Ideas for Winsome Cottage in the New Year

It's a few hours before the New Year, 2014! Winsome Cottage has seen many years come and go, eighty three to be exact. It is always a time of anticipation and expectation for things to come!

There will be a quiet passing of the old into the new tonight. The family and friends had dinner out earlier. Now Sir is watching football, one of his favorite things on the large t.v. The South Carolina Gamecocks will be in the Orange Bowl tomorrow in nearby Orlando, playing against Wisconsin. Though there was talk of attending, Sir has decided it would be too much on him to try and watch. His eyesight is continuing to deteriorate. Even with binoculars, the plays on the field are too fast for him, even if he could focus his peripheral vision. So The Mrs. will have a tail gate buffet set up for the 1:00 game. It will be an exciting afternoon at Winsome Cottage, especially with a win.

The Mrs. has plans to move some bedding plants in the morning and make room to plant the Christmas poinsettias. Most of the decorations have been packed away, a bit earlier than normal. Usually Sir and The Mrs. wait until after the oldest son has celebrated his birthday on January second. But the cottage still looks festive with Son's birthday packages wrapped waiting on the table. They all have a tie in for a hobby he has been hoping to do. More tools for the work shop, more projects in the making.

There is another reason The Mrs. wanted things packed away early. She learned that in January she will have a final surgery related to the accident she had two years ago. Grandson calls her the bionic Grandma. She is praying she will return to a normal life, be able to get down to garden and up on a ladder to paint. Please join the family in praying for the doctors, the procedure, her recovery and a positive attitude. She will be in the hopital for 3-4 days, in the rehabilitation hospital for 7-10 days, and then home with nursing and therapy. Thank you for remembering her to the Lord in prayer.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 is one of The Mrs. favorite verses in the Old Testament. He does have a purpose and a plan!

For all: hope, health and happiness in the New Year!

Ideas at Winsome Cottage

Often plans for the day are changed. Yesterday was just such a day about Winsome Cottage. Sir did some cleaning in preparation for the reorganization of the workshop, as the result of a "gift" of old cupboards for more storage. Whether for the cottage, the workshop, the utility room, or barn, The Mrs. urges everything must have a home. It has always been her desire and struggle regardless of the size of the home they have lived in. Sir said in the past he can find everything, it just takes a while. But with Sir's declining vision, it is necessary. The new cupboards, as well as the old, will have large labels now as to the contents.  The Mrs. has suggested like items be stored together, near where it is likely to be used. Fortunately, help is forthcoming, as one Son will help Sir today. The Guys use the workshop, too, and have some of their tools there.

The idea of storing like items together, near where they are used, for organization and time management, is a long held truism and a must reccommended by professionals. But as is the case for Winsome Cottage, it is not always possible. For example, there were no closets when the cottage was originally built. Some time back, one 36 inches closet in the "master" bedroom, and one 60 inches in the second bedroom, were added. The Mrs. said they were not practically located. She had The Guys remove the one in the second bedroom (no load bearing wall there). She said the location obstructed the line of vision, was too small, and made the room appear even smaller than it was. Two, 45 inch closets were built, multiplying the storage space from one 60 inch closet to 90 inches total.  The room does appear larger, and makes room for Sirs desks (more about them at another time). The Mrs. also had two hanging poles put in one, and upper shelves in the other for linens and blankets (alas, no linen storage existed either). When the workshop reorganization is complete, The Guys will build the doors for the closets. Now there is a 60 inch space in between the two closets allowing for room to slide in an old armoire from a friend. It holds the Grandchildren's toys, books and art supplies. When you open the armoire, all the crayons, pencils, papers, craft paints and other art supplies are stored, most in plastic containers. The Mrs. didn't pay extra for specialty containers here. She had family and friends buying the same deli meats and prepackaged foods for awhile, for the appropriate sized plastic containers she needed!

Meanwhile, The Mrs. has begun looking through the Christmas decorations. All the storage tubs are marked with what is inside. Each box inside is also labeled. The task at hand, is to decide which of the ornaments will be passed down or kept for the cottage. When sentiment gets involved, the task is always harder. The family has collected ornaments since the first Son was born. They were ceramic Peanuts characters, purchased because Sir always liked the Peanuts cartoons. Interestingly, in his senior year, the oldest Son played Charlie Brown in the Christmas play! Needless to say, he now has those. Since the storage tubs are on the porch, that's where the sorting is taking place. Every one walks through there between the cottage and workshop, stops to look and comment. The Mrs. says she is glad Winsome Cottage is off the road or traffic would stop thinking there was a yard sale. But she says, when all is said and done, Winsome Cottage will be beautiful. I am 83 years old, that will be an accomplishment.

