The Cottage Around the Corner

From me to you....have a wonderful new year!!!

Battling depression...losing some and winning some. It has been really hard to get motivated to do anything. I felt as though all the sunlight had been sucked out of my life.  All the air felt stale...nothing fresh or alive seemed to exist. I felt like a foreigner in the world...like I did not belong.

Then one day, I remembered how I used to read blogs. There are some blogs that are like sunlight in themselves. The ones that always impart a sense of beauty to simple, every day tasks and objects. Blogs like www.deardaisycottage.typepad.com where Kim has the gift of making everything seem more beautiful. Even laundry at her house sounds enjoyable. A simple cup of coffee more delicious in a lovely, bright colored coffee cup.

And if you are looking for delicious food, look no further than www.bunnysovencom.blogspot.com as she has the most wonderful recipes. They will make you feel warm and safe. They nurture you in the way food is meant to nurture you.

Another blog filled with beauty and color would be www.cherryhillcottage.typepad.com, a place of cottage joy. A place of innocence and simplicity. Color is not used sparingly here and I believe that between this blog and Kim's Daisy Cottage, there is no way you can leave without at least cracking a smile.

If you are looking for romantic beauty then you will most certainly enjoy www.bunnyrosecottage.blogspot.com. Amy has a passion for bunnies and anything shabby chic. She recently bought a new home with her love and they are restoring and decorating it. As gifted as she is, I look forward to seeing how it all turns out. Although, I will admit to being jealous.... but then you will be too when you see her sitting room. Did I mention she has ANOTHER sitting room, too? See? I told you that you would be jealous.

There are quite a few other blogs out there that aided me in the time where I felt I was so lost, and I will share them with you every friday. It amazes me how people can find such beauty in what some would call a mundane task. Manuella at www.thepleasuresofhomemaking.blogspot.com always has the most creative and beautiful ways of turning something from an ugly duckling to something that looks like a heirloom treasure. Even cleaning to her becomes beautiful.

So now you know where I have been, what I have been dealing with. You also now know some of the blogs that helped me remember the sunlight and the fresh air breeze, the scent of life. I hope you will also enjoy these as much as I have and will find, or begin to find, the joys in simplicity. May you enjoy the fresh scent of snow, the soft glow of candlelight and the warmth of family and friends. Remember that although you may not find your blog to be deep and meaningful, there are others that will find solace and warmth in the simple lines that you express. Nothing is lost that cannot be found. Nothing is spoken that someone does not hear. The most important thing to remember is that no one is alone.

Why do I love frogs!! Because they eat BUGS!! I strongly dislike bugs. I am arachnophobic, maybe even bugaphobic. I once had my neighbor from across the street come over to my house to kill a flying bug in my house. It was really ugly. And it freaked me out. Sadly, my 8 year old kills bugs for me.

Back to what I was saying... I love frogs. We have TONS of frogs in our yard. And I am looooving them!! I am not having the crazy bug problems I was having last year. In the hot, humid south, there are way too many bugs!! Some of them are pretty (from a distance and under glass stuck with pins to a display), and some are just the ugliest things you have ever seen. Too many sting and too many bite. We are really enjoying the frog invasion this year. They aren't getting in the way or making a mess, we are just enjoying their bug eating proficiencies. They are growing well, and I am just happy as a lark about them. The kids are enjoying catching them and I now have several requests to get little frog statues for the front and backyard. I must admit, I don't think they would have to twist my arm to convince me of that idea!!

So, I am going to watch the frogs in my yard and maybe even take a coupla pictures. I hope you are having a wondiferous week!! Have a very hoppy tuesday!!!!

This week, I have a lot to do. Alas, I have a fever and I am sick. Will that stop me? Oh no!!

In fact, this morning I "colorfied" my guest bathroom. It was very pale and pastel, which is pretty, but with two boys that are always covered in dirt... it wasn't very user friendly. So I added splashes of red! Red is my favorite color, so that is no surprise. As soon as I can charge my camera, I will post pictures. I also plan on buying some red and white gingham ruffles (if I can find it) and embellishing my towels with it. I am not a good sewer, so I will use fabric glue. I am sure I will have to make more anyway, as my kids have a way of "discoloring" towels.

I am working on my front porch, but that might take a week or two. That is a couple of painting projects. I have to fix a wicker chair (it decided to unravel) and then paint it, the bookshelf and a table I plan on putting out there. I still need hanging plants, but I can't say I have felt motivated to go to the store since I got sick. That reminds me... I still need garbage bags. Oh, well. We have WalMart bags. And 5 healthy kids that can take it out often.

I also weeded one of my beds. That was an ordeal. Of course, it was a heat index of 100 degrees when I did it and I couldn't possible stop. I had to get it done. Just blame it on my OCD. I still have another long one to do. It is amazing how quickly weeds grow. Why can't my plants grow like that?!?

