Saturday Salutations!

It is a grey, dreary, cold day over here in Oakboro. So far Andrew and I have woken up, eaten a delicious brunch, gotten back in bed, made popcorn, and watched Downton Abbey. It is okay though, because I worked on multiple projects around the house yesterday and boy am I feeling it today! Since I seem to remain mostly in the sitting position this afternoon, I thought I would share photos from our recent day trip into Charlotte, as well as catch you up on my most recent accomplishments around the cottage.

Last Saturday Andrew and I hung out in the Noda neighborhood of Charlotte all day. Noda is most comparable to a small South Congress in Austin, or maybe a North St. Mary's in San Antonio. Lots of little shops, cool bars, thrift stores, and music venues. We started our day with brunch (per usual) and then took our time walking around and seeing the sights.

We discovered a lot of really interesting little shops, some that even doubled as art venues. One in particular featured a lot of imported goods from Latin American countries, as well as local handmade items. In the back room they even had a Dia de los Muertos inspired alter to honor lost loved ones. There were many beautiful photos, notes, and keepsakes.

In a third room we found some exhibits by local artists.

We also happened upon an awesome thrift store called The Rat's Nest and I found these gems to bring home with me:



I am not sure the exact year of the purse, but it is in great condition. All the beads are still very much intact and the inside has little wear and tear. It will be a perfect companion on nights out! As for my good friend Rod, I just couldn't resist. I have two very important people in my life that connect me to Rod. First, my mother, who always picks Maggie May as her karaoke song. Second, my friend Anna, who has the strongest love for this man I've ever witnessed. She too has this particular album and it makes me happy to look at it and think of her.
Andrew and I love hanging out in Noda and we will be back later this month to see Delbert McClinton!

Now onto some projects. Yesterday I spent the majority of my time working around the house. The first item on my list was to complete a privacy screen for our back deck. I wanted a way to make our outdoor space seem more intimate and I loved the idea of a "wooden wall" type structure. I found lots of random pieces of wood in our barn that I was able to salvage and my vision really started to come together. I arranged the pieces of wood on the ground and pulled some aside to act as braces for the top, middle, and bottom. I used a simple drill to screw each piece into the brace and before long it was quite secure. Here is a photo of my work half way through:

I really love how the different colors of wood came together. I am thinking about painting a mural on the bottom half to add a little more character. I think it will look really cool on our deck when all is said and done. I wanted to paint today, but it's too wet outside. I will post more photos when I make some progress.

After using the drill for the better half of the day, I moved onto assembling our new chaise lounge. It arrived while I was working outside and I couldn't wait to get it up and running. I also wanted to have the new living room set up arranged before Andrew got home from work to surprise him. Here is the finished product:

Many of you may have noticed that we moved our super groovy electric fireplace into the living room from the kitchen. I loved having it in the kitchen, since it does an amazing job warming the tile in the mornings. However, it didn't work after I changed up our little eating area:

Isn't it charming? It reminds me of a cute little sidewalk cafe. I love how it turned out and thankfully so does Andrew.

As you can see, yesterday was a busy day for me. I was happy to get my hands on some power tools, build something outside, and make cozy changes to our cottage. Not to mention, I got to display my newest treasures. I'm am happy!