Time of the Season.....

     Happy Friday, cottage friends! I am just sitting here enjoying the last few sips of my coffee and reflecting on the sweetness of  the morning stillness. You all know this is my very favorite time of the day! I was just thinking about how sweet our summer has been. No major drama or anything really too exciting; just the gentle grace of ordinary days! Our little garden has produced enough to help with our veggie needs, Caleb and Robin have really bonded over lawn care this year, we have had fun days with family and friends stopping by; so many good memories! It has been most lovely, indeed! 

     Last night the three of us went out to supper at The Cracker Barrel restaurant nearby. My sweet hubby Robin had Baked Steak and Gravy, son Caleb had a big Rib Eye Steak and I had Breaded Fried Shrimp~MMMmmm!!! When we got home I got out my cinnamon candle and burned it for the first time this season. I had switched over to a floral Lilac scent for the Spring/Summer season and had really been enjoying that beautiful aroma, but last night's visit to the good ol' CB sparked my interest in all things Autumn to the next level~lol! As the fragrant spice wafted through our house I realized how truly ready I am for Fall! I am even going to hang up my new wreath today and start changing out the flowers on our front porch. There is just something magical about this time of the year! 

     I want to take a minute to wish everyone a Happy Labor Day weekend!!! We are planning a cookout here tomorrow with our children and their families and we have one of our Grandsons coming over to spend the weekend with us tonight, as well. My hubby is out right now getting our good old van inspected and a fresh new sticker put on it. We have annual vehicle inspections here in WV. My son is still asleep upstairs and the house remains still for the moment, anyway. Life is very serene for now and I am loving it!!! Sending you much love, hugs and prayers for your day and your weekend!!! 

Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte

For Today......

     Good morning and Happy Friday, blog buddies! Well, I kind of got away from my daily posting; I guess I sometimes feel that my daily life is a bit too routine and boring to share. I am a creature of habit these days~lol! I did have a good week and did lots of good cooking along with my never ending battle with Mount Laundry around here. Who would think that three people would have so many loads of laundry in a week! Sheesh!!! (Heehee) 

     I have been giving a lot of thought and prayer to once again offering some light design and color consultations to clients again. It has been almost 5 years since I have done any sort of decorating or design services outside of my home. I would simply LOVE to have ladies call on me once again to come to their homes and give them color and decorating advice. I cannot do anything with heavy lifting involved and my days of furniture and accessory sales is over, but I sure could do lots to help give them steps in the right direction for creating the home they are longing to create. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers about this matter. 

     Today I am fixing a BIG crock pot full of good Beef Veggie Soup for our supper and am going to make some homemade Cheesy-Bread slices to go with it, too. I am reading lots of my mom's beautiful poetry books in my spare time. She did not write poetry, she LOVED to read poetry and was given many lovely books filled with inspiring verses throughout the years. I am hoping to start sharing some of them on here and on my Facebook page over the next few weeks. This is what is new around my sweet cottage. I hope all is well with you and yours. 

Lots of Hugs and Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte

Is it Foggy Out There; Or is it Just Me????

Good morning, Honey-Bunnies.....not a long post this morning. I am just TOO foggy on the brain~ick! I am over on FB posting all sorts of pretty pictures and sweet greetings. That what you have to LOVE about FB: no matter how foggy, sore, sick or otherwise just icky you might feel you can always find something cheery and beautiful to post there to encourage and inspire your friends. I find such joy in doing that! Much love to everyone today. Hope to be able to type a longer post for you all tomorrow. 

Hugs and Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte 

 

Rainy Tuesday...

     Rain, rain go away....oh, wait a minute; we NEED that rain!!! Our little backyard garden is SO very thankful for a good, long drink! LOL!!! Good morning and Happy Tuesday, cottage friends!!! We have been getting a good soaking rain since last night around 9:00 or so. We had some lightning and thunder last night, but now it is just dark and drizzly out there. I was supposed to go to Wine Cellar Park this morning for a special meeting of my Ladies Bible Study group, however I do think that will be cancelled. So I am just having a second cup of good, hot coffee and enjoying my time here on my computer blogging and visiting with everyone on Facebook for a while. 

     I am feeling a bit sluggish this morning; no doubt due to our soggy weather. I am one of those people who just loves to nap on rainy days. I do have work to get done around here but I know that I will most likely get in a little snooze this afternoon sometime. I am thinking of watching some of my old favorite movies while folding laundry later on. I haven't watched Heidi in a while so I might have to pop that one in! (smile)  

     I am leaving you with a picture of my little Avocado tree that I grew from a seed. It is the first time I have ever successfully grown one though I have tried many times before. It does take a long time for them to finally sprout. This one took a couple of months and lots of watering and sunshine. I am hoping that it grows really BIG! I know that it will most likely never produce Avocados, but I am looking forward to having this pretty tree among my houseplants in our dining room. I will close for now but am wishing you all a pleasant day and hope that you will accomplish whatever you set out to do with much joy and gratitude! 

Much Love and Stay Cozy! 

Charlotte

Monday, Monday......

     Good morning and Happy Monday my lovelies! Well, I hate to tell you all this, but all of my weekend entertaining with my sweet little grand-girl finally caught up with me yesterday. My Fibromyalgia flared in a RAGE!!! I felt just like someone had pushed me down a mountain and then ran over me with their four-wheeler~OUCH!!! I did make myself get in that kitchen to prepare the homemade biscuits and gravy that I had promised her, my hubby helped and he fried up a big pan of bacon for us, too. I am SO thankful to God for that man!!! I took her picture on the front porch in her favorite dress-up outfit, too but then I had to retire to my sofa for a nice L-O-N-G nap! Her pawpaw took her home so I got to sleep for a good while in the afternoon. I do love having my grands around, but I am just not the great "entertainer" that I used to be when the older ones were little. :-( 

     When I woke up from my nap I watched some HGTV and had a little chicken salad sandwich. I got an old decorating book down off my "design library" shelf to look through and just enjoyed a little time to myself. The book is one that my mom gave me a few years ago; New Creative Home Decorating by Hazel Kory Rockow, Ph.D. Mom bought it when she was a young homemaker in the 1950s but the design basics and advice given remains true to this day. If you ever run across a copy it is a good one to read. 

     I am feeling a bit better this morning, but still pretty achy and my hands keep going numb so it has taken me a while to type this post. I am determined, however to not give up my daily blog notes! Wishing you all a lovely Monday!!!! I will leave you with a picture of my pretty grand-girl to make you all smile! 

Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte 

Sunday Morning....

     Good morning! I am up and enjoying the sweet silence of this Sunday morning before everyone wakes up. I have my usual coffee and toast beside me and just wanted to type a bit on my blog to keep in practice. It feels so good to be back at it that I don't want to let one morning pass without writing a little something, anyway. 

     Yesterday was such a GOOD day; we did have our pancakes and homemade cinnamon syrup for breakfast and then Miss Kayleigh and I watched a couple of movies together. She picked The Wizard of Oz and I picked Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (starring Donny Osmond, of course)!!! You just gotta love a young grand-girl who can appreciate good cinema!!! Later in the day we took her to a park so she could swing and we gathered some wild Hickory Nuts and cracked open a couple to eat. Makes you wonder about how many old Euell Gibbons must have had to crack and eat back in the day in order to get full~LOL!!!! Afterward we went to another favorite park and took a very short hike along the nature trail there. My hubby's hip was really bothering him and it was a tad too hot out there for us, so we called it a day and came home to air conditioning and pop-sickles. 

     I am getting ready to fix some biscuits and gravy for us this morning. We don't usually have big breakfasts every morning but I try to fix something nice when any of the grands spend the night with us. That is what memories are made of, right? (smile) I hope that you are all enjoying your day and I hope to type a little bit more tomorrow. Hugs to all!!! 

Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte 

Sweet Saturday Musings...

     Good morning and Happy Saturday, sweet friends!!! We made it through another week and now it is time for a wonderful weekend! YAY!!! I no longer work outside our home-sweet-home, but there is still something SO serene about Saturday mornings. I woke up around 5:45 and tiptoed down our stairway to my good old computer. My Fibromyalgia was RAGING so I tuned into YouTube to find some light stretching exercises that I could do to help ease things up a bit. I did these along with Dick Nunez and they seemed to help a LOT!

     We have our beautiful grand-girl, Kayleigh with us this weekend and I will be making her favorite breakfast of Homemade Pancakes in just a little bit when she gets up. We had such fun last night playing board games and card games. She brought her new bracelet loom and we had a time trying to make rubber band bracelets together. I tried to teach her how to crochet too, but considering that I, myself can only make one very L-O-N-G chain I am afraid that I am not a really great teacher~hahaha!  She is left-handed and I am right handed so we had fun trying to flip things around, too! She did catch on to it pretty well, though.  

     Well the kids (Kayleigh and our Caleb) are up now and watching some cartoons together in the family room and I must now turn my attention to those good-old-pancakes. Saying good day to you all and hope your Saturday is lovely!!! It does seem so good to be back blogging with you all! 

Much Love and Stay Cozy!

Charlotte 

                                                     Breakfast in Bed by Mary Cassatt

Front Porch Friends

     Good mornin', good mornin' to you!!!!Hope everyone is having a great one so far! I am up and have had my toast and some coffee and am currently having fun visiting with everyone on FB! I truly enjoy my little morning routine!!! It is so good to "see" friends and family and catch up a bit with everyone over there! 

     Yesterday we had a surprise visit from some of our very favorite homeschool friends!!!! It was so cool as I had been chatting a bit on FB about how I missed friends and neighbors just stopping by for visits on the front porch. We stayed inside for most of the visit, but my hubby just couldn't resist showing off our veggies in the back yard and sharing some 'maters and peppers with them. We sure had fun talking and laughing and just catching up with each other face to face for a while!!!! 

     Speaking of  front porches; I am sharing another one of my pictures from a couple of weeks ago when I spruced up our pretty front porch with some beautiful bedding that I am no longer using in our bedroom to take some long-overdue pictures out there. This morning I would like to introduce you to Isabella; Queen of Spain! She is my lovely Uneeda Spanish Queen doll from 1969! She was one of my favorite dolls and BOY was I so surprised that Christmas morning when I found her waiting for me in our living room!!! She is just as beautiful today as she was way back then; don't you think? 

     Well, I will close for this morning but hope to be back tomorrow with another mini-post for you all. I do enjoy blogging but will just have to keep working on getting back in the habit of writing again~lol! Wishing you all a wonderful Friday and a sweet weekend!!! ((Hugs)) 

Stay Cozy!

Charlotte 

Thursday Thoughs

     Good morning sweet cottage friends!!! Well, here I am back at the old blog....bet you thought you'd never see hide nor hair of me again but here I am~lol! I have really been having some rough days with my hands hurting and being numb lately but I am trying to push past it and do so long to be active with my writing/blogging again. I do read your beautiful blogs at least once a week at the good old Blogger dashboard so I am not completely out of the loop.

     We have been having a very pleasant summer here~lazy, but pleasant! Our little garden is doing well and the weather has been fairly enjoyable even with the long stint of rain we had back in early July. Our tomatoes really LOVED that and as a result are really sweet and juicy! 

     I am going to try and post a little something each morning again. I really do miss writing and blogging about our life around here. I am hoping that it will help my hands and my brain fog as well. For now I will leave you with some photos I took a couple of weeks ago on our good old front porch. Hope that you all are having a great week!!!! 

Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte 

     

Simply Susie~Q (Story Number One)

Good morning, sweet cottage friends! As promised I will begin sharing my stories with you. I am hoping to post one story a week and am trying to do them in some semblance of chronological order from the time I was around three years old until the age of ten or so. They represent only a slice of my life as a child in the 1960s in small-town USA and I hope that they will be a blessing to you all in some small way.     

     Simply Susie~Q was a funny little girl who lived in a pretty green house nestled in a valley among the hills of West Virginia along with her beautiful mother, handsome daddy and her younger brother. She found joy in the simple, everyday events and moments in her world and found them to be most wondrous and magical. She and her mother and little brother shared many pleasant days together doing all sorts of fun things at home while their daddy was busy at work. 

