Category Archives: Our Cottage

Six Years Later & A Garden Tour…💕

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Marcia Ren

Life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. – Leonard Nimoy Hello, sweet friends… This past weekend Joe and I shared our home in a local garden tour… and six years ago (on the same weekend) we had made the biggest move of my life… moving from California to the Oregon Coast…. Reflecting on these past years… I’ve learned that changing the direction of your life is a bit like growing things from seed… Those early ideas dreams can be compared to early seedlings… some just don’t develop at all… others grow wild… and a few seem to flourish and grow at their own pace… I thought it was quite amazing that our garden tour coincided with the anniversary date of moving out of California… Both dates will be forever embedded as precious memories. Beginning something new requires a lot of patience… … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden/Tea Time, Our Cottage | 8 Comments

Music…My Father…and…The Piano🎶

Posted on June 17, 2021 by Marcia Ren

  “Dads are most ordinary men turned by love into heroes, adventurers, story-tellers, and singers of song.” -Pam Brown Hello, sweet friend… These past few days the weather has been beautiful… I’ve been enjoying the garden…  The ‘Doris Day’ roses Joe planted in memory of my father’s 100th birthday… are blooming beautifully!  That being said…and with Father’s Day just around the corner… today I would like to share a re-edited post written several years ago…dedicating it to my father a.k.a.… ‘Captain Ed’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Original post published June 2015   One of the reasons I love to blog… is that I enjoy talking😂  telling stories.   more specifically sharing them…   I must confess the intro to this post has been edited several times.   I found myself in a quandry about writing “certain” things. Things of the heart are sometimes difficult to share. ❤️   Perhaps because it makes me feel a … Continue reading →

Posted in Coastal Living, Garden/Tea Time, Our Cottage | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Retirement…10 years later & A Mini Summer Garden Tea…

Posted on June 10, 2021 by Marcia Ren

To Do…1. Plant a Garden✔️2. Bake a Pie✔️3. Read a Classic✔️4. Shop all Day✔️✔️ Hello, sweet friends… Today marks the 10th anniversary of my retirement. Similar to those 30 years of teaching…these past 10 years have been an exciting adventure …and the years have sweetly flown by… Now come and join me as I share how I spent the day…

Posted in Garden/Tea Time, Our Cottage | 6 Comments

Earth Day 2021…Planting A Garden👩‍🌾

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Marcia Ren

“Smell the sea, and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly.” -Van Morrison Hello, sweet friends… With the warm weather… and vaccines rolling out… in-person celebrations… activities and more in our communities are slowly coming back… specifically outdoor events… I was very excited to receive notice that this year’s summer Garden Tour will go forward as planned… Something wonderful to look forward to… so this week I made a quick trip to one of my favorite nurseries ‘Dragonfly Nursery’ where I picked up a variety of garden starters…lettuce…tomatoes…bell peppers & cucumbers… Along those lines… what better way to celebrate the awareness of our earth… than enjoying fresh air in the great outdoors…

Posted in Coastal Living, Garden/Tea Time, Our Cottage | 1 Comment

Home…All Set For Easter & Coconut cupcakes

Posted on April 1, 2021 by Marcia Ren

Welcome is what reflects God’s spirit of love, joy and happiness. -Emilie Barnes Hello, sweet friends… Happy Easter!!! Home has never been so important… Ours has become a special way for me to experience contentment and express creativity. I feel fortunate that my husband supports… encourages… and most importantly… appreciates my ongoing efforts in creating a home for us. That being said this past week I had so much delight creating an Easter tablescape… sewing a small table cover and napkins which matched the dining alcove curtains… I think it all came together quite beautifully… What’s Cooking? This year instead of my usual bunny cake I thought it would be fun to bring it up a notch…and so I chose to bake Ina Garten’s delight. Oh my goodness!!! What made this dessert great was Joe loves coconut and I love cupcakes…perfect pairing! COCONUT CUPCAKES Ingredients: 3/4 pound unsalted butter at … Continue reading →

Posted in A Quarantined Life, Coastal Living, Our Cottage, What’s Cooking? | 4 Comments