The Simple Woman's Daybook

The Simple Woman's Daybook

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For Today
November 4th, 2014

Outside my window... the vibrant colors of last week have now passed with the colder temperatures of this week. Only a few trees with golden leaves remain on the hill sides. 

I am thinking...  about sweet childhood memories and how they would make for some wonderful children's stories.

I am thankful... to have friends; old and new.

I am wearing... my comfy morning jammies, again. 

I am creating... more floral creations, Christmas swags and such.

I am going... out to vote later on today. 

I am wondering... if there are still any REAL honest politicians out there...

I am reading... a book that was published in 1910 titled: Light O' the Morning written by Mrs. L. T. Meade. It is a beautiful story about a family in Ireland. I am truly loving the story! 

I am hoping... that this winter will not be too long or cold.

I am learning... that my mom had lots of really old books at her house.

Around the house... something NEW! A beautiful little DOLL HOUSE made for me by my friend! She said she wanted to make me a doll house a couple of months ago. Last week she posted to me on Facebook that she had it ready! I went over to her house for a visit and to pick it up yesterday. I LOVE it! She filled it with all sorts of beautiful tiny treasures, too! 

In the kitchen...  coffee is just now finishing and I will be making some toast for my breakfast. We will be having baked pork chops for our supper this evening, I think. 

I am pondering... "what can I do to be a better friend"

A favorite quote for today... Autumn burned brightly, a running flame through the mountains, a torch flung to the trees. 

~Faith Baldwin, American Family

One of my favorite things... spending time with friends.

A few plans for this week: not much planned. I am realizing that unplanned days hold a beauty all their own.

A peek into one of my days from last week... 

My new little dollhouse my friend made for me!

Thank you to Peggy for this Daybook. I always enjoy participating and reading what others post in their entries, too. 

Life at the Cottage.....

     Well, I think it is time for another blog post. I am trying to get back in the habit of coming here at least once a week to let you all know what I am up to. Facebook takes a lot of my time in the mornings but I so love seeing everyone there and stopping by their pages to comment on their posts. It is something that I really look forward to each day. 

     I have really been working on sorting through all of the stuff that has accumulated in our cottage through the years and especially over the past couple of years with the loss of both our mothers. There is just so MUCH of it all. Not to mention all of the toys, games and such that our ever growing son has outgrown and accumulated himself. I am starting to go through his closet and toy chests and games. Yes, embarrassing as it may seem, momma here has really had a hard time getting rid of all his toys. I guess that comes along with him being born to me later in life, being the "baby" and being an unexpected blessing. It just seems like it has been twice as hard on me to let go this time around. Poor kid, hope he doesn't end up with a Norman Bates syndrome~eeeek! Just kidding. (smile) 

     Yesterday I laundered a couple of loads of stuffed animals which will be donated to a thrift store run by a local church. They turned out so FLUFFY and smell so good, too. I almost cried while going through them. He always loved his stuffed animals when he was little. He was always one of those kids who insisted on sleeping with ALL of them. Sometimes it was hard to see him in the bed for all of the animals~lol! Gee, I miss those days. Now he has his video game system in the bed with him or the DS, or some other piece of technology~sigh. 

     But moving on back to my sorting: I also went through my closet and decided to donate some of the "skinny clothes" that I have been hanging on to for the past couple of years. I am not giving up on losing weight, I just know that these things would best be used by someone who can fit into them now. The Lord is good to me and I know that when I finally lose this weight He will provide the means for a new wardrobe for me. 

     I ended up with quite a nice little stack of items to be donated. I pray that they go to good homes where there is a need. The little thrift store where they are going is one of our favorite places to shop for things, as well. We have so much fun going there to look for clothes and I find a lot of pretty little containers to use for my flower arrangements. The money they earn from the items goes to help families in need with food and clothing. Their prices are really great and affordable for most everyone. The people there are kind and attentive without being overbearing or intrusive while you are shopping around. Good folks. I love donating to them. I always try to clean and repair any items which need attention. 

     God has been so GOOD to us, it is nice to be able to share those blessings with others. When those blessings flow in, it is a natural progression to let blessings flow out. When we don't we end up with hoarding issues. Too much stuff leads to stress, dis-organization and anxiety. Over time we can become completely stifled and end up throwing up our hands and saying, "what's the use". It feels good to start with even just one little closet. 

