5/25 May (not March) Madness

In our household my family calls the month of May, "May Madness."  First, there's Mother's Day next, our wedding anniversary and then my birthday (today).  I love May!  I began my day today with coffee in the delightful mug dear friend Melanie gifted me:

She had my business card printed onto coffee cups -- how cool is that?!  And the best sister on the planet, my sister, Pam, also showered me with gifts.  She sent me almost every book on my Amazon wish list!

Spoiled I am!

Now that I've downed my coffee, read all of my lovely cards (and one crude one -- thanks, Bro) and ripped through my gifts I'm off to clean our guest cottage and work in the garden.
Here's a quick photo tour of the cottage:

When we bought the farm a few years ago, the cottage was a bit of a dump but had lots of potential!  It was basically a converted garage with a big first floor room, stairs and barren second story.  It was decorated (I am NOT making this up!) with poo brown carpet and camoflauge green curtains -- clearly a "man cave."  Paul and I worked hard to transform it into a liveable retreat for our guests...

The exterior still needs some TLC (painting and a new porch floor) but keep scrolling down because I LOVE what we've done inside!

This is right inside the door:

The ground floor has a small living area, big enough for a pull-out couch, love seat and coffee area:

Paul installed a full bathroom on the same floor:

(I love all of the beadboard work and shelving.)

Up the stairs is a big bedroom with two beds and a sitting/reading area:

Outside the cottage my daughter and I planted a perennial garden:

Nothing makes me happier than family and friends visiting and filling the cottage with warmth and love. I can hardly wait for my daughter and her BF to arrive this weekend -- woo hoo!
May Madness is quickly coming to an end so HURRY and comment on one of my blogs so that you'll have a chance at winning this pretty glasses case.  I'll be crowning a winner on the 31st!