LHOTR - A Sunrise Settee

Laura at sunrise.

My girl Laura worked her ass off on Pa's farm, helping him with milking, harvesting hay, gathering eggs, and generally TCB. She's to be applauded for her efforts, but she had ulterior motives. For one, she hated sitting in the house, and second, jobs like milking gave her the opportunity to have the sunrise to herself. 

Sunrise at our little house. 

Now one of my favorite things in the world is to sleep in, read, and only get up when my bladder can't take it anymore. With the cottage, our perspectives have changed a bit, and we are eager to get up, make a pot of coffee, and see the sunrise over the river. Our seating situation, however, was something to be desired. We need patio furniture.

We go to Outback and are horrified by the prices. We go to Watson's; surely with their wacky commercials, weekend tent sales, and spinning bursts, we will find a deal on outdoor living. 

Nope. 

Outdoor living room set. 

Enter Facebook marketplace. Wanting something to reuse and recycle, I attempted to wheel and deal with neighbors posting lawn furniture they would rather part with then put into storage. I eyed the set above when it was $100... then $50... when it finally hit $25, I messaged the gal with an enthusiastic "I'll take it."

The set is actually cuter in real life. The little coffee table is worth the price alone. I overthought the webbing, thinking maybe I'd find a repair kit online and my friend Hallie said to just get a couple of back cushions or pillows and call it a worn-in look. I'd have to agree. 

So, like Laura, a labor of love is resulting in yet another beautiful thing for our little house. 

LHOTR - whatnot! Tackling an ugly shelving problem.

The DIY craft project of the Dakota prairie.

In By the Shores of Silver Lake, the Ingalls family meets the Boasts, Robert and Ella. In the fictional account, Ella is described as young, fun-loving newlywed, and an expert at starting chicken farms. She is also described as being up on all the latest fads and fashions, one of which was building a whatnot, a corner shelving unit for knick knacks. Building the shelf was described in such perfect detail, I thought I was missing something.

Before...

Shelving is important in little houses. So much so, the previous owners of our little house gouged a hole into the drywall of the bathroom to slap some spare wood into the opening, and left us with the above. At least the shelves are level, but the tears in the drywall? Exposed nails? Rough boards? 

That won't do.

...after, part 1. 

I hunted around the house and found leftover molding, which I cut (I saw! I sew!) to match the door frames around the house. I also found the bathroom paint tucked away in the corner of a closet, and painted it all to match. 

I'm still not satisfied. 

I'm the Dollar Tree Joanna Gaines, y'all! 

The nails that are visible on the back wall are necessary, as they are holding up the wood walls in the kitchen! Doesn't mean I have to like it. I will be covering the back of the cabinet by creating a false back with adhesive backsplash tiles, and covering the shelves with adhesive shelving paper. The cute baskets are for keeping all the travel soaps, shampoos, lotions, and conditioners organized. 

After, part 2: look how cute! And I'm making quick work of those travel conditioners.

An added special touch? I found my own wee porcelain trinket box, digging through my jewelry chest. While it doesn't have Laura's gold teapot and cup, it has a tiny spray of roses atop a basket weave. It was the party favor my mom offered guests at my bridal shower. It will be a useful yet sentimental addition to my little house. 

LHOTR - ornament gossip

 It’s no clove apple or needle book, but it’s a homemade ornament for our Little House. 

The COVID crisis has made family gatherings near impossible to plan. And since we all wake up every morning wishing we were Up North, it's time to start thinking about the holidays.

We have long had two trees up in the house, a traditional seven-footer, and a smaller, tabletop tree to supplement my skate ornament addiction. This year, I’m retiring the skate tree and moving the little tree to the little house. 

Good news is, this marks the resurrection of the Little House ornaments for Christmas. Way back when, the Little House gift shop released a yearly ornament for each of the books, using Helen Sewell’s original illustrations, with the promise of 12 in all. 

Any LauraFan can sniff out the trouble with this plan before you can say “Flutterbudget.”

You see, Helen was the illustrator for the first edition of the original eight books, doing them in a woodcut style.

Helen’s depiction of the family getting ready for sugaring off party at grandma’s. 

Garth Williams re-illustrated the books in 1947, producing 64 memorable pencil sketches across the series that has endured for almost 80 years. Garth also illustrated one more book than Helen, since he was asked to do the drawings for The First Four Years, a manuscript published in 1971, years after Laura and daughter Rose’s death. 

Garth Williams pencil illustration of the girls pouring boiled candy into pans of snow. 

So there’s continuity issue number one in the ornament series.  

Continuity issues two and three: On the Way Home and West From Home are a collection of diaries and letters about the family move to Missouri in 1894 and Laura’s trip to visit adult Rose in San Francisco in 1915. However, Garth did not provide drawings for these. I think the combination of finding these papers and the popularity of the TV show back in the 70s meant hastily publishing the titles and rushing the books to market with forgettable drab cover art. 

