Sunday Sayings

"We need time to dream, time to remember,

time to reach for the infinite.

Time to be." Gladys Taber

Window Trim at Last

We moved in to Mimi's Cottage the week before Thanksgiving 2008. We moved in because we'd sold our old house and escrow had closed and the Title was handed over to the new owners. We moved in, but that didn't mean the new house was finished. Oh no, not by a long shot. The city gave us an occupancy permit but not a certificate of completion. We still had floors to finish, a pantry to complete, interior doors to install, lots of trim and a little paint to apply. This week, 27 months later, we finished the last of the window trim and got our certificate. Finally.

Apparently the mister is feeling better.

Of course, he did get a lot of help from his right hand man.
We do still have a lot to do. Finish the basement, the fireplace and surround, bookcases, some interior doors but our list is getting shorter and shorter.

He Could Not Tell A Lie

Happy George Washington's birthday! To celebrate this historic day I made a cherry pie. Look, Nana! I tried out your recipe for sweet and sour red cabbage. It's a German dish and it honestly tasted better than when my Grandma made it. (sorry Grandma!) I had a big head of cabbage so I added a little more brown sugar and vinegar. Get the recipe from Nana if you'd like.

Not exactly a low calorie meal but oh so good. Comfort food for sure. I put the green beans in front so it'd hide the mashed potatoes and gravy. Doesn't a picture of meat always look so weird?

Sunday Sayings

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home."

Goethe

60 Something

This is my new best friend. His name is Rob and he has come to help us with the drywall in the basement. In fact, he's finishing all the drywall in the basement. WOOHOO!! I told you a few posts ago that the Mister injured himself by hanging all that drywall on the ceiling. Turns out, after Xrays and an MRI, that he has bone spurs on his vertebrae and they've been irritating the nerves in his neck. (I thought I was the only pain in his neck but whatever!)

So the Mister's been sleeping in his recliner and taking large amounts of Ibuprofen and pain killers. (He's verrry mellow right now)

The problem is even though he's 60 something, he thinks he can still do things like he's 30 something. Looks like things are going to change around here a little.

Questions and A Cottage Box

I had quite a few questions about my bound area rug from the last post so I thought I'd try to answer them all at once. I've had rugs bound before, this one is in my living room and I had it bound about seven years ago. I had it done at Home Depot. I don't know if they do it anymore. Our local HD did not. And they didn't carry the floral carpet anymore either. So I searched around until I found a carpet store (Johnson's in Kaysville) that had the printed carpet AND could do the binding. They have a big machine that's almost like a giant serger. They charge by the foot and it only took them about ten days to get the carpet and bind it. I needed a rug 10 X 10 so they had enough to do a 2 X 5 piece that I put in front of the sink. Both rugs came to $430.00 and that included the tax so I thought that was pretty reasonable. If you have any other questions just email me and I'll see if I can help. In other news, look what I got in the mail last week! A little package of adorable cuteness.

I ordered this cute little box from Lisa, Tarnished and Tattered's etsy shop. I love it so much!

The outside is a cute little cottage and inside, some shredded sheet music.

I love this so much I'd like to try to make a little stitchery similar to this. There'd be felt and embroidery involved.

And then, as if that wasn't enough, she sent along a few little goodies for me to play with. That vintage image is printed on muslin, there's a little piece of heart fabric, a glittery be mine heart, and some lovely old trim.

Don't you love all the fun things you can find on Etsy?

Protection

Did you know that you can buy carpet and have the carpet cut to the exact measurement you need and then have it bound around the edges? It makes a very nice custom area rug and it wasn't very expensive. Now my beautiful maple floor will be protected from the little scratches made by the dining area chairs. (even though the chairs had little felt pads on them) Practical and pretty don't you think?

Sunday Sayings

" The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.

They must be felt with the heart."

Helen Keller

Happy Valentine's Day!

With Love from Mimi's Cottage

More of the Same and Hope

We woke up to this lovely sight this morning. The weatherman said it would be clear for the rest of the week and temperatures in the 50's. HA!

Then I looked a little closer and noticed some tulips were peeking out of the ground...

And I saw that my new banner is a cheerful addition to the front porch...

The new Valentine garden flag was waving cheerfully in the breeze...

The glittery heart was sparkling...

and the birdies were merrily chirping...

Maybe next week we'll get some warmer weather and some blue skies. We can only hope.

Mimi's Valentine Cottage

Mimi's Cottage got a little Valentine foofing this past weekend.

I made a few little hearts to use in an apothecary jar.

A couple of people asked where I got the pink candy corn. I think I got it at the grocery store last year. Do not try to eat it! It's so hard it'll break a tooth! I googled Valentine candy corn and there were quite a few places where you could find some.

I've already told you a couple of times that I haven't had an original idea since 1986. Well, here's further proof. ML from the House of Whimsy posted one of these cute hearts on a stick so of course I had to copy. They're $1.00 marshmallow hearts from Walmart. Remove the plastic stick, wrap some scrapbook paper around a little dowel, attach a few leaves, replace the stem, stick them in a cute pot and you're done.


I saw this adorable heart in Cherry's etsy shop last year and had to have it. She has some wonderful things this year too. This little lamp hanger came from Cherry too. You can't tell from this picture but the ivy is in the shape of a heart.

I don't have a huge amount of Valentine decorations, but I do have a few things. I love the heart shape and it's out year round in wreaths and such. Valentine's Day comes at the perfect time. A little bright spot in the middle of a cold and gray winter. Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day filled with people and things that you love.

Sunday Sayings

"Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own."

Robert Heinlein

A Flock of Valentine Birdies

When I saw these adorable birds on Elizabeth's Creative Breathing Blog I fell in love. She is one talented cookie and makes all kinds of cute things. I had to try and make a bird or two or six!

She has all the directions on her post, but basically you paint styrofoam shapes, glue them together, make wings and a tail with accordian folded crepe paper streamers, use little black brads for eyes, card stock for beaks, and decorate them with whatever your heart desires.

This was such a fun craft and I think they turned out pretty cute.

And speaking of birdies, when the mister and I were out walking the other day we saw two pairs of robins splashing in a puddle! You know what that means, SPRING is just around the corner!

Mondays and Wednesdays With Mimi

Daughter #1 is working a couple nights a week and her husband is going to school in the evening.

So guess who Mimi and Grandpa get to play with while Mommy and Daddy are busy...

He loves to help Grandpa with his projects...

Aren't we lucky?