Finally! The Cottage Reveal

Some of you might be saying to yourself, "Self, what ever happened to that blogsite "Cottage By The Sea?" The one where that gal Tia writes about renovating her old cottage at the beach down San Diego way?  That gal who posted she was moving in to said cottage any day now starting around December of last year?  Then when that dream went down the proverbial tube,  it more realistically changed to (at last count) Friday the 6th of August?"  Well, she's baaaaaaaack.  I'm baaaaaack.  It's true.  It's finally and most definitely true and it even happened on Friday the 6th of August just like I said, well, after being wrong the first 372 times I said it was happening  Like the last time when I said it was happening in 13 Days!  I admit it to all of you right here in black and white.  I was wrong about that.  But, like my kids always say, "it's not my fault."  And, on top of that, "it's not fair!"

Amazing and awesome transformations and metamorphosis have happened around here since then and we're in our newly remodeled home at last.   I can finally invite you over for a tour of the cottage, such as it is now.  No landscape yet, and a porch which leads to, well, a railing, where a staircase down to the back yard will someday be but, I think I am ready to show you what is now, and tell you what will be.  Sort of.  Because this is a positive blog where I try not to let any bitterness or sadness or 'the dark side' out.  I will spare you the bad taste in my mouth regarding painters, plumbers, carpenters and general contractors whom I feel should all find different lines of work.  I will spare you the jangled nerves and the aging of 10 years due to jangled nerves.  Never mind that, lets go on a tour of my incredible, beautiful, amazing, awesome, Cottage By The Sea.

WELCOME HOME!  FINALLY.


This was our little cottage before.

This was our little cottage before.

During

And, after.

First of all there are a few extra mats in front of the door and that's because whist moving in, and ever after as contractors keep coming in to finish, redo and generally walk-wander about the cottage, these mats are there to protect my beautiful new floors until the last boxes and furniture are moved in.

Remember when we were going over and over and nauseatingly over which new floors to put in?

I even asked for your help and you were kind enough to give me lots of facts about wood floors you had experienced and share your good taste with me because I had to replace the beautiful and original oak floor which got ruined during the remodel.  I hope you like the ones we choose.  I think it was the hardest darn decision we ever made besides how many kids to have.  (I think we're happy with both.)  Decisions that is.  Furniture wise, it's all the same stuff we've always had, which will be going through  some outward transformations in the future that, I will certainly share with you.  The exception being my new white sofas. Because of what you see at the end of this post,  I never thought I would be brave, or Lucky enough, to actually own a white sofa, more less two white sofas!  Scroll down to the end of the "Lucky" post above and see clearly why I had that delusion.  Actually several reasons I had that delusion!  Or don't, and just have a look at THIS!

I have This!

Little and big boys, dogs, and dirty, sandy, feet that lie upon my sofa.  Am I lucky or what!

Well, as it turns out, I can and I do now own two white sofa's and they sit right in my Great Room which is attached to my Kitchen and my Dining Room, where the many and myriad of friends, family, kids and
Grandkids sit, wander, eat, wrestle and plop down after a day at the beach.  Excuse me, I have to do some breathing exercises - I'll be right back.

Thanks again for your patience, I'm still just barely getting through all this.  This transfiguration came about in my life because, Maria over at Dreamy Whites  told me that I COULD AND SHOULD HAVE WHITE SOFA'S.  Really.  I wrote and asked her personally.  After all, she has them, and she also, just like I do, has five children.  Two of them being boys, with a cowboy husband thrown in to boot!  She said, it would be no problem because they're slip covered and you can just slip those covers off and wash them when they get dirty.  So, as you can see here, I went crazy and went for it.   Both white sofa's are full size to accommodate the myriad of people we seat.  Although I've spent years dreaming of owning a white sofa, I thought that dream could never come true due to the "lucky" circumstances in my life.  So, so far, thanks Maria for giving me the strength and faith that white sofas could be in my future!  It took me a week to garner the courage to take the protective, plastic coverings off but, when I got my two thousand forty-second, nasty, you've got to be kidding me look, I gave in and here is how they look now.

