A little about me……..

I used to post a lot of this content on Facebook, but I had to get off of FB. I was spending too much time on it and the algorithms were feeding me more and more of what I hoped was happening in the world, rather than a realistic view. I felt like I was living in an alternate reality. I am looking forward to being able to post more robust content–with photos and instructions and/or thoughts.

For those of you who don’t know me well, I live in Southeast Tennessee–about an hour from downtown Chattanooga. This is a beautiful area of the country and we are fortunate enough to live on the water–just off the main channel of the Hiwassee River. We used to live on a farm not far from here, but we decided in 2015 that we were tired of spending all of our time taking care of a big house and lots of gardens–especially since we were going to be empty nesters soon.

I had always hoped that someday we would have a house on the water because, for me, it is the most relaxing place in the world–sitting in a float in the water on a fabulous summer day. I always kept an eye out for houses in this general area and I saw that one was going to be auctioned. My husband and I went through it and the layout was awful and it truly had the ugliest master bathroom that I have ever seen–picture orchid colored walls. After going through it, we went to talk to friends who had lived in this area for years and years and asked them what they thought it might go for. They gave us their thoughts, but also mentioned that there was a house on the water just a few houses down that happened to be having an open house that same day.

So we went through the open house and when we got into the car, we both said, “We have to buy this house.” From there, things moved fast and we were the proud owners a few weeks later. BUT, the reason the house was for sale was because the couple we bought it from had originally planned for it to be their retirement home, and instead of it being their retirement home, they had to sell it in order to finalize their divorce. That meant that a lot of the final decorating choices–cabinets, tile, light fixtures, etc.–were just enough to get the house finished and on the market. Beyond that, there is absolutely no intersection set between our taste and that of the original owners.

Needless to say, this house (like our other one) has been a work in progress. The poor little thing was tan inside and out–and we have had to reconfigure spaces in order to make it work for our family. Even though many of the projects that I will post about here are already complete, I will share the before and after photos and write about the thought process and challenges associated with each of them.

I will also share recipes and canning/preserving projects along with holiday decorating throughout the year.