2009 Cottage Charm Giveaway - Just Around the Corner!

It's almost here! The 3rd Annual Cottage Charm Giveaway! I'm so excited and just wanted to let everyone know that on May 1st, I will post the official Cottage Charm Giveaway details and will then begin compiling "the list" of giveaways as they are posted by hosts/hostesses! I will keep adding to the list for the entire month of May, so if you are planning on hosting a giveaway this year, you've got some time! I'm going to take my giveaway photos next week and have my giveaways listed at the very beginning of May :)

Check out my last post for a little more info, but remember that all the specific instructions will be posted on May 1st. Just a few days away!

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Now on a personal note...I'd like everyone to know that I've been doing ok - and thank you so much for the warm well wishes that I've received lately. I know we worry about those that we don't see blogging as much as usual and this year, well, this year I think so far I've blogged less than I ever have in all my years of blogging! I feel bad about this...blogging has always been one of my favorite hobbies and I love sharing and exchanging ideas. At the same time, I continue to struggle with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue symptoms that can just be relentless. Trying to get just the basics done (basic cleaning, laundry, dinner, caring for kids) is very overwhelming at this point so I just do what I can while the rest seems to pile up around me until hubs can come home and help or I can get to things on better days. This in combination with trying to live on a tight budget (who isn't nowadays?) has really had an impact on our productivity - the three things you need at least a little of to complete projects are time, money, and energy.

The "Good Friday Tornado" damage here in Tennessee that you may have seen on the news happened right down the road a few miles from us, so hubs has helped with the cleanup efforts, plus our place of worship is about to undergo a remodeling project of it's own this weekend and he will be helping with that during the weekends for most of May. So our own projects have taken a back burner for the most part right now.

I've wished a thousand times that I could be the girl I once was in my early 20's (well before I knew anything about the Internet!) She was a project-a-day kind of girl - and with a baby in tow! But for now, I find myself taking a step back from projects here out of sheer necessity. I hate to say this on my blog because I strive to inspire and motivate but... I'm tired.


"Go confidently in the directions of your dreams..."

That said, we are, with our snippets of time and when I'm up to it, continuing to work on my studio furniture. I miss, miss, miss crafting and I feel like above all else project-wise, the studio must be completed first. Hubs has been working really hard on a huge shelving unit this week. I'm really crazy (or is it cruel? !) for giving him such an ugly, beaten up piece of furniture to work with. Can you see it there? It's been in our garage for years holding paint cans and tools and such. We've already added additional shelving to the cubes, and a new top and bottom, and we will also be adding beadboard sides and back and some fresh trim around the perimeter. I have no doubt that by the time he's finished trimming it out and dressing it up and I'm finished painting it, it will be a treasure!

So how have things been going for you? I always love hearing from you :)