Pretty beautiful, yes?  I love, love, love, how they look.  And besides one little mishap with some computer ink my daughter had on her fingers whilst fixing the printer and which will never happen again lest I do her bodily harm I believe the white sofa's were a great decision.  A dab of Oxi Clean on a damp cloth was all it took to make the stain disappear.  Maria was right.  Easy Peasy!  I love how beautiful the sofa's look and the idea that, when they are dirty, I can see it and clean them and not be hiding yucky dirt which I know must be lurking there somewhere everywhere.  This appeals to my neurotic, chronic, unholy sense of cleanliness.

And, so far, so good!

For what seemed like forever, my kitchen looked like this.

But now it looks like this.

All my favorite pots and pans, the ones I haven't seen for over 4 years since we moved to the beach, now hang in my kitchen, in all their newly polished glory, right over the island where I can use them every day.  I've already had two dinner parties and cooked my fool head off, so there's proof in the pudding!

Remember when  I said, Its It's Tubby Time and y'all helped me choose which tub to buy?  Then she came and was a tad to small so she got shipped back and guess what?  Here she is today in all her gloriousness!

She's a beauty.

The sinks in the Master Bedroom are awesome too.  Check out the Zen of this water spout.  I love the way the water gently pours our into your hand.  Relaxing.  Excuse me again, I have to go wash my hands.

Thanks, I feel so much better.  Lets have a quick look at a couple of other new features at the cottage and then I have to get back to unpacking and cleaning and moving things around.  Don't worry, we've barely touched upon the marvelousness of the remodel.  I have so much to show you I could burst from the wanting to.  I've missed you guys so much!

Remember Andy?  Remember all the dirt we brought out of this hole where the new staircase was to go?  Remember that there was no staircase inside because little cottages built in the 1950's only had outside stairs to get down to the rooms below?  Check out any of the first archives and you can read all about that!

But here are the new stairs.  Hand crafted by the most amazing artisans.  The part you see which begins the curve on the bannister actually had to be hand carved to make it work.  I don't have much to say (due to keeping this blog on the light and fun side) about the other contractors who worked on the cottage but, the stairs were done beautifully by a father and son who definitely know what they're doing.

Do you love the wood?  You helped me to choose it.  Thank you!

If you're ever down my way, your welcome to stop by.  I'd love to see you and show you around in person.  More than that, I'd love to sit down with a Cuppa and just enjoy your company.  I have so much more to share with you, I couldn't even touch upon it in only one post.  We have gained so much, lost so much, and changed so many things it's impossible to express.  I hope I will be able to at least touch upon it in this blog because sharing it is the best part.

Until then from me and my Cottage By The Sea...


I love you more than all the moments, glorious and frustrating, leading up to the incredible blessing which is my life.  Until next time, God richly bless all of you.   XOXOXOXO

Tia

She's Sweet 16 - You Vote

This is my babiest of babies.  The youngest of my five.  She's one of three sisters and two brothers.  Maggie had a birthday this week making her officially, SWEET 16!  S W E E T.

She only wants two things for her birthday.

#1 = her drivers license.  (shhhhh.  Don't tell her I said this because I don't want to dash her dreams and all but), when I approached her Papa about this one, he asked me if I was out of my ever lovin mind?

What?  Ever lovin, what?  "Nah," said I.  "I lost that a long time ago".  Right along, about the time we started this Cottage By The Sea, redo idea of yours.  Hmmm. "

Let me just let y'all in on, our family policy. The kids and I, we always give their dad the benefit of the doubt.  I've trained them to always and respectfully ask his sage advise.  Well, on almost all things.  Not on say, foreign matters or Presidential policy in Afghanistan or anything.  But, always on matters which will take a credit card or a big check.  So far he has rebutted our requests regarding Maggie's #1 wish for her drivers license.  Here forth were our arguments for debate.  This is kind of how the scene played out.

Me:  So, um, honey.  Maggie's birthday is coming up and more than any, any, anything, she really, really, really, wants to get her driver's license.

