Needless to say we’re all pretty excited about Stella and the good times we will share there. One of the reasons we decided on a little place not far from home is the entire family can enjoy it frequently without the hassle (and worry) of significant travel. Because we’re in the field of work that overhaul and maintenance requires, the renovation and upkeep were doable with our own crew. Big Plus. When we contemplated a home on the Vineyard or Vermont, two things deterred us. 1. The cost of housing there is outrageous now and 2. we would have to hire out the work to people we don’t know and repairs of any sort would also be done by people we don’t know. Having Stella so close by keeps all that in M’s control.
The kids were extremely thoughtful with their gifts to us this Christmas. With Stella in mind, the following were “under our tree”…
My son worked with our stone guru to create this fire pit on the edge of the blue stone patio – it is a free form creation complete with quartz – the stone mostly collected here on the farm. “S” has a way of laying stone so that without the encumbrance of mortar these stones will stand the test of time placed on their own. The remaining stone he didn’t use still needs to be removed and I will lay a garden around the base, but the form is clear in these pictures. Yesterday we saw the finished work and absolutely love it. Thank you M junior for such a thoughtful gift we will all enjoy for many years to come. Our friend S did most of the stone walls here on the farm over the past seven years and the foundation and porch here at This Old House – This man has overcome some major struggles in his life, most recently a significant bout with Lyme Disease. His work takes a great deal of physical strength and he is quite gifted with stone…. I am so thrilled that Stella will have some of his work in her little yard an that he is regaining his health through really hard work and determination.
PS.. Did I mention a Priest lives in the next yard over? I told my husband we’re gonna need to clean up our language when sitting on the deck, as he’s definitely within earshot. Funny thing is… when M finally had a conversation with him, during the course of that conversation his response to a question was something like “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that shit”. LOL. I feel so much better now. We’ll get along just fine.
My daughter also gifted us with some beautiful things for Stella – this is a wind chime she found on Etsy – made from recycled materials – including old spoons! Love it… I’m told the sound is a very soft soothing tinkling…
A beautiful shell wreath too…
I found a re-worked dresser at another thrift store called The Picking Pot.
Very sturdy and the soft ivory color falls right in line with the light neutral hues
I want to adorn the cottage with. Stella is so small there will only be room
for a bed and dresser in each of the two bedrooms. I’m still looking for
one more dresser and a queen bed frame. I’m taking the advice to not buy crap
I won’t be happy with down the line – so far I have managed to find thrift store
pieces I love.
The Mr. and I have started the Nutrisystem program as of yesterday. While I’m not thrilled with the idea of the processed food that was delivered a few days back, so far it doesn’t taste bad and seems like it will be manageable. Adding fresh veggies and fruits is recommended as well. I plan to stay on it for one to two months, as I’m just looking for a weight loss jump start. My goal is to lose 15 pounds, and with the success I’ve heard about on this program, if I can just stick with it, it should get me to my goal. Then I need to stay with the portion sizes and calorie intake this program teaches, and maintain the weight loss. The Mr. wants to stay on it a little longer as he has bigger weight loss goals. What I have already learned in two days is PORTION CONTROL.. and water intake.. are very important for any kind of weight loss. We love food and we don’t drink much or smoke at all, so food has been our vice over the years.
That’s lunch. See what I mean? PORTIONS. Holy cow, we’ve been going overboard by about 1000 percent.
I’d like to thank each of you who comes here and converses in the comments section from time to time. Our shared experiences and advice is cherished. Some of you have been visiting this space for over six years and you’ve become dear friends. FB helps us keep in touch even more (one of the actual GOOD things about social media, and yes there are some redeeming qualities to it) and I’m glad to have come to know you.
Happy, Healthy 2017 to All – may we find peace of mind and strength in unity.
Love, Karen