Living Room

Living Room
My Little Cottage

Monday, April 19, 2010

My Week (at A Glance) :-D

     Good morning, blog sisters!!!! I have been up since 6:15 and have had my quiet morning time with God, and my fun on Facebook and I am now getting ready to hop off of my old computer and get started with my day! I am hoping to get a couple of articles written for Two Lane Livin' and for Shiloah Baker over at the Homemaking Cottage. It seems that my life as a writer might be taking off, after all! I am also working on a brochure for the future Historic Preservation Society for our little town of Dunbar, WV. I am working on this project with our mayor's wife and I am VERY excited about it!!! I will let you know more about the Society as it comes together. We are having our second meeting tomorrow at 11:00 AM.
     This is also the last official week of Caleb's school year!!! We are finishing the last of his lessons so that we can start enjoying the beautiful weather!!!! We love to get out and have picnics at the parks in our area, go on hikes and Caleb loves to ride his bike. I will finish his portfolio by the end of next week and have it all ready for our review. Then, maybe, I can get this classroom/studio back into shape!  
     I wanted to share another one of my little poems with you before I go. This one also serves as the philosophy for my business and our home:



I hope that you are having a Cozy week wherever you are!!!

Hugs from WV,
Charlotte

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Poetry: Music to Sooth Your Blues

     Good morning all! I am taking time to write a much over-due posting this morning before I travel from my Cozy Home to join friends at our monthly Poetry Club meeting. I really look forward to this every month and this month I have 3 newly penned poems to share with my fellow poets in progress. Our life is a good one here at our sweet little cottage in WV, but I still battle with some depression from time to time. I think that may be the very reason that I love my poetry group. The group is more than just a creative outlet for me, these friends are wonderful in the way we support and encourage each other.
     You see, I have been feeling a bit down this past week due to some of the changes that have happened in my life over the past couple of years. I am still taking my momma to the wound care center once a week for her legs (yes, now both are bandaged for ulcers-this does not make either of us happy, especially my very independent mom-about-town momma as she cannot get out and go like she was always used to doing), my little business is not as busy as I would like for it to be. This means that the money is not as plentiful as we would like, the necessities are taken care of, but things get pretty squeaky around the last week of the month. I am having some real issues with being in crowded situations and I am wondering if this has anything to do with the sharp decline in estrogen since my surgery last June. Anyway, all of these things have had a real negative affect on my mood and especially this past week for some reason. 
     This is where my poetry friends and our group come into the picture. Now, believe me, I know that the Lord is my strength and my hope, and my prayer life is very active. But, sometimes I turn into such a whiny little child and that is when I turn to pen and paper to try and get some of these bitter-teared-emotions down on paper. I sometimes feel like the Psalmist because as I am writing the strangest thing happens. You know how even the saddest and most plaintive of the psalms always end with praises to the Lord...well, that is what happens to my poetry, also. I sat down yesterday to write some soul saddened works, some poetry that would epitomize the scope of saddness that I was feeling. I was hoping to relay just how encumbered my life is with care...oh, woe is me! Well, it wasn't long into my writing that I read back one of my poor, pitiul pennings and realized just how it must sound to my Creator, my Redeemer and my Friend who gave all so that I may have life, and more abundantly! WOW, what a silly little cry baby I am...I forgot to count my blessings and I was letting the old adversary get the best of me. I turned my creative cap around and got busy writing a "new song", one more befitting a daughter of the Lord Most High! I will share it at my group today. I am shy about posting very personal poetry here, but I will this time in the hopes that it might help someone. It is about my quiet morning devotional times:

Time Alone With God

Charlotte Spears
April 2010

In the sweet, calm hours
Of the early morn
Before my family stirs
Ready to rouse and
Begin a brand-new day,
I am surrounded by soft darkness
That belongs to the hushed
Hours, just before the sunrise.
These are the golden moments
Where I meet my LORD, alone
To offer Him my thanks
For all that He has done,
Where I strain to hear
His still, small voice
As I ask His direction
To guide my day ahead
In these tranquil times
Spent with Him alone
I find the sweetest peace within
There truly is NO GREATER JOY
Than our quiet time together! ©

     The other sad, sad, works were tucked away, they may or may not ever be shared, but they will remain to remind me of the way I sound to others and to my Lord when I complain about my life. All that will be counted in the end are my works for Him, I always want to be a good witness for all that He has given to me.
      I am currently working on Caleb's homeschool portfolio which is the biggest reason that no pictures of the new classroom/studio have been posted. You guessed it, no sooner did we get all organized than the stacks of homeschool books, papers and projects just kind of took over the room--oh, well it is worth it!!!I will try my best to get some pictures up some time in May as our review is set for June the third--WOOHOO!!! I am sending BIG HUGS to you all and hoping that you are all having a wonderfully blessed week!

