Cottage for Sale

As most of you know from my last post.  Terry got a new Fire Chief position in a community north of where we live now.  About an hour and half commute.  So we are going to have to sell this cottage and move again.

I hate the idea of moving again but if Terry is happy in this job then I am willing to move again.  We are hoping to find a new cottage in an area just south of the community he works for so it is not too far for me to drive to my daughters for babysitting.  You know my part time job LOL!!

The community he is working for is a Fire District that is a combination of two towns.  North Chicago borders these two towns on almost all sides.  It is almost like a small Island inside of the north side of Chicago.  

It is a very sweet, rich in culture and established  area.  Most people that live there grew up there and their family before them grew up there etc.  They are very loyal to the community in which they live.  This community is family friendly and a safe and secure place to live and you still have the big ole city of Chicago in your backyard.  So a lot of people that work in the city of Chicago love this area to live.

We just need to be a little further south so my driving to my family obligations is not a big commute and Terry is still near the community he will be serving.

 I will be honest,  I have always been a suburban girl.   A city girl not so much!  There are a few quaint towns just south of where Terry will be working.  Hoping we can find something to call home in these areas.

That will bring Terry close to the community he serves and me close to family and friends that are a big part of our lives.

In the meantime Junk Chic Cottage II will be getting ready to go on the market soon.

I thought I would give you a little tour of this cottage we created less than a year ago to be our home.

This house gets tons of light.  That is what I love most about this house.  How bright and open it always feels.

Nice big windows that let lots of light in.  The houses behind us are set back and have a wooded area between so it is very private and I can keep very light sheers on my windows to really let the light in.

The kitchen is an open galley kitchen.  Even with the open shelves there is plenty of lower cabinets and a large pantry for storage.

Mr. Cooper is not for sale with the house!  He is just my little photo bomber!!!!  He thinks because I am in the kitchen, I am not trying to take a picture but I am getting him a treat!!!

Down Stairs is a finished basement that served as our family room and Terry's Fireman Cave.

Two large bedrooms up stairs.  The guest room is a good size I have a king bed in this room.

Large Guest Bathroom.

Large Master Bedroom.

Big windows in the master bedroom for lots of light.

His and Hers Master Bedroom Closets. Such an asset to have your own closet and he has his own!

Large Master Bathroom.

High Ceilings going up stairs with board and batten trim to the staircase and hard wood steps.

Natural light streams in all rooms of this house.

Nice little corner nook for my office area.

Nice open entry way.

This is not all the rooms but it is the majority of Junk Chic Cottage II.   I hope the right buyer will walk in and love this home as much as I have.

Have a wonderful rest of the week.
Hugs,
Kris

News To Share

I interrupt my decor blog for this sharing of some great news with all of you.

Let me give you a little background before I share the good news.

Two years ago on February 13th,  our lives here at Junk Chic Cottage took a turn.  Terry who was the fire chief in the adjacent town where we lived left the job he loved.  That put us into the employment arena which I have to say is a crazy place to be.

Terry and I are 58 years old and no where near retirement age.  We have debt and still owe on our home.  Plus at 58 we are no where near able to get on Medicare for our health insurance.

Even more Terry is a dedicated firefighter that has held every rank in the fire service for 30 plus years and still wants to dedicate his life to this profession.

So this began a long journey for us.

We had to pay out a lot of money each month to have our health benefits which was very draining financially for us.  We both worked hard for 20 plus years to save up money for later retirement. It makes me sick that hard earned money for retirement had to be used until Terry could find another position.

Terry had many opportunities come forward for a new position and we always got down to the finish line but for some bizarre reason or politics or wanting the younger person etc. etc.  he did not get the job.  That kick in the gut with each disappointing rejection was really hard.

Jobs in public service are long drawn out affairs.  From beginning to end results of these positions it is on average over 6 weeks.  Getting your resume accepted and then the process of getting down from 80 plus candidates to the final person is a long and demanding commitment.

After each rejection we got back up and stayed faithful and positive that something would happen soon. 

After two long years of struggles and heartache Terry finally has been offered a wonderful Fire Chief position.  

Ironically he will begin this new chapter on Feb. 13th,  two years to the day after he left his old position.

So we will close the door on that chapter of our lives and open a new door.

One thing we both learned during this rough time is that our family and friends stuck by us and gave us emotional shelter when we needed it most.  For that we are truly blessed.

So as we begin this new chapter in our lives,  I personally want to thank all you blogging friends that prayed,  picked me up and gave me hope when my heart was broken and gave words of encouragement for better days to come.  

My hero doesn't wear a cape.

Unfortunately, we will have to sell our current Junk Chic Cottage and move again.  The job is further north of where we are living now.  

They want their new fire chief to be closer to the community he will be protecting.  Understandable and a risk we knew could happen with each job opportunity.  They are giving us lots of time to sell and find a new home.

So for now we will let Terry get into this new position and begin to navigate that and then will begin the process of finding a new home.

As spring approaches and new life starts to pop up we will begin the search for a new home.

We are hoping to find something that still keeps me close to my employment!!!!! The best job I have ever had of babysitting for my two granddaughters a few days a week.  Hopefully we can find something that will bring us closer to this new community where Terry will work and also keep me within a good driving distance to my daughters.

