Welcome to day 2 of Wandawega Week! If you missed day 1, click here.
Today, we’re giving away a signed copy of Tereasa’s book, A Very Modest Cottage. If you’d like a chance to win it, just leave us a comment on this post between today (Tuesday, August 9th) and Thursday, August 11th at noon (Central Time).
But before you scroll down to comment, I’d like to share with you a few more gorgeous Wandawega photos, and a very special blog post Tereasa wrote about her Dad, Tom Surratt. It’s filled with love and heaps of hope, and I’m sure you’ll be as touched by it as I was…
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“An old car, a decrepit piece of furniture, a rusty old tractor, an abandoned cottage is never beyond hope. They just need to find someone who’ll believe in them.
Tom Surratt believed.
He didn’t see a worthless, geriatric farm machine that was too far gone. He had a gift to see the youth, the former self, the beauty in everything. He saw his grandson one day driving that tractor down Main street in the annual Beardstown Fall Fun Festival Parade. He didn’t see a rust bucket of a pick-up that was beyond repair. He envisioned the ‘country limoisine’ his son Sam would drive his bride Tara home in on their wedding night.
Tom’s ability to see potential where most saw junk was a gift he passed on to every member of his family. His son Sam can bring pretty much anything with an engine back to life again. And again. And again. His daughters Amy, Lisa and Holly married men cut from the same cloth. Men who know that the right combination of ambition, duct tape, and elbow grease make all things possible. His wife, Kay, held Tom’s hope in her heart as she hammered, nailed, painted, and restored half a dozen condemned properties into loving homes for low income families with her two hands. And my father Tom inspired me to see the beauty locked within an abandoned cabin bound for the wrecking ball. I saw a quiet, happy place where Dad could go to read his books and listen to his grandkids and watch the clouds roll by.
Dad didn’t make it to see the rebirth of the modest cottage.
Or to witness his grandson – with a grin a mile wide – old enough to pilot that old international Harvester tractor down Main street and win best of show for antique restorations. But his ability to dream and hope and believe lives on.
I hope this little story of a resurrection inspires you (like my Dad inspired me) to think twice before you lose faith in that old car, that weathered piece of furniture, that old tractor, or even an old, abandoned cottage.
(Tereasa’s Grandpa, holding up her Dad)
Even the most modest of projects can be become something beautiful. There is no such thing as too far gone. With hope and a hammer, I believe there is always a way.”
– Tereasa Surratt, author of A Very Modest Cottage
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(Photos 1, 2, 3, & 5 courtesy of Mary at at Home Is Where The Boat Is. Photos 4 & 6: AVeryModestCottage.blogspot.com)
What a gorgeous little book! I’ve bookmarked the author’s website and I can’t wait to pour over it. Love and blessings all around!
I would absolutely LOVE to have a resort on a lake….how wonderful for them. I can’t resist little cottages either and would be thrilled to win this book!
Some of my fondest memories growing up are at the lake. The property has been handed down generation to generation and has seen so many kids waterski for the first time, s’mores around the bonfire, card games and hosted many celebrations with friends and family. The inspiring piece about the many projects that were tackled in this book, is that like the lake, if you give it up, you will never get these treasures back. So neat to see the vision that Tom had for the future and so wonderful to see his daughter recognize the gifts that he had and has given their family for years to come.
Count your Blessings each and every day!
Would love to win this book!!!!
The story of this camp is amazing. And I’m pretty sure that doing something similar is my new American Dream.
I enjoyed the Wandewega story so much and the love that was poured into the restoration. Thanks for featuring it on your blog, Layla.
Love the book, so inspirational!
Today’s and yesterday’s post totally brightened my whole week. What a beautiful story. Her father sounds like he was an amazing person, how very lucky she was to know him and share in his life. I can’t tell you how much I would love to win a copy of this book. Thank you Layla.
I am falling in love with Wandawega. My family is heading out of suburbia this Saturday to go stay at my cabin built by my husbands grandfather in the 1950’s on a tiny island here in WA state…sans electricity & indoor plumbing. There just aren’t words to express how much it means to have this little ramshackle cabin waiting for us whenever we need it.