Until Next Time~Stay Cozy!
Charlotte

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Do It Yourself Ottoman

Question to my sweet blog family: How can you tell when a blogger's days are really busy? Yup, you guessed it, they temporarily disapear from Blogland! Well, guess what? Yup, my days have been really busy around here lately! I have been really getting down to the wire with my young one and his studies as we are trying to pull together a really good portfolio for his Homeschool review. I have also been doing more writing and have several articles and some poetry filed away for future blog posts, poetry club meetings and my monthly installment for Two Lane Livin'. All of this plus, I have started to work on some of those projects for the craft fairs that I am planning on attending this coming fall. I want to take plenty of time to get things ready for these so that I have a good assortment to take with me, so I am starting on them early. I also do not want to feel rushed to get them completed. I am never sure when my mom or my dad or my MIL might have to call on us and I like to be on stand-by, just in case.

I have found the cutest DIY project to share with you from Better Homes and Gardens:

Do It Yourself Ottoman

I LOVE the bright colors and the French Country feeling of these ottomans. The instructions are included in the article. I am thinking that it would be neat to make some matching pillows to sprinkle around the room along with them for added impact! I hope that you are having a wonderful day in your Home-Sweet-Home!!!! Stay busy, but not too busy to come out and visit Blogland for a bit of rest and inspiration. You ladies are the BEST!

Stay Cozy 'til Next Time,
Charlotte

Monday, February 22, 2010

Color 101: Picking Your Palette - Photos - MyHomeIdeas.com

Hello and good morning to all!!! I am excited to tell you that yesterday the temperature in our little corner of the Big Cozy World reached 48 degrees farenheit!!! We were ecstatic!!! Caleb got to go outside and ride his skateboard, Robin sat on our backporch and had coffee while talking to his mom on the phone and I even ventured out on the porch for a bit, myself! It was WONDERFUL! Now, while they are predicting some more of that cold, white stuff for us later in the week; that little taste of things to come will keep me twittering (no not the social network, rather literally bubbling over with excitement) for days! I went online this morning looking for some beautiful decorating ideas and came across this article on color:

Color 101: Picking Your Palette - Photos - MyHomeIdeas.com

I never grow tired of talking about color, or seeing new ideas for color combinations. Hope you enjoyed the article and I hope you are having a little taste of SPRING wherever you live!!!

Until Next Time
Stay Cozy,
Charlotte

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Cute Spring Accessory for You to Make!



Good morning blog buddies!!!! I am just getting ready to hop of of my old computer and start my day, but I wanted to post this cute little lesson from Oddity Inc. for you to see. I LOVE the garden cloches that I see on so many blogs, but did not know where to go to find them. Oddity has them in all different sizes!!! This is the latest 5 Minute Decor video with a quick lesson on putting one together. I am SO ready to start decorating for SPRING!!!  Click the link under the picture to watch the video, but please, do me the great favor of going to my store link (located on the right side of my blog) if you would like to purchase the items for your Cozy Home. My family would graciously thank you for that courtesy.
I have finished the new classroom/art studio but have not taken time to get any new photos of it to post here, yet. Caleb and I are enjoying all that room for learning and creating our art projects. We have decided that Fridays are our "Art Days"!!!! That gives us something to really look forward to all week long. I will get the pictures posted as soon as time allows. For now I am sending big hugs to all of you. I have had a wonderful morning visiting with some of you. It is always so much fun to stop by and read about what everyone has been doing in your little corners of the world! I hope you all have a wonderful week!!!