     Anyway, that is what I have been up to since my last little post. I am also sitting down every now and then with a new set of 72 Colored Pencils and trying to get back into my drawing mode. I still have the architectural markers I bought a few years ago so I might just have to pop those out of storage and put my "Artist" hat back on. You never can tell with me~lol! 

     I hope that you all have a sweet week. 

Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte

Pork Chops and Apple Crisp

     Good morning, Cottage Friends! This morning we have fog over our little valley and temperatures in the 50s, but it feels much more chilly~brrrr. How is the weather where you are? I am hoping that you are warm and comfortable no matter how chilly it might be outside. 

     Last night we had our fried pork chops for dinner and I made the apple crisp that I had intended to bake for Monday evening. Monday ended up being a real busy day with the focus on floor care; vacuuming, sweeping and so on. My sweet hubby cleaned out from around his computer area. He has an older one just for his favorite older games. There was a LOT of tools and CDs and cassette tapes in that area and he took the time to organize them and find homes for everything! See me smiling! Anyway, by the evening we were both pretty tired and so we opted for some pizza for our supper. But I digress, back to the Apple Crisp. 

     I always use my mom's good old recipe as it is really simple. She used to make them quite often for us in the fall and winter especially if we were having a big pot of pinto beans, corn bread and fried wienies. It was always a bit of heaven to walk into our house from the cold after a L-O-N-G day in school to the smell of baked cinnamon and apples back then. Sweet memories! If you have never baked an apple crisp then you are missing out on a real treat. Here is mom's recipe: 

Mom's Apple Crisp

Filling

4-5 Large Apples 

(I like Rome or Gala but any kind will do)

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Slice the apples into either a 9" x 9" or a 9" x 11" buttered baking dish.

Pour the water over the apples and then sprinkle with the lemon juice. 

Sprinkle the top of the apples with the cinnamon. 

Topping

1 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

1 cup All Purpose flour

1 cup packed Brown Sugar

1/2 stick cold Butter 

Mix the oats, flour and brown sugar together in a large bowl. 

Cut the butter into small pieces as you add it into the bowl.

With either your clean hands, a large fork or a pastry blender, mix

in the butter until you have a loose sand texture to the topping. 

You don't want it lumpy or dough like. 

Spread the topping over the apples evenly and loosely. Don't pack

it down as this makes for a hardened topping when it is done.

Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. 

That's it! 

     You can add other ingredients if you like. My mom was an "eye-ball-it" cook most of the time. If she thought something else might make things taste better, or if she had raisins or nuts that she needed to use up, well those might end up in the crisp, too. If she didn't have oats, well she just did the recipe without them. She believed in keeping things simple and good and we loved her for it! 

     I coated my pork chops with round butter crackers finely crushed and a little bit of seasoned salt before frying them for the first time last night. No flour, no extra seasonings, just the crackers and the seasoned salt. We LOVED them! I think this is how I am fixing them from now on. Who says an old girl can't learn new tricks~lol! 

     Well, I am going to leave my little blog for now. It feels so good to be back at this again. I have so missed writing here and reading other beautiful blogs. I am beginning to feel more and more like my old self again and am glad that I have all of you to share things with. My syntax might not be perfect, my content may be simple, but you all love me just the way I am and I love you for that. 

     I am hoping to get more organizing done today and we are still sorting out things to donate to the rummage sale being held by the youth at our church on the 18th. Wishing you all a wonderful and productive day!

Stay Warm and Cozy!

Charlotte 

 

October 5th Daybook Entry

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For today: Monday, October 5, 2014

Outside my window... overcast and expecting some rain today. The leaves on the mountain are golden and some of the trees have lost all of their leaves. We had a really chilly Sunday with early morning temperatures in the mid 30s~brrrr! 

I am thinking... about how quickly time passes and that we should never take anything for granted. This is a lesson I keep learning about over and over again.

I am thankful... for our sweet home and family. God has blessed us richly, indeed 

I am wearing... Aqua jammies, soft and pretty. I wish all my clothing was this comfortable! 

