HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMANDA

Happy Birthday, Amanda!, originally uploaded by Vera*Smith@cozylittlecabin.blogspot.com.

There's been an extra washer & dryer on the porch since we moved in the end of January. Friends of ours house burned down & they were going to need them. So we held on to them until they were ready for them! Yay for Mark & Mary Beth - they moved this past weekend & Mark's son & friend came for the appliances!

With those gone, we no longer have an excuse not to continue with the painting! Hubby took adavantage of the good weather & was able to replace the attic door. All in just a few hours! He's my home repair super hero!

Other than that, not much got done on the cozy little cabin this past weekend, after-all - it was Mother's Day weekend! AND my daughter's birthday! She was born on Mother's Day - how wonderful is that? I can't imagine ever getting a more wonderful MD gift than that - - - but I wouldn't care if hubby at least tried!

Amanda wanted an homemade cheesecake & can you believe it? I've never made one? I've made plenty of blender cheesecakes - but never a homemade, bake in the oven cheesecake. I have to admit - it turned out pretty good for my first try.

Here's a collage of Saturday & Sunday, using bighugelabs.com Mosaic Maker.

Have a great Monday & I'll be back later!!!

WHY I HAVE GRAY HAIR

The cozy little cabin came with some ramshackled rain gutters. Hubby has already replaced the ones in the front & is in the process of replacing the ones in the back.

There is one part that is difficult to reach with just a ladder. So, being the problem solver that he is, he has improvised.

Not only is the ladder on a picnic table but a kiddie picnic table that's at least 20 years old!

Some people blame their gray hair on their kids. I got mine from being married to this guy for 40+ years!

GARDENING INSTEAD OF DECORATING

Good morning Sunshine! Once again I've neglected blogging in favor of gardening! I've transplanted some day-lilies & have been falling in love with my hydrangeas even thought they are not yet blooming! I've never had enough shade to grow them, so we've planted quite a few here...knowing there should be more than enough shade!

This is a scene that greets me every morning that the sun is shining. Admit it - it's hard not to get up & get outside before the heat hits! Speaking of - today's predicted high is 91. :(

I saw a quote the other day, "God made rainy days so gardeners could get housework done" Fortunately/unfortunately there's no rain predicted until the middle of next week!

I promise I'll be back before then!

Happy Mother's Day!

WEEKEND UPDATE

Oh - I'm so sorry for being gone so long! But I promise I have very good reasons. And you'll be proud of me.

For one - I spent a lot of time earlier in the week tending to a little stray dog. It appears that after all is said and done she has decided to go back to her pack. . . as we haven't seen her for days :(

I also spent a lot of time finding the perfect porch ceiling blue, which by the way, is Martha Stewart's, Porch Ceiling Blue C-26!

Porch ceiling is now painted.

Walls are now painted.

Trim is also painted!

The porch posts have one coat of sealant on them . . . leaving them all natural looking! Beautiful!

All of the porch that can be painted, is painted! Yay! The breezeway part still has appliances on it, waiting for a friend whose house burned down, to come & get them. Once they are gone, we'll get it painted & then I'll be able to really start decorating the porch, treating it as another room.

Here's a pic of a well-deserved glass of wine I enjoyed on the front porch swing. We just moved the plinth at the end of the swing, using it for a little drink table. Shortly after I shot the pic it started raining. Finally! After two days of swamp-like mugginess, it finally rained! What a joy the smell of rain is on fallen leaves. And the sound of rain on the metal roof & the screen door slapping shut. Shrimp fried rice & a glass of wine. This is front porch dining at its best! And this is where you insert a very contented sigh!