Christmas with Kelly

My friend Kelly has invited me to have Christmas dinner at her house practically every year since 2004. My mother stopped going a few years back and I ate my first big meal with her in the early afternoon. We usually dined on Cornish hens and all the trimmings. Last year we had the works here at the cottage because Kelly and her family spent Christmas in Florida and left Piggie with us. Yes, she's Piggie's mom. I had a wonderful time and it was especially meaningful this year. It took the sadness out of my first holiday without Anna.

Wonderful Conservatory

Wonderful Conservatory built onto the side of an old stone cottage. Pauline Hurren, Architect - South Australia

via Millie @ The Laurel Hedge on Pinterest

Book/Mitten Project for Newtown School Children

"Chester Raccoon stood at the edge of the forest and cried. 'I don't want to go to school,' he told his mother. 'I want to stay home with you. I want to play with my friends. And play with my toys. And read my books. And swing on my swing. Please may I stay home with you?'" — "The Kissing Hand," by Audrey Penn.
Kim Piscatelli of East Hampton, Conn., hit on the idea of sending a copy of this book to each of the kids from Sandy Hook Elementary with a pair of handmade mittens adorned with a heart in one palm, signifying the reassuring kiss left there by the mother of scared, sad Chester in the story.
Read more about this heart-warming project here.

Best Bookends Ever

Don't you absolutely love these handsome bookends? I hope I'll be lucky enough to find a pair for myself one day! I love the way they are displayed in this photo. via

I bought this for myself

I saw this fabulous KitchenAid coffee maker advertised in New York Magazine the last time I got my hair cut about 6 weeks ago. I came right home and ordered it online for $20 less than the manufacturer's suggested retail and it arrived the very next day from The Home Depot. It makes 2 perfect 9oz. cups of coffee and has one of those "gold" permanent filters so there's no guilt about adding anything to the landfill except for some coffe grounds which can go into the compost pile. It is fabulous! The coffee is HOT too, just the way I like it. I heat up some unsweetened soy milk in a small pan on the stove so as not to cool it down one bit. I don't drink it from the travel mug style pot. I prefer my favorite ceramic cup that holds exactly the right amount. I tend to get distracted on the computer with my morning blogging so I like for my first few sips to be super hot. The thermal brewing cup keeps my second cup nice and hot until I'm ready for a refill. If I wait too long, I zap it in the microwave once I pour it into my own cup for about 30 seconds. I'm a real snob about a hot cup of coffee. The water reservoir has markings for 8 oz., 12 oz., 16 oz. and Max. for 18 oz. I always use Max. This is not an advertisement - I just wanted to share my latest present to myself with you. I have a single-cup Keurig I will be taking to the office for my colleagues to enjoy.

My Thoughts on Coffee

Two 8-ounce cups every morning are all I need. Without them I am nothing! Love this coffee poster.

Merry Christmas - Vintage Images

My own front door Christmas past.

Have a wonderful Christmas and thank you one and all for your good Christmas wishes for me.

Charles Dickens said it best.

GOD BLESS US, EVERY ONE!

Great Christmas Eve Bedroom

Hang your stocking from this fireplace and see if Santa came on Christmas morning without even getting out of bed. I have a rug just like this one in my kitchen in front of the sink. Love it.

Merry Christmas to all of my wonderful followers, blog readers and friends. You are the best!

Gingerbread Birdhouse

What a cute variation on a traditional gingerbread house. One for the birds!!! via

Christmas in Finland

Sweet and simple. I love the tangled bunch of lights on the floor. via

Goats jumping to Jingle Bells - Video

This is so cute. Click here if you can't see this adorable video. Boy, they've got a lot of energy! xo

I don't think I've ever seen a kitchen countertop in this configuration. It's very interesting, isn't it? Do you think it would be awkward when trying to work here? Would you find yourself bumping into these projections or not? Anyway, it all looks very nice in this photo. I think I would just skip the plinths in favor of larger drawers and cabinets. via

My Mom A Year Ago Today

It seems like yesterday but it was a year ago today that I posted a couple of photos of my dear mother and Piggy the French bulldog. We were dog sitting while Piggy's humans were in Florida for Christmas. This year his folks are at home. I miss them both. See last year's blog post here.

Christmas Hares

I love this delightful image of hares in the snow holding holly sprigs. Happy first full day of winter! via

Anatomy of the Mitten Cookie

 

 

There were several questions about the mitten cookie I received yesterday. The size is small - 3" in length. It's plain on the back and is unfilled. The dark edge is piped with a thin edge of dark red and then rolled in a glittery sugar the same color. The white 'fur' top is a thick layer of white frosting rolled in tiny white balls. That's the anatomy of this cute mitten cookie. I used the Scrabble tiles for scale. 

Take A Hike, Webster

The sheepskin is now MINE. Love, Tabitha.

Beautiful Outdoor Christmas Tree

I'm so glad there are people who decorate live trees instead of cutting them down. I hope all of the decorations in my neighborhood didn't blow away in last night's howling wind and heavy rain. It has subsided now, thankfully! Be careful if you are traveling home for Christmas.
Photo is Christmas at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen Denmark. Simply magical.

I'll Go with the Oreo

I sent this to several friends yesterday by email and they all loved it. via

Mitten Cookie

A friend sneaked by my house just now without detection to leave a mitten cookie for me. Isn't it wonderful? It makes me happy just looking at it. Now that I have a picture, maybe I'll eat it later. 