Stay Cozy, 
Charlotte 



Saturday, February 6, 2010

More Snow, Still Organizing and A Little Aboout a Bobeche

     Good morning to all and Happy Saturday!!! I love Saturday mornings, always have!!! I guess it goes back to my childhood and having my daddy home on the week-ends. There was something so magical about that-he worked so hard during the week that we did not get to see him very long each week day. Week-ends were like mini-holidays to me then and I guess some of that magical quality has remained with me over the years.
     We are having more snow here in WV this morning. It was fun the first couple of times this winter, but I am so ready for springtime, now! My silly cat loves it and is out on the back porch for a minute watching the flakes fall to the ground. Whenever it snows, she goes out and in all day just like a kid. She is part Maine Coon Cat and I think that the cold feels good to her, especially with that extra thick winter coat she gets. She will be back in momentarily to get another bite of food and a fresh drink of water and maybe a cat nap, but for now she is porch sittin' and watching the snow! Caleb is watching an old family Christmas video from when he was around 2 years old and my sweet hubby is frying some bacon--mmmm. I am just taking a break from our cleaning out and organizing to catch up on a blog or two.
     The office is coming along nicely and I am still clearing out and sewing my window treatment. We have gotten ourselves into a MAJOR cleaning spree around here!!! It all started out so simple with the re-vamping of the office, but the effort has now expanded into cleaning out all of our closets and cupboards! Where does all of this STUFF come from??? I called a local charity and they are coming on Thursday to pick up the things that are in good condition so that someone else that might really need them can put them to good use. We are on a roll and it feels so good to clear out the un-needed clutter from our home and lives.
     I have also been taking time to promote my online businesses a little more this week. This is a large part of how I contribute to our family income and I love to talk about it every chance I get. I had someone call the other day asking about the fundraising program from Celebrating Home. They are having an expo for businesses to share their fundraising opportunities with Relay For Life team captains and wanted to know if I would be interested in attending to share mine. It will be in April and I told them that I would LOVE to be there. The other little web business, ODDITY Inc. is also a fun place to shop and find many interesting little "jewels" to add that extra sparkle to your home. I am crazy over their collection of  bobeches.


     These are so beautiful and add such an elegant touch to candle sticks. They have some that are more modern without the crystals dangling down, too, but these are my favorites. If you want to see the others just follow the link: http://www.oddityinc.com/customer_stores/shop/search.asp
     I hope you are having a wonderful Saturday morning wherever you are! I am going now to eat some of that wonderful breakfast that Chef Robin has been working on for us. Hugs for now.

Stay Cozy,
Charlotte

Saturday, January 30, 2010

The Transition Begins



Oh my goodness, here it is the last weekend in January and this is the FIFTH time this month that I have been here to write!!! This could become a habit--LOL. Well, at least I am hoping for that! We are having a cold and snowy day here in WV. Outside the temperature is a VERY cold 20 degrees with a WCF of 11 degrees--BBRRR! Nice day to just sit inside, drink hot coffee and blog a bit. I am going to try and post some photos of the new craft room/school room as I go through the process
of weeding-out and re-organizing. Somewhere, I have a really good photo of the office when it was first finished for me with some of my now gone fabric books on the shelf and everything looking pristine and organized.....hhmmm, as you can see by the photos from today, this is NOT currently the case. I have a LONG way to go! The beautiful piece of fabric at the window is what I am using to make the new window treatments and I have a gorgeous piece of coordinating fabric about the same color as the walls that will be used for trim and ties. Caleb is excited about getting his maps and classroom posters up on the walls, we have a LARGE selection! Notice the nice wooden easel in the center photo. I have had it there for 6 years, just waiting to be used again!!! We will be using it now on a regular basis as Caleb will
have his paints in the classroom. I will be so glad to have everything finished, but for now I am just continuing to sort everything out. The window treatments should be finished by next weekend and then I can post photos of the finished project for you to see. For now, I am going to go and enjoy some of the nice lunch that my very sweet husband has fixed for us-chicken patties with maccaroni and cheese--mmmm. Hope that everyone is staying warm and cozy wherever you are!!!

