The Cottage on the Hill

                                                            Photo by Cottage on the Hill Winter and I haven't gotten along very well in years.  It would be a painful, depressing time as the cold and damp would get into my bones and feel like it was freezing me from the inside out.  A few years ago I would dread the onset of winter, fear it, even.  Then, I started watching a remarkable woman who lives in the rural north of Sweden. Jonna Jinton lives in a tiny village near the Arctic Circle in Sweden.  Several years ago, she abandoned her normal urban modernist life to live a dream.  Her dream has come true, and then some! I first "met" Jonna through an adorable little meme video that went viral on Facebook.  As the northern hemisphere was nearing spring, Jonna's video of her trudging through waist-deep snow i...

  Now, television isn't something I am able to indulge in very often.  I have one TV series that I watch with absolute strictness, and that is Curse of Oak Island.  Otherwise, I watch The Mandalorian when I can and occasionally indulge in the classics.  But, boy, do I love those classics!  My love has been renewed thanks to Disney's Wandavision, which, I think, they "spoofed" the old TV shows quite well without being rude about it.  I'd be happy if they stayed in the Mary Tyler Moore or Dick van Dyke Show style.  It's just so adorable and homey!  It brought me back to my old favorites such as: The Donna Reed Show Leave it to Beaver Father Knows Best Ozzie and Harriet The Honeymooners I Love Lucy The Dick van Dyke Show I Dream of Jeannie The Mary Tyler Moore Show And the game show What's My Line I'm sure there's more. What are your favorite old time TV shows?

  Art by Tasha Tudor Spring always tempts me to the open spaces of my back yard that I can fill with seeds, seedlings, and plants.  The little homesteader in me wants food and flower growing abundantly in the sunny areas behind my house.  Of course, I never intend to neglect the front, and I usually do throw in some excellent plantings when the weeds are few in the spring.  However, the demands of tending the large gardens in the back take away from the ones people see first. The new busy days of my life, with work and business, homeschool and home repairs, provides me with little time to devote to my gardening obsession  hobby.  I MUST plan and focus for this coming spring. I decided to focus on curb appeal, not just for the benefit of first impressions, but because it is overall beneficial: 1.  It'll exercise my gardening creativity.  The spaces are unique.  I have to think outside the box. 2.  It'll exercise my gardening education....

  With Valentine's Day coming, I felt like sharing 3 of my favorite perfumes, an honorable mention, and one for the little girls in your life.  They make excellent, romantic gifts for the fragrance-loving femmes in your life! Coming in at #3 is English Laundry No 7 (for her).  This is a scent that is both classic and modern.  It's great as an every day wear, and for special occasions. My #2 is Estee Lauder Pleasures.  This was my first "big girl" perfume, a step away from drug store brands into the world of perfume counters.  It is oh so feminine! My #1 was Marilyn Monroe's #1, Chanel #5!  I feel sophisticated wearing this perfume.  It's an instant pick-me-up and self-esteem booster. My Honorable Mention is a budget-friendly fragrance from Yardley of London.  Their lily of the valley scent is a beautiful, feminine, pleasantly simple fragrance that feels young and fresh, innocent and sweet to wear. For the little girls in your life just starti...

                                                                         Painting by Edward Hopper I blame Covid. And winter. I am inspired by minimalists. And young women in young marriages with young families who've learned and shared their art of creating spaces and space. Growing up, I loved all the things.  Cluttered farmhouses, Victorian aesthetic, collections, museums pack full of artifacts, late 20th century consumerism all contributed to an idea that homes were cozy when well (and fully) decorated and displayed.   But now I live in a very small cottage instead of a large Civil War era farmhouse, and I have to take care of all the things (or handle all this inventory as Dawn from The Minimal Mom calls it).  It became overwhelming. Covid has kept my chil...

