Today is my 20th Wedding Anniversary

May 21st is mine and Damian's 20th Wedding Anniversary and I can't believe it has been that long.


This is us right after we got married. We got married in Mendocino California. At the Mendocino Hotel. I just love it there. Mendocino reminds me of Port Rush Ireland where Damian's parents grew up. We had a small wedding just the two of us and two friends John and Katie. And yes - I did get married in a black dress that I sewed myself. I got married in black because of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura got married in a black dress. I have long admired Laura Ingalls Wilder and her daughter Rose Wilder Lane.

I had two wedding cakes. This first one I had on my wedding day. It was a strawberry chocolate mousse cake. I remember it was very good. I was so excited and tired that day that I didn't eat much of it.

We had a wedding reception at our house a couple of weekends after our wedding. This is the cake I had for that party. It was a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Damian's favorite cake is carrot cake. My favorite color is purple or rather it was when I was young. I really like many colors but I am really drawn to dark purple.

This is the Mendocino Headlands covered in yellow wild flowers. It is so beautiful there. I hope to return for a visit someday soon.

This is a view of Mendocino looking back from the headlands. It is such an incredible place. I'll show you more pictures of Mendocino later. It is no wonder I fell in love with Bandon because of my love for Mendocino. I use to visit there so often that many of the locals knew me by name. Wow - it makes me miss Bandon. I haven't been in so long.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Living The Beautiful Life

In case you are wondering how I came up with the name for my site it has to do with Alexandra Stoddard's book "Living a Beautiful Life." This book opened up such an incredible world for me. It taught me how to make everyday into a beautiful life. It has been close to fifteen years since I read it for the first time and I've reread this book at least once a year.


I still have my first well read, a little tattered copy of this book. Every time I run across a copy of it in my travels (mostly thrift shopping) I purchase it. I give away all of my extra copies. I have a copy of it beside my bed in Ashland and Bandon.

Lucky me! I ran across a copy of this one yesterday at the Goodwill Store in Medford and it was only 99 cents. I'm already a third of the way through the book and I just love it. It expands the first books message - About how we can create wonderful beauty everyday in our lives. I hope you will pickup a copy of both books and read them.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Up Coming Projects for Bandon

Here are some up coming projects for the Bandon Cottage. I've already started painting them with white flat paint as a primer. I cleaned each piece off with a wet cloth and sand slightly before painting. I love getting a hold of pieces like this. They are very solid pieces of wood. They look horrible and that is why I love them so much. Once I'm done people usually can't believe it is the same pieces of furniture.

I got this toy box at the Ashland Goodwill store for $10.00. I could use more storage at the Bandon Cottage so I will use this for a blanket chest to store extra linens. I am painting it inside and out with the ICI Swiss Coffee paint. I will probably make a cushion for it as well so it can be used and a sitting bench too.

I got this table at the Medford Goodwill store for $49.99. This table is solid oak and weighs a ton. It is really well made. Damian thinks I'm committing a hugh mistake by painting it white. I just love the look of white round tables in all the magazines. As with the other piece it will get my ICI Swiss Coffee paint treatment. Now I need to find chairs.

This little beauty set me back $2.00 from the Ashland Goodwill Store. Yes the old paint job and the cushion are terrible but look at the lovely curved lines.

I won't be making it to the coast until Memorial Day weekend. By then I should have these pieces ready for the trip. I need to get these pieces out of my Ashland garage as I need to work on painting the inside of the clawfoot tub. Also on the way home last week I passed a pile of junk in front of a house not far from my place. There was a sign that said free. I stopped and looked at a cool chair. I decided not to get it and drove away. Later that night I kept thinking about the chair. At 9 pm I decided to drive down the street and see if it was still there and it was!!!! I hauled it home and now my garage is really full of furniture. Before pictures of the chair will be coming soon.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Happy Mother's Day

My mother passed away two years ago in March. It doesn't take Mother's Day for me to know how lucky I am to have had her as my mother. Once I moved to Oregon I wasn't able to visit her much (she lived in Southern California) but we spoke on the phone often. I remember during her last few months I would call her to ask her silly questions and to thank her for various things. "Mom thanks for not letting me stay in the sun too long." She just laughed at me and said, "You're welcome."

She was talented. She sewed all of my clothes. I only remember buying one prom dress from the time I was in junior high through my senior year. She could make anything. One time I drew a purse and my mother made it for me. I'm sure my mother saw it as a necessity as I was the youngest of six children. To me it made me feel special as all my clothes were one of kind pieces of art. I have two sisters and we all sew. Mom made my eldest sister Becky's wedding dress and I'm sure that is why I succeeded in making my own wedding dress.


Mom thank you for everything - I sure miss you!

My mom, her dog Tina and me. I was in first grade when this was taken.

My mother and my oldest brother Kenneth. Mom was sixteen when he was born so she was probably barely seventeen when this photo was taken somewhere in North Dakota.


This is mom and my brother Dennis. My mother was probably around nineteen or twenty years old. This is such a typical picture of her as she was always trying to make you feel better. I'm not sure why Dennis was unhappy but leave it to her to try and cheer him up.

This is mom with my husband Damian. This was taken in the 1990's before my father passed away. My mother actually got very thin towards the end of her life. She suffered from diabetes which eventually took her life. After my father passed away she took good care of herself and lasted much longer with the diease then anyone ever thought she would. She always kepted herself busy sewing and crocheting. I credit my mother to the fact that I am a very methodical, organized person. She was very organized way beyond her time. She was also artist and could draw really well. My three brothers and I all draw.

This is the way I remember my mother the most. We always had lots of friends hanging out at our house. My mother was a great cook. I think she thought I would never learn how to cook when I was young. I only showed a desire to make brownies. When I would visit she would always make my favorite chicken pot pie.

This is a mother's day card I made for her in first grade. This is the front and back of the card. She saved it all those years.

This is the inside of the card. We copied this off of the board: Butterfly hover near my Mother tell her that I dearly love her Love Kathleen

Many called her Sue but to me she will always be Mom.

Until Next Time