Hubby:  Her Drivers License?  The other kids didn't get their driver's license until they were 17.  I think maybe they were even in their Senior Year of High School.

Me:  Well, Tara got hers when she was 16 because it's all she ever wanted and so you said yes to her.

Silence.  Fade out.

Me:  And honey, just because the others were rare freaks of nature and didn't even care about getting their drivers license until they were 17, why should Mag's have to wait if it's what she really, really, wants?

Hubby:  Are you kidding?  Letting Tara get her drivers license at 16 is the exact reason Maggie is, no way, getting hers at 16!

Silence.  Fade out.

Me:  Yeah but, if she had her license I wouldn't have to make that 1 hour round trip drive to take her to school every day.  Two hours if you count picking her up!  Come on, it's my easy out and we can count it as a birthday present = win/win.  Pretty great, right?

Silence.  Fade out.

Me again:  So, I take that as a big fat yes, right?  Right honey?

Hubby:  No way.

Me:  Heavily pleading our her case now.  But, look at her.  Just look at that face.  How can you say no to that face?

Hubby:  NO flipping way!

Me:  Okay.  For now.

Me:  I think I'm gonna let my blog readers vote then, K?

Silence.  Fade out.

She's a stunner, our girl Maggie, on the inside and on the out.  She's full of angel kisses; just look at her.  You can tell by the sweet wee freckles dancing across her  face.  I'm watching out for her like white on rice. She goes - I go - I go - she goes.  Hee, hee, hee.

I'm sure I've introduced her to you several times before but, because I don't want you to be deprived, here's a quick link which is an example of,  I go — she goes.  She has to go.  She's the baby.  I got nobody else, K?  Besides that, she loves to shop.  I'm just doing her a favor.  That's just the kinda mom I am.

November is National Maggie Day  We'll see you there next year!  Until then, did you know that Maggie's favorite flower is a Daisy?

Maggie loves Daisy's

These are some of Maggie's peeps.  I drove a total of six, (6) yes, SIX hours so that I could get Maggie to her favorite restaurant to spend her 16th birthday with of her favorite friends.  I know she'll thank me later, when she's all grown up.  


We've been banished from the cottage until move-in, for various and sundry reasons.  Way, way, up here in the mountains — far away from the sea (but not too shabby).  More on that later.  Wish you were here.  But she wished she were there.  Therefore, that's where I took her.  She's worth it.  Look at her happy face and her cute friends.  My baby is Sweet 16!

Okay, now, whilst keeping your mind on what your vote will be as to Maggie getting her driver's license, lets get to the other thing Maggie really, really, needs wants for her birthday. 

Wish #2

What?  Well, now it's not just a matter of wants, it's a matter of, of.  You can see for yourself, right there.  Look at that!  Her cell phone just got dropped right in her cake!

Tell me she didn't?  She wouldn't?  She couldn't!  She didn't?  She DID.  Ewwwww.  My germaphobiholic tendencies have now kicked into high gear, and I don't even know if I can finish this post.  Whew-whew- whew-whew-whew

Okay.  I'm okay.  But Maggie, it may be a much harder sell to your dad now.  Case in point.

Me:  So um, honey, about Maggie getting an upgrade on her cell-phone for her birthday?

Hubby:  Why does she need an upgrade?  What the heck (words may have been changed cleaned up, to protect the innocent).  I see her using that phone 24/7.  What's the matter with the phone she has?

Me:  Well, Sweets, she wants the new double bonanza two gun indestructible magnum water proof spill proof (still need proof)? Version of her old, tatty, germ y, frosting filled, old phone.

Hubby:  She doesn't even take care of the one she has.

Me:  Case in point.  You got it spot on dear.  You're absolutely right, and that's why she needs the new, double bonanza two gun indestructible magnum water proof spill proof version.  Besides that, if she gets the new double bonanza two gun indestructible magnum water proof spill proof version she can talk on the phone AND take a shower OR text WHILE she surfs!  Whaat up?  Come on, how cool is that?  

Hubby:  Just what every 16 year old needs.