HUGS, 
Charlotte                                                 

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

I'm Changing Direction

Good morning to all! Hope that you are having a wonderful and productive day so far, no matter what your chosen activity of the day might be. I posted last week about my return to sewing and I want to thank everyone for your kind and encouraging comments. I am starting on my first project this week and have decided on making a new window treatment for my soon-to-be-defunct design studio. Yes, after much (MUCH) prayer and evaluation, I have decided to end my focus on in-home consultations. I am packing up my fabric books and my wall-paper sample books to be shipped back to their suppliers. No, this does not mean that I am giving up my WAHM business, it just means that we (royal "we" meaning ME) are taking a different approach to the focus and primary business of Cozy Home Designs. I have been under conviction about this for some time and the New Year seemed like the perfect time to take the plunge! The office will become my craft room and also a more suitable school room for my sweet little Caleb. He is 10 now and requires more room for projects and lessons than just our dining room table. I will hang maps and posters in there for him and he will also be learning to sew later on this year. The business will still have plenty of room for my crafting of the following: custom lamps, small painted signs, table runner and placemat sets and whatever else comes to mind. I will be setting up at a few craft fairs and special events starting in August of this year, and hopefully a few more next year. I will still be selling my beloved Celebrating Home both at the events and online at my personal web page (see the link at the right). I will also keep the personal web store for those nifty Oddity accessories (also has a link on the right). My husband will be making some of his wood crafted items for me to sell at the fairs. I am so excited right now, I could just about POP! Pray with me that all will go well for us. I will post some pictures of my projects on here from time to time as I finish them.

HUGS to all and Stay Cozy!
Charlotte

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Sew What???

No, this is not a smart aleck-y remark, it is more like me making a challenge to myself for the New Year. I use to sew a LOT way back when I was in High School and then as a young wife and momma. Then, well, I just QUIT! Dropped it like a hot potato and have never returned--sigh. Yes, for those of you that have followed me here and on my other blog, I have been threatening to pick it up again for a couple of years...my procrastinations skills are endless, or there have been extenuating circumstances beyond my control at times to make myself sound more justified. Nonetheless, this year for sure!!! I have the sewing machine all set up and a couple of prime projects already lined up; now the only question remains---which one gets started first or "Sew What"? I will be posting as soon as I figure it out.

Until next time, Stay Cozy,
Charlotte

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Snow, Snow, Snow



I am thinking about doing some re-decorating in my dining room. Right now I have dark green Cape Cod curtains up at the two long windows in there and they make a bold statement, but I am really TIRED of them (they have been up for close to 10 years (you see what I mean). I am thinking of replacing them with a pretty valance and panels made from the Moire Plaid at the left. The colors would complement the hues in the adjoining living room. I am also looking at adding the cute chair pads to our dining room chairs. I am just needing some inspiration around here since we have been under a white blanket of SNOW for close to a week now--it was fun at first, but VERY cold (in the teens and twenties-not good "play-in-the-snow weather) BBBRRRR! My spring decorating catalogs started rolling in on Tuesday, just in time to add some wonderful color to my gray-drabby WV winter day! I have been really pouring over them and am convinced that this is the year for something new. What do you think?

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Happy New Year Blessings to You!!!!

May the new year bring
The warmth of home and hearth to you.
The cheer and goodwill of friends to you,
The hope of a childlike heart to you.
The joy of a thousand angels to you,
The love of the Son and God's peace to you.
- The Hearth

We are having a cold snap here. Not as cold as some other parts of the country, it is 22 degrees here. But it is still cold enough to keep me in my Cozy little Home this morning with my cup of coffee near by and my fuzzy little slippers on my feet. I am so glad to be blessed with such a sweet retreat from the weather. I just wanted to take a minute to write a New Year's greeting to each of my sweet bloggin' buddies. I hope that each of you have a blessed, happy and healthy 2010 and that your lives will be filled with all sorts of wonderful surprises in the coming year!!! Hope to spend more time getting to know all of you better this year here in Blog Land. For now I am sending BIG WV Hugs your way!!!!

Stay Cozy,
Charlotte

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Ta-Da: The Latest Member of the Family


I am just taking a minute this morning to post the promised photos of my daughter's sweet new son. Introducing Wyatt Lee (last name withheld at the request of my daughter and son-in-law) hope you enjoy the pics:






From top to bottom and left to right: The new momma with her little one, my sweet hubby (aka pawpaw), me and our son, Caleb (aka Uncle Caleb) and my mom and dad at their house. We are all so glad that he is here and so healthy! Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!!!
Stay Cozy,
Charlotte