I am creating... more floral arrangements and starting to sort old family photos into groups of people. I am hoping to do some scrap books for individual family members. I am thinking of using the vintage greeting cards to coordinate along with pictures of the people who sent them to us over the years. Mom left me quite the collection of photos and cards; might as well put them to a creative use.  

I am going... no where today; just planning to vacuum and do some studying with Caleb. I am going to be spending a bit of the day watching him create and edit a video game he is working on in Unity. He is becoming very proficient with this program. 

I am wondering... when I will ever feel like my old social self again. It has been at least two years since I really felt like dressing up and getting out there with people. I used to be very active in church and loved to go to services and sing in our choir; now we go only occasionally. Mostly because I have a hard time finding clothing that is comfortable enough and also due to some of my husband's current health issues with his legs and his feet. We are looking for solutions as we miss being with our church family. (PS~wish I could just wear my comfy old jammies to church~lol) 

I am reading... still mostly magazines and my devotional books. I am thinking of starting a new book that was given to me by a friend. I will let you know more later...

I am hoping... to get some things together for a rummage sale that the youth at church are holding on October 18th. 

I am learning... still working on some crochet and learning about video game editing with Caleb.

Around the house... peace and quiet for now as my hubby and son are still upstairs. They haven't even stirred this morning. 

In the kitchen...  planning to have pork chops for supper and maybe a good old apple crisp. 

I am pondering... Reflecting on the sermon by Charles Stanley yesterday. Wondering about my spiritual gifts~what are the gifts God has given me to use for Him? 

A favorite quote for today...Home is where the heart can laugh without shyness. Home is where the heart’s tears can dry at their own pace. ~Vernon Baker  

One of my favorite things... apple cinnamon tea with honey on a chilly afternoon

A few plans for this week: Women's Bible Study tomorrow morning

A peek into one of my days from this past week... No current photos, but here is an old favorite I will share with you: 

Caleb in 2004 dressed as Spider Man

I hope that you have enjoyed my Daybook entry for this week. If you would like to post your own entry just visit Peggy here for details. 

Enjoy your Monday and Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte

A Daybook Entry

From The Simple Woman's Daybook

I was thinking this morning of The Simple Woman's Daybook.  I haven't done one of these for the longest time. I used to get such a blessing from writing one and from reading the entries of other bloggers, too. So without further delay; here is my entry for today: 

Outside my window... a dusky sky, changing colors of leaves on the mountains and a few birds on the telephone wires in front of our house. 

I am thinking... about this time last year and taking my mom for all of her appointments. We used to go out to lunch afterward and then maybe take a drive around some of her favorite old places. I am really missing her, dearly.

I am thankful... my new found interest in being creative again

I am wearing... my favorite comfy jammies 

I am creating... wreaths, flower arrangements and learning crochet

I am going... to start teaching Caleb Macbeth today

I am wondering... if I will ever get this house truly organized again-lol

I am reading... very little right now, magazines mostly

I am hoping... to get the outside of our house and the porch furniture sprayed off for the fall this weekend. It always seems so good to get that done; makes everything feel so fresh. 

I am learning... basic crochet stitches. 

Around the house... I still have a LOT of my mom's things sitting around; no more room in closets and no where to sit them for now. I must start sorting out what stays and what goes, but it is a hard decision to make. My children have taken some things and my brother, too but she had so many pretty things! 

In the kitchen...  meat loaf for supper

I am pondering... the things we talked about at my Women's Bible Study yesterday

A favorite quote for today... October gave a party;

The leaves by hundreds came,—
The Ashes, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The sunshine spread a carpet,
And every thing was grand;
Miss Weather led the dancing;
Professor Wind, the band....
The sight was like a rainbow
New-fallen from the sky....
~George Cooper, "October’s Party"

One of my favorite things... the smell of smoke in the air from the neighbor's fireplace on cool mornings, all things pumpkin, spice candles and candy corn

A few plans for this week: the WV Pumpkin Festival at Milton, WV 

A peek into one of my days... 

If you would like to participate follow the link here Sending a BIG thank you to Peggy for hosting this wonderful daybook! 

Hoping that you have a COZY day! 

Charlotte

A New Venture.....

