What is your favorite season of the year? For me, it’s fall through winter. I love the cooler temperatures, the colors, and the experiences we create as a family. As a strategist for businesses, fall is always launch season too, so there’s a plethora of things tugging at my time. We’re working on the Cottage and if the crazy wasn’t crazy enough, we’re shopping for a new roof, and porch and taking out a few trees at the same time. I’m used to things swirling around in Sweetieland, but launches, renovations, and usual back-to-school workshops and trainings I do have made the last few weeks simply wild. It is so good to be home this morning and enjoying a family breakfast.
This week we’re celebrating Crescent Dragonwagon’s reissue with new illustrations of a classic, “Will It Be Okay?” It’s almost launch time and we’re excited! I’m especially touched because she dedicated it to me. I love this book and think it speaks to hearts of all ages. Its timeless message reminds me in these tumultuous times that “Yes, we will be okay” It will be available Sept 6th!
There was a special surprise when my copy arrived from the publisher. Crescent dedicated the book to me! Talk about taking me by surprise.
We’ve worked together for several years now, and met over 26 years ago when she came to my classroom in Fayetteville, Arkansas and I loved how she taught creative writing to my students.
We’re two years in now on the cottage, and we’ve come a long way. Renovating a hundred-year-old cottage that had been moved, added onto, and weathered hard before buying it, is not for the faint of heart. The hard things like wiring, plumbing, and infrastructures, like new joists throughout took forever on our DIY timeline, but we’re entering the year of making pretty!
I’ve kept sane by keeping my office space a place where I can look out my window at the cardinals and birds. When we began two of the five rooms looked like the picture below! We had moved from a year old completely done home, so it has been a journey. We’re glad we chose it, but it’s been challenging. We love our little patch of land in the Ozarks, and we’ve come to realize it’s home.
Yesterday we spent the day trying to decide what color to paint the exterior. So many choices, but we’ve narrowed it down to three. I took the conversation to our Facebook page but we’ll see what the final choice will be!
We have had a season of hard things, have you been there? I took several months off from anything that was not necessary to focus on what had to be handled. It seemed like hard things were coming from all directions. I encourage you to give yourself permission to do the same when hard things come. It was hard to change routines, but how we learned how to protect our health, our family time and personal time with more awareness when life called us to do so.
I’m enjoying the jeep this season, its ease in carting on-location cameras and props for filming, its comfort, and its go-anywhere capabilities are just a win-win-win.
We changed the front profile of the cottage, adding a porch across the front of it, I think we’ll be glad we did. We love sitting out and enjoying the sunsets and enjoying being out of doors. The shade of the porch is so pleasant.
I’m excited to see the visible changes we’re making to the cottage, it’s so fun to see it come together after such a dry spell. I’m all about creating comfort and cozy and it’s the season!
What are you excited about this season? I’m glad to be rejoining you here!
love,
Sweetie!
Reading your words is balm for the heart. Soothing, and beautiful just like you! It resonates so deeply what you said about the hard things, and season. Taking time off is wisdom and necessary, thank you for affirming that for me.
I’m amazed at the changes and vision for your cottage, true pioneering spirit has gone into it, and this is certainly not for the faint of heart. Good for you and your family, you exhibit great fortitude!
I love the new illustrations for Crescent’s wonderful book. It’s so timeless and I must have had a mind blank in not recognizing her as the author of this iconic book, and how meaningful that she dedicated it to you. I love that.
I’m so glad you shared today, thank you, it’s lovely to have you back!
Dear Dee,
I look forward to the day I can hug your neck, but know I hug your heart every time we gather. Crescent is such a talented writer, the book’s newest version has such lovely illustrations. I appreciate them so much. Hard seasons come, they do, and sometimes they last… but this fall is encouraging me to look for the beauty everywhere even on the hard stuff. ~ Sweetie!
I look forward to that day, what a joyous anticipation for my heart! Much love to you dear Sweetie😘
Me too!
This makes my heart so very happy to read a new post among the pages of this blog. Praying those hard times are replaced with healing, great health, new roof, beautiful paint color and more joy overflowing in and through the walls of this cottage. Enough to send you out and welcome you back with comfort and joy. Love you, sweet friend.
The fields are so beautiful as the harvests are here. You would love all the colors! ~ Sweetie!
I’m so glad to see you here!
I’ll enjoy watching your cottage progress from a construction site to a cozy home, in its time of course.
This reminds me, I have some writing to do of my own,
Beth🍂
You know the challenges! Love seeing that wood come to life in your space! ~ Sweetie!
Congratulations on having C.D.’s book dedicated to you!
So sweet!
And congrats on all the progress you’ve made on your cozy cottage💐💐
Hope you have an amazing Sunday!🌸🌺🌸🌺
thank you. It is so generous of the Dragon to do so. hugs to you.
Sweetie, your “happy cottage” has seen it all, inside and out. Happiness, sadness, struggles and so much more. At the end of the day no matter what state it is in or that you are in it is a refuge among family.
Happy to follow along on the renovations, hoping and praying that you have wonderful contractors like we have had, that actually show up when they say they will, do a good job and take pride in their work.
Life has it’s ups and downs and you are one that is smart enough to know that in hard seasons you need to prioritize you, and your family. You have been missed, prayed for and loved while you were absent.
Love the dedication is Crescents’ new/old book and the illustrations too! You are an amazing friend and mentor to so many.
Have a wonderful day Sweetie, enjoy your time off as you enter the busy season.