My daughters made me a beautiful flower arrangement for the table. I tried to put it there, with a lovely tablecloth, but my 21 month old kept trying to knock it all down. No tablescapes for me, unless it's nap time. Oh well. He is cuter than any china! ;0)

I hope that you are having a productive week. Take it easy and stay out of the heat. I will post a pic of the arrangement my daughters made me a little later. See ya!!

I have been trying to figure out how to do the window treatments in my rooms. For 5 years. Seriously. I am indecisive. I get an idea, can't find the stuff and then get stumped. Get another idea, can't find the stuff and get stumped again. I go back and forth. I think I want it one way, then I see another idea from somewhere else. What is a girl to do? So, I have decided to go the
neutral route. Quite unlike me, but I figure when I find the perfect curtains the shades will match. Here are two ideas I found on this site: http://www.greatinteriordesign.com/tag/cottage-window-design/

We have had so much going on lately. My sister in law recently passed away. She was only 33. It has been so hard to think about decorating a house or finding yard sale jewels. So, I went off the grid. I even deleted my blog. Thank goodness for the undelete button.
I have been suffering from major depressive disorder for some time (years...) and have finally found a medication that appears to be helping. It took a week in the hospital but we did it. I was too depressed to start taking it at home since they can apparently affect you to where you can commit suicide if it isn't the right one. Lucky for me, it was. But I still had to spend a week in the hospital.
So, as you can see.... we have had a crazy amount of stuff going on over at the Cottage Around the Corner. Now that I am feeling better, my yard is a disaster!! And the heat index has been over 100 degrees. And I get sun poisoning. Before, this would have left me feeling overwhelmed as to how to complete this task. Now, I feel better equipped to handle it. Yeah, me!! It may take a while, but I keep seeing these beautiful porches and gardens and yards on blogs. Now that I am feeling better, it makes me feel inspired. Come on, you know how it can get. If you have a not so green thumb and you are reading the blog of a master gardener... you can feel a little overwhelmed. Green with envy even. But I won't do it this time. I will let it inspire me to make my yard, porch and gardens the way I want to. During my depression, I forgot what it is like to truly take pride in your home. The chores are less chores and more of an expression of love to your family. A joy to be a caretaker to the home that your family resides in. I lost all of that. But I got it back!! And I am excited!
I may not post all the time, but I do plan on making the posts more meaningful. At least to me. Hey, it is my blog!! ;0) I also plan on starting to point out the blogs that are inspiring me to do something to my home and for my family. And I plan on removing the followers bar. If no one ever reads this blog, I am ok with that. I will enjoy the bliss of ignorance. I don't want to compete with the big designers blogs. I just want to be me.
So, if you actually read all of this, feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you would be most interested in hearing about. You just might be my inspiration!!

The photo from the top is not my porch, although I wish it was. I found it on landscapeliving.com. If it happens to be your porch, please let me know. I would love to give you credit!!!

Check these out! I am so excited! I can display pie without feeling the need to eat it!! Yeah!! I found a cherry pie (complete with a recipe in the bottom part) and a blueberry pie. I love having these. They make an adorable display, and if I am burning a pie scented candle, it makes it seem even more real. ;0)
I like to display them, so I put them in a triple plate holder (is that what it's called?). I just need to find an apple pie one now.
I also found the blue and white table cloth. I think it will look beautiful on a picnic table this year. Yes, I know my kids will make a mess of it, but it does wash and I paid less for it than a lot of the disposables or the ones that are easy to wipe off. You know, the vinyl ones. I haven't had much luck finding any polka dot vinyls, so if you happen to see some, please do share!!
I was thinking about painting today, but my right hip is hurting today. Yuck! It happens sometimes. I broke it when I was 4 and it hurts from time to time. Sadly, I can still sit and weed, so I guess I am doing that again today. I have some ideas up my sleeve to help with the whole weeding thing and I plan on sharing them soon. Hopefully this weekend. I just need to go get more dirt, compost and mulch. It involves either wet cardboard boxes or several layers of wet newspaper. Piqued your interest yet? I should be able to avoid weeding most of the year next year with this idea... so stay tuned!! I would much rather enjoy the flowers than weed, and I am sure you would, too!!
Have a great day!! I should be posting again real soon!!

I have had a lot of fun on CraigsList recently. Not near as much as I would like, as people are really overpricing their items, but I have found some great deals. Like this china cabinet:

