Awesome Find!

OMGoodness!!!

I'm so flippin' excited!  This baby is coming to Chippy White Cottage on Wednesday!

I'll share more when she arrives!!!

Cottage Blessings,

A Sweet Writing Desk & Feminine Touches

I am a girly-girl.  There is no doubt in that!  I love pink, lace, ruffles, and frills.  However, that's not my decorating style.  But in my bedroom, I have many feminine touches.  Today, I'm sharing my writing desk.  Everything here makes me smile and happy!

That Small Town Feeling

I've always lived in a small town.  It's the life for me.  I have been fortunate to travel some awesome places...many large cities...but my heart belongs to "small town living". 

For 52 years, I lived in the same small town...I grew up here and raised my boys here.  Just this past August, I found my cottage in a neighboring town...and yes, it is a small town too!

Every where I turn, there's a small town, and I like it that way.  I love the fact that I'm only around an hour from Nashville, TN, Chattanooga, TN, and Huntsville, AL for shopping and restaurants.  However, I am only minutes in all directions from quaint little towns like Tullahoma, Lynchburg, and Manchester.

Today after work, I needed to run an errand in Manchester...about 15 min. from work.  Luckily, this was one of my early days that I don't tutor after school.  So I decided to treat myself to a little small town fun...

Come with me, and let me show you what I mean...

For The Love Of Decorating

So when did you first get interested in home decorating?

For me I think it's always been there. I can remember paying close attention to details when creating homes for my Barbies.  I adored several 60's/70;s sitcoms for 1.  fashion and 2. home décor.  Here are some of my favs!

My Christmas Home Tour

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  Oh how I have waited and anticipated decorating my cottage for Christmas.  I can't even begin to put into words the feeling I have for the first Christmas in my cottage!  I am beyond giddy.  It's been a long two years after the divorce, but I am stronger and happier than I have ever been!  I've hung in there when times got tough, relied on God, and here I am...in my very own home that I got all by myself...with God's hand in it all the way.  Boy, it feels GOOD!

This was the first thing I put up this year....the vintage ornament wreath that I made a couple of years ago.  It makes me *HAPPY*

And I even have one on the inside of the same door.  :)

So without further delay, let's get to the tour of my cottage all decked out for Christmas!

Cottage Sweet Cottage

After two long years, have my own home again.  One year in an apartment and one year in a rental house was enough for me.  God has truly blessed me with this cottage.  His timing is perfect, and getting this precious cottage when I did was no different.

After several months of looking at houses, I am in a dream cottage! 

I had looked online almost every day until it got close to July when I'd be able to buy a home.  Around June, I began to go see homes with my realtor.  My cottage came on the market before I was able to buy and was pending one week after it was placed on the market.  However, I just knew this was my house.  As July approached, after looking at a few homes in person, the cottage came back on the market due to the people's finance falling through. 

I will remember the day I first saw my cottage in person for the first time.  I literally squealed as I walked into the place.  I KNEW it was mine...and it WAS!I thank God for opening and shutting doors as He saw fit....because now, I have the perfect home for my two pups and me!

Thanks for stopping by.  Please do come back again soon...and maybe even leave me a little comment!

Counting my Cottage Blessings,

Stop and Smell The Roses

I love roses...and I love the way they smell.  I especially love the meaning of this saying. Unfortunately, I don't set aside time just for doing that and nothing else! 

We all have full plates at one time or another...sometimes we can't seem to ever get those plates clean!  Many of us are multitaskers much of the time!  But stopping and putting all aside for just enjoying the things around us in important!  Even if you have to "pencil in" time for "smelling the roses" we need to do that!

I love my home....it's comfy and cozy and full of love with my two pups!  After a long hard day, I have a wonderful leather recliner sofa to plop down on to watch a little tv. I have a nice cozy bed to snuggle up in at night! I have decorated my little cottage to my heart's desire.  I rearrange and redecorate often because that's just who I am and what I love.

Egg Roll In A Bowl

Photo by Chippy White Cottage

The holidays are long gone, and I need to get back on track!  I've got to rid my pantry of any junk and get back to eating clean again!  I put back on several pounds over Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I'm feeling sluggish again.  I hate when I do that to myself!

