WELL, IT'S KIND OF LIKE BEING THERE, ISN'T IT?!

Fleetwood Mac We Love You, But I'm Too Cheap To Pay Your Ticket Prices!


Call me old, call me cheap, I don't care. I love Fleetwood Mac, so does hubby. Listening to their music brings back soooo many good memories of the late 70's (ok, some good, some memories. . . maybe not sooo good!) Fleetwood Mac was here in the metro Detroit area last month. We checked out the ticket prices, thought about attending, then thought some more. Hubby was all for it. . . he didn't care how much the tickets were. I did. It just seems with the present economy the money could be used elsewhere. Like giving additional food to our local food bank. We collect it each week at church and the need is growing. I mean, look, we live in Michigan. Must I explain more?

So, we didn't go. We compromised. We played a live concert on our big screen in my hubby's basement mancave. I mean, it was kind of, sort of, like being there right? We probably saw better, that's for sure.

. . . and I let hubby blast his Boise surround sound system as loud as he wanted (without complaint). Oh, by the way, did I mention my husband has severe hearing loss from all the concerts he attended in his youth? Yeah, he'd get seats so close that he would sit right in front of the amplifiers and blast out his ear drums. I wish he'd get hearing aids, but he's just not there yet. I guess he thinks 52 is too young, but I'd sure like to be able to stop repeating myself to him, once, twice, three times. Or of course, we have the "I didn't hear you say that!" stuff going on too. Or perhaps if he gave up and got the hearing aids. . . there his excuse would go too :)

Blessings. . . until next time,

BASEMENT SHOWER TILE UPDATE

REMEMBER THIS PROJECT? WE'LL PROGRESS IS BEING MADE THAT'S FOR SURE :)

Here is my honey, working, working, working on installing the cement board. I've been visibly missing from the blogging world. I hurt my back again (I'm OK now), but was unable to help my hubby as I had planned. Bless his heart, he did it all himself. No tile cutting, no blogging, not much of anything for me.

But, unfortunately, things can get messy BEFORE looking better! Here's the tile installing/cutting equipment on the bathroom floor.

Here hubs has begun cementing the tile to the wall.

Tile installed all the way to the ceiling now. . .

Tiling the shower seat/ledge.



Starting to lay the smaller tile sheets on the shower floor. . . and the larger tile cut down for the floor entrance ledge.

Now, we need to wait until the tile cement dries completely for a few days and then grout away.

I love the look of the shower tiled. I'm so glad that it's almost finished and behind us finally.

Now, we can begin to think about our next project(s) to tackle :)

Blessings. . . until next time,

I'M A LITTLE TEAPOT. . . SHORT AND STOUT. . .

Ok, so it's actually a coffeepot, not a teapot, but I love it just the same!

I've been wanting one of these. . . forever. . . but I sure wasn't willing to pay the high price being asked!
This fall, while at a garage sale, I found an Oneida Silver plated Coffeepot for $3. Now that's more like it! Then I put it away when I got home until I had a bit more time. Now was the time! I picked up a lamp-making kit $8, steel nipple and hex bolts packages (about $2 each) all at The Home Depot. The lamp shade I found recently at a trip to the thrift store for $1.99. (That's what prompted my memory of the coffeepot.)
I began by drilling out the top ornate piece on the coffeepot lid. You can do it ladies. Just go out to the garage. Head towards hub's tools, grab the drill, find a large drill bit, make sure the drill is in the F (forward) not R (reverse position) and GO!! Drill it from the underside of the lid and it'll pop right off!

Next, drill a hole for the cord to be fed through.

Secure the steel nipple with hex bolts. . . one on top and one underneath the lid. Easy Peasy!


Make sure the steel nipple is level then tighten down the hex bolts.



Start feeding the cord UP through the hole you drilled towards the bottom of the coffeepot.

Thread it through the top UNDERSIDE first, then feed it out the top.

SEE??

Now, just follow along with the instructions on the back of the lamp making package. The directions are extremely clear. I chose to add the harp neck, even though the lamp shade I used did not need a harp. I just like to plan ahead for the future. . . in case I change out my shade and the next one has a frame for a harp. It's easier to just add it now than having to take it apart to add it later. . . how do I know? Done it!

Add the socket pieces. . . according to the package directions.



Prepare your wiring. . . .secure the wire ends to the two screws on the socket. Confirm you have the ground wire going to the ground screw. All on the package directions ladies!


And you're DONE!! And it only cost around $17!


And now my new lamp has a permanent home. . . at our built in kitchen desk. . . and I'm Liking IT!!

Blessings. . . until next time,

Sher

A TOUR OF OUR LITTLE COTTAGE!!

Boy, oh Boy, I finally figured out how to get these photos out of my hub's camera. Next time, I'll use mine. Gee Whiz!!

I'm not going to be giving you picture by picture descriptions. . . just general introductions. I mean, who reads those anyways? This is all you need to know. . . hubs and I built this little place "ourselves" 9 years ago. My husband is very handy and I'm very blessed! It's small, quaint and all we need. I pieced together pictures from several visits. . . so in some photos there is snow. . . some there is green grass :)

It's very hard to photograph a "small" place with small bedrooms. I did the best I could. Sorry.

Our cottage is a ranch with a walk-out basement. It has three "little" bedrooms and two bathrooms. One upstairs and one downstairs. You enter the driveway on the "side" of the cottage.

I purchased most "everything" from garage sales, estate sales or thrift stores. Any stenciling, painted furniture, etc. you see. . . was done by yours truly. I made the drapery treatments, crocheted and knitted all the throws and have collected all the antiques above the kitchen cabinets. Our cottage is decorated country/north woods/state of Michigan themed with a thrifty flair. Enjoy!!

Patio underneath the deck (hubs and I built that off the ground deck too!) What were we thinking????

Down to the water. This is our youngest with me. I must be fixing her hair or something! Also, our Yorkshire Terrier made it in the picture. His name is Sr. Winston Churchill and we love him!

Come on in:

Great Room/Kitchen area:

This is our youngest. Isn't she adorable? OK, so I'm her mother ~ I can say that!!!

This is where we bunk our guests:

We call this our Trundle Bedroom. The bed has a trundle that pops up to make a King size bed:

"Our" cottage bedroom:

Upstairs bathroom:

Back down the hall and now we are once again in the Great Room/Kitchen:

Now, we'll head into the basement:

Basement:

Basement Bathroom:

. . . and we end with the storage area. Gross, but we all need one. Here we have our storage and our laundry duty area :)

What a terrible, messy shot to leave you all with :). . . but I so love having a laundry area at the cottage. Hauling laundry back and forth from home is not very fun. . . I know. . . I've done it before!!

Blessings. . . until next time,