cottage – Page 22 – Karla's Cottage

New marble tile in the bathtub and some much needed deep cleaning

By Karla Nathan / January 11, 2016

Last February, I repainted and did a mini redo on the guest bathroom, after Dewdrop asked me to paint it pink for her. Of course, I like pink too, so was happy to do it.

The tub is original to the house and was awful. We'd put up a cheapo, plastic surround that never looked good either. I hated both, and while my mini redo last winter cheered the room up, it was purely cosmetic and didn't take care of the bigger issues.

Well, I'd decided that enough was enough, that nasty, old tub and the flimsy wall covering had to go. This was the GUEST room, the shower that all my treasured houseguests had to use. And it was embarrassing.

The contractor came out to look at the space, and he suggested a treatment over the old tub to freshen it. Those old, iron tubs are heavy, hard to remove, and are meant to last a lifetime, unlike the newer tub I'd be replacing it with.

But the tub was chipped in some spots, and stained horribly. My son was helping the tilers and asked if I'd ever thought of cleaning it.

Brat.

He meant, deep, deep cleaning and a scraping with a razor blade. Nope, I'd just used sponges and regular scrubbing stuff on it.

So, I soaked it 24 hours with a gallon of straight vinegar in the bottom, and the next morning, added a splash of CLR (to remove hard water buildup and rust). I went after it with a razor blade and magic eraser, and it very soon looked shiny and clean again.

A few touch ups with white enamel paint, and the chips disappeared too. Honestly, it isn't perfect, but it is 90 some years old and I like old things with imperfections, as long as they aren't grimy and gross. This tub looks shiny and clean, while still keeping the vintage feel.

I'm very happy with the results.

Next up, tile. And while the faucets and handles were taken off to tile around, I soaked and scrubbed them too. Our well water had left lots of filmy, white deposits on those and I had thought I'd replace them. Until I saw how nice the tub looked after some elbow grease, then I thought I'd give them a good scrubbing too.

And you know what? I had them clean in a matter of minutes after soaking. It was simple, fast, and saved me a lot of money.

I'd thought that that bathtub and the fixtures were ruined. Then I found out that I am just not much of a housekeeper.

The best part of the redo is this cute, little niche for soap and shampoo. Since this is an old house, we didn't know what we'd find when the walls were opened up, and didn't know if there would be a space to make this work, but luckily, there was space just where I wanted the cubby to go.

I looked at a lot of tile before choosing the marble. I was weighing in between this and white subway tile, both felt old fashioned and right for the age of the home. But the tile seemed toooo white for me, I like the variations of color in the natural stone. I have always admired marble, so I splurged and went for it. And this was a pretty small area to do, so the price tag wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. (and I saved money on not replacing the tub, so that justified it)

And I am so glad that it all worked out the way I wanted. The old tub is a keeper and the tile looks like it belongs there with it.

I've never liked leaving shower curtains open, in this room, or any bathroom I've ever had. But now? Well, I think I just might be keeping them pulled apart. (or at least while the toys are picked up, that clean, uncluttered look most likely won't last long, soon this will return to being a land of naked Barbies)

The lavender ceiling tin might get a coat of white paint…. I liked it before, but now it seems to stand out. (the ceiling tins are a mismatched bunch of leftovers from doing the kitchen ceiling and some stuff I had laying around in the garage from when I used to have an antique business)

A few pink roses in the hand painted flowers on the floor might look good too….

There is always a project waiting to be done, isn't there? For now, I'll enjoy it as it is.

A hair brained scheme, or pure brilliance? Making the boat fit into the garage

cottage

By Karla Nathan / December 6, 2015

Lots of glittery new pretties are filling up the Boutique and my Etsy shop.

And while I've been busy painting, dying, glittering, and sparkling stuff up, my husband was trying to come up with a solution on where to put his new boat. A friend's barn, that we had used for years was no longer available. So, my husband decided to put the boat in our garage.

Which looked pretty much impossible to me.

But he called a contractor friend, and our son, who is handy with a saw and asked them to make the doorway opening bigger.

But the garage was still too small, that wouldn't solve the problem.