Wow! What fun! Captivating! I am thoroughly inspired to “wrangle a bit more” for the rescue of a charming red outhouse decaying beautifully in the woods by our cabin. Gotta get that thing!
Would love to read this book! If i don’t win it, i’ll buy it!
How rare that an entire family has the love of old objects and making them wonderful again. This book looks just lovely and I adore her writing style too!!
Love the warmth and security the book brings to me. Just reliving the memories puts a huge smile on my face. Would love to have a copy of this book to put in my bookcase.
I was blown away by the first post and added the book to my wish list! This is so inspiring!! I’d love to win a copy of the book. 🙂 And, I’d love even more to check out Camp Wandawega in person – how amazing.
I borrowed the book from the library a while ago. Grabbed a cup of tea and couldn’t put it down. Kind of like a Cinderella story for DIYers. 🙂
Looking forward to the rest of the posts.
Love the tribute that Tereasa wrote for her dad. What an inspiration Dads can be to the children and grandchildren. “Beauty from ashes”, as found in Isaiah 61. Thanks for sharing this with us Layla.
So beautiful!! It was love at first sight! Thank you for all the inspiration!! 🙂
Ah! What a wonderful “story”. Very inspiring!
It would be a treat to win the book.
Love this book!!! What a great give away!!
LOVE this post and I would love a copy of that book! The pictures look beautiful!
This book has been on my wish list for a while. Now I want it even more.
I would love a copy of her book I too love to restore well loved things,
Very inspiring story! I’d love to win the book! Thanks so much!
love the commitment of bringing back an old cottage to share with others so they too can enjoy & build memories. I’d love a copy of this book. Very inspiring.
Mary
Very cool story!
Love the pictures and the beautiful story. My parents taught me to use things to their fullest and restore things. I would love love love the book.
What a great legacy Mr. Surratt left his family. It looks like a very enjoyable read, and who doesn’t like cottages!
I love your site and great story on Wandawega would love to have a place like that just awesome.
I can just hear the lazy summer day with the sounds of summer on their cottage porch…what a wonderful treasure of memories and family!
Such a touching story!
I already LOVE Wandawega week! I would love a copy of that book!
Beautiful and inspiring! I always enjoy a little cottage especially since we live in one.
Love your blog, love the book!
What a great story about Teresa’s father! So inspiring 🙂 I would love a copy of this book!
Oh my goodness, that made me cry. Simply beautiful. <3
I would love to recieve Tereasa’s book. It sounds very inspirational.
tears — drop drop ! My dad is still restoring old cars and truck at 75 years of age. He tinkers in his garage daily ! He just won a trophy last weekend for best of show with his fathers old 36 chevy pick up he restored from the grounf up !!! I inherited that same gene and I see treasures in almost all trash !! Thanks Dad and thanks for sharing this story. I can’t wait to read the book.
What a beautiful story about her dad. I would love a copy of her book.
So inspiring!
I would love to win this book. I have already looked into spending a week here during Christmas. Hopefully its available 🙂
So inspring!
Looks amazing
I can’t wait to see what you’ve got in store for the rest of this week. I’m really loving Wadawega week so far.
And this post, is so touching and so sweet!
I’m loving this series – what a beautiful job Tereasa has done. Thanks so much for the opportunity to win the book!
I was hooked to this week from the first post. The whole camp is amaze-balls! I’d love that sweet book! 🙂
Thank you for the opportunity to win this book………..I would really enjoy having it!
What a great story and photos!
What a loving tribute. I was love to receive a copy of the book that reflects the vision he left to his family!
My husband, I, and our baby boy, and soon to come baby girl are trying to do just that – make our home into something beautiful. One project at a time – her book would be great inspiration.
This book looks just wonderful…her dad reminds me of my grandfather “Pop Pop” who has passed on. He had that same sense of making something new from something old…or treasuring the old. He helped me with so many projects when I was younger and making my little studios and apartments look cozy. Thanks for sharing 🙂 ~Kim