Ideas at Winsome Cottage

The cottage was a busy place Thanksgiving morning anyway. The Mrs. did not prepare turkey or ham as previously planned since it was decided the famiy would travel. But the aromas were none-the-less delightful. Amidst the clamor of dishes, platters and pans, the stirring of sauces, and mixing of fillings, came the expectation and excitement of things to come. Finally, by midday, there were a variety of sweet and savory appetizers spread out on the counters in the kitchen, set on pretty dishes, wrapped in cellophane. Then, with the slamming of the old wooden screen door, the sound of keys in the outer door, Sir's footfalls fading along the porch and path, quiet settled over this old cottage. Just me and Annie, who flopped down with a sigh to keep me company through the day. It's unlike the Thanksgivings of the past. Winsome Cottage has been filled with voices happy, teasing, sincere and heartfelt. Faith, family, friends, food, festivities and fun, that's what Thanksgiving was about back then. And it is now! Wherever it is celebrated, in whatever setting, at home or away, the remembrance of the important people, places and opportunities, bring so much to be grateful for, blessings in abundance even in hard times. The Pilgrims endured hardship. From their efforts and the help of Native American friendship, and the blessing of God, this nation gave birth. Through the years, the land this cottage sets on, all about me, through neighborhoods, towns and cities, people have worked hard to build this country, keep their families together, fed, educated, healthy and happy. Moments to memorialize in thought, praise and prayer, heads bowed before a Gracious and Giving Father on this Thanksgiving Day and throughout the long weekend!

The next several days will bring lots of activity. Christmas decorations will be sorted, lights checked, garland fluffed. The lawn will be mowed, stray branches trimmed before my crape myrtles are ablaze with twinkling lights at night. Sales and shopping may slip in the schedule for Sir and The Mrs. They have been making lists for the family, Annie and even me! Busy as they may be, as the Holy-day of Christmas approaches, they will not lose those thoughts shared this Thanksgiving. It is the Holy, Loving God who has made all things possible through His Son, Jesus the Christ. That's the reason for the holiday season!







                                             















 appetizers

I am a small and concise cottage, what The Mrs. calls a dog trot bungalow. Annie, the chocolate labrador, proves that every day. Before the renovation began, there were walls between my kitchen, dining and living areas. I never had a hallway. This morning, Sir surely wishes there was one. The Mrs. is up making breakfast, without muffling the noise. Fresh brown eggs from the Rhode Island Red chickens, homemade biscuits, frying potatoes and bacon, those lovely aromas will cause Sir to stir out from under his covers.  It's what their friends from England call "a full English" but with a Southern twist.

It is a cool morning drizzle that greets the family today, not unlike the stories of the North England countryside friends share. Plans will change, and except for tending to the animals, the outside chores can wait until the afternoon sun shines. That means I may have more work done on my inside. 

One of the chickens has become a miraculous layer. She has been laying eggs within eggs, full shell and all.

Sir and The Mrs. had to be advised by the extension agent about how to care for her.  They have even held her in a warm tub of water and rubbed her belly to help her lay a larger than normal egg. In all my years, that is a new experience for this old cottage...for Sir and The Mrs, too!

Can you see the egg in the shell next to the other yolk?

Sir and The Mrs. have lived in many other places, such as California, Hawaii, and South Carolina, prior to living with me in Central Florida. They like being here, and I like having them. The Mrs. says I am comfortable and bring comfort to them, though they have to work hard to fix me up. They make me feel I am cared for. Even when I need some really rough treatment, like sanding my floors. The result makes me smooth and according to The Mrs. "lovely".

I am learning a "weekend" is the time when there are two days together and when I get the most attention. The porches are "getting a scrub" this weekend in preparation for decorating me for "the holidays". I know I will look pretty when Sir and The Mrs. have finished. Sir is making grapevine wreaths for me. The Mrs. bought two old windows to hang at the edge of both porches and the wreaths will hang there. The windows came from a family owned window company in North Florida near The Best Friends house. When old windows are replaced, the company sells the old ones. The Best Friends showed The Mrs. a stack of old windows in front of a house with a for sale sign for the windows. Little did they know there was a metal warehouse behind full of new and old windows. Now The Mrs. wants to get more to make a surround about the firepit. I will one day have all new windows, too!

The beautiful blue flower is from a blue sky vine Sir bought at a place called The Back Yard in Lake Alfred, Florida. It is at a complex of shops with The Barn Antiques. The Mrs. likes all of the shops there and plans to buy me "lots". I think I look pretty with flowers on the arbors, in the flower beds and about the garden. It's so much better than the weeds that made me look forlorn. That would be a terribly sad name, Forlorn Cottage. Winsome Cottage suits me much better!

Considering what's best for Winsome Cottage

The initial blogs you have read are actually from journal entries I started when we first moved into our cottage so I could note the renovations and progress. But as often is the case, "the best laid plans...often go awry" and life gets in the way.