I have always wanted a china cabinet, but they were either too expensive, or too large for the space. I found this one for $100. Yeah me!! I love the style. I need to replace the glass shelves since the glass is old and brittle, but that won't cost very much. I plan on painting it as well, I am just not sure what color. I love the idea of a cherry red china cabinet, but if I painted it black, I could put red and white polka dot paper in the back. I have such a thing for polka dots!! I could even switch it out with toile, which I would do for the winter holidays. Polka dots just seem to jump put at me in the spring and summer. There is another shot below.
I have several sets of china (5 to be exact)... 2 belong to my daughters. I received one from my MIL, and I think it is soooo pretty. It is a bamboo pattern. My boys love that one since it is less feminine than all the pink rose ones that my daughter have. I will have to post those another day as I have them packed away in the garage. I ran out of cabinet space in my kitchen and I didn't have the china cabinet yet. I loooove china. I even bought a pre-chipped set for the girls and I to use outside for tea. That way I would be broken hearted when one breaks. I found that set at a thrift store. The girls were thrilled, because they know there is no way Mommy would take out an intact set of china. Really... how fun would tea be if Mommy broke out in tears every time someone inevitably chip the really nice china? I prefer to not have that come out in the therapy office when they are older. You know, fear of china. Call it china-phobia, stemming from an unnatural fear of china due to the crazy behavior of a mother. That doesn't sound that fun to me. Of course, since I got the china cabinet, the kids are planning out who gets it when I die. I must admit, that makes me a wee bit nervous.... ;0). I think they all realize how special it is to me, even though I haven't been able to paint it or accessorize it like I plan. How fun would it really be if everything was done all at once? I think that makes it look too contrived. I want it to look like I have been working on it for years. I think that makes it much more lovely. Do you have a china cabinet and how did you treat yours? You know, with paint and accessories? I hope to get to the painting in the next few weeks, but I am having trouble on the color. What do you think? Black, antique white, cherry red or turquoise? Now remember that I am counting on you here. ;0) I am at a most indecisive stage. So, tell me what you think and I will let you know what I finally decide!! Thanks for stopping by and I promise to post more frequently.

Things have been crazy around here. I haven't posted since February. I know. Bad, bad blogger!! I promise to self flagellate later. You see, the longer I stayed away... the more I thought that the next project had to be big. The longer, the bigger. You understand. So, there was a lot of self imposed pressure I was placing on myself, and with 5 kids.... big projects are kinda hard to get done. They tend to be long term ongoing projects. So, I didn't post. Then there was the guilt. You know, for not posting. Yes, I know. You are right. I am kinda psycho.
To top all of this craziness off, I have been battling major depressive disorder. It is kinda funny when you think about it. I have been too depressed to do anything and then I was filled with guilt for not doing anything. Thankfully, I am feeling better for the time being and I admit that that is absolutely crazy funny. Hey, if you can't laugh at yourself when you've lost it.... what is the point???
So, I promise that I will behave myself better. No more feeling sorry for myself. The worst thing I could do is sit on my butt and do nothing. Yes, I have the gift of guilt trips. And I am especially good at doing them to myself. I always say, "If you can't afford a real trip, then take a guilt trip!". Ha.
Try not to think of me as too pathetic, if you do that is OK. I have gone through this long enough to not care what other people think. If I did that, well, I think I would always be depressed.
Ok. Enough of that. On to something interesting. The month of April should be a good month around here. We are planning several painting projects. Namely, the shed out back. We need to replace siding on one side, but after that it is all paint. And plants. Did I mention that it is currently my homage to weeds? I could say it is currently a science experiment to determine the types of weeds prevalent in our area. We are also currently conducting science experiments in the fridge... which reminds me that the fridge is on my list for today. Oh, dang. And the bathrooms. Why did you have to remind me?
Well, I now have a ton of stuff to get done. And I hope you guys are still around. I plan on getting quite a few things done here soon. And no procrastinating this time!! I promise!!

I know I said I would post this on the 26th of January, but we have AGAIN been dealing with sickness. Aurrgh! I am soooo ready for spring!!
I haven't had a lot of time to do a ton of stuff... yet. That is all coming.... soon!! I promise!! For right now, I am just uber happy to get this up here!! Quick! Before the kids see I am on the computer...!!!

Make-up organizers can be pricey. Too pricey if you ask me. Maybe I am just too cheap, maybe frugal is a better description.
Here is what I did:

I went out to WalMart and bought a $10 fishing tackle box. I also went over to the craft section and got some bead organizers for my earrings. It is a beautiful thing when you can actually find your accessories!! ;0)

The earrings fit nicely in the bottom drawer, along with some of the larger eye shadow compacts that I have. The rest I just divided up and...voila!! I can actually find stuff!! Yippee!! Here she is... by the way I named her Martha...:

Here's a quick pic my awesome husband took on my old camera this morning!

OK OK, this is really Kelly's husband. As part of setting up Kelly's new MacBook Pro, I'm setting her up with a much easier blogging workflow and this post is simply a test of that new workflow. I couldn't help but throw in that shameless plug...

I am a Bzzz Agent. If you aren't you are really missing out. I get to try out new products and rate them. I have even gotten to try out different medications, like allergy meds, that worked great. And it didn't cost me a dime. I didn't even have to pay for shipping.

This is such a delicious recipe for biscuits. If you prefer biscuits without sugar, you can just omit that. We found that these are good with anything... especially jelly (the kids' favorite!!). Faith made this batch and I think she did a great job!! This is a recipe I got from our pastors wife when I was a teenager. There is nothing quite as homey smelling as fresh baked biscuits and homemade bread. Enjoy!!