So, the guys build a little addition off the back of the garage, just big enough for the motor on the back of the boat to fit into.

In a very snug manner.

We could only go back a certain amount due to other things in the way outside of the garage. Also, we weren't adding a foundation, or pouring concrete, this addition couldn't support any weight. It is only a niche to slide the motor into.

But the boat trailer was still a bit too big. We thought we'd just leave the door off of the garage.

Then, they thought of this scheme. A custom cut to fit around the trailer tongue!

You might think it looks odd, and most people wouldn't really care for this at their home. But, we tend to do weird things here when we remodel. I have a feeling we will never be able to sell this house… it is all very suited to our own personal needs.

There are only a few inches of clearance on each side of the boat to get it in and out of the garage. But we only put it in once a year, then leave it til spring when it goes out onto the lake and stays at the marina.

It takes 3 people to guide the boat into the space, but it fits.

And best of all? Our builder buddies were free to start right away. It was a quick job, those guys whipped it out in a couple days. The whole thing was just an oddball idea that we were considering last week, and now it is finished, all for under $1,500. We won't have to pay for storage, our boat will stay covered, and hopefully, no one will trip on the hitch that sticks out.

It really isn't in the way, but I plan on tying a flag to it just in case. And I'll be waiting for better weather to repaint the garage, it will be two toned til Spring.

I'll leave you with some pictures of prettier things. Although, my husband thinks the new garage redo is one of the prettiest things he has seen. He loves looking out the window at the peek-a-boo trailer and the new, giant door.

I think the garage looks like it is "sticking its tongue out at us". Ha!

A simple grapevine wreath for the season

cottage, holiday decor

By Karla Nathan / December 3, 2015

For years, I've wanted a wreath on my front door. I have no idea why it took me so long to act on that.

I also knew I wanted it to be kind of an all-winter wreath not just for Christmas.

Here it is on the patio for Thanksgiving, with the pumpkins in the planters. And the falling leaves on the ground.

And here it is with Christmas trees in the pots and leaves still on the ground. (If you think this is a lot of leaves, you should see the yard- it is never ending around here)

I wanted glitter on the simple, grapevine wreath, but I was afraid the weather would wear it away. So, I sprayed it generously with glitter spray paint, and while wet, I doused it with glitter and mica flakes, then did that again. Hopefully, some of it will hang out through the winter storms.

I've wired on some tiny red ornaments to look like berries, and blue ones to look like eggs in the nest. The birds are vintage ones, painted white and clipped on. I'm not sure if they will withstand the ice and snow or now. I guess I'll see, huh?

PS- Lots of newbie Christmas goodies are coming into the Boutique and the Etsy shop!

What is on the menu? Grow, greens, grow!!!!

cottage, Garden, holiday decor

By Karla Nathan / November 25, 2015

This photo was taken a couple of days ago. The greens were still a little puny, but they are growing as fast as they can. I'm hoping to have fresh salad for our big family dinner tomorrow.

The nights are getting colder, and this window box that my son built (4 old wooden windows from the Habit ReStore screwed together with a hinged one top) is getting wobbly from being outdoors for a few years. The glass on the top is loose, so I've had to go out and cover it all with plastic every night, then remove that so the sun can shine it during the day.

So far, so good. But with 22 people to feed, this might end up being a skimpy salad…

It hasn't been that long since it was planted, but maybe I should have started a week earlier. This was a simple project I saw on Pinterest, and it worked well.

All you do is buy a bag of topsoil, slit it open and sprinkle in seeds. The bag sits directly on the ground, and there are a few holes poked in the bottom of the bag before making slits in the top and adding the mixed greens seeds.

I've never watered it. If my window box wasn't old and wonky, it would be even easier, I wouldn't have had to cover it on cold nights.

I might buy another window (they are usually $5 each at the Habitat store) and replace the top one that is falling apart and see if Kansas will allow a lettuce crop for our Christmas dinner too. That might be pushing it.

But worth trying!

Our 2015 pumpkin harvest wasn't all that bountiful.

Mostly because I didn't plant any- a vines sprang up from last year's gourds! Trouble was, they were in a bad spot, sprouting from a flower bed in front of the chicken coop, where the vines wanted to stretch out across the yard. So a lot got ran over with the mower.