The first two years here, we worked when not at our other jobs. For Sir, that meant weekends and holidays as he commuted eight hours from a different state while working on a PhD in chemistry and as money permitted. A wonderful position in his field became available locally, a new start up with exciting opportunities. He decided to take it and write his dissertation in the off time from the new job. It was wonderful to welcome him home each night. The extensive work on the house was set aside for the duration. I did what I could to make it more livable and attractive, inside and outside in the landscape, knowing the "winsome" in our cottage name was being postponed "for the greater good".

Again, a change in plans occurred. Many of you have experienced something similar in the last few years. The company decide to close, a temporarily stop of operations, due to the economy. We assumed it would improve and all would be right again soon. However, several years later, my husband is still unemployed. 

That is not the worst of it all. During this time while going to get his eyes tested for a new pair of glasses, he assumed he needed because of all the reading and computer work, we learned the cause was related to a diagnosis of Type II Diabetes. He is an atypical diabetic, small of frame, not over weight, no extensive thirst or frequent urination. During blood tests his sugar was never an issue. The specialists believe he may have had it for up to ten years!  He is under treatment at the VA in Tampa, Florida, going every two weeks for injections. The medication is actually originally a cancer drug used to stop the development of the capillaries which feed a tumor. Similar to macular degeneration,  the diabetic retinopathy, is under control and the physicians are able to stabilize and slow further vision loss at this time with laser treatment and the injections. He is legally blind, seeing a bit peripherally. I praise the Tampa VA eye clinic physicians and the care my husband has received!

I have had my own issues as the result of a serious fall at work. Though I am much improved, the road to recovery has been slow. Following a few weeks in a rehabilitation hospital and home health care for several months, my husband has been my primary care giver. Though he had always been helpful about the house, this was a huge change for him! Instead of taking wash out of the washer and putting it in the dryer, he learned to spot treat, hang up, fold laundry and put it away. He cooked meals and did the dishes. Along with help from our sons to shop (hurray for them, too, since he cannot drive) He has done an amazing job. I have one more surgery ahead of me.

All the plans for the cottage have been modified somewhat. Our sons have helped with a few projects in order to make living more comfortable and accessible. A closet was relocated to make work space for the computer and apparatus' the the Center for the Blind and the VA have made possible.

Thanks for being so very patient with this Blog. In the months to come, you will see the Winsome Cottage projects left for another day completed, and new ones begin. Wait until you see what's instore for the kitchen. I'll share Ideas with you, and please, share yours with me!

A sunny yellow for Winsome Cottage

It's been a long, busy and productive weekend. Everything seems so different, because it is!

The walls have been painted in the kitchen, dining and living area. Open shelves and beadboard in the kitchen are up. The pennisula between kitchen and dining area is installed. The upper cupboards of my old kitchen layout look better than imagined, and divides the area slightly. It will hold everyday dishes, as well as things for entertaining. The Mrs. says her gift is hospitality and she wants everyone to feel welcome here. Already it feels like a party. Dear friends have been in to help with the projects. Through the years they have helped each other work on their houses, landscaping and gardens. The work can be hard but they always have fun working alongside each other. There is always laughter, and so many stories to tell!

                                                                   

Winsome Cottage colors

Bold?

I am not bold. I am surrounded and under the shade of several very old oak trees, draped in Spanish moss.
I am hidden from the cars that drive by, unless someone is really looking for me. Infact, even with directions and instructions, people often drive right on by.

Sir has won out, and my exterior will remain barn red, as it has been for a long time. However, as the trim is repaired, The Mrs. is planning to paint it white. It will "perk" my look up, part of my make over. Will I be more noticeable to those who travel by?

Inside, The Mrs. has settled on several colors. The paint is from Behr. It has a good rating and comes from Home Depot. They are the closest of any retailer, so much of the hardware, new construction products, tools and such also come from there. The Mrs. wishes there was a grocery store on the way.

Actually, there is much discussion about the growth of the area around here, one of the fastest growing in Florida. Though I sit in a rural setting, there are actually new subdivisions all about me. There are two advertised "world class" golf resorts within a mile. Disney World is fifteen minutes away. But the family likes the fact that they have a get-away-from-it all here within the shelter of the oaks and my walls.

Back to the bold, The Mrs. paint samples are up on the walls, as she examines them in the varying light of day and night. She has made bold color decisions, at least compared to the white walls I have had. The kitchen will have a lighter yellow called Whisper Yellow, since it is surrounded by shade all day. The dining area yellow is a deeper yellow tone, called Melted Butter. The living area, which gets western sunlight coming through in the afternoon, is  going to be Pollen Grains which is a richer golden yellow. Now that the rooms have been joined together as one great room, seperated by beams, windows and doors, there is not much surface to paint, about two quarts for each area. All the trim throughout the house will be white. The Mrs. likes white trim, inside and out. You can see some of the samples below. Sir likes the reds.