Me:  Yep.  And I guess I'll take that as a ...   y e s? ...

Silence.  Fade Out.

Okay people.  Friends of Maggie everywhere unite.  What do you think?  Drivers license?  Look at this face one more time before you decide.

Yes?  No?  Maybe?  Pleeeze?????

OR 

Spiffy new cell phone?  She can text you while she's surfing for pete's sake!

You get to help decide.  Hopefully this will buy her a little more time, and maybe a little more wiggle room in the debate with her dad.  I'll just sit right here and wait for you to decide.  No hurry.  I'll be just sitting right here waiting until sunrise on Friday.  Take your time.  I got nothing else to do but just sit here and check my email.  I'll just be sitting here waiting for your decision comments.  But you only have until sunrise on Friday because, THAT'S WHEN WE'RE MOVING HOME TO THE COTTAGE.  COTTAGE BY THE SEA IS READY FOR US TO COME HOME!!!  YOU'VE BEEN THE MOST AWESOME, PATIENT, SWEET BLOGGY FRIENDS AND FAMILY EVER.  POSTS AND PICTURES FORTHCOMING!

But, in the meantime, like I said, I'll just sit right here and patiently (you know me); and patiently, wait.  Until sunrise.  On Friday.

Until then, you might want to take a look at this post, just so you can tell for sure what your vote should be.  After all, you can see how responsible, how balanced, how much She needs a new ride!
Oh and Maggie, I hope you get that indestructible phone darlin,'  and my vote is pro for the license girl.  But Mag's, those things will be all the compensation you'll get from me. Because, being as you're my babiest baby, my last baby at home.  I've made a very well thought out and serious decision based on the blatent facts.  You are never leaving home.  Ever.  Never.  Ever. 

God loves you my wee one, and I do too.  Happy, joyous, love filled birthday and happily ever-after xoxoxo

Mommy

Love you more than all the kinds of ways my girl wants her drivers' license and a new phone!  

I'm Not Gonna Cry!

We're slated to move back into our newly remodeled cottage on Saturday.  Our lease was up and we had to move out of the home we've been renting for the past 11 months, last week.  We were lucky enough that our dentist took mercy on us and let us rent the apartment above his office for a week.  His office is a beautiful Craftsman house converted into a dental office on the first floor and a vacation rental on the second.  The apartment is really cute and has been a fun place to take refuge in this storm.  Funny thing is, it's directly across the street from the old rental.  DIRECTLY.  Our old number was 432 and this one is 431.  Our view is our old house.  Odd.  But, if anyone ever wants to vacation in a very cool beach town, let me know and I'll hook you up.  This place has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an office with a double sized Murphy Bed.  It's close to all the shops, restaurants and  the Design District.  Not to mention a walk away from some great beaches and surf spots.  More on that later.  Here's my current state of affairs.

My reality.

This Saturday is our move in date.  This is what our front courtyard looked like yesterday. Never mind getting to the front door, the painting isn't done, stairs aren't done, all the tile isn't in, appliances aren't installed, wires aren't pulled through so we can cam them and shed a little light.  The front yard is obviously not done and the back yard looks much the same. The downstairs bedroom carpet hasn't even arrived yet.  It's on a truck somewhere between Georgia and here.  None of the hardware is affixed and the door knobs, including the front door and lock are also on a truck somewhere, supposedly on their way here.  I'm not gonna cry - I'm not gonna cry - I'm not gonna cry.

What is done are, all the trenches for drainage.  Fences have been moved back on the property line to be where they originally should have been, making our yard a bit bigger.  At the beach you need to claim as much space as possible, being most yards are tiny.  The wood floors are all in, the granite and marble is installed and looks beautiful.  The paint is almost done and the showers are tiled if not grouted and bathroom floors are in and tiled.  Oh and hey, we even have a garage door even though it's not painted yet.

So please, if you're the praying kind, send one up for me.  If you aren't just wish me luck.  I'm gonna need a lot of both.  It wouldn't be so bad if we could just stay where we are for the extra days it will take to get our act together but, this place is already spoken for starting Friday.  Can you say, "Homeless?" I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna -- whaaaa, whaaaa, gulp, whaaa.