But a few little punkins survived. I'll be roasting one today to see if it is big enough to bake a pie. Things that are home grown are even more special for a holiday meal, don't you think?

I hope you have a tasty day surrounded by loved ones too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Evolving styles in my cottage kitchen, or why I would never get a tattoo

antiques/junking, cottage, Kitchen remodel, magazine pictures or articles

By Karla Nathan / October 12, 2015

My kitchen sure has had some shuffling and reshuffling over the years.

The biggest and best redo was when we tore out the wall between the dining room and kitchen. We had always wanted to do that, but had been told that we couldn't move a retaining wall. Then discovered 20 years later, that NO, it was not a retaining wall!!

And adding the ceiling tin was one of my favorite changes of all. It not only hid the fact that the two rooms that had been joined had different heights of ceilings, it is a look that I love. And fairly inexpensive to do too.

My house from the photo shoot

Before we finally pulled off that move, I did lots of cosmetic changes, just because I was never satisfied.

These are the original cabinets before we did any big remodelling. They were blah brown when we moved in, with giant, silver toned, disc looking knobs. I put them through many coats of paint, never getting it just as I liked it, but one thing that I've been true to since my very first redo at the cottage, is the glass knobs. I added these mismatched,vintage knobs very early on, and have used them since, even on the brand new cabinets that my son built for me.

Kitchen

Here is the room right after my son built them.

And this is what it looked like ages ago.

Looking at this now, makes me very happy that I couldn't afford to gut the kitchen when we first bought the place. Because my style has evolved so much in 25 years, and that evolution to what I love now is due to the making do, making it work, and learning from my mistakes.

It would have been awful to invest $10,000 in new walls, flooring, ceiling, cabinets, and appliances just to end up with this look from the 90s.

I'm glad we waited, and that I experimented with paint and salvaged pieces, and learned as I went along about what I liked and what I didn't. And I am glad I didn't do anything permanent like get a tattoo at this age. I'm sure that 20 years later, I'd be hating it.

ps- this is from a magazine shoot, and I didn't usually have soooo much clutter. The stylist empties out the cabinets and really fills up a room.

Sculpy_099

Being an antique dealer helped me learn my style too. I had a revolving door of hand painted furniture to play with.

Dining_room

Like the time I painted all the chairs black…

Buttons_001

But then decided that white was better.

Kitchen_001

And once I thought I'd like a neapolitan ice cream look in the kitchen. I do think that the dark wall really makes the cabinets stand out, and there are things I like about this, though. After seeing this picture, I went and pulled that striped and rose curtain out and hung it back up there again to give my burlap and lace one a break.

We have gone through a series of floors too, ending up with this wood that was beneath all of the layers the whole time. When we first bought the place, I was told that the floor was not salvageable, it had linoleum glued to it and was ruined.

Once again, I'm glad that we didn't try to use this original wood 25 years ago, I wouldn't have settled for the beat up, weathered look that it has now and would have tried to fix it. I'm glad it laid in wait until I could uncover it and appreciate it in all of its flawed beauty.

And after living with off white tile floors, and before that, white linoleum, I learned that I wanted a darker floor, and I'm glad that I stained the wood a deep, dark, walnut. Not only for the contrast, but for the ease of taking care of it.

We spend so much time in the kitchen, much more there than any other room. Lots of big family dinners, or quiet times reading the paper, having coffee and talking about what is ahead in our day.

So, it means the world to me that the wall cutting off the kitchen from the dining room is gone. And (for now??) I'm thrilled with the light tones and bright whites. I've always wanted an all white room, and have drooled over them on blogs and magazines, but felt like I was too far removed from that look to ever achieve it.

I guess it was a step by step process for me to get here. Little by little, I lightened up and changed my style. Now, I wonder, am I here now, where I want to stay? I'm happier than I ever was with the space. Many of the redos were because I was never satisfied and wanted to experiment. This is the most pleased I've ever been, and it is a good feeling.

Plus, I'm slightly exhausted. I might not have another redo in me!

