Spring Has Sprung...

...according to the calendar at 
Buttermilk Cottage:

 December/January/February (Winter)

March/April/May (Spring)

June/July/August (Summer)

September/October/November (Fall)

So, we are in the midst of Spring!!!

All the pretty things popping out in

my yard and neighborhood

proves me right.

In another day or two 

I will be rich in daffodils,

my all time favorite flower.

I hit the jackpot when I bought

this house!

It has been a long while since I have blogged.

I have just come through the busiest time

for my business.

November through February

are always the most active months for me.

After doing a quick tally I see I managed 

to send out 379 orders during those months.

Many of those orders were for multiple items.

So, there has been a LOT of 

sewing and knitting 

going on around here.

With March has come a little

slow down, so I am using that time

to restock and make new things.

Yesterday was the first time in about

six months that I did no sewing at all.

Instead, I spent the day giving

Buttermilk Cottage

a bit of Spring cleaning.

Off came the slipcovers,

which were a bit on the grimy side.

I sprayed the worst spots

with stain remover and after

three loads of laundry...

...they were ready to be put back in place.

A rug at the front door also

got shampooed.

It's nice to get everything back in order

and know it's not only neat,

but CLEAN!

Did you notice my new chair,

or "the knitting chair"?

(I feel a little like Archie Bunker.)

All this cleaning reminds me

of another new purchase.

I just bought myself a 

faux Roomba.

Have you gotten on board with these yet?

Because of all the fiber work I do,

constant clumps of fuzz and

the ever shedding Daisy,

I have been wanting one

just for my office, kitchen

and the hallway that connects the two,

where the laundry is done,

(more lint).

I call the one I got

the "faux roomba"

because it is an off brand,

and I was not going to spend the

$300-$1000 you can spend on these things.

I only intend to use it for spot cleaning

in the rooms mentioned.

After doing a bit of investigating

and review reading

I found the one above.

I did not expect any bells and whistles,

especially since I only paid $100.00 for it.

But it does talk to me,

has a remote control 

and will even mop the floor,

although I probably will not be 

using it for that.

I have only had it for a few days,

but I think I am going to like it.

I have begun anticipating my 
spring and summer house project.
This year I hope to rework the front entry a bit.
I have already ordered a new front door.
I hope to have the porch covering
and railing redone and add 
new outdoor lights.

Something else I am anticipating
in the next couple of weeks
is a visit from my college roommate, Virginia
and another college friend, Marie, 
whom I've known since high school.
(Probably the motivation for all 
the cleaning this weekend!)
The three of us were part of a 
tight group of five 
during college, 
one of whom we have lost track of
and another who is not able to join us.
They will be here in mid March and 
I can promise there will be good times happening at
Buttermilk Cottage!

Happy Spring everyone!

Another Spring Project -- Done!

I am showing you a picture, snapped this morning,

of some pretty flowers

that border my front walkway.

This lovely sight is just to get your attention.

Sorry, but I have a very mundane post today.

  

What is it about Spring

that makes all those

little house projects,

that you have managed to ignore 

for quite a while,

suddenly seem you cannot

stand for another day?

My lovely little house is an old one,

almost 100 years old.

Last week, after living with the vents

for the past eight or so years,

I suddenly looked at them and thought,

yuk.

These vents are probably original 

to the house and it's not a wonder

they look awful. 

Time for a little cosmetic update.

We had a perfect day last weekend

for spray painting outside.

Before and after!

Why do I let these little project go for so long?

Especially  when the whole job 

took about an hour,

and what a difference!

Housekeeping 101

I crave order in my house.

I am not  extreme about it though.

My goal is to keep my house in

good enough order that

if someone drops by unexpectedly,

I'm not in a panic about how 

the house looks.

Housework is always there

and you never get done with it.

There are endless duties.

Finding a way to manage these duties

without becoming overwhelmed by them

is the secret.

For me, the trick is to divide and conquer.

That means dividing these duties

into small daily tasks.

I refuse to spend more that an hour a 

day with housekeeping.

I have neither the interest,

the energy nor the inclination 

to spend a whole day cleaning

First, there are those daily chores.

Making the bed is one of the things

that always gets done at my house.

Walking into a room with an unmade bed

is unsettling to me.

Loading/unloading the dishwasher,

is another daily job.

I cannot abide a sink full of dirty dishes.

Keeping clutter controlled on a daily 

basis is helpful too.

Living alone helps since

I'm the only one responsible if there is clutter.

Then there are the weekly chores.

Laundry, vacuuming and dusting

are all jobs that need to be done 

every week.

Happily, my house is small enough that

if I only do a room or two per day,

the whole house gets a "going over"

each week with minimal time spent

each day.

Finally, there are those jobs 

that need to be done seasonally.

These are the jobs to "work" into

your daily routine as time allows.

I find if I don't pressure myself to

get the whole job done at once,

it goes much easier.

For example washing a couple

of windows a day,

rather than taking the whole day

to do them all,

seems to work for me.

I know, I'm probably just playing

mind games with myself.

But, whatever gets the job done, right?

What are some of the routines 

that work for you?

It's May, it's May...the Merry Month of May!

It's porch sitting time!

But before that can happen,

some pretty heavy cleaning needs to be done!

The flower boxes need to be planted.




The wicker furniture needs to be moved off the porch and cleaned.



The porch floor needs a thorough scrubbing.


Once that's done, the wicker furniture can come back.


New cushions need to be sewn.

Buttermilk Cottage's color theme is red, blue and yellow.

Happily I already had what I needed in my stash!




The flower boxes were planted with pansies.

And finally, this week, it all came together!

Daisy's water bowl is even in it's place.

The swing is all ready for some lazy summer afternoons.

This is where I plan to spend many hours this spring and summer.

As you can see, it's plenty roomy enough for guests!

Drop by anytime!

Don't forget my Give Away on May 13,

to celebrate my first year of blogging.

You can get all the details here.

*****

This week I'm linking with

The Porch Club at Gypsy Brocante

All Things Inspired at All Things Heart and Home

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

Transformation Thursdays at The Shabby Chic Cottage

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Show & Tell at My Romantic Home

Promise of Spring

Imagine a field of tulips stretching out as far as you could see.

We won't have that at Buttermilk Cottage,

but sometime this weekend

we're going to have our first tulips blooming.

They're just beginning to peek out now.

~~~~~

What are your plans for the weekend?

I'm making a start on cleaning up the front porch.

This will be a several day project.

But, I'm anxious to have it all ready

for warm days of sitting on it!

~~~~~

Have a wonderful weekend!

(Google Image)