Spruce Up Your House for Spring . . .

In addition to saving pictures ripped out of magazines, I can't resist saving photos of cottages like the ones below to my pc. Once I blog about them, I can erase the images and let Google save them in cyberspace. Two tasks are accomplished and I've shared something with you too!

Before.

After.

I was really impressed with this relatively simple cottage makeover. The overhang was extended and widened with the pitch built to complement the roofline. The old iron supports and railing were replaced with wooden posts and pickets. Shutters were added to three replaced windows and the trim was painted on the double windows to pull everything together. I am assuming that the windows were replaced but maybe they weren't. They look bigger but that could just be an illusion. I like the addition of the mullions.

Doesn't the home look bigger? I think the end result stunning. This project probably wasn't terribly expensive but it added great value to this delightful cottage. Love the hydrangeas too.

We are supposed to have record high temperatures today and tomorrow. I have been busy trying to beat the heat so I can sit outside and simply enjoy it. My goldfinches are back and those yellow wild canaries are making me happy. The chirping outside is unbelieveable and it's so nice to have all the windows open.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend. ♥Rosemary

Life's Little Instruction Book, pages 74 + 75 . . .

...To be continued...

Earth Day 2009 . . .

"Take care of the earth
and she will take care of you."
Author Unknown

"Don't blow it - good planets are hard to find."
Quoted in Time Magazine

Soup Kitchens for Pets . . .

Pet soup kitchens are becoming more popular, as more people -- and welfare organizations -- seek to establish a cheap, community-based means of supporting pet owners in need.

To learn more about pet food pantries, please watch video story here.

Pets are people too. My own dog endorses all projects that provide for animals.

Thanks for stopping by the cottage today. ♥Rosemary and Webster

Photo Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society

GREY GARDENS before and after with slide show + video + footage from the original documentary film

Many of you are watching GREY GARDENS on HBO. I wonder how many of you saw the original documentary film that was made 34 years ago by Albert Maysles and his brother. I found it at my local library years ago and found it very difficult to watch.

Thirty-four years after a documentary film introduced the world to Grey Gardens and its eccentric occupants, a new movie on HBO is again casting light on the legend of this East Hampton property. In 1979, when the last photo was taken, Sally Quinn, the writer and Washington hostess, and her husband Benjamin Bradlee, former editor of The Washington Post, purchased the property, which had fallen into complete disarray, and set out to restore it to its earlier splendor.

View the slide show with 12 photos via The New York Times.

Albert Maysles visited Grey Gardens to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his film several years ago after the house and gardens were restored. This 10-minute film from YouTube shows Maysles' reaction with footage from the original documentary. This will give you a glimpse into the "real Grey Gardens" and the two Edies. Don't say I didn't warn you about how shocking it was while the two eccentrics were in residence.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today for a visit. I hope you found this post to be informative and entertaining. I don't have HBO, do you? Should I get it? Are you enjoying Grey Gardens? Let me know. ♥Rosemary

Life's Little Instruction Book, pages 72 + 73 . . .

...To be continued...

Insomnia (If You Are Sleepless) . . .

This seemed like a pleasant thing to post at the end of this lovely day. Hopefully you will sleep like a log and not need these instructions. Pleasant dreams when you tuck in.

"The best cure for insomnia is Monday morning."

Hallmark Hall of Fame ~ "must-see" TV tonight . . .

More still photos and full article about the program.

I am looking forward to seeing Anna Paquin on Hallmark Hall of Fame tonight at 9pm on CBS. “The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler” is based upon the true story a Polish Catholic social worker in the early 1940s who is credited with saving the lives of 2,500 Jewish children during World War II.

Check the local listings for your area. This is on the CBS network, not the Hallmark Channel.