PS- I often write posts in advance, and this one was written in September BEFORE I did a mini redo on the kitchen and showed it for the Blogger's Fall Home Tour. Ha! I did have some redo left in me after all.

I painted and hung two matching, new chandeliers, and made a new curtain from vintage fabric to go under the kitchen sink.

Fall Home Tour- uhm…I have four pumpkins to see…Oh, and some mums! look at the mums!!

collections, cottage, dogs, holiday decor, show and tell, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / September 18, 2015

Dear Brenda invited me to be one of her guests on the Fall Home Tour that she curated.

I'm afraid I don't have a lot to see as far as fall goes- I think I might have let her down. It is just a bit early for autumn decor for me, I tend to hang onto summer till the last blast of heat has faded, then go straight into Halloween junk strewn about my house.

But it was good to have a reason to do a seasonal transition. I was happy with the results, minimal as they are. Usually, I buy a few white and gray pumpkins in October at the Pumpkin Patch, and since the little grand fairies love going there so much, and the events are free, I like to save up all my punkin buying for that venue. It isn't open yet, I don't want to purchase the gourds from the grocery store, and our home grown ones aren't ready to pick, but luckily, I had a few artificial ones to pull out and get the mood set for fall.

Brenda is doing this tour in order of the homes, so previous to my house is House Honeys, So Much Better with Age, then Chasing Quaintness and the next home ready for a tour is Northern Nesting. After that is White Tulip Designs and My Thrift Store Addiction.

There is also a hand made pumpkin from my friend, Tami. (on the left)

While I love bringing natural elements into my home, and am looking forward to picking pumpkins straight from the patch, the artificial gourds can be a lot more versatile, I doubt if I could balance a real life, heavy pumpkin on a stack of teacups. And if you put a fresh one under glass, that can cause it to get moldy faster.

Even though Halloween is still a bit away, I had to pull out my white witch picture. I found it at a garage sale for a quarter, and it is one of my all time favorite pictures. She isn't necessarily a witch, but I think she makes a good one. She is a traditional part of my fall decor.

Sometimes the things I spend a quarter on can turn out to be quite nice. Not just the white witch picture, but this floral/pumpkin ring that the larger pumpkin rests on. I got it at a garage sale, and spray painted it white, then dusted it with glitter. I purposely did a haphazard spray job on it, so that the colors underneath still show in a muted way.

The new clock is from Michaels. I rarely buy things that aren't old or second hand, but this clock spoke to me when I passed it in the aisle and I knew I had just the right spot for it. (plus, while it might not BE second hand, it does HAVE a second hand….. oh, I crack myself up sometimes)

Few things say fall to me more than mums do. I can't resist buying a few more plants every year to set out in the beds once they have finished blooming.

Under the pots of mums, I've used my favorite scarf from a Victoria Trading Co. giveaway as a runner. I'm not big on traditional fall tones, but the soft faded colors in this scarf are an exception to my ban on orange.

This time of September, the summer flowers are starting to perk back up again after the heat of August fades, and the herbs are bolting with blooms. I love picking fresh herbs to bring in to fill the kitchen with their scent.

Speaking of scents, it is time to switch from lighter candle fragrances to cidery/appley/cinnamony yumminess. One of the very first things I do every morning is light a candle that sits on my wood stove. Unless it is winter and we are burning wood, of course, that is a whole other olfactory sensation of its own.

I keep a tablecloth on on the stove when it is not in use, and once again, these are not my typical colors, but I do indulge a little bit in fall tones, if there is a good deal of white still involved.

After saying a couple of times that I don't do orange or the traditional shades of fall, here yet again, I make myself out to be a liar. In the grand fairies' play area, they get a bright colored vintage table cloth with turning leaves on it.

I probably shouldn't do orange because this really doesn't fit in with that corner of the room. But, if I think about it, neither does the stack of coloring books or the box of art supplies. When there are kids around, you just kind of have to live with the things they love and use, don't you? And a bright colored table cloth to mark the turning of the leaves makes the little ones happy.

Recently, when I painted and stained the cabinets, and used Venetian plaster on the walls, I hung this drawing by my great grandma, Nelly, in the kitchen.

