Hello!

My family and friends have been telling me for years that I should share my expertise with others and lately my daughter and a good friend have suggested I write a blog. Now, I am from a generation of typewriters, newspapers and four television channels, so my first question was, "What's a blog?" (I am not totally computer illiterate; I am, after all, competent with Facebook and Pinterest.) Once they had explained the concept to me, I began to see the value and the many possibilities. Besides, it will keep me busy which, I suspect, is my daughter's real objective. So, with a lot of help from my tech-savvy friend, Bonnie, and my 20-something daughter, Caitlin, I am about to leap into the blogosphere and see where it leads me.

Last year we sold our house, a home that had been remodeled and was completely finished mind you, to move 15 miles north to the charming town of Cottonwood. We did this in order to be closer to our first grandchild, work, friends and church activities (but mostly the grandbaby!). We bought a foreclosure that has a lot of potential and set to work making it our own.

 Now, we have done this before; in fact this is our fourth "House With Potential", but some things have changed since the last one. For example, the economy has had a big effect, some of it positive and some of it not so much. The positive side is that there are deals to be had, including the house itself, as well as sometimes material and labor. The down side is that we are self-employed, so our business has taken a hit as well, leaving us with not as much time or money for this project as we would like. So we have to find ways to get things done on a budget, but without compromising my dreams for this house.

However, this is my specialty, homemaking on a budget. And to be honest, I kind of like it that way. I enjoy the hunt, figuring out how to make something instead of buying the finished product, and repurposing what I already have. So, that is what I will be doing with this little cottage; what's new is that I will also be sharing my endeavors here and learning something new as I go along, always a good thing.