Monday, October 5, 2009

Back to Regular Posts

     Whew....has it been a long time since I have posted anything! Sorry about that. I have not forgotten my sweet little blog, I have just been busy around here with a multitude of STUFF! I have been busy with our son and his homeschooling, my daughter had a new baby (pictures will be coming soon), my Celebrating Home business has been on a steady increase, I have a couple of design projects that I am working on, my mom has been in and out of the hospital with a venous leg ulcer that just does not want to get well, and, of course, there are the chores that come with every day living.
     I had one other new and very interesting opportunity come my way a few of months ago. I am now writing a monthly column for my favorite local publication, Two Lane Livin'. My column is titled "Feather Your Nest" and it is also included on the web version. I love writing the articles for my column and try to keep them short, sweet and informative for my readers. This is true of the other columns that you will find there, also. The best part about Two Lane Livin' is that there is no "bad news" reported there. No politics, no murder or larceny, just good news and lots of good ideas for every day living from every day folks. Kind of like taking a minute out of your busy day to visit with your neighbors. Stop by and check it out. You will love the wonderful down home appeal that editor, Lisa Hayes Minney, maintains in this "little jewel" of a paper from Central WV.
     I do plan to get back to putting up regular weekly posts here at my humble little blog starting this week. I have some pictures to share from around my cozy little cottage as well as some ideas to share to help you with decorating your cozy cottages, too. It does seem good to stop a while and visit with each of my blog buddies here. Hope that each of you are having a wonderful week!!!!

Big Hugs and Stay Cozy,
Charlotte    

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Something New

I have just discovered that I can send new posts to my blog by email!!! I am too excited over this. I knew that the blogs were set up to receive postings sent via mobile blackberry, but did not know that I could type one in by my humble email application. I am testing this out right now and will leave the post if it looks satisfactory to my ever discerning eye ;o) If you are reading this, then it passed my inspection. I also wanted to take a minute to say thank you to those who posted such kind comments to my last little garden post. You are all just too sweet. Hope you are having a lovely evening.
((Hugs)) Stay Cozy,
Charlotte

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

My Little Garden Spot

Hello again to everyone. I am trying to get back into full swing with all of my online postings and business. I have been released to drive again and to go back to most of my household chores (sigh) so much for the leisurely life... Seriously, I am glad to be getting back to my normal routine and could not wait to run my vaccuum for the first time. There is just something theraputic about pushing it along and seeing my carpets become all fluffy again. Robin does a good job when he has to take over the chore, but there is just something personally gratifying about doing it myself-aaahhh!

I had a few pictures of that little garden spot in front of my house that I thought I would share with you. I have had some of them in the camera for a while, but just did not get them posted. Here are a couple from April:



The Azalea bush was really full this year


My little garden helper, Caleb My sweet kitty,Zoot Caleb at the park

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Happy Independence Day!!!

Hope that you are getting ready for a day of wonderful celebration with family and friends. My hubby is fixing a variety of meats and I am taking care of fixing some yummy veggie dishes. We have invited our children to come and eat with us. Caleb is excited about the fact that there will be fireworks in Charleston tonight. I love the 4th of July!

I love to wish everyone that I see a Happy Independence Day! I specifically use that term even though it seems old fashioned today. I love to remind folks that this is what we are celebrating today. The signing of the Declaration of Independence that lead to our freedom from England and the tyranny that the King was imposing on our American Colonies! A freedom that has its roots in the Bible and the promises of Christ: Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:36

Samuel Francis Smith penned the words to the song "America" in 1831. The tune is that of the British National Anthem, "God Save the King" (or Queen). We know it better as "My Country Tis of Thee". It was first sung at a children's Independence Day celebration in Boston at Park Street Church that same year. I am posting it for you and hope that you will pay close attention to the last verse. I am glad that my Liberty comes from the Lord and that no one can ever take that from me! Hope your Independence Day is full of Freedom, Fun, Family, Friends and Food!!!

America
by Samuel Francis Smith
1
My country, 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountainside
Let freedom ring!
2
My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills,
Like that above.
3
Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.
4
Our father's God to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright,
With freedom's holy light,
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King.
Until Next Time, Stay Cozy,
Charlotte

Thursday, July 2, 2009

A Quick Note Just to Catch Up

Good day to all!

It seems like a lifetime since my last post here. I am thankful to all of you for continuing to check in here from time to time to check on me. You are all so dear to be concerned about me. Those of you who are also Facebook friends know by now that I have had my surgery and am continuing to recuperate and am gaining my strength back day by day. I am just so very relieved that it is over and that I will not have to deal with any of that any more!

