Cottage Exterior And The First Before And After

Happy Fall everyone!

If you stopped by on Friday, you heard that we closed on our Mountain Cottage last week.

We weren't there for the closing, but we were able to finally went to pick up the keys on Saturday.

I am exhausted!

I think I more exhausted from thinking of all the projects we could do with the house and which ones to do first. I just could not turn my mind off Saturday night and got very little sleep. 

It rained most of the day on Saturday, but Sunday was absolutely gorgeous and started out as a crisp Fall morning with low humidity. We spent every minute we could (between measuring and scheming) right here on the porch in our new Ikea wicker chairs.

Here's the view of the porch(sans chairs) from down below.

The house may be small, but it has 3 sheds. One is  just a little woodshed and this one shown below is the garden shed and has shelves all around the exterior and space for a lawn tractor. You can enter through the big barn door or the entry door. It is just too cute.

The second "shed" is what we're excited about. It's pretty large at 15 ft x 11. I love that it has lots of windows and a high ceiling.  Mr. Fanatic would love to use it as his shop, for now, but we would love to turn it into a bunk house.

Here's the inside: Above those beams is a large loft that spans the entire width of the building. It also has a poured cement foundation.

If you go to the back of the shed you can finally see the loft. It is really bright inside with the sunlight streaming through the windows.

You can get to the loft in a cutout at the top of the ladder.

Another exciting thing about the shed is that it's wired for electricity. Definitely enough power a big baseboard heater and an ac unit.

Now to the small project we did. One thing we noticed when we first looked at the house is that a lot of the great view is block by a few trees and this large holly shrub. 

Here's how it looked sitting on the porch.

It took Mr. Fanatic no time at all to take the overgrown holly down with his chain saw.

Ah, much better. A few trees still need be felled, but we're going to wait until the leaves drop to do those.

So much better!

My favorite part of the day so far is in the afternoon when the colors are really vibrant and some shadows can be seen on the mountains off in the distant.

I don't think I'll ever get tired of this view. 

Hope you stop by tomorrow... I'll be showing you the pics of the interior...The inside of the house is definitely not as  pretty as the outside and needs a total reno. I do

believe the cottage should hold the title as the kitchen in most need of a total makeover. 
I am sure I've never seen a kitchen like this.
It is downright scary.

You probably think I'm kidding.

Stop by tomorrow to see if you agree.

Pam

Chetola Resort Blowing Rock

If you're looking for a great summer getaway with your family or for a beautiful place for a romantic weekend, Chetola Resort should be high on your list. 

Last week Mr. Fanatic, youngest daughter Fanatic and I spent the week in a condominium at Chetola. 

There's also a lodge and a Bed and Breakfast at Chetola, as well. 

Not being fancy people and preferring to take care of ourselves (must be the diy in us), we loved staying in a two bedroom condo nestled in tall trees and perched up on a hill. Of course we also loved the fact that the whole stay at the Chetola only cost us $250 because we used some extra points my dad had in his timeshare. 

But, if you don't have timeshare points to use, you can always be on the lookout for a Groupon for the Bed and Breakfast. A couple we met at the fire ring one evening mentioned it.

You can't miss the Chetola Resort when you drive to the little mountain village of Blowing Rock.

I've always dreamed of staying there ever since first visiting the area several years ago.

The drive is lit in the evening with lights along the wooden fence.

The road meanders around the lake and across a stone bridge, then over the creek.

Chetola is  a Cherokee word that means "haven of rest".

Definitely a fitting name.

The Bob Timberlake Inn is up ahead...

The Inn also has a wonderful restaurant where we had dinner the night before we left. The Bob Timberlake Inn was once the Manor House for some of the previous owners. 

 Here's the view of the lake, looking back at the Inn. 

On the day we arrived, there was a big white tent set up for a wedding passed the gazebo. 

Just as we got out of our car to check in, the bride and her father were waiting to cross the road and walk down the path to the lake.

 What a wonderful place to get married!

 At the far end of the lake, there is a bridge and a spillway with a little island below filled with hostas and rhododendron.

Looks like a little secret garden. Wish we could have walked down there, but the wooden steps were blocked off. 

 The rhododendron bloomed during our week long stay. They were everywhere and so beautiful!

There's lots to do at the resort. You can read about all the activities, spa, etc. that this resort has to offer at  chetola.com. 

All three of us went out on a paddleboat and peddled out to the middle of the lake.  Lucky for me, Mr. F and daughter Fanatic got to be the ones who "powered" the boat. 

I just enjoyed the ride!

Needless to say, I would pack my bags and go back any time. The weather was perfect and so much cooler than back in Charlotte. 

Where are you off to this summer?

 Do you have something fun planned and do you go on vacation where you can get pampered?

Pam

ps. I was not compensated in any way from Chetola Resort; I just wanted to share a great place to go to in Blowing Rock!