And it crashed to the floor in a pile of glass and crunched framing, due to a careless job of hanging it.

The drawing wasn't harmed one bit! I'd never really cared for the way it had been framed, and while it was a pinch in the ole wallet, I was glad to have an excuse to reframe it in a way that I preferred. I chose a more antiquey looking frame, and one much smaller than the previous one.

I'm very happy with the results. And I think Great Grandma Nelly would be too. She did a total of 6 pictures in her time at Southern Indiana art school at the turn of the century (not this one, the one BEFORE). Then, she retired to farm life to raise kids. I feel so blessed to own one of her works. And soooo glad it wasn't torn up in the crash landing.

For summer, I'd covered my chairs in white ruffled slipcovers. To warm up the room for fall (not to mention that they needed a good bleaching due to messy fingered fairies), I slipped them off.

I'll probably leave them off til Christmas. And maybe tie them on with golden bows? By the way, They washed up perfectly.

Last week, I also replaced the two chandeliers. One that had hung here had a wiring issue, and one in the studio got hit with a heavy picnic basket that spun around so hard the fuse blew. But that is a whole different story, isn't it?

Anyway, a light in the kitchen and one in my studio both needed replaced. I decided to buy two matching ones for the kitchen and move the one that still worked into the studio.

After painting the kitchen white, I almost thought that white chandeliers were too much, that I needed some contrast. So, I bought a pair of dark, rust colored lights.

They seemed too dark.

Seems like I had a slight case of Goldilocks syndrome going on, and needed to find the solution to make them Just Right.

I'd gone to all of that effort to have an all white room, and that was just too much darkness to add. So, I did some painting and brightened up the new, dark chandies, while still leaving some contrast.

This might show what I mean better.

I also added 3, large peachy-amber crystals (for fall) and a few vintage ones here and there to customize it a bit.

On the tube thingies that fit over the socket areas, I glued some vintage flocked and glittered wallpaper from France. Oooh La La !!

In the spring, I think I'll pull it off and change it to something rosy.

Another thing I'd been wanting to do since repainting the cabinets, was to change the skirt under the sink. I'm not much of a sewer, but I can do a hem to fit over a curtain rod without too much cussing.

I used the vintage fabric I had left over from another project, but it was there wasn't quite enough, so I added some vintage eyelet trim to lengthen it.

Sorry I didn't wipe down the front of the dishwasher or put away my watermelon before taking pictures.

If you are wondering why all of my fall decorating pictures have been of my kitchen only, it is because that is mostly where we live.

This room is where we gather, and spend the majority of our time.

The living room did get a little bit of a nod to fall. I sat out a crazy quilt that my mom made, in case anyone needed a snuggle when the temps drop enough to open the windows and we get a cool breeze at night. Mostly, Dorothy Rosebud thinks it is for her to cuddle up on.

Normally, this time of year, I take down my spring floral curtains and replace them with the white velvet ones. Not this year.

I might have discovered a wonderful trick- I didn't have time to switch them out last spring, and no one even cared or noticed but me. And look how much time it saves me this season!! Although, living in an old house with a wood stove, I do feel like curtains could use a good washing every six months.

I'm past due for changing the slipcovers on the sofa. Some how I've ended up with a few pillows that don't match.

But hey, look- I set out a festive, fall mum on the table. That is the sum of my decor for the season for this room.

Autumn is also when I have an excuse to pull out the carnival glass plates and serve something baked fresh with apples. The scent of cinnamon and apples for me is right up there with the smell of pumpkin and nutmeg to bring the feel of fall into my home.

Brenda, thanks for inviting me to be a part of your tour. I don't know that I had enough fall decor to qualify for it after all, but if you want to see a major transformation, try me at Christmas! That is when I go all out.

To everyone else, have fun looking at the other homes. I know I'm looking forward to seeing the creativity Brenda has rounded up for us to enjoy. If you are new to my blog, nice to meet you. And thank you all for coming by.

Here are the addresses of all the blogs on the tour:

September 15th…

Thoughts From Alice

Exquisitely Unremarkable

September 16th…

Town & Country Living

The Sweetest Digs
House Of Hipsters

September 17th…

September 18th…

So Much Better With Age

My Thrift Store Addiction

ps- The kits for "Book of Mysteries" are now available!! The little witchy girls will be coming soon.

