The Twice Remembered Cottage

Small Rainy Day Celebrations

I love days like today. Dark, rainy, and cold on the outside but warm, snug, and cozy on the inside. Perfect. I worked on a little of this and a little of that, whatever struck my fancy...I had no real plans.

I did make a batch of chocolate chip cookies before it was time to pick the girls up from school and decided to make after school snack time just a little extra special. I asked the mother of the other two children in our carpool {they are friends of ours} if her girls could come over for snack time with us before I brought them home- just a little fun time before everyone had to get down to the business of homework. So for about twenty minutes or so, the kids were able to let go of the stresses of their day, enjoy their friends, dance around the living room while listening to their favorite music, and eat warm cookies and milk. And the vintage teacups {or shall we say milkcups?}I've been collecting for such occasions were just perfect for cookie dipping!

It doesn't take much to turn a gray, rainy day into something special. For more ideas for turning your rainy days into sweet celebrations, check out this older rainy day post.

Rain, Rain

Rain, rain - don’t go away,
Right now inside we’ll gladly stay.
In our pajamas all snug and warm,
We’re prepared for any old storm.
Blankets and pillows for long dreamy naps,
Cuddles and kisses while sitting on laps;
Reading great books by soft candlelight,
Drinking hot cocoa is such a delight.
By the bright, dancing fire we toast our small toes,
Smelling bread in the oven and soup on the stove.
Playing fun games and creating fine art,
Writing new poems straight from the heart;
Hearing raindrops above so heavy and loud
On the roof that we know is solid and sound.
Feeling quite cozy as we happily play
In a tent made of sheets on this dark and wet day;
Soft music flowing through out our calm home,
Thankful we are for this nest of our own.
Eating warm cookies so nice and sweet,
Yes, rainy days are such a treat.
Rain, rain - don’t go away,
We’ll play in the sunshine another day.

~Kim Bouldin
©2008

"Perhaps they didn't offer me a cookie because they just didn't notice I was here?"

Twice Remembered is a Finalist - Still Time to Vote! (Repost)

I am over the moon thrilled to share with my blog readers some very exciting news! All of your votes for our projects that we entered into the first round of the Repair-Home contest really paid off! I entered projects in 11 different catagories, and in 10 of those categories, our projects were voted #1! YOU through your votes made that happen and hubs and I can't thank you enough! I have a feeling that 2010 is going to be a great year for Twice Remembered due to this contest because we are finally going to get to complete projects that we've been putting off for a long time!

I have a feeling that 2010 is going to be a great year for Twice Remembered!Not only did your votes help us to place at the top in individual categories, but it put two of our projects into the final round of the contest. {There are only five finalists' projects total.} This final round ends on December 15th. The winning project receives a prize of $1000 {not too shabby, eh?!}.

So once again, I'm asking for your help and vote. {I appreciate your patience with me and my "like-a-child-at-Disneyworld" exuberance, hehe, but I've never done anything like this before and am thrilled that we've reached this final stage.}

The two Twice Remembered projects that made the final round are our Cottage Kitchen Ceiling project and our Kitchen Windows and French Doors project. You can click either photo below to be taken to the main voting page to cast your vote and to see more of the project photos if you haven't seen them already.

Cottage Kitchen Plank Ceiling

Kitchen Windows and Doors

Thank you once again!

Photos of New Hardwood Flooring in Cottage Living Room

We've finished up the hardwood flooring in the living room and hallway, and wow, I'm so glad that's behind us! Things were a little crazy here for a while, though, with our furniture and things crammed into the kitchen and any other available space.

It took a couple of weekends to complete the living room, hallway, and foyer...

Oh look. Yet another back end shot of hubs. He's going to love me forever.

We finally could remove the unsightly tile in the foyer.

The felt that went down before the flooring was installed...

I don't know if you remember, but there was once a small coat closet in this area, but I thought it would look much nicer opened up and a narrow table/cabinet/hutch put in it's place. {I'm dying to put fresh flowers in this sunny little nook!}

A few living room shots before we moved all our furniture back into place...

The kids are loving sliding around on the floor now. We've had a few minor injuries so far, but I guess that's what happens when you purposely go careening down the hallway using a blanket as a sled! {Don't worry...I'm fine!}

Speaking of the hallway, here it is. I think the hallway has a little more going for it now with the new flooring, raised ceiling {from 7ft to 8ft}, and solid wood doors.

The hallway is still an unfinished space as is our foyer, which now holds more boxes of flooring and was a very convenient place to put things while I took these photos, like extra furniture and elderly corgis.

I wasn't going to put a rug down so that I could just relish the new flooring, but I've always loved this wool rug that I've had for a decade now. It's showing some wear and doesn't quite "go" with the red in the kitchen, but it's a cozy place for the kids to play legos or just sprawl out on the floor with a book.

