The Apple Street Cottage

Well, my friends, it really has been FOREVER since I wrote a 'This & That' post.  I just looked and it's been almost a year.  What can I say?   In the interest of keeping this from being the longest post ever, let's just talk about 3 things:  My ear surgery (because I promised to explain in a past post), Keepin' it Real, and a couple of pics of life at the cottage.   This post may contain affiliate links. Ready?  Here we go..... The Ear Surgery In all honesty, this story starts in 2023.  That was the Estate Sale, Auntie B & 'Aunti-biotics post.   Oh, was I sick.  No ear infection, but lots of fluid.  After that, I couldn't go anywhere that was musty/moldy without my ears reacting, sometimes with an infection.   Finally, in the Fall of 2024, after 2 different ENT doctors and a case of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing (that's a story in and of itself - just Google it), I was given ventilation tubes in my ears to pr...

I've always wanted built-in bookshelves - not just for books, but as a place to display the many treasures I've collected over the years.   In all the houses we've owned, it never happened.   Until this one. Welcome back to the next installment of Creating a Charming Cottage.  We've been very busy with all sorts of projects around here and I thought it was time to share a major improvement we made to the living room.  First, let me show you what we now have: And now, let's talk about how it came to be. It all began with this little wall: Remember that green paint? You are looking at it from the front door.  Now let's look at it straight on: The molding on the right is the coat closet.  Please ignore the 'extras' on the floor.  This picture was taken soon after we moved in and this is how things looked...you know I like to keep things real, but let's move on. In my mind, I could see cabinets across the bottom with shelves above, so I started m...

Happy New Year and welcome back to The Cottage.  When I started this blog in 2014 I asked you to "join me on the porch for the stories of this little cottage."  We're no longer living in that same cottage, but the stories have continued.   As we enter 2026 join me for: More 'Creating a Charming New Cottage' posts.  We have a 'to-do' list that rivals the length of Santa's naughty/nice list, so there will be house projects to share.   More recycling, upcycling, and recreating.  I still have a pretty extensive stash of goodies in need of makeovers, many of which can (and will) be incorporated into that 'to-do' list I just mentioned.  More posts stressing the importance of creating a home that is a reflection of you.  I've never followed trends and I'm not about to start now.  Have you heard the phrase:  'You do you'?  I'm a big fan! As I said in the beginning,  join me on the porch for the stories of this little cottage....

 🎜 Christmas Time is Here🎝....can you hear the song from 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'?  I read that the lyrics were written to capture the blend of melancholy and hope from the special.   Hmmm, almost 60 years later and still so relevant. Christmas has come to the Cottage.... The wreath is on the door. It's a live wreath that I dressed up with velvet ribbon and some things from a former wreath that was taken apart.  This post may contain affiliate links. The candles are in the windows. They are battery-powered with dusk-to-dawn sensors.  I'm impressed since they've been in the windows since Thanksgiving and I haven't had to change the batteries. The kitchen window has this little lamp found on Marketplace. Yes, the windows are a hot mess.  This was a rental house and new windows are on the list.   Sadly, Santa will not be bringing them this year.   Maybe in 2026... My upcycled cutting board is now adorned with a little Christmas t...

The holiday hoopla is about to begin (if it hasn't already) and I thought I'd sneak in one more post about creating our Charming New Cottage.  If you missed the first post here are the important points I made: There will be LOTS of posts about making this little house our new home.  Please keep in mind, the updates will not be fast and furious since we're retired aaaaaand....I believe bad knees were already mentioned.  Wink-wink! It was a rental property.  In other words, we are (and will be) dealing with lots of 'landlord specials'...affectionately nick-named by our daughter. We have  down-sized  and   I don't mean it's a 3 bed, 2 bath, 1800 square foot house.  No, this is just a little over 900 sq. ft.....Did I mention 'dowwwwn-sizing'? I want to create a home that is cozy, relaxed, and welcoming while incorporating practical elements. The focus is on  comfort, not grandeur. I've always promised to "Keep it Real" and share the good, t...