cottage hospitality

There are many lovely things for you to enjoy when visiting our cottage.


1.  There's a good chance at least one appliance will be out of order when you're here.

Mom and Jon chatting over kitchen duty.... broken dishwasher!

2.  We provide a grand piano.  Plus an attentive audience.

Dad played a little sonata while waiting for us to all be ready to go somewhere...

One evening, we all stood around the piano, Mom, Dad, Jon, myself and our kids
and belted out the gorgeous hymn, "Oh, The Sweet, Sweet, Love of Jesus". 
It was one of my favourite moments ever. 

3.  You get to bring a lot of your own things!  The cottage coffee machine makes only three cups at a time.  If you think you'll want a refill, BYO coffee maker.  BYO slippers: the floors are hard and cold.  Coming with a baby?  You get to bring your playpen, high chair, plastic dishes and baby monitor!  Oh, and we don't have extra pillows.


 4.  This cottage promotes sleepovers!  No need to have a room to yourself - we'll provide you with constant company!  When Kim and Gord came for a visit, the lucky couple got to have a sleepover with two of their children!  Plus, couples receive a chance to really snuggle: a double bed!  (If you're over six feet tall, you also get the privilege of having your feet stick off the end of the bed!)

Marijka and Linnea enjoyed this sleepover when Opa and Oma were visiting.
Beth and Ali got to share this room when they were here.

Kids even get to share their bathtime!  Plus, as you can see, Amlelie was lucky enough
to sleep in the bath-bathroom.

5.   The cottage is just the right size for being able to hear everything that is said.  Never miss out on the great conversations!  The walls are thin.  There are vents connecting each downstairs room with an upstairs room, so you can always hear each other.  Beth, Ali and I were doing dishes together one night (see #1 - the dishwasher is still broken) and Beth needed to run upstairs for something.  Down the hallway, up the stairs, in a bedroom.... she was able to hear our conversation all the while.


6.  There aren't very many places to sit in the cottage.  So you get to share the couch.

(When we decided to watch a show with Beth and Ali, seven of us piled onto the couch, 'squishing our bum cheeks' as Marijka put it, piling people on.  The show was playing on our laptop (our only tv), and the sound was fairly faint, so we didn't dare make any sound!  All seven of us, packed like sardines and super attentive so we could hear the show.  Quite a picture, I'm sure.  But from my spot on the couch, there was no way I could move to reach the camera.)

7. Since this cottage is also our schoolroom, you'll probably get to trip over our school work!  Mom and Dad were given a lengthy and enthusiastic demonstration at Grandparents' Day.

Marijka recited a good many things she learned about elephants....

...and received her applause with a humble bow

Linnea showed Opa and Oma the Bible study she's been working on. 

(I don't have a good photo of Aidan, but he also shared...  Mom and Dad
certainly have a solid grasp now on what we've been studying these last few months.)

8. There are people in this house who bake recipes with wonderful instructions like, "Whip cream.  Spread attractively over pie."  Yum.  (Since there are no round baking dishes in the cottage, everything you eat will be in rectangles.) 

9.  We have a playground in our front yard.

 10.  We'll probably take you on a hike.

(We took Mom and Dad here, too, but once again enjoyed the
experience without a camera in hand.  Dad has some photos, though! 
If you email me a few, Dad, I can add them in!  You got some nice shots, I think!)

Perhaps we'll even go drop by the homes of a few of my friends....! 
(Three Knight Girls wandering the streets of DC?  Are you surprised
that we were stopped by the Secret Service?  Me either.)

11.  We will hug you tightly when you arrive! 

...and hug you tight when you leave.   Thank you so much for coming, all you lovely guests!!!!!