Another trip to Home Depot today. Sir will find a new tool(s). The Mrs. will bring paint home. It will be a busy place around Winsome Cottage again tonight!

Work on Winsome Cottage continues

Whew! Plaster, plaster everywhere!

There is always a mess when there is construction, or renovation. But plaster dust is a nuisance! It goes into every nook and cranny, no matter if you cover and tape off adjoining rooms, it's there! Sir and The Mrs. have renovated and remodeled, or added on to, several homes through the years. She says plaster dust has been her nemesis. And it has been the undoing of several Shopvacs.

The tearing out is over and my face lift begins! Mrs. wants to paint my outside yellow, with white trim. Sir likes my old barn red paint. He says it is just right for the fish camp look. Mrs. says they have almost always had yellow houses and though the conservancy and pond are behind me, I am not a fish camp. There are alot of fishing poles in the workshop. It makes me wonder.

Yellow is a pretty color though. The Mrs. has several samples of yellow paint for the kitchen. She says I must keep my small window over the sink, "for the time being" and yellow will make me look bright and happy. There is also a pretty tourquoise blue for a bathroom, and a deep royal blue for Grandson's room. They want him to be happy when he visits, often is the hope.

The Mrs. called in an electrician to add electrical to the outside and the utility area . The washer and dryer have been moved there. Though it means a walk across the patio, it is not much farther than a walk down the hall of the big house where they used to live. 

The old carport, is the new patio. That is quite a change for me. Within the shade of the old oak tree, it is always cool. There is most often a breeze, but Sir has put up two ceiling fans where the old carport light used to be, to make certain it will be comfortable on hot evenings. A new cement pad outside the workshop has been poured for parking. Of course, I have alot of ground to park on. But The Mrs. says it gets her shoes dirty!

The most time consuming for The Mrs. was the reorganization and placement of the old cabinets and cupboards in the kitchen. She says with a couple of coats of white paint they will look wonderful and serve their purpose. The sink is in the same place under the window, but that sink cabinet has moved to the opposite side where the refrigerator used to be. Two smaller cabinets from the oven area will now frame in the sink. All the upper cupboards are now on the back side of the oven, on the floor in what The Mrs. calls the penninsula, where the old wall was. They face into the dining area. It's like a crazy jigsaw puzzle. Apparently, the family all like to doing those jigsaw puzzles, but not with cupboards.

Reusing and repurposing things has helped the budget. The 2'x4' timber of the old walls has been used to frame the new pantry and refrigerator area. Sir says they are more solid and heavier than the new lumber available. The timbers of my foundation are that way, too.

My old heart pine floors need work, lots of it according to Sir, but worth the effort. He has already removed lots of nails and staples that were holding the dirty, stinky carpet down and replaced a few of the damaged boards with ones from under the sink so they would match. There are some pretty rugs for the floors packed away. I am too messy still.

Having the new beams go up was a lengthy process. But I am standing straight and tall now. The beams are laminated from more of my old wood and being dressed with a cover. I wonder what I will look like. Mrs. says she will hang Christmas decorations from them. It will be wonderful celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas again. So much to be thankful for, so much to praise! I hope I will be done in time.

Winsome Cottage

It is an absolutely beautiful Saturday morning! The eastern horizon is just showing a scant bit of the brightening sky. It is amazing how the temperature can change from day to day. The air is slightly cool now, and on air such as this hangs my expectation of things to come. It's what calls Sir into my garden, and out to the animal pens, early. The chickens will be so happy to scamper out, racing like school children onto the playground. The cats will scoot passed them frolicking as kittens among them. But when their food is prepared, they all skid to a halt and trot back inside their respective pens like those school children, now called in after recess.

Today is a work day. The "honey do list" for Sir grows daily. Mrs. works along side. Team work gets the jobs done. I expect it will all stop in plenty of time today for Carolina football, a must this time of year. There is plenty of room for viewing since "my team" opened my floor plan. There is much more light and surfaces to sit things on. The Mrs. says we are not finished yet, I am a work "in process".

Winsome Cottage

This has been a busy day at the cottage. It is often said , "This is the dustiest place!" The porches needed serious cleaning as the result of the wind and the rain. Not everything got done, but I look much better. In time, now that the weather is cooler, the porch furniture and trim may be painted. For tonight, the family was all here, and it was nice for every one to sit outside for dinner. Tomorrow is another day. Scrubbery needs trimming. New plants will replace the old in my window boxes for the Fall and Holidays. This is the time of year when there is much activity about here. My rough edges don't look so worn and tired when they have a fresh scrub and pretty colors about. I am excited for the changes.