Thursday, June 30, 2011

and so it goes



 how many different types of mis-matched fencing
do you see in the photo above?


how about this one?


4 foot white pickets,
weatherd pickets,
new pickets...

new 6 foot privacy fencing,
old weathered 6 foot privacy fencing...

barbed wire fencing,
plain old regular wire fencing...

all to try and contain our dogs.
and it still wasn't enough.

no, after bringing the two dogs over 2 weeks ago,
our two beautiful Siberian Huskies,
it became immediately apparent that the several
4 foot tall stretches of fencing would not contain one of the pups.


he became panicked and anxious when my husband drove off the first time,
just as he has done in the past, and successfully began
to work his way over, under and through the fence.
not completely, but he was well on his way.

i've watched this pup scale fences before,
so i had a bit of an "i told you so" moment
when i witnessed this.

**sigh**

long story short ( too late, right? )
until we can get yet another fence put up,
a uniform, 6 foot privacy fence all the way around,
my husband is living 30 miles away in our old home with the dogs,
and i'm living here in the cottage with the cat.

a few days after this living arrangement went into place,
my husband left for a week in Portland, Oregon to help
his mom get the family home ready for sale.

and so it goes here, as well.


now that he is back home, we are still living apart, reluctantly so.
things are tense and stressful between us, i have to confess.

we must finance the building of yet another fence,
even though funds are low.

we must get the new cottage organized and more livable.
getting it ready for potential magazine and/or book photo shoots?
doubtful.

and most importantly, we must, must, MUST
get the old house prepared to list and sell.
it's a financial must.

houses simply aren't selling right now, so i've had
more than a few anxious, sleepless nights over this.
all of this, actually.

i'm not looking for sympathy here,
i'm just trying to explain why i've been away
the past couple of weeks.

nobody put a gun to my head and forced me to buy
the new cottage, so any hardship we are experiencing
is of our own creation.
strike that. it's of MY creation.
having this new home was my dream, and the mr. indulged me.
i find him blameless in this whole mess.

but still? still?
i am blessed.
abundantly so, i do believe.


in spite of it all, there are some wonderful things
happening in my life...in our lives...if i can just see
beyond the present circumstances.

that's hard to do, but it's what i must do.
i say, as i sit here and type this post, as my husband
resides in another home, with the other two-thirds
of our fur kids.

i'll share more of the good later this week.

until then,




Saturday, June 18, 2011

away


Due to some unforeseen personal issues,
I will be taking some time away
to deal with some things that need addressing.

Love, prayers and good thoughts to you all.
I'll be back.



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Friday, June 17, 2011

A Visit With House Wren


Happy Friday!

I took a break from the unpacking of boxes, to pop on down the street
to Fredericksburg Trade Days, but this wasn't my usual shopping excursion.

Nope, I was there for the sole purpose of meeting Nancy and Mike
and these two most certainly did not disappoint!


I had heard others singing their praises for months now, but it wasn't
until just this morning that I saw firsthand the magic of House Wren...






I adore the ingenious mix of natural elements amidst the
timeless industrial beauty,






Their lighting creations are absolutely
out of this world.




Seltzer bottle? Top right?
Mine now.  :-)



























Love the clock?
Mmm hmmm, so did I...it came home with me.  :-)




I'll take one of everything, please!


There's beautiful Nancy right there!
Every bit as nice as she is lovely.

If you'd like to shop this incredible space 
you can find them in Barn 3, second space on the right. 
They'll be set up all weekend,
and you can check the Trade Days site for future dates.

In even more exciting news, House Wren, The Shop is opening
July 1, 2011 in Wimberley Texas...

House Wren
13801 RR 12, #101
Wimberley, Texas  78676


I'll be there, I hope to see you there, too!

Happy Weekend!



Thursday, June 16, 2011

New House Pics



Moving stinks.
No, seriously.

I mean, having a gorgeous new cottage to foof and primp
and shop for is beyond wonderful, don't get me wrong.

But the rest?
The packing, the unpacking,
the heat ( correction: the stifling heat ),
the scavenger hunt for basic household neccesities
lost in the move...that  is no fun whatsoever.

It is very slow going on the feathering-our-nest front,
but you're still going to get pictures, every step of the way.

Today, you're getting unedited, slightly blurry,
"oh well, they're better than nothing" images...

Hope you enjoy!


 Welcome to the foyer, the entry hallway,
the vestibule.





 Winnie checking out her new digs.
She's not too sure about this old house.
She hid under one of the beds for hours and hated me 
for several more.

Then she cautiously ventured out and became the
little intrepid explorer I know and love!


 The living room.
Nothing special right now, much work to be done yet.


 Pardon my Urban Outfitters
ruffle laundry bag draped on the sofa.
It looks totally contrived, like I draped it there for a photo op,
but I promise that's not the case.



 Another peek at my beloved Carol Hicks Bolton sofa, Babette.
Yes, she has a name. 
Of course she has a name! Just look at her.


Still have MANY smocked cotton panels
to hang in this room. That, and to replace the existing shades
with white wood blinds.


 My little corner of creativity,
and the Winster doing her explorer kitty thang


So that's it for now.
I still have to figure out what's going to be hung 
on the walls and where.

And oh yeah....where the toilet paper is, too!  ;-)

Have a wonderful Thursday!
{ it IS Thursday, right? I've lost track in this moving fog! }



P.S.
I haven't had a spare moment to catch up on correspondence
or visit blogs, so please forgive me and bear with me.
Once normalcy returns, I'll be by to visit!


Monday, June 13, 2011

Checking In...


Hi there, strangers!

I've been a bit of an absentee blogger this past week,
as I've been incredibly busy both working
and also nesting in our new home.


Yep, we're there...FINALLY!

I'm officially in love with the sweet little cottage,
but it's going to take a while to get things just so...
you know what I'm talking about, right?

To get what I actually see before me to resemble 
what I've imagined in my mind's eye these past many months.

But, yeah...
I'm loving it. :-)

I'm off to unpack more boxes, but not without sharing a couple of
pics taken on an expedition yesterday afternoon.




Apologies for what I consider to be less than ideal images...
I was shooting with someone elses camera.

I hope you're having a wonderful Monday,
house pics are on the way soon!

XOXO,


P.S.
Edited to add ( over 2 days later )...
Still slogging along here trying to get settled.
The heat is stifling, and things are moving slowly along.
Hope to give you some eye candy soon!