(here is the book with a different witch on the cover, and without the Hocus Pocus eye.)

And another ps- Since my house is all cleaned up and I've already linked to a gathering, I thought I'd link to Feathered Nest Friday too. I rarely am prepared for linky parties, might as well take advantage while I am, huh?

Backyard water cooler

cottage, dogs, kitties

By Karla Nathan / September 8, 2015

The local nursery had these fountains on a 75% clearance, and the grand fairies are fascinated with fountains, so I picked it up for them to play with, for only $10.

The girlies aren't the only ones who were interested in it. All of the kittens have taken a liking to the dancing water.

But Honey is the reason why I can't leave it running. She thinks it is her personal water fountain and drains it dry in a few giant, big dog, gulps.

Yet one more adjustment that comes from owning a dog tall enough to reach anything it wants to.

Although, she doesn't realize yet that she is a big dog. Her favorite spot to be when outside, is under Sugarwings' golf clubs out in the breezeway. Those are some pretty short, little clubs, and Honey won't be fitting under there much longer!

An Arabella Cinderella Farewell Teaparty

cottage, Dew Drop, family, Food and Drink, parties, Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / August 31, 2015

We've had a nice, long visit with our tiniest fairy girl.

But now, she is headed East to be with her momma. We've squeezed in lots of snuggles and hugs before it was time for her to leave.

Sugarwings thought it would be a good idea to throw her a going away party, so we planned a tea to send her off with a toast.

Usually, Sugarwings helps set the table with me, but this was scheduled for right after school to combine after school snacktime with the festivities. I had the table set and waiting when they got home, to save time. If we delay after school treats too long, they interfere with dinner appetites.

But of course, this girl had to do some rearranging to improve my set up.

Dewdrop had been admiring some vintage dresses that I had hanging in the studio, and I kept promising her that she could wear them, but we never seemed to get around to it.

It dawned on me, that if I didn't pull those dresses down and let her try them on, they might not fit her when she came back again in a few weeks, those little ones do not stay little forever.

A vintage gown was chosen for Sugarwings too, but she preferred one of her own princess dresses. Both girls wanted to wear some of the jewelry I had out in the studio and chose some sparkling necklaces to try on. Dewdrop went with a floral hat from the studio too.

When the bigger girls got off the school bus from Jr. and Sr. high schools, they were good sports and joined in to toast our little sweetie. Can you tell by the look on her face that she appreciated our efforts and loved her party? That is one happy, kiddo.

We have recently discovered how delicious basil flowers are. I have always picked them off to make the basil plants last longer, and sometimes fill a vase with the blooming stems. Dewdrop likes to pick them out of the vase on the dining room table to eat during dinner, so I sprinkled some over our heart shaped watermelon slices for the party (made with a cookie cutter).

We also served blackberries and cupcakes along with the tea. All the dishes are mismatched and mostly from garage sales, and when set out on a floral table cloth, they feel special. Not so special that I get upset when one breaks. We had a creamer casualty, but it had only cost a quarter, so that didn't matter much. I want the grand fairies to enjoy nice things, had be used to handling them, not be afraid to use the pretty pieces.

We are all going to miss our silly, funny, little goofball and will be looking forward to planning a return party for her when it is time for her to come back.

I love new gravel

cottage, flowers, Miss Frenchie's

By Karla Nathan / August 25, 2015

If only our gravel drive and walkways always looked this good! Too bad it is so costly to have fresh rocks delivered, or I'd do it every year. We usually keep it to every four years. Heck, for what we spend over time, we could probably pay for concrete.

Maybe not, we have a LOT of driveway.

And walkways.

Now, you might think this is a blah subject for pictures. But to me, it is a heavenly site to see a big, expanse of newly spread rock with no weeds or grass growing through it (yet). And lush, green, overgrown landscaping. After years of draught, I forgot Kansas could be pretty in August. Not much is in bloom, but it sure is green this year!

I love the fresh, clean, weedless expanse of a newly spread load (or three) of rock.