   HAPPY AUTUMN, cottage friends! This is one of my two favorite seasons! I have always said that I would love nothing better than having six months of Spring and six months of Fall~wouldn't that be grand? (Sigh) I am so ready for beautiful fall colors, cool days, pumpkin & apple everything and bonfires! I have our cute little scarecrow swag on the front door and a little pumpkin arrangement on the table between our rocking chairs, too. 

   Yesterday I took time to work on some fall floral arrangements. I had mentioned in an earlier post about the possibility of my beginning a new venture and selling some of my floral work and such. Well, as a life-long and dedicated procrastinator it has taken me a while to get myself started, but I think I am finally ready to get things started! YAY! Anyway, here are the first three of my efforts:

   I am hoping to post the sizes and prices for them tomorrow on my FB page. I am also hoping to get more done by the weekend including some wreaths and everyday arrangements. I hope that you are all well and enjoying a beautiful day in your corner of the world. Sending you ((hugs)) for now!

Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte

  

Being Home

To me the most pleasant place to be is right here at home. I find such peace and contentment within these familiar old walls. Right now my hubby is out fishing a bit and our son is at a day camp learning about computer design programs and such and I am here all by my lonesome. It has been a quiet morning as I have scrolled all over FB and read blogs. I have sipped on my coffee and water and had a really good corned beef sandwich for my lunch~mmmm-mmm. I have put away one load of dishes from our good old dishwasher and started loading another~anyone else notice their dishwasher is NEVER empty for very long~lol! I am now taking a minute to post a little note on my blog to say "hello" to all who will stop by here. Loving the sweetness of this little time alone. God bless you all and hope that you are having a sweet day, too. 

Hugs from WV, 

Charlotte

Healing...Be Back Soon

I will soon be returning to posting bits and pieces of my days here on this blog. I have been missing it, but am healing now from the loss of my sweet mom. I love all of you who take time to check in here to visit a while and catch up on us here at the CHC. Hope you are all well and enjoying a beautiful summer. Sending you all ((Hugs)) for now. <3 nbsp="" p="">

Aiken House & Gardens: The Charming Cottages of Oak Bluffs

OH MY!!!! Check out the beautiful little cottages of Martha's Vineyard featured on the Aiken House and Gardens Blog! I was almost giddy as I looked at these photos. You all know how I feel about a pretty cottage; these left me wanting to take a trip to Martha's Vineyard this morning. Grab a cup of tea (or coffee) and go on the tour. Here is the link to the blog post:

 Aiken House & Gardens: The Charming Cottages of Oak Bluffs

The Cleaning Continues...

Good morning from Beautiful Downtown Dunbar, WV!!! I am in very good spirits this morning as the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming and the temperature is well above freezing at a comfortable 60 degrees Fahrenheit!!! YAY!!! I have been diligently working around the cottage with our continued effort of spring cleaning this week. I mentioned in my last post that we have recently been blessed with an influx of household and craft items; so much so that it feels like our humble home is bursting at the seams! It is wonderful and exciting but a bit of a challenge as we make room for the new while sorting through and eliminating some of the old and familiar. What to keep, what to donate, what to toss; it really is a demanding task that calls for great levels of concentration and the power of deduction. Next comes the task of finding storage space for the items we are keeping~whew!
I have also started taking down curtains and drapes to launder and freshen up. That always makes the house feel crisp and clean. I printed off a really pretty Spring Cleaning List to keep me on task with my chores. I feel so motivated! :-)
I am thinking about taking a consignment space at a local vintage and home decor boutique where I will offer floral arrangements and vintage household items. I will tell you more about it as I get closer to getting it opened. I am fairly exuberant at the prospect and having fun planning the layout and selecting the items I plan to offer there~(squeal!!!).
I LOVE this time of year! The trees outside are at that beautiful stage of displaying their whisper of green on the mountains, some are in bloom with white and pink blossoms and the daffodils are bursting out in yellow splendor~just gorgeous! I hope that you are enjoying the same in your little corner of the world. To those who are still enduring winter, hang in there; spring is on the way.

Hugs from the Cottage; Stay Cozy,
Charlotte  

Journal Notes; a New Twist for My Blogging Efforts

Dear Diary.....

