Romantic Cottage

 It wasn't long after my last blog post that we moved into the house. I was out of town for something one weekend and came home to a bed in our bedroom. Donnie had set it up and brought in some furniture. Our old chair and love seat are a bit too big for our new space. But we are making the pieces work for now. 

About a month ago we set up our kitchen. Donnie went to Lowe's and bought unfinished cabinets. I painted them Alpine Trail green. We got the single basin apron front farmhouse sink that I LOVE! It really does solidify the romantic cottage feel I was desiring. The butcher block counters are exactly what I wanted too. We sealed them with a food grade oil. I love the soft texture of them. When the warm sunlight filters through the kitchen windows on Saturday mornings I have sat there for hours reading recipe books or seed packets. Sometimes I'll bring my bar stool over to the kitchen counters and write in my journal there. It's a really lovely place to be on a weekend morning. (I leave the house during the week before the sun is up.)

Unfortunately I haven't been intentional about taking photos

One night last week we had some friends over for dinner and I spilled a little red wine on the butcher block counters. It left a purple stain. I didn't freak out. I didn't give it a second thought honestly. In a moment of realization I told my friend that "houses are meant for us, not us for our houses." The stain is endearing to me now and I'll probably leave it as a reminder of that truth.  

My prayer for this home is that all who enter feel comfortable and welcome immediately. I want it to be a place of rest and refuge. A place of joy and peace. A place where the presence of the Lord is tangible. I get super romantic about it. 

I've never been much of a decorator. In the past decorating felt more like a chore than a joy. But THIS house has inspired me. I'm filling it with functional and/or beautiful things. Like this oil painting I picked up from the Habitat Re-Store. 

I'm studying a lot these days about gardening. Recently I've become fascinated with the concept of Cottage Gardens. That term probably invokes some kind of image for you. I think of tall, wispy flowers on stalks. In doing some research on this the Cottage Garden is really a method of letting flowers grow and spread. It's the picture of a bountiful garden where the plants spill over the sides. It is where plants are given freedom to grow and not set up in small, individual spaces with predetermined sizes for them. And that is just what I want this space, our home, to be. A place where there is room for imagination and freedom. A place where people are more important than things. A place of love in all it's forms.