Celebrating Christmas

As scenes of winter, the Christmas season, are being placed on mantles throughout the house,

Santas representing generosity towards others are placed on shelves and into nooks,


and aromas of Christmas baking fill the vintage kitchen of English Cottage,

English Cottage is reflecting on the birth of Jesus Christ, our family and friends near and far and our daily blessings.


Jesus is the Reason for the Season

Living in a New State - "Indecision"

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner and a week of not spending three hours on the road to take and pick up Darling daughter to and from school. However, as I visualize Thanksgiving dinner I am not sure from which table English Cottage family be dining and enjoying our Thanksgiving turkey and dressing?

Not since Spring Break, have I visited the "state of indecision".

Does my family (hubby, daughter, border collie, and myself) drive to Texas to visit family and friends for Thanksgiving?
OR
Do we stay at home, relax, and complete some projects which includes making curtains for the back room and cleaning up worn out flower beds ?

Do I put out all the Thanksgiving decor?
OR
Do I minimize Thanksgiving which saves time and energy allowing me to go all out for Christmas which would require an earlier start for Christmas decor ?

Do I stay on a strict budget for Christmas?
OR
Do I spend more, enjoy the buying and wrapping of presents and deal with the budget later?

UGH, the indecision!

There is so much that I do not know at this moment. I hate unnecessary uncertainty. However, I am certain that by Christmas Eve, I will have all my questions answered :-)

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Ghouls in Wait at English Cottage

Between paintbrush projects, Darling Daughter and I pulled plastic caskets from the graveyard (closet) and unwrapped tissue paper from mummified spooky objects. The eerie ghouls, pumpkins, witches and harvest colored candles have been thoughtfully placed throughout English Cottage.
Halloween is a BIG DEAL on our street and in our town. In Halloweens past undistributed Halloween candy would last until Christmas. Since moving to English Cottage in Georgia, we have had to turn out the lights after running out of candy. I was extremely shocked during our first Georgia Halloween to find a constant line of Trick or Treaters queued up our sidewalk . Ah well, more of that on a later post.

All the Halloween decor has been placed, except my favorite which is a paper mache pumpkin candy holder. Darling Daughter has hidden it yet again. For more information on Darling Daughter's annual game and my fav Halloween item, click http://englishcottageingeorgia.blogspot.com/2008/10/annual-halloween-hide-n-seek.html
Happy Hauntings :-)

Handymistress Reflection

The paint brush is still in use at English Cottage.

The letter E is in the den which is being painted Sherwin William's Maison Blanche.

Also, work continues in the kitchen. English Cottage is an old home and originally did not have a kitchen. So, the kitchen was merely a room turned into a kitchen which presents many challenges and opportunities for one who loves "all things vintage".

Since the mistress of English Cottage in Georgia is the painter and handyman the blogland sabbatical will continue. Pondering the definition of sabbatical, a question is reflected as the paintbrush continues it's dance.

What Color is on Your Paint Brush?

The walls which are being painted (as time allows) are a Sherwin Williams, Maison Blanche. I am so loving black accents with this color. Below are the items which have come into contact with my paint brush.
Not being a photographer or blogger by nature, I only have one "before" pic which follows:

Above is the pie safe which I was priming. It is used for storage in the utility room. I could not get a clear picture of the whole piece. The baskets had been on wire shelves which spanned across the wall. I took the shelves down, filled the holes and painted the room with Maison Blanche. My lack of photography skills and cheap camera do not do the color justice. I hung chain link from the ceiling from which to hang the baskets.

I have no idea yet, what fabric to use in this upholstery project. I have fallen in love with the texture and color of drop cloths, but have lost confidence due to opinions of others. I cannot do an upholstery project myself, so I do not want to make an expensive mistake. I have plenty of time to decide because money for such a project is not in the budget yet. As always, opinions are welcome.

TBI Grade 3 Moment:

While I was settling into bed, my husband (grade 3, TBI) was looking for the remote to turn off the TV. Finally, exasperated at not remembering where he last placed the remote, he asked me "where is the turner offer?".
Seizing the learning moment, I asked if he knew the other word for the item which would turn off the TV.
After much hesitation, he replied, "the turner oner."

Life is never boring at English Cottage. :-)

Thanks for visiting. I am off to see what you have been blogging about and then back to painting.

It Was Easier Choosing a Husband...

During my morning coffee reflections I became dumbstruck when I realized that within a moment, I was able to choose - with not a whit of doubt - what man I could live with for the rest of my earthly life.

So how is it possible, that I cannot for the life of me decide which colors to use in my kitchen?

I do know that I will go with a cottage feel and cream, but all the other choices... I end up deciding by not deciding and nothing is getting done.

Do I want vintage cottage kitchen with cream and green as on my fridge? I love my vintage green handled cookware, breadboxes, and tins.

Or do I want the romantic pinks with green?

As I write this post, a preference is developing. I will have plenty of time to decide. I must save money for the beadboard cabinetry which I have decided upon.

During my blog absence, I have been busy with less intimidating projects such as the utility room ...

...and a downstairs bath. Unfortunately, the color did not show with my cheap, techieNOT, digital camera. The utility room and bath were both painted a Sherwin Williams Maison Blanche.

In addition to not being able to multitask (projects and blogging) my computer has been acting up. I think the problem it resolved. Thanks to those of you expressing concern and mentioning missing my posts. Now, off I go to catch up on what you guys have been doing.

Cheers!

Lucy

Enjoying the "Dog Days" of Summer

English Cottage in Georgia has so enjoyed the lazy "dog days" of summer. We are hoping to have an enjoyable time with the two weeks left before school begins.

Hope you are having a wonderful, memorable end of summer!

Sidenote: Pictures are courtesy of my daughter, Kate at http://www.kate-monroe.com. The subject of the photos is our much loved Border Collie, Bucky.