I have started a NEW journal specifically for this little BLOG. I have had good intentions of getting one started for quite some time now, but just simply have not gotten a "Round-TUIT" (we all know how rare those are, right?). My hope is to keep this one close to me at all times so that I can open it up to jot down my ideas for future posts here whenever and wherever they occur to me. We shall see how this goes ;-) 

I really do love posting here on my humble little blog, though I sometimes fall short of ideas and words as I sit down to type. I am hoping to create more posts about decorating, crafting ideas, what's happening here and so on. That is where this cute little journal should come in handy. I have truly missed writing. The past several months has proven to be a real season of change and personal growth for me and it is my greatest hope that God will lead me and allow me to return to and further develop my writing and creative talents. 

I have been bless, as of late, with a rather LARGE selection of floral, crafting and office supplies. I am planning to fully put them to use and enjoy them!  I can't wait to be creative again!!! I will have to re-organize our home; prioritize, get rid of many things we are not using, find room for new things, etc. It will require much planning and work, but I am SO very ready for it! 

Anyway, this is a beginning and it seems like a good one. Stay tuned.....

HUGS to all and Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte

Spring Has Sprung~Beautiful New Look For My Blog

Good morning, sweet Blog pals! I hope that you are all having a beautiful day in your corner of the world, wherever that may be. I haven't posted anything here in so long that I am a bit rusty in my writing skills, but I wanted to direct your attention to the gorgeous SPRING motif of my new background! I don't know about the rest of you, but I am MOST CERTAINLY ready for some SPRING around here! This has been a LONG winter and I have had enough of the snowy weather for quite a while~lol! I have lots to catch up with you all about; things have been quite different for us here at the cottage over the past several months. My beautiful mom-in-law passed away from us in July, my sweet momma is now in a Care Home, our homeschool life is now truly more UN-school as our son directs his learning more toward his personal interests and we start the preparation for future college days and so on. I will take time to blog more about all of this over the next couple of weeks. Suffice it to say that life has definitely been getting in the way of blogging, some days fly by so quickly that I wonder where they went. I have an appointment later this month with a doctor who, hopefully, will finally be able to officially diagnose my Fibromyalgia and get me on the right medications. Keep me in your prayers for that. God bless and keep you till my next post. ((HUGS))

The Morning Blurb....

Good morning....well I am just now getting up and getting started. I have my coffee on and will be so glad to go in and pour that first cup. I slept REALLY well last night and am not real achy this morning~so glad for that. 

As I got out of my soft, cozy, warm bed I came to the realization that I had promised in my post late yesterday that I intended to post  something every morning. You know that I have hoped to do that several times over the past couple of years but somehow it just doesn't happen. I am facing the fact that I can be quite lazy over many things and that must change. I have developed a bad habit of using my pain and fibro flairs an excuse for not doing things. Don't get me wrong, writing this post literally HURTS. My hands are screaming as I type and my brain fog interferes with my desire to be witty with my words. I find that my best plan of action is to use the same approach I do for getting my housework done during the day~work-a-little-rest-a-little and get done what I can. God has taught me this over the past couple of years as  He has caused me to slow down. Remember, dear ones, I do not blame God for my Fibromyalgia, but I see that He is using this time and my condition to draw me closer to Him. 

Well, sweeties, my good old coffee is ready in the kitchen and I must get started on  my day. I will see those of  you who are on FB as I take my little breaks throughout the day. That is where I like to land for a bit and always love to see what everyone is sharing and posting there. Big ((HUGS)) and I hope that my fibro friends are having a low pain day, too. Maybe tomorrow I will post about something pretty here. That might be my mission today, to find something pretty for tomorrow's post. 

God Bless and Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte <3 div="">

NEW...Changes Ahead

Hello sweet friends! I cannot believe that this day has gone by so quickly! It is now 5:35 PM here, WOW! It seems like it was just a couple of hours ago that my head left my nice, soft, fluffy pillow~ahhhh. It has been a good day and I have accomplished a number of tasks on my "to-do" list. My hubby has been working on our new van as it did need a new rear windshield wiper motor and shocks to the back wheels. We had simpled whole wheat toast and turkey bacon for our breakfast this morning and some yummy pizza for our lunch. I am just getting ready to go in and put together some chicken salad from the left-over rotisserie chicken we had for our supper last night. I love chicken salad sandwiches! 