So far, I have not started back to doing any regular design or decorating work. I still have 3 weeks until my doctor will release me and I intend to take every minute of it to rest. I want my body to heal to its maximum potential. I am doing light housework, taking phone calls, scheduling appointments, working on some writing projects and promoting online sales with my three online stores. This is keeping me busy and interested for now. I do have some new photos of my little garden that I will be posting in a day or two and some thoughts on a couple of new projects that I am getting ready to start. I just wanted to stop in for a minute to let you all know that I am OK and to say thank you for being my friends.

Hugs to all and Stay Cozy,
Charlotte

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Busy (and a little tiring) Month

Greetings Dear Bloggin' Buddies,

I have decided that my last post probably should have been entitled "The MONTH Ahead" instead of "The WEEK Ahead". This past 4 weeks has just FLOWN past me and I realized that I needed to stop by and give this Cozy old blog a minute or two of my time. I have been by most of your beautiful blogs and do apologize for not taking a wee minute to comment to let you know that I had been there to visit. I promise to at least try to do better in the future.

My days have been a mixed bag as of late. I remain busy with Design Consultations and Celebrating Home business, but I have been plagued with fatigue from this condition that has me in its grips. I will update you a bit and let you know that I am dealing with uterine fibroid tumors. Not a pleasant condition and less pleasant to talk about in polite society. I am looking at a hysterectomy sometime in the near future, probably by the end of summer. I have a couple of other friends that have had the same surgery for the same reason, and they all assure me that I will feel so much stronger once it is done. Right now I often just feel "wrung-out" all of the time and have to just stop right in the middle of doing things to sit down and re-gain my strength. My blood pressure meds are working and have brought me back to a more acceptable range. At the peak, about 2 months ago, it registered at an entirely unhealty 210/100-YIKES! I have never had anything but normal range my entire adult life, so this has been quite an adjustment for me. But I am trying to keep on going and not complain too much, I do have this beautiful family and business to think about. Just keep me in your thoughts and your prayers that the Lord will give me the strength I need for each day.

I also wanted to share a little note about an award that was sent to me from Melanie over at New Creation Cottage a while back. I am truly so very sorry that this did not get posted right away as she is so dear and this is the first time that anyone has sent me a blog award of any type.

This was just such a special surprise for me, and such a sweet sentiment. I do often feel like my blog friends share a sisterhood, even though most of us have never met anywhere else but here on our computers.


The Rules Are:



1.Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude!

3. Be sure to link your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Remember to link the person from whom you received your award.

There are a few special ladies that I would like to send the award to as they are always so kind to share a kind word in their comments to me, or with something nice written on my Facebook wall. Some days they just "turn on the sun" as their comments warm my heart and add a smile to my face:

1. Shiloah Baker at Homemaking Cottage Blog

2. Stephanie Withrow Woody at Providence Handmade

3. Tina Lawver at The Artful Life

4. Susanna Holstein at Granny Sue's News and Reviews

5. Violetlady at Violetlady at Home

Thank you to all of you that leave comments and I hope that over time we will build wonderful "kinships" with one another through our blogs. Thank you again to dear Melanie for this very special award to me. I will close for now as I must make the rounds to your blogs to see what is new in your lives.

Blessings to all and Stay Cozy,

Charlotte


Monday, April 13, 2009

The Week Ahead

Spring is in full swing!!! My calendar is showing that to be very true. This week is shaping up to be a very busy one for me with people wanting to spruce things up around their houses for the spring season. I am looking forward to things getting even busier over the next couple of weeks. We are also finishing our school year with Caleb and I am hoping to schedule his portfolio review sometime this week. I have an upcoming doctor's visit that may, or may not result in getting a bit of surgery scheduled (more about that later, depending on what the doctor says-just know that we are not talking about anything life threatening, just something that needs to be taken care of). WHEW-you can see that it might be a while before I am back at blogging. I love to come here and share what is new around the old Cozy Home, but if you don't hear from me for a couple of weeks, just know that I am "up to my eyeballs" and will get on here again as soon as time allows. Hope that you are all having a wonderful spring season!

Hugs and Stay Cozy,
Charlotte

Thursday, April 2, 2009

The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring (Tra-La)








I finally stepped outside yesterday to snap a couple of pictures of my dear little daffies. I do now have a large flower garden, only one modest little bed. However, it brings me much joy to see things starting to bloom there once more. I am looking forward to the little azalea bush popping out in blooms sometime later this month. The Hostas should follow behind somewhere in early May, and I am thinking of planting some wildflower perinnials to fill in the rest of the year with color. Here are the pictures that I snapped: