Here at Rose Water Cottage, there is much hammering and sawing and handymen in and out...a bathroom/computer room makeover is overlapped with a mini kitchen remodel...
I have loved and longed for a farm sink forever...it has finally arrived. The handyman will be creating cupboards from the existing ones. The vintage tablecloth draped over the sink will be sewn into a gathered skirt to conceal the pipes... Countertops will be created from wood to resemble the countertop on the opposing cupboard.
Scout doesn't really mind what we do with the kitchen...just make sure her little kitchen bed stays right where she can watch me as I make my morning coffee and do the dishes....
(Susan Branch carries these darling little pillow cases on her website.)
Scout doesn't really mind what we do with the kitchen...just make sure her little kitchen bed stays right where she can watch me as I make my morning coffee and do the dishes....
(Susan Branch carries these darling little pillow cases on her website.)
The computer/bath is in such disarray, I will show photos when it is complete...how's that?
Xavier came to spend the weekend, and with all the sawing and hammering and measuring and figuring, he was itching to learn. He wanted his Big Daddy to pull out all his tools so he could "work"... He even walked around with a pencil tucked behind his ear, a bright yellow tape measure, and a little notebook to write down his "measures."
Gentle tap tap tap with the hammer...
Gentle tap tap tap with the hammer...
Then he decided he needed a saw...just like Handy Manny...
So here is the saw...
While Grammy painted in the studio, he decided he wanted to paint...
So here is the paint...
and more paint...
This is serious work, requiring so much concentration.
He really loves this paint. "Grammy, I want to paint somethin' else....you got somethin' else I can paint?" When he had finished painting every unfinished surface of any tiny thing I could find, the wheels began to turn...
....and then he was overwhelmed by the possibilities....the mixing...the color combinations...the swirls of color....so ...many ......possibilities .....
While he was busy with his painting...and swirling...I was busy with my latest project.... Work on "Eliza Celebrates a Royal Wedding" had begun...
"Pick a Pick a Pumpkin" was finally up on Amazon...and, a week later, was added to Barnes & Noble's on-line store....
Next..."Eliza has a Cousin" made it through formatting, a few tweaks with the publisher, and we would be anxious for the proof to arrive...and it did....in the midst of the Strawberry Patch Fall Barn Sale in Hartsville, Tennessee (organized by one very talented hard-working young woman..Christy Stone)...
I had been so hopeful that it would be available in time, along with "Pick a Pick a Pumpkin"...but some things are just out of our control.
The posters we had printed, would serve as banners celebrating the arrival of one and the upcoming arrival of the other...
The week leading up to the barn sale, I worked feverishly on the new book...I was loving every new illustration, drinking coffee out of my Emma Bridgewater Diamond Jubilee mug, and thinking all my thoughts with a British accent...please tell me you've caught yourself doing the same thing...
My dear dear husband had just completed the fountain installation, along with flagstone surround, and a few stone walls...and I was enjoying the sound of the trickling water as I painted.
Add birds singing and calming music, and I didn't want the week to end. It would mean 3 days of heat, packing, unpacking, talking, more talking, long drives in between, packing up ...driving the distance home again, exhausted. What was I thinking, when I signed up for this thing? I love the quietness of our cozy cottage, I love that Scout snuggles in my lap while I paint...and she doesn't care if I'm still in my jammies.
But, once we arrived (me and my Mechelle, Assistant Extraordinaire, who designed the layout for the booth) and everything was in place...the fun began...even in the heat, we made new friends, shared stories, laughed way too hard and too loud, and hugged lots and lots of women and children. At the end of the day, as the sun was beginning to set, I snapped a few photos....
The next day held even more joy....a sweet little thing popped into our booth, with a camera hanging around her neck..."Christie...is that you, Christie?"....she had not changed one little bit in the near 25 years since I had seen her last...my dear friend from college days at Trevecca, 1979. We had seen each other years and years ago, when our children were very young.... What a reunion! She and I talked and hugged and squealed and laughed and cried...she snapped a zillion photos (99% of them were most likely a blur, as I never stopped talking...which requires most of my body to move, you see.)
So here we are...
....and a few more of the shots she so skillfully captured. ..
Another dear, long-time friend, Donna Bailey, appeared in our booth that day, as well, and came bearing a gift for little Eliza...a victorian sofa ....the most darling thing...
(The next day...my sweet little friend, Michaela, would bring her very own Eliza mouse, crafted from one of her favorite old dresses, and they would share hugs as well:)
Robin had to snap a photo as I was signing one of her books...
Here is one showing the display of the Eliza-themed recipe cards...
Then she called on Eliza to partner with me for a photo...
As Robin departed, we hugged 10 times, exchanged business cards, promised to meet up soon, blew kisses, and she was off...
As if that weren't enough excitement for one day...my dear dear husband, who had stayed the duration of the day with me, keeping me hydrated, bringing me delicious food, bringing more water...surprised me beyond words, by purchasing a Victorian sofa...for ME!
Eliza and I would both return to Rose Water Cottage with beautiful little sofas...
...and Scout would commence to serious inspection...
An incredibly talented gal, Debbie, from the Three French Hens shop in Nolensville, Tennessee (maybe you remember we made several purchases there, when we first moved in last year) did the reupholstery using an ancient Grandma's Flower Garden quilt found in the same shop in Indiana where she found the sofa.
Scout gives her stamp of approval...
It has found its home in our humble little storybook cottage...
The next day or so would be spent in bed, resting and lounging...rehydrating...regaining energy...and then....
the gathering up of remaining kits and guides for the next barn sale in October...
Completion of "Eliza Celebrates a Royal Wedding"....
Tiny little Eliza shawls knitted for custom orders...(proceeds going towards the purchase of flannel graphs to go to Sierra Leone for the children in Bible Schools)....
...and plans to begin the next book in the series..."Eliza Acquires a Motor Car."
God supplies the energy, He provides the "resting places"....and gives us a vision we can accomplish by trusting in Him as our resource. This is what I have learned. May you feel His encouragement as you face the challenges and visions before you.
Blessings,
Christie
"Pick a Pick a Pumpkin" was finally up on Amazon...and, a week later, was added to Barnes & Noble's on-line store....
Next..."Eliza has a Cousin" made it through formatting, a few tweaks with the publisher, and we would be anxious for the proof to arrive...and it did....in the midst of the Strawberry Patch Fall Barn Sale in Hartsville, Tennessee (organized by one very talented hard-working young woman..Christy Stone)...
I had been so hopeful that it would be available in time, along with "Pick a Pick a Pumpkin"...but some things are just out of our control.
The posters we had printed, would serve as banners celebrating the arrival of one and the upcoming arrival of the other...
The week leading up to the barn sale, I worked feverishly on the new book...I was loving every new illustration, drinking coffee out of my Emma Bridgewater Diamond Jubilee mug, and thinking all my thoughts with a British accent...please tell me you've caught yourself doing the same thing...
My dear dear husband had just completed the fountain installation, along with flagstone surround, and a few stone walls...and I was enjoying the sound of the trickling water as I painted.
Add birds singing and calming music, and I didn't want the week to end. It would mean 3 days of heat, packing, unpacking, talking, more talking, long drives in between, packing up ...driving the distance home again, exhausted. What was I thinking, when I signed up for this thing? I love the quietness of our cozy cottage, I love that Scout snuggles in my lap while I paint...and she doesn't care if I'm still in my jammies.
But, once we arrived (me and my Mechelle, Assistant Extraordinaire, who designed the layout for the booth) and everything was in place...the fun began...even in the heat, we made new friends, shared stories, laughed way too hard and too loud, and hugged lots and lots of women and children. At the end of the day, as the sun was beginning to set, I snapped a few photos....
The next day held even more joy....a sweet little thing popped into our booth, with a camera hanging around her neck..."Christie...is that you, Christie?"....she had not changed one little bit in the near 25 years since I had seen her last...my dear friend from college days at Trevecca, 1979. We had seen each other years and years ago, when our children were very young.... What a reunion! She and I talked and hugged and squealed and laughed and cried...she snapped a zillion photos (99% of them were most likely a blur, as I never stopped talking...which requires most of my body to move, you see.)
So here we are...
....and a few more of the shots she so skillfully captured. ..
Another dear, long-time friend, Donna Bailey, appeared in our booth that day, as well, and came bearing a gift for little Eliza...a victorian sofa ....the most darling thing...
(The next day...my sweet little friend, Michaela, would bring her very own Eliza mouse, crafted from one of her favorite old dresses, and they would share hugs as well:)
Robin had to snap a photo as I was signing one of her books...
Here is one showing the display of the Eliza-themed recipe cards...
Then she called on Eliza to partner with me for a photo...
As Robin departed, we hugged 10 times, exchanged business cards, promised to meet up soon, blew kisses, and she was off...
As if that weren't enough excitement for one day...my dear dear husband, who had stayed the duration of the day with me, keeping me hydrated, bringing me delicious food, bringing more water...surprised me beyond words, by purchasing a Victorian sofa...for ME!
Eliza and I would both return to Rose Water Cottage with beautiful little sofas...
...and Scout would commence to serious inspection...
An incredibly talented gal, Debbie, from the Three French Hens shop in Nolensville, Tennessee (maybe you remember we made several purchases there, when we first moved in last year) did the reupholstery using an ancient Grandma's Flower Garden quilt found in the same shop in Indiana where she found the sofa.
Scout gives her stamp of approval...
It has found its home in our humble little storybook cottage...
The next day or so would be spent in bed, resting and lounging...rehydrating...regaining energy...and then....
the gathering up of remaining kits and guides for the next barn sale in October...
Completion of "Eliza Celebrates a Royal Wedding"....
Tiny little Eliza shawls knitted for custom orders...(proceeds going towards the purchase of flannel graphs to go to Sierra Leone for the children in Bible Schools)....
...and plans to begin the next book in the series..."Eliza Acquires a Motor Car."
God supplies the energy, He provides the "resting places"....and gives us a vision we can accomplish by trusting in Him as our resource. This is what I have learned. May you feel His encouragement as you face the challenges and visions before you.
Blessings,
Christie