~~Here Came Trouble with a Capital "T" ~~

Cute Cute!

I'm VERY Cute but I'm TROUBLE.....Cookie says so!

I'm "black & white" just like Cookie!

He's JUST A BABY in a BLANKIE - gotta love 'em!

Cookie & Cabo wondering WHY IS HE HERE?

Just cause I'm cute!

We have a new "baby" at our house - & his name should be "Trouble" with a capital "T" but I call him Cosmo ~~ doesn't he look SO innocent? Most of you who read this blog think kattz*cottage could be all about cats! But I have to admit I'm a dog lover - have never really loved cats that much. But for some reason I've tried to make a cat connection since we've lived in the country. The sad fact is maybe because we are in the country they always disappear. They are grabbed up by something unknown so I always say "I can't have ANYMORE CATS" because I always lose them.

But here he is - this little kitten so very CUTE! I got him at 6 weeks old in a Wal-Mart parking lot! He's a big ball of crazy energy, bouncing off the walls, pouncing on Cabo & Cookie who are fit to be tied & wish he had never bounced through the front door! The pictures show it all......two little chihuahuas who's world has come unwound! We will do our best to love & tame him & keep him safe at kattz*cottage.........& eventually Cookie & Cabo & Cosmo will be good buddies!

THANK YOU to everyone helped me with my "what is it's!" I appreciate all your help & because of internet problems & being way toooooo busy I haven't sent answers to everyone that commented. Thanks to all of you though ~~ & especially to Shirlee & Debbie who sent awards my way. I appreciate all of you so much for your comments & just for visiting kattz*cottage!

HAPPY SUMMER! Kathy xoxoxo

~~What IS it?~~

~~Just lookin' for a little help from my friends! I have some things that I'm trying to identify! Some of them I bought to put on ebay but haven't listed them because I don't know what they ARE! Any ideas anybody? Let me know if you know what any of them are!......OR what they could be turned into!

This is a heavy cast iron 4" Rooster that has a screw in the bottom - not like a lamp finial but must have come off of something???!!??

This is a vintage perfume that I KNOW I've seen even when I was a little girl -- old fashioned couple on top of lid - criss cross design on the bottle - it has NO markings on it at all......surely someone knows what this is!!


This is a porcelain handpainted 2 1/2" cylinder that is open at the top & bottom - has felt inside & gold metal around the top - I have no idea what it's for?!?


This is another little silver metal cylinder only an inch tall - has raised designs & has a small hole on top & larger opening on the bottom.....what is it?!?


I paid a dollar for this & planned to re-paint & use it but I'm not sure what to do with it.....is it a plate rack? And what goes in the bottom? If it's a plate rack I don't really want to hang it on the wall so is there something else it can be used for?


I've sold French Presses on ebay before but these appear different....or are they? The teapot has a press type plunger but the coffeepot just has the filter & lid with no press inside. Are they another type of French Press?......

This is a stoneware pot made like an angel food cake or bundt pan but it has a lid ~ I have no idea what it's used for!?? To bake something I'm sure but surely it has a specific purpose? There are no makers markings on it......

I will love to hear any ideas even if they are inventive & other than what these things really are! Creativity can be better than logical!

HAPPY 4th of JULY to everyone ~ have a Safe & Fun Holiday! xoxoxox Kathy

~~Certified Wildlife Habitat @ kattz*cottage~~

We are very excited at kattz*cottage that we qualified to be a "Certified Wildlife Habitat" ~~ doing our part to take care of any & all wildlife that enter this lively place we call home. We are happy to share our gardens & our woods with so many creatures from birds, owls, frogs, toads, bats, armadillos, raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, tons of insects & now our thousands of Honeybees! We provide shelter, water, food, & they provide us with hours of watching pleasure! I realized when posting this that I never have my camera in hand when I see these creatures ~ so that will be my next project - to try to get some wildlife pictures. So without the wildlife, here is the habitat! TZ found an old cedar log in our woods to display our new sign proudly!

What's wrong with this picture??!! Cabo knocks his Croquet Ball into the Pond & always goes in after it!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND! Kathy xoxoxo

~~T.Z.'s BEES~~

Tucked away wayyyyy back there behind the Hollyhocks is the BEEHIVE~~

THE "Bee Viewing Area".......YES we watch the bees ~ Our big pond is just behind the chairs so the bees have lots of water ~~

TZ checking the frames - you can see the white wax across the top where our Busy Bees have already begun working.....after 3 1/2 weeks they already have Honey in them ~~ it tastes SO good :-)

Cookie - TZ's Bee Buddy just can't stay away from the hive.....no stings yet but it'll happen~~

This view from the top of the frames is after just ONE week in the hive ~ I think that's so amazing - they work fast~

TZ is pointing out the QUEEN - she's easy to find because she's marked.......

Smoking the bees to calm them~~ when I knew TZ was planning Beehives I found an antique Bee Smoker for $5 at an estate sale - works great~~

Alotta lotta bees......