I did find a wonderful new home that is on the market and has lots of character.  We are thinking about it.

This is an old firehouse that has been totally renovated.  I think this would be a perfect piece of history for me and my fire chief to make into our new home.

Lots of exposed brick and hardwood floors.  I can see my chippy, white decor in this space.

Lovely open concept kitchen.  Of course the cabinets would have to be painted white!!!!!

Love that they left the original firehouse doors that still open and the old windows.  Just so much character to this home.

So don't you think this is the best house for me, Cooper and my fire chief hubby?!!!

Yep I did too until I saw the price tag.   Only a cool 1,350,000 and change!!!!!!  We are only short the million and change part :(

We can dream!

Thank you sweet blogging friends.  Your support and encouraging words and beautiful hearts made this long journey for us more tolerable these past few years.

While I love this new place we have only been in for less than a year,  I am going to stay positive we will find another beautiful cottage to make our home.

Hugs and a Grateful Heart,
Kris

Valentine's Thank You

Happy Wednesday

I wanted to say thank you to a couple of sweet bloggers.  You all know how sweet and talented some of the bloggers are.  

Linda from Itsy Bits and Pieces blog had a vintage valentine giveaway that I won.  So today in the mail I got this lovely package.

This is the sweet treats that were in the package.  All vintage and all so fun for Valentine's Day.
I love the old fashion valentines cards.  My favorites.

Love the scrabble tiles that spell out Love.

The sweet little milk caps and red scrabble xo.  Everything related to Valentines Day.  Thank you Linda for all these sweet treats.

A few weeks ago I got this sweet angel in mail from Kim at Exquisitely Unremarkable.  Kim made these sweet angels out of a pair of socks.  My little sock angel is the cutest.  I have had her out in my Valentine decor but she will be back on the shelf in my office.  I love to see her cute heart shaped smile everyday. 

Speaking of my office shelf.   I went to bed the other night and Hans my little handsome gnome that was gifted to me by Vera from  Row Homes and Cobblestones for Christmas. well.......

 When I opened the armoire door to my office shelves hmmm there he was that little "Romeo" smooging up to my new Sock Angel on the shelf.  I think I am going to have to change Han's name to Romeo!!!!
I guess Love is in the Air!
Have a wonderful rest of the week.  Friday morning I have a special post about some great news so check back.
Love,
Hugs,
Kris

Master Bath Refresher

Hi Everyone.

Hope your week is starting out great.

I wanted to show you some updates to our Master Bathroom.

This room was the only room not painted after we moved in.  So I decided to paint it the same color as our bedroom.

Behr Snow Drift

Then I made some little changes to freshen this master bath. 

The walls were a cream color like the counter top.  So we painted it a light gray/white by Behr called Snowdrift.  That is the same color as the adjoining master bedroom.

I added a couple of the Ikea white lace panels to soften up the window.  

I added this lovely indoor outdoor rug that is gray and white.  Love that it is an indoor outdoor rug in the bathroom with stepping out of the shower wet.  Very soft under your feet too.

This is the rug up close so you can see the pattern.  For an indoor/outdoor rug I was surprised how soft it was.  Found this at HomeGoods.

When we moved in last May this wall had a stock large flat mirror.  I took that down and added these individual oval mirrors over each sink.

They just add to the charm of having the chandeliers hanging over each sink.

In the middle of the mirrors I have another sconce with a frame for a little more light.

Terry made this cabinet to fit on top of the vanity to hide my makeup mirror and our tooth brushes, plug ins etc.

I hung this old arched chippy window up and Terry attached a couple of iron hangers for my towels.  I also moved that chippy little bench in from the Guest bath.

I had the everything except the rug which cost $50 from HomeGoods.  So I updated this Master Bath for very little money.

Have a wonderful start to the new week.
Hugs,
Kris

Angel's Spa Retreat

This is Grace my special angel that Terry gifted to me about 5 years ago.

I found a wonderful artist Cathy from Cheswick Company and found that she creates these beautiful one of a kind angels.   Terry gifted this one to me and through the years I have added a few more of Cathy's angels to my collection.  

Grace just returned home from having a spa retreat out East at Cathy's studio.  Her hair and wings were in need of some care.  Over the years like anything else some things can fade and yellow and need a little up keep.  Grace got a new hairdo and some new wings.  Cathy uses lambs wool for their hair and natural feathers for wings.  Love Grace's soft curls.  Cathy also finds vintage christening gowns for each angel.  

This is Hope,  Grace's younger sister. Hope came into my collection a few years ago.

Hope adorns my Christmas tree each year.

This is Faith my Harvest Angel I got from Cathy a few years back.

I love Faith's sweet vintage wool coat and velvet pumpkins.

If you love to sew please visit Cathy at Cheswick Company.com or her Etsy to see all the wonderful kits she sells.  On occasion Cathy has finished pieces such as the angels and this sweet little Hare that is up for adoption.  With Easter just around the corner he needs a new home.

Cathy does not compensate me in anyway for this shout out on my blog.   I just like to shop small business and Cathy is a joy and wonderful creative soul.  Love her precious angels.

Have a wonderful Weekend.
I have some fabulous news to share soon.
Hugs,
Kris