Giveaway: A Very Modest Cottage
“From the day we decided to move and restore the cabin to the night that we pounded the last nail was only three short months. We could not have guessed how many stories the little cabin would reveal to us over time.” So beings the story of A Very Modest Cottage, a quaint, beautifully photographed book by Tereasa Surratt. The cabin was one of several in abandoned motel park which lived next door to her grandmother’s house. “I had been dreaming about the cabin ever since I was knee-high to a grasshopper,” says Tereasa. She daydreamed about fixing it up and making it her home. Sometimes dreams do come true.a
The cabin’s journey from Beardstown, Illinois to Elkhorn, Wisconsin, where Tereasa and her family live live in a restored sumer camp, is related. Along the way she provides lots of tips on how to haul a house across the interstate – how to deal with height restrictions and how to pump gas (personally, I hope I never have to figure that out).
Tereasa did a wonderful job restoring this little gem. It now lives by a lovely lake where it’s used as a guest house. I’m packing my bags, Tereasa! If you’ve ever considered restoring an ancient gem, read how to find the perfect doors and windows, and haggle at antique stores. A Very Modest Cottage is full of ideas, tips and a few “how-tos”. It’s just plain fun to read.a
Tereasa’s gem of a summer read is available at Amazon ($16.47). But one lucky person won’t have to buy one.
I’m giving a copy away!
(complete with key chain and matchbox). To enter, simply leave a comment under this and any related posts. I’d like to know your favorite summer memory. It could be a drink, a beach, a game, your first kiss by the beachside bonfire. If you’re not the talking type, just say hello. The winner will be drawn at random a week from today – that’s July 8th. Entries must be received by Thursday, July 8th at 12:00PM, EST. Okay?
Enjoy the long weekend (here in the States). And enjoy the regular weekend everywhere else!
11 Responses to “Giveaway: A Very Modest Cottage”
Avatars are randomly assigned unless you get your own
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Posted by anthy on July 1st, 2010 at 7:23 pm
When I was about 2-3, we went to Florida and spent some time on the beach there. And when we were done with our day, we went back to the condo where we were staying with family friends, and made homemade strawberry ice cream with one of those old-fashioned crankable ice cream makers. I helped churn the ice cream.
It’s my oldest memory, and one of my favorites! I very distinctly remember the sunset on the beach and then helping to make the ice cream afterward.
Thank you for the giveaway – I think my mother would really love this book. :-)
Hope you have a great holiday weekend!
anthy_stl [ATT] yahoo [DOTT] com
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Posted by Marie on July 2nd, 2010 at 10:56 am
Sweet! My bf just bought a house with a little guest house in back that’s in dire need of fixing up. This book would be perfect for ideas!
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Posted by Jennifer on July 3rd, 2010 at 8:35 am
Absolutely! It’s very inspirational. And she provides some great tips on how to restore old doors and how to find the old doors. Plus, the art direction is beautiful. A lot of fun to read.
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Posted by Jennifer on July 3rd, 2010 at 8:36 am
I have very similar fond memories of clam bakes by the lake in New Hampshire. Lots of kids and lots of smores.
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Posted by Mary on July 3rd, 2010 at 8:53 am
I have so many memories from my midwest childhood (not that far from Beardstown, IL, where the cabin originated!) but my favorite one has to involve an ice cream truck and my father. It’s even more meaningful to me now that my father has passed away recently.
I was young – young enough to need to go to bed before it was dark out. On this night, I was in bed but couldn’t sleep because an ice cream truck was outside playing its jingle. I got up and told my father that it was bothering me, expecting him to go outside and tell it to move. Instead, he gathered me up, pajamas and all, and carried me outside to buy me an ice cream, “so that the truck will go away.” I got a special, yummy treat, and I learned that my father would always go out of his way to make his little girl happy.
That’s always been one of my favorite memories, both of summer and of my father.
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Posted by Jennifer on July 4th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
I too recently lost my father. It’s been 2 years ago and I think about him every day. It’s those little things, like buying an ice cream, drying a tear, and in my case, wearing mismatched plaids just to tease my fashion sense that make for a loving relationship. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful memory with the rest of us.
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Posted by A Very Modest Cottage: Giveaway Ends Tomorrow! | Design Hole Online on July 7th, 2010 at 10:15 am
[...] few posts to read all about this beautiful and inspiring book written by Tereasa Surratt. Or, just click here. It’s a fun book! To keep things legal, I have to state that, while the book was given to [...]
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Posted by Margo on July 7th, 2010 at 11:59 am
Memory: birthday bonfire on the bay in Truro, MA
Project: replacing a little shed, called a woodshed but used as general storage, and am so inspired by Tereasa’s book and work on the little house. Will try to manage making a similar dwelling.
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Posted by strugglingwriter on July 8th, 2010 at 7:28 am
Memory: at Boy Scout Summer Camp we slept in canvas platform tents. It was usually warm in the day and increasingly cold at night, so by the time morning came you didn’t want to leave your sleeping bag. The best part of the day was when somebody got the morning campfire going and you stood, bleary eyed around it, warming your body while talking to your buddies. Good times.
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Posted by Anne Lindsay on July 13th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
I enjoyed many a summer near 73 mile house in BC. The owner of the “dude” ranch had rescued several cabins, very much like yours. Each year we did a little bit more to make the cabins liveable. Now in middle age I really wish I had a cabin of my own. Thank you for producing this book
When I was a kid, friends and families would gathered on Sundays at a land that my parents own on a lake. My parents never took the time to build a cabin. We were often 20 to 30 adults and children. We had so much fun swimming, playing games, eating and sitting by the fire. The simplicity of her little cabin brought back those sweet memories.