Wordless Wednesday

A Ride Through The Countryside

Even though I don't live in a big city, there is still a hustle and bustle of everyday life.  You don't have long to drive from my town to be in the countryside, whichever way that you travel.  For me, there is a sense of peace...a light feeling...as if a weight (that I didn't realize was there) is lifted. 

Not So Fall

September is here...and I wish fall weather had accompanied it...but no such luck. Autumn has always been my very favorite season...the cool, crisp air, colorful leaves, apples, pumpkins, acorns...I get giddy just talking about it!  So, even though it's not so fall yet, I will pretend.  So, with that, I began to pull out my fall decorations.

The small dresser that my TV is sitting on is a new acquistion.  I love it as it is, but I'm probably going to eventually use some of my favorite paint (Blackberry Paint), sand and wax it, and shabby it up more in some of  my go-to colors.  I've added a few touches of fall, and I like the way it turned out!  

Large orange and gold blooms fill a vintage watering can that I found at the Nashville Flea Market for $10 several years ago.  I just love the look!

Treat Her to a Tea Party

Tea Parties and Little Girl (and Big Girls) always go together!

All Moved In...

Ok, I said I wasn't going to do this...you know, the disappearing act...Ha!  But I did.  Eeeek!  Things got crazy busy in the spring getting ready for state testing...only to have it called off ( Yes!  I said CALLED OFF...as in NONE...which is a FIRST...and after all the time we put into computer skills so they could drag/drop, toggle between two articles, highlight, etc. because they were expected to do it on the computer, AND the program crashed every practice day!)

Then, all of my energy had to go into MOVING....not just my regular move of furniture in my classroom, at the end of the year, but MOVING homes again!  My year's lease was up on June 1, and I chose not to renew it.  The stairs in my townhouse were taking it's toll on my knees!  Also, my Emmy Rose needed a yard.  So the moving began again!  Now Emmy has a wonderful yard (which will soon be fenced) and I have a garage again...and a covered patio!

Chippy Shabby....and...A Dilemma!

While most women dream of expensive jewelry, designer clothes, tons of shoes...I dream of

RUSTY. CRUSTY.

CHIPPY.SHABBY.

If it has peeling paint....I'm overjoyed...

And if it happens to be white peeling paint....I'm ecstatic.

More...More...AND Even MORE!

I LOVE decorating magazines!  I have some as far back as 1980's when I first married.  I still buy them today, but also acquire them from my BFF when she finishes with them.  So I guess it would be true that I'd run out of places to keep them....Well my old ones are still boxed up from my move to Chippy White Cottage, but my newest ones are always close by...Wanna see???

Arrival of the White Stuff

 

When I put away my Christmas decorations a few weeks ago, I decided to keep some little hints of winter up in the cottage.  I do love SNOW...and had hopes of a snow day or two.

Wine A Bit...

I love the sign in the window at the Lynchburg Winery... "Wine a bit...you'll feel better."  LOL  So, Lynchburg, TN isn't just for Jack Daniels anymore!  The wine from this new place is wonderful!  When they announced their new Blackberry wine, I knew I wanted some!  But soon after, they posted, "SOLD OUT!"  I was SO bummed!

Counting Down

Christmas Break....I love it!  Just like most everyone else, I'm counting down the days until Christmas!  For me thought, it's probably one more day than your count...I will celebrate Christmas Day with my sweet Emmy but "my" Christmas will be when my children and grangirl arrive on the 26th.  Spending time with them is all I need...all I want!  So as I count down these last 4 days...3 for you...I am enjoying the slow pace around the cottage, as presents are already bought...just need to do some wrapping...most of the food is bought...just need to make some goodies.

Christmas Goodies

I have so many favorite Christmas goodies...I could never decide which I like best...I love them all! 

These peanut butter balls {above}are awesome!  They have oats, peanut butter, raisins, pecans, and coconut in them then dipped in chocolate.  When I was in elementary school, we use to have the most wonderful homemade desserts.  These were one of them!  I got the recipe from my MIL who use to make these every year.  After she passed, then I started making them each Christmas.  Yum!

We All Need a Smile on Mondays!

Mondays are hard enough...but coming off of Thanksgiving Break is the hardest!  I hope you all had plenty of family time, good food, and rest!  I'm thankful that I did!  I also had some time to decorate more for Christmas!