I became quite the hanger-on in Mansfield when I lived in Saint Louis, road-tripping to the Ozarks on my days off just to ogle Laura's black wedding dress (edgy, my gal).  I got to talking to the ladies who ran the gift shop about the ornament issue. According to one, there was a fight between the families over whose illustrations would be used, and the fight included money and lawyers. 

As a non-profit museum store attempting to stay afloat, they opted to limit the series to the original eight, add a Mansfield homestead ornament, and discontinue the annual tradition. 

Lot of drama and history packed into celebrating nine little ornaments! 

The tree is only 4 feet tall, so not a whole lot of decorations will be needed; besides, we have plenty to outfit two trees with all the spangles you can imagine. And not a lot of presents either: I think the little house was present enough. 

LHOTR - first snow and easy fridge transformation

 

November 1: our first snow! 

Dave wanted to get a jump on the weekend while I had to get mom to the airport, so we did what we do best, and "divide and conquer." He and Will left early to start work on the yard, while I got mom to the the airport and checked out the local grocery store. I was told they have the best prices on meats in town. Pork chops for $1.19/pound! Chuck roast $3.49/pound? We are having pot roast for dinner this weekend! 

I ran out of little dishes for the baking soda, so while I was waiting for mom's delayed flight, I made powder sachets to put in each drawer and cupboard. I was amazed at what a week's exposure could do to combat the mustiness, so I can't wait to see what another week will accomplish. 

In the meantime, joined the boys in the yard, and we pitched the leaves into the river on the advice of the neighbor, who said that's what everyone does. And to fill the ditches, especially with snowfall coming. 

Oh, did you say snow? 

One of Dave's favorite things to do is make a pot of coffee and watch the sun rise over the river. I cozied up next to him, frowning at the foggy mist. Only it wasn't fog, it was snow. To celebrate, I went to put my feet in the river. That lasted about five seconds. 

Before... 

...after!

Well now I had time for an indoor project, that being the fridge. The previous owners left us a fridge in great working order that unfortunately had spots of rust from the humidity. They also left a mini paint roller and a quart of white enamel paint to do the job.

I washed the sides with hot water and rinsed it, allowing it to dry completely. I added one coat and marveled at the coverage, and an hour later, added a second coat. It looks a-maze-ing. 

Anyone who has read my blog over the years (crickets...) knows I have been a huge advocate for recycling fashion by thrifting. After seeing how nicely we have been able to pull together the cottage with items we dug out of our house, thrifted, discovered at garage sales, or repurposed from the previous owners, every project has gotten me very excited by the prospect of "proving up the claim," and making it our own. 

LHOTR - key word: cozy!

Will resting and watching the World Series after a hard day of cleaning.

Our first weekend at the cottage came together faster and happier than we could have imagined. Dave had to work at the bank until noon, which was ok, because Sandy and I had to go claim our finisher's medals from the River Bank Run. Once Dave changed into work clothes and celebratory donuts were consumed, we formed a caravan up to the little house. 

As expected, the house smelled musty, as if it had been locked up tight for a year or so. Still, we had gotten a head start on things after signing papers on Thursday when we cleared out the old blankets, rugs, and bedding. So we threw open the windows, pulled up the blinds, and started to move in. 

A never-ending cycle of dish-washing. I wonder what Caroline Ingalls would think of paper plates. The books do mention her using slips of paper for dipping hard boiled eggs into salt and pepper. 

First, I made the beds. Then wiped down the cupboards and drawers with vinegar and set dishes of  baking soda in each to make it all smell fresh. Once cupboards were dry, I unpacked the dishes, silver, cookware, and groceries, taking care to organize things to the point of being OCD. 

While I was doing that, Dave was getting the area rug unfurled, moving furniture in and out, and setting up the stereo, because tunes are always necessary. 

It is surprising with the three of us how quickly it all came together. Dave was able to make his snowmobile club meeting in Baldwin, and Will and I stayed behind to have pizza and watch the World Series as our first chillaxing evening in the house. And my lovely royal blue fainting couch fits in my nook perfectly, with my spa basket that slides underneath the perfect touch. 

Not all is well, though. It's been a long time since we have shared a queen bed. And this queen is bouncy soft. If one person rolls, the other person rolls with them. A harrumph from Dave, and I'm catapulted off the bed quite unceremoniously. After fighting each other for bed supremacy, we fell asleep exhausted about 3am. 

Up by 9am to watch the river roll by, and not enough food to make breakfast, we ran up to Four Corners and had our first meal as townies. I got the breakfast with all the meat. Then it was back to the house for more work before heading back to the city.