And now I present to you hub's ancient wall speakers. I usually try to crop them out of photos because they are so ugly, but - it is what it is. The weird thing is that we don't even use them, they aren't hooked up to a receiver, and the receiver doesn't even work. {Incidentally, surround sound for tv/movies really stresses me out though music is a different story.} It's true - I really, really hate those speakers. All four of them. But I suppose there is nothing I can do about it until we replace them with something low profile because hubs 'aint budgin'. I understand a lot of things but this doesn't happen to be one of them. I can't complain too much, though, because hubs never wanted a house full of hardwood and was really just as happy with carpet:)

Anyway, our ceiling is pretty high and I look forward to adding some white beadboard to bring down the height a bit. It will be about the height of our fireplace mantel. We've also bought a new, beefier mantel and will be giving our fireplace an overhaul. Finally, I can't wait to hide that popcorn with some pine planks like we used in the kitchen.

But those are future projects...Right now, I'm just happy to finally be enjoying our floors!

Twice Remembered is a Finalist - Still Time to Vote! (Repost)

Cottage Kitchen Plank Ceiling

Kitchen Windows and Doors

Thank you once again!

Twice Remembered is a FINALIST Thanks to You! + More Hardwood Flooring Installed

Cottage Kitchen Plank Ceiling

Kitchen Windows and Doors

Thank you once again! I may be posting about this once more before the contest ends in a couple of weeks ,and then you won't have to hear any more of me on the subject:)

In Other News...

Folks, we've got hardwood in the living room and hallway now! Yes, we really, really do! Hubs, who was sick last week, still worked like a dog to get the flooring laid - despite my pleading with him to put the project off until later so that he could rest. We still have a little more to do - we just ran out of time before hubs had to head to Memphis for the week, plus I was starting to come down with a cold bug myself. Have any of you laid hardwood before? Then you can commiserate with me on Mainly I just wanted to post a booty shot of hubs.how labor intensive it really is! I've been out of commission for a few days now {my cold has a bit to do with that, I'll admit} and I wasn't even the one doing the backbreaking part! No, I was the one picking out each individual plank of wood and laying it where it would need to be nailed down. I know - not so tough physically, but it does require some forethought and concentration...seriously! I wanted to make sure we were varying the lengths and that the pattern was random and interesting. Afterall, we could be looking at these floors for the next 20 years:)

I took photos when we were halfway finished, but I realized later that I had forgotten to put the memory card in the camera. When it is completed this weekend, I'll take some photos to share, but in the meantime, above is a booty shot of hubs laying out some planks across the room to get an idea of how many rows we'd need and if he needed to cut the first row. {But mainly I just wanted to post a booty shot of hubs.} Even though we aren't quite finished with the flooring in this space, OH BOY- I tell you that what we do have installed has completely and totally changed the feel of our living room! It feels crisper and cleaner than before - even with our ugly, flaking popcorn ceiling above and several other less appealing aspects of the space {future projects}. We just have three bedrooms to go and our flooring will be complete - but we'll get to those rooms a little down the road. My studio will soon need my attention again...I'm running out of time if I'm going to make my end-of-the-year deadline!

A Little of This and That...

I so appreciate all the kind comments in my last entry about my new haircut and color and especially regarding my little known facts about myself. I'm thrilled to know others who share some of my kooky ways! We're all beautiful people, aren't we?

We went to a lovely wedding last week sometime in between the days we laid hardwood. It was so.much.fun! I don't know if I was more sore from stooping over piles of planks or from dancing! But well worth it either one!

Our little Ruby was not doing well at all last week. It seems that her neck went out and I'm not sure how. She's a mini doxie, as you may know, and these little dogs are prone to slipped/ruptured discs and easily hurt their necks and backs. I believe that her leaping off our couch over the last couple of months is probably what caused the trouble. We don't let her on anything higher, but even 15 inches can do damage, apparently, and I should have been more careful to prevent her from leaping around so much. She's small and she's fast and she's slippery - like a wet seal. So it's not always easy to catch her in time.

Our little Ruby was not doing well at all last week...I was actually terrified.Anyway, she was in such poor shape suddenly - and I do mean suddenly - on Wednesday night. The vets office was closed on Thursday but we took her in first thing Friday morning only to find that they wouldn't be open until Monday. Argh!!! We called the emergency number and told the vet Ruby's situation and told him that we did have some prescribed pain/anti-inflammatory medication for our elderly dog, Cara Bella. After telling him the name of the medication, he said that it was exactly what he would have prescribed {but in lower doses} had we been able to bring Ruby in. Thank goodness! So we kept her confined to a small, warm space, gave her medication, and now she is fine and as rambunctious as ever. I am a lot more careful now about not letting her jump off the sofa or go down stairs, though like I said, she's a fast and slippery little creature!

