Saturday Meanderings

Happy Saturday friends! As slow as last week went for me, this week is just the opposite. The antithesis of my hope for a new year, but it is unavoidable when many things unexpectedly collide at once. But it is now the weekend, and time to take a breath. Welcome to another Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things this week.

Painting the Guest Cottage

Due to the heavy rains this week, my painter will not be starting the guest house project until next week. I am debating about paint colors, but I am leaning toward keeping the colors very similar. The main cottage color is Basil by Sherwin Williams and the trim and shutter colors are similar to the main house. Looking forward to fresh paint!

Guest House Repairs

The sofa in the guest cottage is an original one from Ethan Allen purchased decades ago. It has been reupholstered but it is time for another update. I do hate to get rid of an old sofa because they have North American hardwood frames, vs. the manufactured wood used today on new ones.

The cushions need a complete overhaul so in order to have a more contemporary look, I will go to two bottom and two back cushions. This is a sofa bed too, but the mattress is relatively new and hardly used. So it’s off to the upholsterer next week. Possibly, I’m leaning toward a white denim (?) that I can Scotchguard.

Currently the bed has a full mattress, but it may make sense to upgrade to a queen. I am hoping I can just add a queen bed frame to the antique head and foot boards. It is a small bedroom so I will need to measure to see if it can take on the additional length and width.

Like the pool house remodel, I hope to replace all the can lights with LED ones. The kitchen may need a fresh coat of paint too. It is fun to reimagine this space!

Finally hanging my large painting

Last year, I shared my largest painting ever with you. It is inspired by artist Ericka Carter and something similar is featured in the Sundance Catalog (for $16,800). Due to its size, my husband reinforced the canvas with a stronger wood frame.

However, when hung, you see the wood from the sides. I finally got around to painting the wood in Naples Yellow to match the canvas. Now it is officially in the pool house, adding a bit of color to a white wall. Love checking those small projects off the list!

A Delicious Breakfast for Guests

This week, my cousin Charleen and her/our friend Carla visited from California and stayed a few days. For breakfast, I tried this new recipe from my blogging friend, Rachel at The Ponds Farmhouse. Unfortunately, I was unable to taste it due to my January reset eating plan, but they said it was delicious!

I love recipes that you can make ahead of time. This one sits overnight in the refrigerator and just goes into the oven for 30 to 40 minutes. The recipe has so many yummy ingredients~from fresh blueberries to pancakes. I didn’t know you could buy frozen pancakes (I did know about frozen waffles), which makes assembly very easy.

Serve it warm with maple syrup! Here is the link to Rachel’s delicious breakfast Blueberry Bread Pudding.

Another Major Unexpected Project

When we restored this property 22 years ago, my husband put in the state of the art home security/technology system. Fast forward to today and all the technology is outdated. As the system begins to fail, we are unable to repair them as parts are no longer being manufactured. Plus the world has gone from analog to digital; wired to wireless.

After receiving several bids to update the system that would literally break the bank, my daughter’s boyfriend (who has an IT degree), offered to tackle this project. We are about 2 weeks into it, and it is such a major undertaking for him. Nonetheless, he is determined to bring us into current technology with the ability to upgrade in the future.

We’re thinking of adopting this smart young man who is kind enough to help us who are technically challenged. However, many rooms are a mess until all the wiring is removed and new “smart” equipment is installed. Times like this I sort of miss the on/off dial on a television.

Garden Update

We have frost warnings here until next Tuesday. My garden is confused as we have remnants of autumn and new growth for spring.

Generally the frost warnings are over by the end of February. Then I can really start planting the Spring garden.

Cleaning and Coating the Concrete Terrace

Behind our pool house is a small covered outdoor terrace. It is a pleasant place to sit and view the hen house and garden. A few years ago, we tried this concrete cleaning and coating treatment on our main home’s back terrace and loved the results. You can see it here.

My husband took on this project this week and the results are very satisfying. Nice and clean.

Week 3 of January Reset Eating Plan

We are in the third week of The Fast Metabolism Diet and trying new many new recipes. If you order this book, I strongly suggest getting the hard copy because I use mine all the time while cooking.

Why do men lose weight faster than women? We are eating what feels like a substantial amount of food (mostly vegetables, protein, some grain/fat), and my husband has dropped quite a few lbs. Not many complaints on this reset but I do miss a few things like my morning coffee and late afternoon cocktail. Only a week and a few days left so I’ll report in on our progress.

Indoor Plant Care

As much as I love to garden and feel relatively successful at it, I am not great at keeping indoor plants alive. Actually, I’m quite bad at it. My friend, Stacy from Bricks ‘n Blooms provides so much information about indoor plants on her website. She recently posted The Secret to Watering Plants Indoors and you can see it here.

Favorite Product of the Week

I cannot tell you how much I LOVE this rose water spray. Not only does it smell heavenly, but it hydrates your face. I’m hoping it’s not a limited edition, as Trader Joe’s can often do. Grab it while you can. Either at a Trader Joe’s store or online here.

Well, that’s a wrap for Saturday Meanderings today. I hope you were able to see the transformation of the French bistro table and chairs this week. Next week, I hope to share some Valentine ideas as I just gave the front porch a bit of love for February.

Have a warm and cozy weekend. Stay safe out there!