I know firsthand how a house can swoop in and rescue someone.  Mine sort of rescued me from some harsh life circumstances and that’s exactly why I’m so giddy over and proud of it to this day.  Stories about homes and how they have enveloped a home owner are stories that I love to read.
The Bee Cottage Story and How I Made a Muddle of Things and Decorated My Way Back to Happiness is certainly a title that I could have penned myself.
Journalist, author, and TV personality Frances Shultz is a Southern girl (from North Carolina) like I am and this book is inspired by her popular House Beautiful magazine series on the makeover of her house, The Bee Cottage. Â In fact, I did a Feature Friday on Bee Cottage back in 2011 and thought it was such a fun transformation of a cottage in East Hampton.
I have just started reading the book and can’t wait to get into it further. Â I absolutely love the way that Frances decorated this house, so feminine and classic at the same time. Â I know this book will just dive in deeper than the magazine series did and I can’t wait to read it all.
Of course, with my love of green, this picture just takes my breath away.
After a broken engagement, cancer, and a series of devastating losses left her struggling, Frances started to rebuild her life in this cozy cottage called Bee Cottage and really got to know herself. The renovation of Bee Cottage became a metaphor and a means of healing and personal discovery for Frances and she unravels the question of how a mature, intelligent, successful woman could have made such a mess of her personal life.
Oh, how I can relate to that! Â And I totally can see how a house can come along and capture a heart and change a life.
From the book: Â Part memoir, part home decorating guide, The Bee Cottage Story has 125 beautiful full-color photos to illustrate Schultz’s journey and to inspire readers traipsing through their own “Great Muddle” to examine and discover their own “truth” in decorating — and life. Â
Here’s the fun news! Â The editor of The Bee Cottage Story sent me a copy for myself and they are giving away a copy to ONE of my readers. Â
Be sure to click the Rafflecopter widget and sign up with your email.  Then all you have to do is leave a comment telling me if you’ve ever made a great muddle in life and started over?  I think most of us can relate to that in some way and lived to tell about it.  Starting over can sometimes be the best thing that ever happened to us! Â
Just sign in on the Rafflecopter widget and leave a comment here on the blog! Â Here’s to decorating our way back to a beautiful life!
i love to read your blog! Thank you for the giveaway.
Yes, I have completely started over. Had no self confidence and no idea if I would survive. As it turned out, it was one of the most important times in my life, muddle or not. I came out the other side a different woman in so many ways. That was a long time ago, quite a learning experience and I survived!
I would love to have a copy of The Bee Cottage Story.
I am currently in the midst of my muddle but I have aimed high and I am almost there!
Reading this book sounds like a great way to spend some time.
No muddles. I love the book cover~
Yup, been there, done that. Made a mess of my marriage, worked hard to fix it, had a second child who is the absolute joy of my life and quietly sob at the thought of letting him go when college rolls around next year. I’m from Long Island, so this would be a wonderful read!
In response to your statement about what to post here:
Are you kidding, not more than three times……. and wow, I’m so glad I did! Those ‘muddles’ helped me end up where I am today, I wouldn’t trade that for anything. Remodeling and decorating our cottage is a great experience for me and even at my rather advanced age is helping me grow as a person, gain more knowledge, is giving me more confidence in myself and gives me something to feel proud of.
The photos of the Bee Cottage are tantalizing…… Since I missed the article you did about it I’m heading there to read it now!
Thanks for the giveaway Rhoda!!
Love this little book as it inspires me, esp when i look at a rug, framed pic or pillow that i really “messed up” in buying it. She is able to mix and match with so many different styles!
After going through a horrible divorce where my x husband came in to our home while I was at work and emptied out all the furniture and food with the exception of my children’s beds. Nothing but a bag of noodles on the shelf was all I had for dinner the night I came home from work. Not a broom not a drop of anything to clean all the dirt he had brought in not a towel or was cloth ,shampoo, tooth paste ,not even my own hair brush did I start over with . I found an old rag which I used with hot water ( he couldn’t take that ) and cleaned the floors on hands and knees. I started over and quite literally crawled my way back to normalcy I learned to live with less and found that I didn’t have to have all the things he had taken to be happy. I found a whole new level of happiness and a new level of faith. When I looked at my empty house I learned over time that even though God was all I had I realized that He was all I needed and that was the day I knew I would survive this horror and be ok. And I was ! Today I have more than I ever had I now have a beautiful home in an upscale area and beautiful furniture . It took a long long time but I was blessed with way more than I lost. I don’t want a repeat of that sadness but I have to say when I meet someone going through it I am understanding of them.
I love your blog. I’ve learned so much from your style and advice. Thank you for sharing. I would love to get this book and work through my house this fall and winter.
I’d love to win this!
Looks like a lovely read. Oh, the muddles, mistakes along my way to simplicity and decorating for what I love! Blogs have helped me define what I can and can’t live with. If I had been sure from the start and stayed true to what I love, I could have saved thousands of dollars. But I have loved the journey most of the time.
Can’t wait to get my hands on one and start reading… so many inspiring stories out there!!! AND… of course… who doesn’t love a good cottage make over story?? Thanks Rhoda for sharing !!!!!
Oh, the muddles I’ve made! Big ones and little ones too. This book looks like it would be a fun read.
This book sounds like it would be a balm for my tired soul. My life is all muddled up because of choices that my husband made that affected my whole life. I’d love the encouragement that comes from reading about how someone else made it-happily- to the other side of life’s difficulties and lived to tell about it!
At nearly 55 I am going to be starting over………..Scary & exciting at the same time.
Rhoda anyone who says that they have never made a muddle of things is kidding themselves. My husband and I were in a muddle of debt in our early years of marriage but God helped us to crawl out and oh the lessons we learned!! This book sounds like a must read!!
I have followed the transformation of your home and I know reading The Bee Cottage will be another inspiration to follow. I really enjoy your blog.
Oh this has been on my wish list for some time.
I had to start over again after a health issue that happened within the first year of marriage. I have had to find out my strengths and weakness with this illness and what I can do.
We are a strong couple but there are life instances that pop up and put everyone to the test. We were able to meet this one and a few others along the way.
Yes, I would LOVE to read this book…. I remember her articles from HB! I can’t say I (we) have ever been in a seriously horrible muddle…but we certainly have had situations that that we muddled THROUGH! Loss, anger, sadness…. things we all experience and hope we can come out the other side better people.