TZ dumps the Bees into the Hive.....


He sprayed them with sugar water to keep them from swarming out - they start licking the sugar so they stay occupied while he dumps them into the hive ~~

Opening the BEE BOX after they arrived.......they come with a can of sugar water to keep them alive on their trip to our cottage~~

~A new adventure at kattz*cottage~

Our new & very exciting adventure! TZ has Bees! Something he has planned for years actually & he has been working on building his beehives & getting ready for his bees for several months now. The Italian Honeybees arrived 3 1/2 weeks ago & they seem to be very happy & comfortable living in their new hive-casa!

After researching & googling the internet & books for months & even years, I think TZ has learned what it takes to be a great bee-keeper. Every step he's taken has been smooth & easy as if he's been doing this for years. Fortunately, as he claims, he got some calm bees if that's possible....lol

The bees arrived at the front door, in a little box, thousands of them - the buzz was almost deafening & Cookie wanted to get in the box with them! He couldn't stay away from them & still can't. The Queen is marked with a red spot on her back & she was contained in a tiny box with candy on the end that she had to nibble through to be released into the hive.

He has already "smoked" them twice to check the frames & to our complete surprise there was HONEY right before our very eyes! He pulled out every frame to check them & was never swarmed & so far we are "sting-free" but I'm sure one day that'll happen - probably Cookie will be the first victim because he can't stay away from the hive - he walks right up to it!

It may sound crazy but we go out & sit & watch the bees every evening. It's really interesting to see them flying back into the hive from their daily excursion. After smoking them last week TZ pulled off some chunks of wax with honey & brought them over to what I call ~OK don't laugh ~ our "bee viewing area".....lol We couldn't believe that first taste of honey - so unbelievably good & sweet! Can't wait till we can start filling jars FULL of HONEY!

Our internet was down all last week so I had to make 2 trips to town & use the library computer just to catch up on ebay ~~ I'm still trying to catch up & am trying hard to get things listed since last week was a dud with no computer. So since I'm still behind with ebay & that comes first - I'm super WAY behind with blogging! Thanks so much for all your comments & I promise I WILL CATCH UP on all of them! I need more hours in the day!

~~hugs~~ xoxoxoxoxo Kathy

~~The PINK FAIRY has BLOOMED!~~

2008 ~~ "THE FAIRY" Rose ~~ a week ago!





2007 ~~ "THE FAIRY" Rose ~~ a year ago!

The Pink FAIRY Rose has bloomed! And my oh my how it has grown since last year! In the bottom picture up there it was barely halfway up the arbor this time last year. I was so surprised that not only did it make it to the top this year but it went all the way over & halfway down the other side. And that tiny little red rose on the other side of the arbor last year has grown all the way up to meet the FAIRY at the tippy top! These pictures were taken last week & as all roses do they have already faded but I'm hoping for another bloom....

Well I'm still "out of the blog loop" when it comes to keeping up with what's going around here! It's because so much is going on around here! So many new projects & we are busy as "BEES".....which I will blog about soon!

HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DAY!! xoxoxoxo

~~Garden Surprises from the Wildflower Fairy~~

A very unexpected Wildflower Garden has just come to life before our very eyes!

We had a mound of leftover dirt that we had used to fill in holes that our happy chickens dug ~~ Last fall we spread it all out flat & then scattered a variety of seeds - mostly wildflower mix all over it. Just THREW them out there! And then kind of forgot about it - didn't do a thing to it!

Until a couple of weeks ago - when THIS appeared ~ like a Wildflower Fairy had waved her magic wand & wa-laa - there it was! Red Poppies, Blue Bachelor's Buttons, Red Clover, Yellow Coreopsis, Purple Larkspur......It changes & grows every day as more & more little buds open & bloom!

A couple of nights this week we've headed down the road to do our favorite wildflower drive ~~ I love picking huge bouquets of them ~~ and we dug up a few more lovelies to add to add to our new fairy wildflower garden - foxgloves, wine cups, daisies ~ And YES - that IS a purple BOWLING "gazing" BALL smack in the very middle sitting on a stand I picked up from a dumpster in Fredericksburg last month! It was TZ's idea to make it a "gazing" ball stand & I've grown to like that big spash of purple in there! He bought the bowing ball - two of them actually - $1 at a garage sale ~ to paint them like ladybugs for the garden....a very cool idea he saw in a garden magazine!.........but that's another story!

The whole garden is a little unkempt~shabby chic-ish~looking but I kind of like it that way! No planned garden style made by me - just did it's own happy thing!

My Pink Fairy Rose is JUST on the verge of a beautiful bloom! I will bring it to you soon!

Friday night & we're always on the dance floor right about now but decided to give our boots a rest & take a night off......we're up early tomorrow morning to head to the Bowie Trade Days to look for a new *NICE* Rooster, Pet Turkeys, & **FLOWERS**!!!!..............Happy Weekend!! xoxoxo