Elin Danielson Gambogi "Sunny Day" 1900  Growing up I remember going to people's houses or going to school and smelling the fresh laundry.  I loved the laundry detergent aisle at the grocery store and longed to have laundry that was a fragrant experience.  Frugality, for many years, dictated what detergent I purchased, which was often the kind that didn't have the greatest fragrance, nor would it last.  Nevertheless, through rebate apps, coupons, sales, and allowing myself a little more wiggle room in the laundry budget, I have explored the worlds of Tide and Gain .  However, as much as I enjoy both of these for massive fragrant laundry experiences, I was surprised that another option has become my current favorite! Not only is the scent amazing, but I love how my laundry feels.  I have terribly hard water and I don't use fabric softener or dryer sheets, but this detergent actually does get out the dirt, the ick, the stink, and softens the laundry n...

Fragonard, The Reader I tend to be what I call an idealist pessimist.  Basically, I would think of some aesthetic ideal that I wish I was, but be very negative and pessimistic because I could never live up to that.  That developed into negative self talk.   Dawn from The Minimal Mom  talks in her videos about how she would berate herself as being a messy person and instead decided to think, "No, I'm a tidy person.  What would a tidy person do?"  I've adopted this method for myself, calling it Proper Thinking.  It isn't negative talk to punish myself, nor is it positive speak that puffs me up.  It is proper thinking that is both realistic and productive.  For example, I didn't want to go to Church, today.  So, I thought, "I'm a Catholic.  What do Catholics do?  They go to Mass."  Therefore, I went to Mass.   Another example is when I feel overwhelmed with homeschooling my children.  I think, "I am a work...

No, this isn't Lady S, but she reminds me of her graciousness.  Miss Eleanor Urquhart , 1793 by Henry Raeburn   Two decades ago I was a naive working class teenager from a fairly rural area of the USA who managed to somehow befriend a university gent from Scotland.  When I was 16 he actually came over to visit me.  Then next year and 2 years after that, when I was 17 and 19, I went to visit him and his family in Scotland. The other day I started reading Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris  by Jennifer Scott  and realized I had my own sort of Madame Chic experience in Scotland! Lady S (she wasn't really a Lady as a title, like Lord and Lady or Duke, Duchess, Dame, etc, but her husband does hold an MBE!) was a poised, soft-spoken, kindly countenanced Highland beauty.  She welcomed me warmly, was a gracious hostess, and I always felt like she wanted to take me under her wing and polish me up a little.  ...

  Image made at Canva Thanks to Megan at Megan Fox, Unlocked  I decided to put together a 2021 Vision Board and share it with you! I guess the "vision board" idea is something that some people put together to speak something into existence.  That's not my intention.  Like Megan, I don't believe that a vision board or my own efforts can supernaturally make my wishes come true, but I do believe in positive reinforcement and a healthy mindset. I made a simple board on Canva.  I loved the simplicity of their platform, and though I could have done a better job editing my own work, I didn't have much time and am still pleased with the results.  It's pleasing to the eye and reminds me of my 2021 vision and goals without revealing my inner heart and deeper thoughts on the matters that are between God and me. I can comfortably reveal the gist, though. My word for the year is Growth. I could have used so many words, but Growth stood out to me. I'm working on growing...

  Happy New Year!! "New Year New You" has never felt like it applied to me as much as it does this New Year.  I just turned 40 years old and, for some reason, it feels like my life didn't just turn a page, but that it closed a book and started a new one.  Throughout the year I'll probably blog about what that means and how it came about, but for this blog post I'm here to reintroduce myself to you. Hi!  My name is Kate.  I'm 40 years old, a wife of almost 19 years to my Northman, and mother of 4 (3 boys and a girl).  I am a business owner, I work, and I am currently homeschooling all 4 children (thanks to the pandemic). We live in semi-rural upstate New York.  That means I'm surrounded by farm and woods, but Target is only a short drive away. LOL!  We live in an itty bitty cottage that was built in 1950 on about 1/2 an acre of land in a quiet neighborhood.  Our dear little cottage, named Taigh Beag (pronounced "tie beck," which literally tran...