     One day in the early summer when the leaves were very green on the BIG maple trees in their back yard, her mother spread a huge brown and red plaid blanket on the ground just beneath the trees and they had a picnic. Her mother had fixed them sandwiches, cheese, grapes and an orange cool-aid drink served in her favorite purple aluminum tumbler. Susie~Q was enchanted by the sounds of the birds singing among the branches of the trees. Her brother was still quite little and asleep on the blanket close to their mother.
     Mother (whom Susie~Q called "Mommy") was always full of surprises and had lots of fun things to share with her children. During their picnic that day she had fun showing her little daughter how to look for four-leaf-clovers among the clusters of clover in their yard and how to make a grass blade whistle between her thumbs. 

     After they had finished eating their lunch, Mommy mixed some green dish liquid with water in a bowl and they blew bubbles through an empty wooden thread spool! Susie~Q giggled as the bubbles floated off into the air on a gentle breeze. She was fascinated by the pretty bubbles and the way that they sparkled and reflected the light and the colors all around.
     It was truly a delightful afternoon and filled with lots of fun and sweet moments. Susie~Q couldn't wait for Daddy to get home from work so that she could tell him all about it!  

New Adventures On The Way

Well, cottage buddies it has been a while since I have felt the urge to write on this good ol' blog. I have had a really hard time coming to terms with being an orphan with both of my parents and my sweet mother-in-law now departed from this earthly life. I am adjusting to it all a bit better now and want to get back to those things which bring JOY to my life in the here and now. I am reading lots of poetry books, drawing a little here and there and pondering the meaning of my existence. What does God have in mind for me. How can He use me? I love how He has made each of us so different and the way He uses each of us to His purpose in reaching others for that purpose. I am not getting out much due to my Fibromyalgia, we are still trying to get Caleb through his last two years of homeschooling and we are busy helping my daughter and her family get moved into my momma's house. But i can still encourage others by praying for them or sending them a word of cheer either by cards and notes or even on good old Facebook in the mornings. This all makes me very happy!
I have also been thinking and praying over posting a new series of stories based on my days as a child at home in the 1960s. There are so many sweet memories going through my head these days about life in my small town and in our pretty little ranch house back then. I have been writing a few of them down and have decided to start posting them here on my little slice of blog heaven. I will call the series "Simply Susie-Q" as Susie-Q is what my daddy and momma always called me. I am going to try and write one each week for you. I hope that God will use them to be a blessing to someone and make you smile a bit.
As for right now we are starting to see beautiful green on our mountains and the redbud trees are in full bloom. I am so very happy to see spring return at last!!! I sure hope that everyone is having a beautiful spring and enjoying all the blessings God has to offer you!

For now, Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte

Persimmon Puzzler....

     Greetings cottage friends! I am up this morning with a cup of coffee beside me and have been watching some TED videos on YouTube. I get so inspired by watching the wonderfully diverse array of people who come to speak at these conferences. So many wonderful thoughts and ideas! I have also been to a few of my favorite web sites this morning and have been looking up recipes for anything Persimmon.  

     A few days ago my husband and I were out at our local SAM"S Club and bought a package of FUYU Persimmons. Growing up in WV (or any of the other eastern states where persimmon trees grow) I developed a taste for the wonderful flavor of our native version of this delicate little fruit long ago. There used to be several trees in our area and I pretty much knew where each of them grew. Some of them have died through the years and some have been cut down. Alas, for whatever reason, they are now all gone. SO, when I saw this larger, meatier version at SAM'S I thought I would give them a try. Well, I was sorely disappointed!!! I was expecting a soft, sweet almost creamy texture like our own native fruit, Instead the texture and the taste was almost like biting into raw pumpkin~YUCK! But then I remembered what all the older folks always said about the ripening process of persimmons; they are only good after the first frost. I began thinking, what if I put them in the freezer over night??? OK, this might work; and so I did! SUCCESS!!! They turned out YUMMY!!! Soft, sweet, creamy~everything I remember a persimmon being, but with no huge seeds. I haven't tried to use them in my Aunt's wonderful Persimmon Pudding recipe yet, but that might be next; IF I can keep from eating them like a happy little raccoon (they are well known persimmon connoiseurs). I guess it took a WV mountain girl to know what it takes to ripen a persimmon~lol! 

   

Until next time, Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte

The Simple Woman's Daybook

The Simple Woman's Daybook

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

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