I have been thinking about this blog and the fact I am back to posting here. I want to make sure that I keep things going, SO....I am going to start putting a new little post on each morning in the tone of a "free-speak" post. You never know what it will be, but it will be straight from the heart, whatever I am thinking in nature. Watch out~lol! Especially on mornings when I am posting my pre-coffee thoughts, oh my! I just think that it will keep things interesting and more personal. I am rather excited to get things started so watch for tomorrow morning's post. 

I love each of you and love reading your blog posts on my Blogger Reading List each day. I am also planning to get back to doing better on my comments to you. Greetings to each of you that also follow me on FB and I hope that your day has been terrific! 

HUGS and Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte

Waking Up

Good morning fellow bloggers and Happy Saturday!!! I am getting ready to go in and make some coffee, but I have just been enjoying a quiet morning of  internet fun: searching for old favorite decorating web sites, checking my email, catching up on FB and so on. Quietly reflecting on the sweet and simple life we have here at our little cottage in town. I simply love mornings like this!!!

I was hoping that we might be going for a little day trip somewhere today, but that was just not in our tiny budget right now, gas prices being what they are and all. We are hoping to make a long-over-due trip to North Carolina real soon to visit my family there, but I am really just needing a little excursion somewhere local; sight seeing if you will. I tend to choose places that are a bit quaint and county for our little trips; "keep it simple sweetie" is my motto. There are several places which are my favorites for such a trip. Our beautiful mountain state has many parks and historical landmarks to visit. One family favorite is Hawks Nest State Park where you can go white water rafting; if you are brave and so inclined. I just usually enjoy the gorgeous view from the overlook to Hawks Nest Canyon and maybe a bit of hiking if the old legs are up to it. I enjoy their good restaurant, too.

Another favorite is beautiful Black Water Falls! It is a bit farther away from us, but oh-so-gorgeous!!! The path down to the falls is a good stretch for the legs; a downward decent down by way of trails and walkways. There was some recent damage caused by Superstorm Sandy, but they are working hard to get everything repaired. The falls get their name from the tannic acid from fallen hemlocks and red spruce needles which color the water amber. Rushing over huge rocks, the falls make quite a dramatic display. The temperature in this area of our state stays refreshingly cool much longer than many other areas. This morning the weather tab on the BWF web page indicated a chilly 59 degrees. The humidity level is most usually high due to the mists created by the falls. If you love a wooded wonderland you really need to make a trip here. 

There are a couple of farm museums that are fun to visit here, as well. We have made a couple of trips to the WV Farm Museum  My mom and dad used to go here a lot and they introduced us to it. There are several old buildings on the site including a school house, a blacksmith shop, a log church and a saw mill. They also have a little country kitchen that is opened only on special event dates. A little closer to us, near Huntington, WV there is the Heritage Farm Museum, but I have never been to this one. It looks wonderful and I have had some homeschool friends tell me that it is a great place to spend the day! There is a charge for their tours but they do have some super Way Back Weekends events that look really special!  

I could go on for pages about the many other places that I love to visit around good ol' WV, but my coffee is ready and the morning is passing, and the front porch is calling my name. Hope you are all having a super Saturday whatever your plans. 

God bless and Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte

Loving the Online Business Life

Good afternoon to everyone of you, dear blog friends! I am really having a sweet day here at my little cottage. I woke up this morning to discover emails from Celebrating Home telling me that customers had placed online orders! That was a GREAT start to my day, I can tell you for sure! I went to my web page and printed them off so that I could send out "Thank You" cards to my online customers. One lady had ordered a Bean Pot and so I also mailed her a bunch of Bean Pot recipes to inspire her meals. Then I helped my sweet hubby to put away some groceries, got our lunch and then went outside to rock on my front porch for a bit. So relaxing! (sigh) 

I started thinking about the online direct sales experience. Have you ever looked into the window of a store and just fell in love with the displays and the products that were inside only to find that the service was just not your cup-of-tea? Maybe you just did not hit it off with the sales staff, or the manager was cold and inattentive to your questions? Maybe the prices were too high and there was no chance of a sale or some type of special which would allow you to purchase the items you wanted for half-price or maybe even get them for FREE! This is precisely I find the direct sales approach so inviting. My online store is opened 24 hours a day, the service is quick and, should you have questions, you can send me a quick email or even call me direct (my number is on my FB page) and I will be glad to help you with your questions. I try very hard to be available to my customers. When your order is $39.00 or more, you can choose selected BONUS Buy items for a really ridiculously low price of $9.99. When your personal order or combined sales order (you and some friends decide to order together) reaches $200.00 in retail merchandise, then you can choose your choice of 20% of the total (before taxes) in FREE merchandise! WOW!!! No other brick-and-mortar retail store has that kind of program running, at least none that I know of. 