Well with My Soul Mug   For Christmas I got a Keurig K-Duo !  It was the perfect upgrade for my family.  My daughter and I love flavored coffees, but my husband can only have regular coffee due to allergies.  Only regular coffee goes through the carafe, but my daughter and I can enjoy flavored K-cups, like Starbucks Veranda Blend .  My husband was impressed with the quality of brew the Keurig makes, too!  Once I figured out where to set it in my little cottage kitchen, I was tempted to hop online and search out nifty accessories to go with it, but I really didn't want to clutter up my already small kitchen with more things on surfaces.  So many people I know have those neat carousels and drawers for their coffee pods and if that works for them, I'm very happy!  They do look very nice at a home coffee bar! It got me thinking, though, about clutter, decor, accessories and the psychology behind them.  Keep in mind that I grew up during the consu...

Be the Better Person No, it isn't "be the best." That's not typically helpful and can often leave others harmed in your wake. This isn't about being the person who wins the race. This is about being the person who helps another person cross the finish line. When a group of kids are teasing another, don't join in on the teasing at the very least. Put in the effort to stop the teasing. When everyone is sharing dirty jokes, be the one who doesn't laugh, but shares a funny clean joke, instead. When everyone is talking badly about someone else, be the one who says, "I don't know. I always thought he was smart/funny/clever/nice." Or "I like Mrs. Kane. She's a good teacher, and fair, too." When everyone is calling the President horrible names (Trump or Biden), be the one who calls them by their proper title. When everyone is swearing, be the one who doesn't. When the people in the store are being grumpy with t...

People have varying opinions about this newish line of work called "Social Media Influencer." I'm sure there is a lot of drivel out there, but there are a lot of influencers who actually do positively influence! Today, I share the ones who influenced me in 2020 and why: 1. Lynette Yoder . Lynette is a Mennonite mom and content creator on YouTube and Instagram who vlogs about homemaking, decorating, and her life and family in Sarasota, FL. She influenced me by being a Christian woman who takes time, money, and energy to create a beautiful home. Having lived under a poverty mindset, I discovered that I attached a level of morality around being so frugal that it felt wrong to actually earn and spend money on fixing up a home, as if God would punish me for doing so. Lynette showed me the value in a beautiful space, in organization, and how it helps not only herself, but her family function and grow well. Because she keeps such a nice home, she is able to be hospitab...

When our oldest turned 14 this past March, I decided to start a 2-year plan. This was a plan of hard work and paying down/off debts and doing DIY fixer upper projects around the house. I didn't make it official because I'm quite used to wrenches being thrown into the gears of my plans, but we, by the grace of God, did better than I thought we would! The two year plan would bring us to our oldest's 16th birthday, which I figured would be another life-changing milestone. We paid off 3 credit cards and a personal loan. Our business grew by leaps and bounds. I hammered out a lot of those little household projects. I reduced about 30 to 40% of our belongings. And we have entered into the very real possibility of not only renovating our little cottage, but putting on an addition!! Thinking about it, I decided it would be a good investment to look into getting a reno done. Hubby has 10 years until he can retire, but I still have 20-25 years. That's plenty of t...

Yesterday, I turned 40 years old. It honestly felt like a page turned in my life. I felt light and excited and like a weight has lifted off my shoulders. I have a new vision, new interests, new likes and dislikes, new thoughts, and a new decade ahead of me. One thing I especially decided to grab this decade is the idea that it is ok to fix up my house. For some reason, I latched onto the idea in the past that it is somehow wrong to, say, take out a loan to fix up a house that is outdated, run down, but still useable. Funny thing is I didn't really think this of other people. I didn't look at people moving into a new home and fixing it up as being wrong of them. In fact, I sighed with a tinge of envy. But, as is common with many people, to feel better about what we can't do, we moralize it. In the past we simply didn't have the funds to put into the house. It was a sacrifice we made so I could stay home when the children were small. So, I semi-consciously c...