  Lest you feel too badly for me, here is the adorable rental we get to live in until Friday.  It is all light and bright with lovely furniture and all the comforts of home.  This is the little kitchen, dining area.

The Master Bedroom is fresh and comfy and the French doors lead out to a wonderful balcony which makes you feel like you're in a treetop.  There are two fantastic lounge chairs out there in which I would be lounging if only I had the time.  The balcony looks right over to the place we've been living for the past 10 months since our remodel began.  Weird.

Why, hello formal rental.  Do you miss us?

This is where my daughter sleeps.  Not bad huh?  The kind woman who rented this to us is an interior designer.  I wish I could get her to come do something with my cottage.  I love the blinds here.  Very beachy.

This is the kitchen I've been whipping up our meals in.  It looks very similar to the kitchen I'm supposed to move into on Saturday at the cottage.  It looks like a model home doesn't it?  Mine will look like that for about 5 minutes; until my kids get in there to make snacks I start doing my magic and cooking up a storm Of course getting the appliances into the newly remodeled cottage will be a big improvement.  Wait a minute, let me rethink this.  No appliances = no cooking.  Okay, maybe I won't push for the appliances.  But toilets and showers would be a nice touch.  Did I tell you how hard remodeling is on a marriage?  I'm pretty sure I mentioned it in this post here.


I know my new home will be beautiful.  I know it will be worth it in the end!  I know how blessed I am to even have this opportunity in the first place.  I just don't know where I'll be living come Saturday.  I don't know when our cottage will be livable enough to move in.  I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry.  I want my mommy!!!

I sat on the balcony of our temporary home last night and photographed the sunset.  It is hopeful.  It proves that life goes on and if the sun comes up, it will go down, and then it will come back up again.  Tomorrow is another day and each day brings us closer to our dream.  Until then, I don't know how frequent my posts will be.  My heart is a wee bit heavy and I promised you that this blog would be upbeat.  So here my loveys, my family, my friends, are the rest of the sunset pics, taken just for you.  I want to end on a high note and until I'm back feel free to check out my archives.  That way when you see the cottage all finished you'll see how far we've come!

Love you more than all the craziness in my life right now.  Man I must love you guys a lot.

Blessings,

Tia

You Haven't Seen The Best Of Me Yet

Hey Sweets.  Still here, I am.  Come sneak away with me and I'll give you a what's up tour this morning.

I woke up vewy vewy early this morning.  I wanted to get over to the cottage just after sunrise but before any of the construction crew got there.  It's still pretty rough around the edges but, if you're rweely, rweely quite so we don't wake the neighbors, I'll give you a mini tour.  I opened the top of the front door for you just because, I don't know if I had mentioned that it's a Dutch Door.  I love, love, love, Dutch Doors.  We get the sea breeze from the West so that fresh, salty air will be able to flow right through my whole house now {grin from ear to ear.}

The foyer is so light and bright with most of the paper off the windows now.  Isn't the transom above the door wonderful?  If you turn left in this foyer there are French Doors leading into my studio.  There is also a transom above those doors making for much natural light for my painting and creating!

Soon the windows will be sparkling clean with all the stickers and so forth removed.  This is the master bedroom guys.  I can't wait to make a cushion and some big, fluffy, down pillows for my window seat.  Isn't the ceiling beautiful?  It's painted in a high gloss white and will reflect all the colors around it.  So clean and simple looking.  Relaxing, just as a bedroom should be, and man do I need me some relaxing.

