Here's to 2013

Wow, we survived December and half of January! Not that I thought we wouldn't but boy, it was a busy busy period with constant comings and goings of family, friends, and cottage guests. And we wouldn't have wanted it any other way!

Mid January is always an interesting time of the year. Everyone is still recovering financially from an expensive year-end/ Christmas/ holiday/ Back-to-school season. But at the same time, we are all filled with hope for the new year. Hope that it will be better than the last. Hope that it will be filled with travel and adventure.

So here's to that hope -- that 2013 will be better than 2012 (even if 2012 was a great year), that 2013 will be filled with love, health, and happiness and most importantly, that 2013 will be filled with lots & lots of travel!

Here's to 2013!

Love Leigh

Thanksgiving

So with the US elections dominating the news over the last few weeks, we will all be forgiven for thinking that we were actually in the US... Which got me thinking that it's Thanksgiving over there next week... 

Now although we don't celebrate Thanksgiving in South Africa (even though I really think we should because even though we have our issues -- & which country doesn't -- we still have plenty to be thankful for... 

So, we've decided to celebrate our own version of Thanksgiving this year! 

I've managed to get an authentic Pumpkin Pie recipe from a US friend of mine which I'd like to share with you incase you're also keen to give a little thanks the American way this year: 

PUMPKIN PIE

1 unbaked 9-inch (4 cup volume) deep dish pie shell

¾ cup sugar

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground cloves (or substitute nutmeg if you prefer)

1 can (15oz) 100% pure pumpkin

1 can (12 fl oz.) evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix the sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a small bowl. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour into pie shell.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Bake 40 – 50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

***

Incase you're into crafts and are looking for some creative inspiration, have a look at this blog for free templates to get you going...

We'd love to hear your thoughts on giving thanks and creating an event out of it.

In the meantime, be thankful each and every day for all that we have.

Love 

Leigh

xoxo

Prepping for the next six weeks...

It has been a busy six weeks, with an even busier six weeks ahead of us and we wouldn't want it any other way.

The Cottage is coming along nicely with the grass growing in all the right places. The garden has certainly been in favour of all the wonderful rain we've been blessed with lately.

We have had the good fortune of meeting some amazing people who have stayed in Leigh's Place over the last six weeks and we look forward to meeting many many more. 

Our special for January: book and pay in full for any 2013 booking and you'll receive a 15% discount off your total accommodation bill... 

So from all of us at Leigh's Cottage, all the best as you start preparing for the silly season. Remember to keep calm, shop local and don't loose sight of what this Season is really all about.

Lots of love,
Leigh
xoxo

November special

With just 6 weeks to go before the start of the "silly season", we've decided to run a special during the month of November so that people can recharge their batteries! This is perfect for people who end up having to work through December and January.

- 1 week (Saturday - Saturday)
- 2 bedrooms
- max 4 people
- self catering (full kitchen, DSTV, braai area)
- R4,000 for the week

Please email us leighscottage@gmail.com if you're interested (oh, and feel free to share this with anyone who might need a much needed 'break' before the start of the holiday season). 

In the meantime, start working on those Christmas shopping lists -- it'll be here before you know it!

Love
Leigh
xoxo

The patio is complete...

Hooray! The patio awning is up! And what a difference it has made.

Here are the BEFORE and AFTER shots:

BEFORE                           AFTER

So now all we need is the boundary wall to go up (currently there's just a fence), the grass to grow and the plants to flower. I've been contemplating adding more plants to the area to brighten it up a bit.

But in the meantime, the guests that are currently staying in the cottage are enjoying the shaded outside area.

So once again, watch this space as Leigh's Cottage continues to be nipped and tucked to truly become your "home away from home".

Leigh
xoxo

Garden

It's been a relatively busy week here at Leigh's Cottage. Our first guests came and went (and thankfully, left rave reviews) so we're feeling pretty chuffed! :) 

In preparation for our next lot of guests (who arrive tonight!) we've been very busy getting the back garden sorted. As you saw from a previous post, I've been trawling through Pinterest for inspiration and have managed to get some really nice ideas without having to break the bank... 

I must just add that I'm blessed with THE most handy, capable and clever husband who is half way through building a rustic gazebo over the Cottage patio. This will not only protect the front door from inclement weather but also provide some much needed shade should guests want to sit outside while taking in the sights of the (soon to be flourishing) garden :) :)

There is still plenty to do but I must say that I'm quite satisfied with Phase I of "Operation Garden Clean-up"! Below are some BEFORE & AFTER shots:

The awful BEFORE photo.

The very talented hubby getting ready to build the gazebo.

Getting there...The AFTER phase 1 (roof of
gazebo will be added this weekend).

Added some pots and plants...

So slowly but surely we are making progress... I'll be sure to upload pics as the garden improves!

Love,
Leigh
xoxo

Repurpose. Reuse. Recycle.

While gathering all the bits and bobs together for Leigh's Cottage, we realized that we really didn't have to spend a fortune on decorating the cottage as there were many pieces that we had in our home that we could "repurpose". 

Our repurposed coffee table.

The coffee table (right) for example, is a small solid wooden table that I bought months ago for my home office from a 2nd hand store in Hillcrest. It's the perfect size and will certainly be put to better use in the Cottage than my office!

Our new 'old' dresser.

The only thing we realized that was still missing was a dresser for the main bedroom. So we set off today to see what we could find and came across the perfect sized oak dresser, again from a 2nd hand store in Durban North! (see left)

So I'd really encourage you to look around the house and see what's available. You'll be amazed at what you could reuse or repurpose, and should you be in the market for something new, start off at the 2nd hand stores! They're popping up everywhere. PS: Have you seen www.thriftcollection.blogspot.com for "pre-loved" clothing? 

Here are just some ideas that I've seen on Pinterest:

An old wooden door makes a stunning '
shabby chic' statement in a bedroom.

Window shutters can flank a mirror or
picture frame beautifully!

An old wooden stepladder is
the perfect bed-side table.

Another great idea for a stepladder is to
hold pot plants in your garden.

So I hope this post has inspired you to Repurpose - Reuse - Recycle... It's totally worth it!

Have a great weekend!

Love
Leigh
xoxo