Hohenzollern Castle, Germany

Germany is supposed to be magical at Christmas. This castle in the clouds looks amazing! via

Too Pretty to Cut

Let's decorate this one in place. via

Tiny Puddle Loving Boy + Dog

This is simply wonderful. Over 4 million views too. In case you haven't seen it, click here to watch on YouTube. It is so heartwarming to see how carefully the toddler puts down the leash before going back to play in the puddle. That dog is pretty wonderful too.

Boston Terrier Puppy Does The Flip

Boston Terrier puppy "flips" over his food. Click here to view this adorable video on YouTube. It will make your day!

Webster, the Pillow Thief

Webster sneaks in my bedroom every chance he gets to put his head on my contour memory foam pillow. He loves it when I don't make up my bed. When I do, he's out of luck because this pillow is at the bottom of the pile. Goodnight from both of us!

When I find my milkman, I'll ask him if he knows a bread delivery man like this one in France. I actually found a link called "Find Me A Milkman" but alas there isn't one in my area.

Image: Pain au levain by alvarolg on Flickr.

Wonderful Christmas Beverage

Nothing says Christmas like hot chocolate in reindeer mugs with homemade marshmallows and chocolate swizzle sticks. A little peppermint mint bark candy on the side is nice too. I'm sure there is a roaring fire nearby too. via

Cheetah in the Snow

This is an amazing photo -- found on Pixdaus -- photo by Exeter. His coat must be extremely thick and warm. 

One More Week

A week from today these beautiful creatures will be flying around the world pulling Santa's sleigh. They look to be in fine shape, don't they? via

Cottage House Plan, Circa 1929

I really like this dutch colonial cottage from a 1929 home building catalog. I would want a full bath on the first floor and maybe a bedroom on that level too. It's a very sensible and charming plan that would work just as easily today with a little tweeking. Agreed? I love the green roof. Found here.

Carved Angel in Rome

Such a beautiful image. I hope the families in Newtown are able to be comforted in their time of sorrow. The whole world weeps for and with them. via

Spider weaves love web.

via

Delivering the Egg Nog

I still have such fond memories of the milk man. Nothing today compares to those glass bottles full of fresh milk with the cream on top. Ours delivered eggs, butter, cottage cheese and probably a few other dairy products too. The egg nog at Christmastime was the best! Leaving the empty bottles in the milk box beside the front door with a note in one containing the next day's order was recycling at its best. Now that you can have your groceries delivered to your home after placing an order online, I say bring back the old-fashioned milk man! via

White on White

I love this photo. No footprints, just snow and shadows. I wonder if this was a color photo converted to black and white and shades of gray or if it was just a gray day? It's absolutely beautiful. You can hear the quiet, can't you? via

One Horse Open Sleigh

I can hear the jingle bells, can you? via

Goose Crossing in Hampshire England

A delightful thatched country cottage on the south coast of England. Charming! via

Perfect Tree Lined Drive

I hope there is a wreath on each of the gates now that the trees are (probably) bare. I'm curious about the driveway. Is it patterned concrete or stone pavers set in concrete? I'd like to see more of the walls with the diamond espalier. I love the way the canopy of the trees has formed a natural arch. Lovely! Have a wonderful weekend. via

Wonderful Weathered Door with Wreath

Another great old weathered door with a grapevine wreath covered with berries opening to a great room all decked out for Christmas. via

White Poppies

These white Oriental Poppies are beautiful. Must look for some seeds. Now is the time to sow them. image source

Red Tulips in White Ironstone Pitcher

The red tulips from Jill are lovely and they really stand up straight. I don't own many vases. I usually run for a pitcher or this ironstone coffee pot. Don't look too closely at the dust circles on the top of my bookcase. [my photo]

Hooked Rug with Not Quite White Owls

Not Quite White

21" x 27"

#8 and #6 cut wool on linen 

Designed and hooked by 

Karen Larsen

Crows’s Foot Farm Designs 

Elliottsburg, Pennsylvania 

2012

I recently reconnected with an old friend from this area who now lives in Pennsylvania. She has been hooking since 2006 and one of her original rug designs is on the November/December 2012 cover of Rug Hooking Magazine. 

Read about why these owls are "Not Quite White" in a portion of the article Creating White from Colors. I think she did a wonderful job, don't you? Her home was just photographed for an upcoming feature in Rug Beat. The owl rug looks beautiful on her dining room wall.

Image: IMPACT XPOZURES

Works of George Eliot

"Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms. George Eliot." 

I couldn't agree more ~ Quote from  'Mr. Gilfil's Love Story,' Scenes of Clerical Life, 1857 

[my photo, my books]

Christmas Wreath on Cottage Door

I put the wreath on my front door a couple of days ago after I gave the outside a good cleaning. A red bow looked too garish for me so I left it unadorned. Yesterday I got some beautiful flowers with a big white bow and quickly put it between two pinecones. It looks amazingly perfect, doesn't it? To me it represents the purity of my mother's spirit. [my photo]

Tulips and Spatterware

White tiger tulips in a blue and white spatterware pitcher. My friend Jill brought them to me to remember my mother. They get more beautiful each day and she says they are very long lasting.