It's difficult to tell in this photo but, all the nursery yellow has been annihilated from my house.  It now hums melodious in a Dunn and Edwards, Birch.  It's just another of the 27,000,000 various shades of white one has to choose from but, you can see how prettily it stands out from the more white-white, on all the trim.  For those of you who remember, they first painted the main walls of the entry, great room and kitchen, nursery yellow.  Yep, you heard that correctly.  BIG, really, really BIG mistake.  There were tears, there was gnawing and gnashing and there may have been a little cursing.  Mostly just tears.  And tears work on painters almost every time.  They just kinda stand back with sprayer in hand, nursery yellow paint all over their little white scull caps and mouth guards. And look at you in dismay.  They look bewildered and frightened, kind of like a deer in the headlights, faced with a grown woman sobbing like an infant child.  Whaaa, whaaa, whaaaaaaaaa (hiccup) whaaa.  Then when you come back the next day, after your husband has made numerous phone calls and said unthinkable bad words just like magic, 'Birch' adorns the walls of your newly painted cottage and all is right with the world.  Painters are a species who forgive easily if you make them cookies.  I forgive easily if you don't make me live with nursery yellow.  Score: 1 - 1

My son Cooper is off living the idyllic life of a camp counselor in New Hampshire this summer.  Cooper wanted his room to have a grey tone to it.  I'm not sure why, he doesn't even live in his room most of the time now that he is a University student and lives away.  But, I've never been able to deny him anything, have you seen this face?   So, Cooper's new room color is called "Crystal Haze".  Looks kind of like the color of his Freshman dorm.  Just kidding Coop, the picture doesn't do it justice.  It's very groovy, you'll love it.

Every boy should spend at least one summer working as a camp counselor for nine, ten year old boys.  It helps them better understand what a mom and dad's job is like on a day to day basis.  A young man can have an ephinay of revelation and a new found appreciation for his mommy when he is away being "dad" to boys at camp.  "Oh dear God, I thank thee for divine retribution.  Amen."

 The island now has a slab of Calacatta honed marble.  It came from a quarry in Italy and was processed there as well.  I am imagining many happy hours of rolling out dough and cutting out Christmas stars and angels on this island.

This is our new granite.  It's called Verde Italia (also processed in Italy) and has what is called a satin finish.  If you haven't seen the satin finish yet, do try to get a peek.  It doesn't have the very shiny look you usually see granite finished in.  This is more subtle and understated with a blue, grey, green tint to the rock.  I think it's beauteous and I can't wait to clean it up and cook on it!  Someone should come hit me over the head with a bowling pin.  I've just stated publicly that I can't wait to bake and clean and cook.

In this photo you can see the finish on the granite a little better but, here also, is where dreams come true.  Yep.  A farmhouse sink.  I've always, always wanted a farmhouse sink.  Always is a long time and I'm old now so I should know.  You can fit any size pot or pan in this sink.  It looks awesome with sleek lines and rounded corners.

Its been around since 1897 so it has to be good, right?  I wish this sink would have lived in my kitchen when my babies were little.  I often bathed them in the kitchen sink.  There they got to be part of all the goings on in the kitchen (the heart of the home).  While I was on kitchen duty my babies splashed and made watery, bubbly messes everywhere.  I blissfully listened to their laughter and squeals and giggles while my babies got clean.  Now that I have this awesome, super sized sink do you think they'll let me give them a tubby in there?  Yeah?  Nope, I think not.  But,  it's never to late.   I have some grand babies and I sure know a dog or two that I can out run who may get to have the pleasure!  Ready, Set, Run.......

Can you guess what this is?  There's no prize, I don't know how to pull off that maneuver yet.  I've been too busy remodeling my cottage to accustom myself on how to do real giveaways and such on this blog.

Remember when your kids asked you, "What will you give me if I take out the trash?"  And your reply was, "The knowledge that you did a good thing for someone and did a good job doing it!"  Well, you get the picture.  So, again I ask you, what is the stuff pictured just above?

It's grout caulk color strips.  They are done laying tile in the rooms that are getting tile on the floor, so we picked all the grout colors last week. You get to choose from all these samples.  Yippee!  More choices! We chose to keep our tile set close together, with very small grout lines.  I think it's a cleaner look. Then we choose grout which wasn't too dark or too light.  Something that just faded into the colors of the tile.  We laid tile in the bathrooms, and the laundry room.  It's all covered up with paper to protect it from the rest of construction at the moment but, I've taken a peek and it looks great!

