

Then I hung two of those half posts from the farmer's burn pile, that were rescued so long ago, to each end of the wall.  Adding to the shabby look.

The flowers on the paper have the same blue in them that I recently painted the walls. There are also buff pink flowers that match the sideboard. The background on the paper looks like aging plaster.
I'm sure it would look wonderful in any style of home decor you would choose it for.
It just happened to work well for my situation...and I really love it!!'
Time to wallpaper the bottom part of the steps!
xoxoxoxoxo