Now this is the real beauty of it all, remember the above scenario about the lovely shop with the unfriendly shop staff? Well, friends, if for some unforeseen reason you are not happy with my customer service, then you can leave my little "shop" but still have access to the same beautiful wares I offer there through thousands of other Celebrating Home designers all across the USA. Though I will do my absolute best to keep you happy and coming back to my little "shop" online. 

I am sipping a cup of blueberry tea as I type to you and thinking it is about time to go and start our supper of chicken-with-dumplings. Remember to visit my page on FB for even more fun, product reviews and recipes, too. There are always many pretty things to see there and I love when everyone comments and has fun chatting together. I hope that you all have had a beautiful day and worked in some time for just relaxing and sitting on the porch for a bit. That is my favorite time of this season. 

God bless and Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte

How Does Your Garden Grow

Oh my, sweet friends; don't think I'm running a fever or anything, but here I am writing a second post for the day! Well, you know for me it's all or nuthin'~heehee. I am either in a writing frenzy (and that hasn't happened for the longest time) or completely dry of all words. We are having one of those GORGEOUS days today; not too hot, not too chilly and my sweet hubby is out mowing the grass for the little insurance business next door. He does it for them every-other-week and it is pleasant work for him. I have been on this old computer on and off during the day and have been having fun visiting friends and family on Facebook. In between FB visits I have been doing dishes and laundry and a bit of straightening up and decided to go out on my back porch for some fresh air and sunshine~ahhhh. I took my good old camera to capture some photos of the sweet little Annabelle Hydrangea given to me by my cousin late last summer. It had died down during the winter and I was really afraid that it would not come back, but here it is~growing and thriving and BLOOMING!!! Aren't those blooms just gorgeous! I can't wait until this little plant grows into a HUGE shrub at my back steps! I am on my way to having real "grandma" flowers around my home~YAY!!! I would love to get some roses out by next summer.

I also took time to snap some pictures of our various tomato plants. They are all growing well and starting to get some pretty nice 'maters on them.

Here is a shot of the potatoes that we have planted. This is our first year for growing potatoes and I think we might want to find a bigger place for them next year. My hubby bought a bag of mixed varieties including one that is blue! We will see how they turn out. 

So glad that we have things growing around our home. I am missing the good pepper plants we had last year. They were so good and produced so many yummy peppers. We planted some seeds but they did not come up for some reason. Oh well, there is always next year. Thank you friends for letting me share a little of our life with you through this little blog. You are all so sweet to stop by and read about us. 

Hugs and Stay Cozy,   

Charlotte

Our Home; Our Haven

Good morning, dear ones! I am having one of those sweet, quiet mornings that seem to be too few and far between as of late. To top things off, rather sweetly, I am not in any great amount of pain from my fibro this morning, either~YAY! I am just thankful for this sweet time of rest and my dear little cottage home. I am glad for this place to keep clean, to enjoy my family, to prepare good meals, to decorate and express myself. It feels so good to have this place that God has given us as a temporary nest for our family here on His earth. Just wanted to share a quick post about it this morning while I am sipping on my cup of coffee during a little break. Hoping that you are all having a day that is sweetly blessed. 

