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The Name Game and Pool Plans

There have many questions regarding the name of the new house – will I keep it The Lily Pad Cottage or will I change the name of the blog or what will I do???

The truth is I have no idea :) Well that’s not true I know a few things.

  1. The name of the blog won’t change. Honestly that would just be too confusing and it’s a lot of work to rebrand and redirect your site and I’m just not ready to go down that road yet.
  2. I will be keeping a “Lily Pad Cottage” tab under my header at the top of my blog so that you can still access the home tour, which I need to update! And any time you use the “search” box on my site you will be able to access old projects and room makeovers.
  3. The new house will have a new name so that I can refer to it or The Lily Pad Cottage and you know what I’m talking about, well at least what house I’m talking about as it’s rare that anyone actually knows what I’m talking about. :)

If you have some name ideas I would love to hear them; I had a cute name all picked out – Willow Hill. It’s on a hill and it has really pretty willow trees by the water, or what I thought were really pretty willow trees. Turns out they are really pretty, half dead willow trees that are waiting to fall down and crush my children at any moment (according to my tree guy). So we will be cutting them down (sob) and now I’m left with Tree Stump Hill? No Tree Hill? Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue!

I still like the idea of having “Hill” in the name instead of cottage, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. I’ll keep you posted as I come up with more ideas or let me know if you come up with something too! Right now I’m leaning towards Green Slime Hill or Kryptonite Hill, as we were greeted with this mess in the pool after we closed on Friday.Green pool filled with algae

Ugh, my poor kiddos had their bathing suits ready to christen the new pool, but instead it was basically the Rio Olympic diving pool over here. So far pool ownership is not what it’s cracked up to be, but we are trying to get it under control before we have to close it down in a few weeks.

A man cleaning a pool

How cute is my pool boy (aka the Mr.) though?

I wanted to share a few more pics of the pool and garage area and our plans for this space come next spring. The pool house/garage needs a new roof and a coat of paint for sure. Along with some landscaping and eventually a new fence.

A house that is near a pool

We just found out this little section here next to the pool with pavers in it used to be a hot tub! I don’t love the wonky pavers in there, so I’m hoping to come up a different solution there too.

There is this cool little cabana area that needs some TLC too, but picture it after a little power washing, stain and paint. I’m also thinking navy and white striped canvas drapes, a hammock or two and a dining area so we have a shady snack spot. Some fun outdoor lights will also so be happening.

A wood cabana

Up above the garage is the loft, its a nice big space about 24 by 36. In the spring I’m thinking of spraying the lofted ceilings white and putting a coat of poly on the floors. I’ll probably throw a rug in here and the bean bags from our playroom. But eventually we would like to insulate it and install a heating/cooling unit and make this a really nice useable space. In the meantime it can be a fun hangout spot on a rainy day.

Empty attic

Oh and we need to address the windows up here as these barn doors open wide and are an american ninja warrior disaster waiting to happen. My kids are already dreaming up some sort of zip line/slingshot situation that will catapult them into the pool from up here. Um, no.

The inside of a building

We also have this pool house “bathroom” over here to deal with, as much as my daughter loves the idea of a pink toilet we are hoping to upgrade this space next summer too. This house is going to keep me so busy with projects for years to come.

House and Bathroom

We are working on finalizing the main house plans and I’m hoping to be able to share my ideas along with some tips on how to pick a builder, architect, plans etc soon!

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84 Comments

  2. Kelly,

    I don’t think I have ever commented but have followed you for some time. Use to drool over your previous house, so am super excited to watch all the progress on the new place. I really think you need to plant new willows. Actually love the idea of keeping some of the live current willows to start a new patch. As someone mentioned, a continuation of life, old and new.

    I do like the name Willow Hill. There is something about the word willow that is soothing. Willow Lake Cottage is another name I like. Willow Hill Cottage, is another option. Willow Hill Lake Cottage….the options are endless! I am a fan of cottages myself. Just makes you think quaint and warm. Matter of fact I think that is how I found you. I was searching for “lake cottage” blogs if my memory serves me correct. I am 40 so don’t quote me on that. Haha

    Keep up the good work! Anything you choose will be wonderful! It is your blog so the name must resonate with you, the rest of us will adapt just fine.

  3. Congratulations to you and your family!!!! You sure do have a lot of plans in the works and I can’t wait to see all of them!!!! Sorry about the willow trees but I know whatever name you come up with will be perfect. TFS and take care……….

  5. Willow Hill! Plant new ones. :) :)

    There’s my two cents from Florida. Haha Look forward to all the amazing before and afters. Many Blessings!!

  6. This is soooo exciting! I can’t wait to see what you do with the this house! That loft area – O.M. M.G!!!!!!! I love it sooo much!

  10. How about New Willows Hill? Or Nesting Willows Hill? I can’t wait to see what you do with the place; I am so excited for you!

  11. “Cottage on Willow Hill”
    So excited for your new adventure! I’ll be paying close attention as I’ve purchased an old cottage on 1500 ft of lakefront, also! I’m sure your new lake house will also be your piece of Heaven on earth, too! By the way, I like the way your kiddos think…..a zip line into the pool!!!?

  12. Since you didn’t know there was more across the street. How about “Across the Willow Cottage Hill”. Just saying…
    I can’t wait to see how you’re going to make this house a home again.
    Best of luck!

  13. How about Lapping Waters? Or Wave Hill? The sound of lake waves is my favorite summertime noise/memory : ) .

  14. One more comment – I’m just purchasing my Dad’s farm – a house, barn, shed – a total of 10 acres. I need a name for my new place too! Ya’ll help me! My Grandfather originally owned all the surrounding land. He was famous for making molasses. He used a “mill” that you pushed the sugar cane thru while a horse (later a tractor) pulled the wheel round in a circle. I’ve thought of Molasses Mill Farm but I’m totally open to suggestions….help! :)

    Thanks!
    Jan

  15. Hi ! I love the name Willow Hill also! I’d replant the willow trees…mix them up and be sure to plant some corkscrew willows. Willows grow really fast if you pour the water to them. Enjoy your new home!

  16. You are going to have so much fun with this new adventure! We had an old hot tub next to our pool that was tiny, outdated and the pipes were leaking badly. We could have just filled it in but I thought that would be just too much concrete patio so we filled it in with good loan and turned it into a planter. We added a windmill palm since it was rated to withstand the cold in our area and added small shrubs and perennials. It has added a perfect pop of plant life to the area. Maybe something like that would work instead of those pavers.

    1. I love the idea of making that a little planted area, did you have issues with pool water hurting the plants? The Mr. thinks it should be a swim up bar ha :)

  18. I can’t wait to see what you do with your new place. I see many hours of reading enjoyment in our future!! Good luck getting inspired to pick the new name.

  20. Just a P. S. regarding those Willow trees. Maybe it is better they are in need of coming down. My in-laws had one near their patio and it would attract these little mini black bugs. Their pretty to look at but I’m more of a fan of a hardy Maple.

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