We have to go back outside now because the sun is coming up and the crew will be here to work soon.
Here's the new garage door.  It is primered and will soon have a coat of bright, white paint to match the trim of the house.  Oh!  And a splash of bronze hardware.

Someone, (thank you John),  even hung my mailbox back up on the house.  I think I've come full circle!  Unfortunately I think it will mostly be full of bills for a long time to come.  On a happier note, for those of you who guessed correctly what grout chalk was, come with me now.  Your virtual prize is a trip to Claire's on Cedros.  She is just about to open her restaurant and if we're quick we'll get the first chocolate croissants out of the oven!

Early morning at Claire's.  Everything is freshly baked every day with organic, whole food ingredients.  The staff here are the most gracious, happy people you'll ever meet.  They make dining here a little slice of Heaven.  I bring all my favorite friends here for treats.  They also serve the best breakfast or lunch in town.

You can eat inside or outside and if you eat out on the patio your pups are welcome!  MMM, that chocolate croissant is about to melt in my mouth, so we're off and I'll write more about the awesomeness that is Claire's another time because once definitely won't be enough.

I appreciate all of you sweet friends and family who are following along on this journey with me.  You've made the ride so much more fun!  Obviously the 13 day count down from my last post is alas, not going to be.  It's the start of the Race Track season in our neighboring Del Mar soon, so our rental will turn into a summer rental.  That's when they double the rent!  Therefore, our lease is up and we have to move out.  The cottage is almost done but not quite, So...we are going to be living the life of gypsies for another week or so until we can move into the cottage.  I hope.  I don't know.  I can't guess.  Nobody will tell me.  But as soon as I know, you'll know, K?  I'll keep the pics coming and someday soon it will look like a real cottage.  I hope that someday is sooner rather than later because I'm no good at being a gypsy.  I've got to have a nest.  Love you more than all the remodeling I am never, ever, going to do again!

Blessings,

Tia

P.S.  Thank you to my awesome and freakishly strong son-in-law, and my two oldest grandsons, Ty and Cael for lending us all their muscles and heart, moving the rest of our stuff into storage last weekend.  You guys are my heroes!  

 

Thirteen Days And Counting

It has been almost eleven months since we first started to remodel and restore our little cottage.  What was to be a four or five month project...  Well, regardless of all our best intentions regarding timelines,  we have had so many experiences and emotions spent along this road.  We've come a long way baby, and, oh the stories we'll have to tell for the rest of our lives.  You can quote me when I say, "I will NEVER do this again."  No, never mind,  better not quote me because, I've said that before and look where I find myself now!  NEVER say never.

Our tiny garage (beach houses have tiny garages if they have them at all), is still a veritable storehouse for paint, plaster, tools and construction workers' lunches.   Land is at a premium here so we have to store everything right here in our "workshop".  It's like Santa's, but not as fun.  It's dusty and dirty and hasn't seen a car in many a moon.  How many days do you think it will take to get rid of all this stuff so we can store moving boxes back in here while we unpack?

This disgusting thing is still here.  I literally hold my breath and nearly pass out when I walk by it to enter the house.  Just the ramifications of what...  Never mind, you don't want to hear it and I don't want to discuss it.  No working toilets yet, not that I want a gaggle of construction workers using my new toilets anyway.  What do you call a group of rag tag construction workers?  I'm pretty sure it isn't a gaggle.  Anybody?  All I know is that they love their peanuts.  I said, peanuts.

This is the front yard.  I know.  Could it be possible that a family of human beings will inhabit this cottage in thirteen, 13, THIRTEEN days?  My beloved tells me that this courtyard will be level, full of patio and grass and planters ready to fill with flowers.

This is the family room.  The windows still need the tape cut off and although the trim paint is finished, apparently the painters still need it in place for some reason.  Have you ever tried to talk to a painter?  Don't.  Can I just tell you how hard it has been to choose paint colors for this cottage?  With the plastic on the windows I have had to imagine what the colors would look like in the natural light of the house in order to choose them.  I have a pretty vivid imagination but, this is hard man!  There have been a few do-overs necessary and I may never see color in the same way again.

Don't take a step out that door because you will fall several hundred, well not hundred, but a lot of feet, into the back yard.  A staircase and deck still has to be built and installed before final inspection.  Thirteen days?  Really?

We'll be watching TV on the big screen which will live in the far right cabinet in only 13 days.  Don't bother me with the fact that the wall surrounding the fireplace insert still has to have rock installed clear up to the ceiling, and a mantel set in.  I like to think of our Christmas stockings hanging on that mantel.  It's a fantasy I maintain in order to keep my sanity. The cozy picture of living in beach cottage bliss, must stay front and center in the recesses of my rapidly deteriorating mind.

Get your dad-gummed equipment our of my studio already.  I'm setting up in 13 days!

It's hard in this light to get a true picture of what the paint looks like.  This is the best example since the entry is still white to compare it to the hallway color.  This nursery yellow color got painted in the family room, dining room and hallway before I even had a chance to approve the little square sample I asked for.  Now that's what I call getting right on the job at hand  jumping the gun.  Nursery yellow just doesn't work for me.  It's not that I don't love yellow, or nurseries per se.  I just don't want the majority of the rooms I will live in painted this color.  We're trying a new one called "Birch" today.  I'll let you know how that turns out.  As we speak I'm waiting for one section of one wall to be painted so I can take a peek and give the thumbs up or thumbs down.  I won't even enter the house to give my humble opinion though.  I'll just peek a boo around the corner by the front door and quietly whisper my opinion.  At this point those painters scare me and I'm not taking any chances.  They have spray guns.

Now this is a paint color I can get behind.  I'm sticking with this one in my laundry room.  It's called Fizzle.  Now doesn't that just make you want to do laundry?  No?  Well, I don't mind laundry too much, but guys -  guys I need a washer and dryer in here first, to say nothing of the fact that these cabinet doors need to be hung up.  Thirteen short days until laundry guys.  Guys?

They're building the hood to my new stove, which is lonely and waiting in a warehouse somewhere along with the fridge, ovens and sinks, to come home. Yep, and that Italian marble and granite are on their way any day now I'm told.  Does the saying, 'the check is in the mail' ring a bell for anyone?  The glass for the cabinet doors is being cut and almost ready to be installed.

Hey, electrician guy, come back and install the thingys around the thingys in the ceiling which are going to shed a little light on us.

You may have noticed there are no floors yet.  I hate to point it out if you hadn't but, I'm so proud of myself.  It only took a month from my post about choosing flooring, Help Me Out Here to actually choose it.  I never said I was a great decision maker.  I didn't even hint at it.  As a matter of fact, I think I've gotten on my knees and begged for help making decisions.  In short, the floors will be maple, which I didn't even list as a choice at the time. The stain is a medium color with a beautiful glow to it just like the floors that were original to the cottage.  Apparently they are the last thing to be installed, but they are in and stored just waiting for their day in the sun cottage.

Um.  Electrician guy.  Did I mention those thingys that need to be put on these things on the ceiling so we can have some light?  I thought so.  Here's the thing Mister.  I haven't made up my mind on any of the hanging light fixtures or sconces, (do not judge me), so if I don't have these lights I'll just be standing around in the dark.  I know its daylight savings time and all but, pleeze...

Thirteen days.  Not that I'm worried or anything, obviously.  I'm a woman who believes in miracles.  I've seen more than a few in my day and it wouldn't surprise me at all if we see another one soon.  Say in, the next 13 days!  How can we go wrong when we have our girl Maggie on our side?  She is kindly taking time, between her job supervising seven year olds at Junior Life Guards, to hanging out with her "friend" Ronen, to help us out.  Thirteen days and our girl Maggie says thumbs up.  No worries mon!

What am I doing sitting her blogging when I have only a matter of days before I move my family, lock, stock and barrel into the cottage?  It's because I wouldn't want to do it without you.  We have a lot of work to do and you're with me every step of the way.  Right guys?  Am I right?  Anyway-

Love you more than every minute of every day until our big move,

Blessings,

Tia