Hugs to all, 

Charlotte

A WAHM Day

Hello swee friends! Today I am blissfully working from home! I haven't had a chance to do this for a while and OH, how I have missed it. I have printed off flyers from the Celebrating Home news emails and called a couple of customers. I have posted some specials on my Facebook page and my personal profile page and now I am taking time to blog a bit to you. I have been giving some thought lately to closing down my little home business as time for it has been a bit sparse, what with my mom and my mother-in-law needing us more and more and my own health issues rearing their ugly little heads. Not to mention the fact that I am just not as organized or enthusiastic as I was in past years. I really don't make huge marginal amounts of money with it, but sometimes the earnings do come in handy and I really do love the freedom of working from home. I said a HUGE prayer over it yesterday and this morning my Lord has motivated me to get busy and try to do better. My plans and goals for the next few years include finally opening a small brick-and-mortar gift and home decorating shop~that would be my dream-come-true!!! I pray that the Lord will make a way for me to do that and that my little shop will honor Him and all that He has done for my life. For now I will continue to promote my humble web page with Celebrating Home and tell you that this little company has been such a blessing to me over the past 20 years~creatively, spiritually and financially. I have met so many wonderful friends and customers through them and learned so much about decorating and providing a valuable service to others, I am just so glad that I took the leap and joined (then) Home Interiors and Gifts, Inc. back in 1993. It was truly a step in the right direction. I would invite each of you to use the link at the top of my blog and visit my personal Celebrating Home web page and check out all of the GORGEOUS home and fashion accessories they offer! Remember, you can contact me via this blog, Facebook or email if you have any questions about the products or about decorating in general anytime you wish. I am here to serve you and love doing so.Well, back to my work day. Hope that you are having a very blessed day!!!

Hugs and Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte

Singing a Song of Thanksgiving and Praise

Good afternoon, my sweet cottage blog friends!!! I am just getting home from taking my momma to her Wednesday appointment for whirlpool therapy on her legs and I wanted to take time to blog a bit. I really miss sitting down on a regular basis to type a little bit about life around my dear old cottage. I also miss taking time to sit with a cuppa tea with time to leisurely read through all of your beautiful blogs and catch up a  bit. Well, here I am now and there are some really cool things that I wanted to share, so here we  go!!!

First of all, let me say that GOD is so GOOD!!! He never ceases to amaze me with His Providence or His timing! He is Faithful to supply all our needs whether Spiritual, mental, physical or, when most needed, material! Let me give you our latest example: we were getting ready to head out the door this past Friday to a Spring Dance being hosted for our local homeschool kids at a nearby Country Club when our phone rang. On the other end was my sweet cousin, mom's niece, and she wanted to talk to my hubby "about something important". She and he talk often as my whole family just adores that man and the way he takes care of us here. Anyway, I took the phone to him and continued to groom Caleb and myself a bit for the dance. All of a sudden I hear my husband exclaim, "You're kidding me!!!!". Well, I knew it had to be something REALLY good or REALLY bad; I was hoping for GOOD~lol. They continued to talk for a few more minutes and then I heard him make arrangements for us to go down to her house on Saturday. When they got off the phone, he says to me, "you're not going to believe this!!!". "What, come on tell me", I said. Get ready folks, here it comes......She wanted to buy us a VAN!!!! Can you believe that!!! I almost fainted!!! She had seen one at a dealership right down the road from her and wanted us to come down and look at it and take it out on a test drive on Saturday to make sure we wanted it. We were just THRILLED! Needless to say, the dance was great, but it kind of took a second seat to this news!!! PRAISE GOD, it was an answer to a long-time prayer! For those of you who have read my little old blog for the last couple of years you know a bit about my poor, rusty old van from some previous posts. It does still run but is getting close to needing some major work and lovin'~lol. This new one is a 2006 Chevy Uplander that is loaded with all kinds of cool amenities. It is a one-owner vehicle clear of any bad reports or problems which had previously belonged to a local florist shop and has right around 78,650 miles on it. Our poor old 1998 Ford Windstar had racked up a neat 286,350 miles over the past 15 years. We got to drive it home on Saturday as the dealership was able to do all of the insurance and title transfers right on the spot~COOL! We just LOVE it! God's timing and Providence are just wonderful! My cousin said that this was something that He had just laid  on her heart as she knew that all of the trips mom and I had been making back and forth to her PT and doctor appointments was placing a strain on our old van. I will have some pictures of the van and the dance and a fun nature trail hike we took on Saturday morning here for you tomorrow. For now I just wanted to post this latest news and Praise God for this blessing to us. Hoping that you are all having a beautiful day!!!

God bless and Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte