Oak Branch Cottage: Progress continues...

Major progress is happening all around Oak Branch Cottage this week, bringing us another step closer to the finished product. From the front yard to the interior trim, every corner is starting to feel refreshed and full of life.

Outside in the Garden

The exterior transformation is officially underway. Our landscaper has started working on the irrigation plans, ensuring the yard will be easy to maintain for years to come. Even better, a huge delivery of landscape plants arrived at the cottage. Seeing all that greenery lined up and ready to go into the ground is making the outdoor vision feel real.

Inside Color & Paint Updates

Inside, the painters are keeping the momentum going with some stunning color choices:

• Closet Doors: Got a crisp, fresh coat of Benjamin Moore's White Dove—the ultimate versatile neutral.

• Hallway: We opted for color-drenching in Sherwin-Williams Rain, wrapping the walls and trim in a calming, cohesive blue.

• Accent Pieces: A vintage bamboo accent chair is getting the same Sherwin-Williams Rain treatment, and its cushion is currently off being recovered to complete the look.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

A Window-Cleaning Trick

One of the coolest parts of the process this week has been the window cleanup. Instead of the tedious, time-consuming work of taping off every single windowpane before painting, the team painted freely and is now cleaning the glass by scraping off the excess paint. Watching the dried paint peel right off the glass leaves behind razor-sharp edges and spotless panes. It is such a satisfying and clever trick!

Renovations are always a journey, but watching these layer-by-layer changes makes every bit of dust worth it. Stay tuned for more updates as the garden goes in and the interior details come together!

Updates, y'all!

Happy 28th Anniversary to us

 28 years today with this guy.

That’s 10,227 days of love, laughter, questionable decisions, and somehow still choosing each other.

Wouldn’t trade the life we’ve built—or the person I get to annoy every day—for anything.

Happy 28th, Jeff. Here’s to us… and to whatever we’ve got left to put up with. Cheers!

Cheers to many more, y'all!

Oak Branch Cottage: The Work Continues...

Work continues day by day at Oak Branch Cottage, and with each passing week, the vision for this home becomes a little clearer—and a lot more exciting.

Lighting Up the Cottage The electrician just wrapped up installing the rough-in boxes for the sconces, which feels like a massive win. I’ll readily admit it: I am completely addicted to sconce lighting. There is something about the warm, low-level glow of a wall sconce that overhead lighting just can’t replicate. Instead of harsh top-down illumination, sconces cast a soft, welcoming light that creates instant depth and texture across a room. I’ve planned for them throughout the house, and seeing the wiring in place makes the eventual cozy atmosphere feel so close.

Refining the Interior Canvas With the electrical rough-ins complete, the drywall crew has stepped in. Sheetrock is actively being patched, smoothed, and resurfaced here and there to fix old imperfections and seamlessly cover up the fresh trade cuts. It’s a messy phase of renovation, but watching the walls turn into clean, uniform surfaces is deeply satisfying. It’s the ultimate reset before paint colors enter the conversation.

A Clean Slate Outdoors Outside, things look dramatically different. The old, overgrown landscaping has been completely removed, leaving us with a total clean slate. It’s a bit jarring to see the cottage stripped down to bare dirt, but it was a necessary step to do things right. Right now, I am awaiting final estimates for the new irrigation system, landscape lighting, and fresh plantings. Once those bids come in, the exterior transformation can officially begin.

Every phase brings its own set of decisions and waiting games, but watching Oak Branch Cottage evolve step by step makes every detail worth the wait.

The Work Continues, y'all!