My Little(big) cottage

Today, I thought I would share with you, the little cottage we live in. The floor plans were from Sears and we called them shotgun homes because if you stood at the front of the house and you could shoot straight through to the back of the house. These are very popular in New Orleans and I fell in love with this one. We could have bought a new home with all modern things, but before this house was painted, it was horrible both inside and out. I will find the pictures of the before and after of the inside for another post.
                                            Click on pictures for a larger view. The house looks small but it is not.

This is what it looks like today, except for needing a new paint job and some new siding in spots. The closed in Porch was my craft shop for several years, then became a nursery for my grandson, and now it is a storage space for all my seasonal decorations.

This was once a worn out old shed and we spent a lot of money making a play house for my grandchildren, only to have our neighbors with a tree filled with termites. Since it had ceiling tiles, linoleum floors and bead and board walls, we never noticed the termites until it had eaten from inside to out, so it is no longer a part of our yard.

I made little walk ways with a mold that I bought and did all this before my surgeries in 2001. I had just about finished the entire landscaping when I got sick and I have not been able to work in it again. God has taken over and I am thankful every day that I used plants that don't need a lot of care.

The little square gazebo is overflowing now with vines and it is so pretty and fragrant when they bloom. The fench is covered in creeping jenny and is so cool to see other plants hanging from the fench.

this is the inside of the gazebo and at night it was always pretty to be lite up with lights and just sit and relax.

this is my side yard which is being cleared out for my storage room on the side of the window. Behind the arbor was a lattice filled with Confederate Jasmine, but was dug up a few weeks ago and planted next to my front porch. Still have lots to move and luckily the arbor is now gone, but the vine is just growing on the picket fench.

This is a before picture and I say that because after all the stenciling, we closed in the patio and made me a craft room and we have had nothing but problems since Lili struck, then Rita did more damage, so I had to move everything into my extra bedroom, which hopefully soon will be my pink frufru bedroom.

I told you I didn't live in a mansion, but my little cottage was my dream and all I have to do now is make a bigger craft room( the correct way) and I'll have my bedroom back. I am praying this will all happen before Christmas or very soon after. I know the addition will have to wait until we get our income tax refund but February is a good time to work-it's cool and he is going to take a weeks vacation to get it done.I hope you enjoyed seeing my little cottage. Love and hugs, Pat