But there was a day or so that I was so worried...these little dogs can even be paralyzed or die from such injuries. I was actually terrified. So take that situation and combine it with being in the middle of laying flooring, the house absolutely upside down with stuff stored and piled everywhere, three restless kids pretty much confined to their bedrooms, a sick hubby, a sick me, and a wedding that we wouldn't miss for the world...I just wanted to find a dark closet to curl up in until everything was right with the world again! Hubs insisted that we keep moving forward despite everything that could set us back - and I'm glad he did. I'm the worrier, he's the optimist. Gotta love him.

Today I'm going to try to restore some order to the house before hubs returns from Memphis tomorrow. It's upside down, I tell you!

Thanks for reading this novel of a post and have a wonderful rest of the week!

A { Hair } Makeover & Random Facts about Kim

Well, no home makeover project photos to share today, but last night I did get a hair makeover. I didn't think to take a "before" shot, but my hair was lightish brown, long and all one length. I got about 8 or 9 inches of my hair cut {yes, it really was long!}. I don't often color my hair but whenever I do, I'm drawn to red. Go figure! So here are some after photos as well as some random facts about moi...

I will be 36 in January.

I've been married for 17 years.

I have 3 children - all girls going on age 15, 10, and 9.

They were born in three completely different settings - the 1st at the hospital, the 2nd at home, and the 3rd ant a birth center. Two were with the help of midwives.

I was injured {whiplash} on a wooden roller coaster 14 years ago which later resulted in the onset of fibromyalgia. It has been challenging and life changing both to me and my family, and I don't feel that I'm the same person I would be without it. {Life goes on though - just at a slower pace!}

I'm an introvert. To say that I'm not a party animal is a grand understatement. When I do go to a social event where there will be lots of people and activity, I have to take a nap afterward - and most definitely before.

I cannot kill bugs and spiders. I just "rehome" them if necessary.

I'm a huge, HUGE Little House on the Prairie fan, both of the books and the show.

I have a kind of crazy sense of style. My purple or hot pink or turquoise or RED tights make my heart skip a beat.

I watch very little TV...We got rid of our cable a few months ago.

I love reading historical fiction and nonfiction. I'm currently into reading books that center around the Civil War. I've never read Gone With the Wind but purchased it last week.

My brain is not a sponge. It is a sieve and I remember very few details of what I read.

I tend to be scatterbrained and confuse easily {myself and others...} and tend to be unorganized. He won't say it but I think it kind of drives Hubs crazy.

I read to my daughter's class on Fridays.

I am and will always be a loner of sorts. It's a personal preference. When Hubs says "call a girlfriend and go out", I grab a coffee and a book instead. I think having 3 children has something to do with that - Solitude is a wonderful gift.

Many years ago, I was a web designer.

I do not observe holiday celebrations though I am a devoted Christian, baptized in 1989.

I do not adore sports. The raucous of roaring crowds and the droning voices of sports announcers on TV during games makes me feel on edge. Hubs loves football.

Old houses also make my heart skip a beat.

So there you have it - a few random things you may or may not have known about me. Enthralling, eh? I hope you all have a great week! We'll be busy laying hardwood flooring in a couple of days and I have the task of removing everything from the living room. Now where to put it all?

One More Word about the Contest...

I just posted a few minutes ago about one last contest entry I added {in the plumbing category}of a home improvement contest, but I wanted let you know that I do have some main competition in five categories: Kitchen, Home Decor, Flooring, Electical, and Outdoor. If you only have time to vote in just a few categories, those may be the ones to start with! I've posted all the categories I've entered to right of my blog if you want to see where I rank so far with the other entries, or if you just want to go to my project entry pages, just click on the links below. Thanks again! I've never done a contest like this before and want to try to give it my best shot so that I can maybe win a little Home Depot help to complete more projects!
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A few weeks ago I first announced that I had entered several Twice Remembered projects in a contest in an effort to {hopefully!} win a little green to...complete more projects! There are only 7 days left in round one of the contest and I'm getting really
Your rating matters! excited! I would be so, so, SO appreciative and grateful if you could visit all or some of the projects below and rate them for me. Winning projects are based on the ones with the most votes. At the bottom of each of my project pages linked to below, you'll see five stars next to where it says "Rollover to rate this:".

Here is a screenshot of you what your looking for at the bottom of each project entry. You'll click on a star to rate the project, the 5th star being the highest rating and the 1st star being the lowest.

You can click on the links below to view and rate my projects. Each link contains more photos of the project. Thank you SO much for taking the time to help me out! If I'm privileged to win in one or more category, that means a little more cash flow for us to work on other projects here at Twice Remembered. So needless to say, your rating matters! Thanks again!