So do the grand fairies. Although, it doesn't look quite the same when they have had their fun with it.

All of this new rock was unplanned. We had a torn up area in front of the house from digging some gas lines, and needed to repair it. Originally, there was gravel to the left, a propane tank hidden by a decades and decades old lilac bush, then wild, overgrown ground cover to the right and center.

Taking out the gas lines and the propane tank left this mess and wrecked the lilac.

At first I was discouraged by the look of it all.

Then, I saw the opportunities. Why not turn this spot into two parking areas instead of one? We do tend to have a lot of guests.

And I turned the ripped out lilac into a pile of prospective broomsticks for the witch kits I'll be making for Romantic Gothic Ghosts.

Since we needed new gravel for the front of the house, we had extra delivered and did most of the rest of the trails and drives too. I kind of wish we had done this one, but we just mow it every once in a while and it stays okay.

But this area was a challenge. The gas line redo had left mounds of dirt where our sump pump drains into the yard and it would cause the water to back up into the basement again.

So, I dug a long trench from the house to the driveway, filled it with river rock, and created a flower bed around it before the gravel guys came out.

Not knowing that the gravel guys could have just graded it for me with the bobcat.

Now, they had to work around the area I had slaved over in the heat!!

Sometimes it sucks to be a know-it-all-do-it-yourselfer.

I do like the new flower bed, though. I didn't line the bottom half with bricks or stones, because I know that cars would just run over them and knock them loose. I've seen it happen here. Also, I plan for the ground cover to spread over the edges by next year.

Along the wall of the house, I made another bed. I've put in shrubs, but need one more. I had to wait till the gas meter was installed so the bush wouldn't be in the way.

The local nursery was having a 50-75% off clearance, and I skedaddled over there to load up on flowers and plants. It has been a moist summer, so I think it is safe to plant. Normally, the ground would've been hard as stone in August, but it was pretty easy to slip Russian sage, weigela, phlox, lemon grass and daisies into the ground.

So easy, that I went back to the nursery and bought 18 daisies and painted daisies to add in front of the studio. I can't wait to see if they bloom next year!! At $1 each, if only half bloom, I'll still feel happy about it.

Speaking of the studio, new gas lines went through it too. I had the option of ripping up drywall, or just adding an ugly black pipe through the room.

I chose the pipe, painted it white, and hung plates from it. The plates were up there on nails before, so it isn't a huge change in the look of the room, but I think they look pretty hanging from the pipe instead. Plus, the soffit really needed a fresh coat of paint, it had been about 10 years.

And it was much easier than repairing drywall!

Around the cottage in August

cottage, dogs, family

By Karla Nathan / August 17, 2015

How on earth can anything grow as fast as a puppy? She is doubling in size by the hour, I think.

And doubling her sweetness too. She is pretty smart, potties on command from the first day, sits, fetches, and heels.

Let's see, what else… I got a new iPad cover. I call it 'camouflage'.

We had some repair work done on the driveway and the grand fairies were just chomping at the bit all day til it was time to write in it. We were hoping for subtle markings, but Sugarwings went big, so we all did.

We were going to have Honey make baby prints in it, but she decided to run across the whole thing. So, we let all the little dogs have a turn too. Then a kitten. Who sat right in the center and stayed there (and who did NOT like getting her toes and tail washed after)

Of course, the ladies had to be represented too, right? So we brought out our friendliest hen (who also didn't like having her feet washed- there is a reason that "madder than a wet hen" is a saying)

She strutted to the center of the cement, just like the kitten did.

Then pooped.

Which I don't think would have left a mark if my husband hadn't tried to knock it away. Now there is a poo swish mark, dead center of the new concrete.

Speaking of that handsome guy, we celebrated our 30th anniversary. There was talk of going out, but after three days of working on the kitchen, then doing some major garden projects, we were beat. And we had our big celebration, with vow renewals back in June.

So, we did what we really enjoy, grilled out on the porch and eating tomatoes from the garden, then cozied up with a good movie. We had the house to ourselves for a few days, so we simply enjoyed each other's company.

To me, that is much more fun than a big night on the town.