I was in bed staring at the bookcase on the opposite wall. Along the side were necklaces 3 to 4 deep on hooks, well organized, but annoying me. I got up and opened my jewelry case that my husband got me for Christmas last year. Inside, rows and rows of earrings were neatly arranged and I looked at them with disdain and grabbed the same pair I typically wear. Jewelry is supposed to make us feel good and pretty. Instead, I didn't even bother with it, except for earrings to maintain my piercings. Why couldn't I get my act together to wear any of the pretty jewelry I owned? It actually took several weeks to figure out. It's called "decision fatigue." I had SO MUCH jewelry that it was an added chore just to go through it and pair it with outfits. I also realized that as I work on minimizing and being more intentional with my wardrobe, many pieces of jewelry I owned simply didn't go with what I had left. I kept anything heirloom or precious, of course,...

Culturally, or, perhaps, familially, spaces were filled. If you had a flat surface, it needed something on it. A table had a centerpiece, a shelf had decor, countertops held all your kitchen things at the ready. If you had wall space you put up an art piece, or a clock, or family photos. If you had an empty corner or nook, you bought something at a garage sale to fill it: a doll, or knick-knick hutch, an old piece of whatever antique neat-looking thing you could display. Under beds and under sofas were just opportune real estate to store more things. I brought that same lifestyle into my own little home. At first, we had very little and I was eager to fill the spaces. What I had didn't balance well with the rooms and the empty spaces seemed awkward. I tried filling them with whatever I could find inexpensively that I liked, but they didn't necessarily fit the spaces well. Over time, I managed other more aesthetically pleasing pieces, but, eventually, I just ended up ...

As I whittle more and more out of my house, I find I am actually able to get rid of some things that do bring me joy. I'll talk about two in particular: The first is this beautiful dark red bookcase with lower cabinet I got at Target on clearance for a steal years ago. I remember that day. There were two left and only around $35!! I called my sister and we both bought one. We set them up in our respective houses and loved them ever since. A year or two ago, my sister told me that if I ever wished to part with mine, she'd take it because she'd like to flank her dining room windows and put a window seat between. I loved the idea and told her if she ever spots a similar bookcase, I may consider a trade. Time passed, and try as we might, we never found a suitable bookcase. I loved how mine looked in my house and served its purpose, so I held on to it. My sister never metioned it again, but I knew it would make her so very happy to have it. I kept searching for a boo...

I noticed as I shopped various stores and yard sales the past couple of weeks that I am shopping differently now that I've minimized so much. As I see tempting things, I find I'm asking myself, "Do I really want to bring this into my house and find a place for it?" The answer is no. I was offered some vintage pyrex for free, but politely declined. In the past I would have grabbed it as if vintage pyrex were a talisman to the rose-colored joys of mid-century Americana. Today, it just looks like useless clutter. I have some vintage pyrex that I do use. I have enough. I don't need a collection, and I can enjoy what I have without feeling overwhelmed by what I do not. This is very refreshing and I find I can walk through stores and sales more intentionally. It is also freeing in that I don't feel sad about buying or not buying the latest trends or cute thing.

The smallest bedroom in this cottage has the largest closet. Go figure! Inside this closet is my grandmother's cedar hope chest. Inside the chest is my vintage clothing collection. Well, it mostly goes ignored, so I decided to create a goal of getting rid of most of my vintage clothing collection and using the trunk to store my seasonal clothing, thus eliminating two totes in the basement. I did, indeed, get rid of the majority of my vintage clothing collection, but I still had enough to not leave enough room for my seasonal clothing. I was a little disappointed. In order to make it work, I would have to either capsule my seasonal clothes or get rid of all of my vintage clothing. I wasn't willing to do that, but I was really sad that I fell short of my goal! To make it up to myself, I reasoned that I do have room in the trunk for key pieces of memories that I am saving. I can store my kiddos' baby boxes in it as well as some heirloom and special memory baby cl...