Perfect Entrance Hall

I adore everything in this welcoming entrance hall, especially the Dutch door. The paneling is beautiful and I love the landing on the stairs with a bench behind. There's a front porch too and I wish I could see this entrance from the outside. The season for opening the windows and throwing open the doors is approaching, and I can't wait. Have a great weekend. xo via

UPDATE: A blog reader named Jan found a link showing more photos of this summer house in the Hamptons. I'll take the guest cottage, please. Thanks, Jan. 

Some Photos for You

These photos have been on my blog before but I thought you'd like to see them again.

Webster has a new supply of dog biscuits. He's thrilled.

A beautiful lily.

Black pansies.

I've always loved this photo.

Primroses, violets and a robin.

Good Night, everyone. Sleep tight when you tuck in.

Jump into Spring

Leaping Cottontail ~ 1924

Artist: Paul Bransom, 1885 - 1979
MEDIUM: Gouache and Charcoal
DIMENSIONS: 20 x 16 1/4 inches

I have always loved this charming artwork. The pussy willow catkins are perfect for the first full day of spring, aren't they? I have had a busy morning dealing with contractors for a customer. See you later. xo

First Day of Spring at My Cottage

It's still chilly but most of my snow has melted. I took this photo after lunch when it was officially SPRING. We had big puffy clouds too. I've been working on my taxes and have almost finished. Webster has been helping by sitting beside me as I sort through piles of papers. Tomorrow I will shred some old ones. I love doing that. Have a nice evening and I'll see you tomorrow. xo

Life's Little Instruction Book | Volume II | Pages 72 and 73

A few more suggestions, observations, and reminders on how to live a happy and rewarding life.

I like all four of these tips, especially 755, the one about the bookmark. Great advice from a father to a son that went viral and became two books. I like all the helpful hints on this page. The book was published in 1993. 

Good one!

Happy First Day of Spring. I can really feel it in the air and I have snowdrops coming up in a sunny spot where all the snow has melted. Yay!

Addicted to this Organic Lemon Juice

Okay, you asked for more of my healthy habit tips. Last year around Thanksgiving I happened upon a bottle of this organic lemon juice from Italy in a big glass bottle. I can't tell you how many lemons I end up throwing away because they have dried out in the fridge. Sometimes you just need a little juice and you end up wasting a whole one. Solution found. I got mine at a small green grocer and when I went back last week for another bottle they didn't have it. I almost hyperventilated and my search began. The internet said Costco had it but they did not and neither did Trader Joe's. I finally found it at Bed and Bath of all places in their International Foods section. 

Here is the link with all the good information about this juice. Click on the "Where to Buy" tab at the top. I had to increase my store finder search to 25 miles and my store ended up being only 6 or 7 miles away. It's available online too. There is an expiration date on the cap. The bottle I just bought has a date of July 7, 2014. With summer on the way, I'm sure I will use it up by then with lemonade and popsicles on my recipe list. For now, I use it in my tea and in my hummus. I also add it to my drinking water. The flavor is more like Meyer Lemons and is very delicious. I love that it's organic with no preservatives and the glass bottle is a huge plus. Have fun finding it. Maybe you can go in with a friend should you have to use the on-line ordering system. It retails for under $8.00 per bottle and has about 40 hand-picked lemons in every bottle.  Try it and let me know how you like it. xo

Good Night Sweet Friends

My animals have done nothing but sleep on this dark and dreary rainy day. I'm tucking in early too so I can catch up with some quality DVR viewing in my bed. There's also a new episode of Doc Martin tonight. Yay. See you tomorrow. xo

European Robin - Animated Gif

Here's a cute little chirping European Robin to cheer you up while you wait for Spring. via

My Healthy Lunch

All I had for breakfast was oatmeal and an orange. And two cups of coffee with soy milk but I don't consider that breakfast. Coffee first thing when I wake up is as necessary for me as oxygen. I really wasn't even hungry for lunch but ate anyway. Two slices of Life Changing Bread toasted in the Panini Press. I spread my homemade hummus first and topped that with avocado mashed with lemon juice. It was so good and satisfying. My last batch of hummus was a hit so I made another batch with the ingredients I always have on hand. Costco has the most wonderful BIG jars of organic oven dried tomatoes packed in organic olive oil. They are super delicious and I use them in salads in the winter, as a pizza topping, or in anything that needs a taste boost. I buzzed a can of garbanzo beans with a generous helping of those tomatoes and lemon juice and kept tasting until it was just right. I could eat it with a spoon. YUM. I still have enough of the bread to last me for at least two more days. I'm going to make another batch tomorrow and let it sit overnight and bake it on Friday. It really seems to agree with me and keeps me from getting hungry so I'm going to continue eating it as long as the magic is working.

There were two women on (click to watch) CBS This Morning from The Well and Good Website. I'll be checking it out quite often because the interview was quite interesting. They are like the Angie's list for products and classes and fads that pertain to health and wellness. Looks as if I jumped on the bandwagon just in time, doesn't it?

Domestic Happiness in 1835

This is the frontispiece engraving for one of my Antiquarian Books published in New York in 1835. I love looking at the interiors and checking out the furnishings. 

I am working on my taxes this week and might even finish today, fingers crossed. xo

Meet Jock VI, Ginger Cat at Chartwell

From nationaltrust on Instagram: Following an intensive interview process, we're proud to welcome Chartwell's newest employee. When Chartwell was left in our care, the family of Sir Winston Churchill requested that there would always be a ginger cat with white chest fur and four white paws named Jock in residence. Following the retirement of Jock V, we're honoured to introduce Jock VI! He likes afternoon naps, tuna and cuddles.

The unusual request stems from the affection Churchill felt for a kitten given to him on his 88th birthday by Jock Colville, one of his secretaries.

Churchill lived at Chartwell in Kent from 1924 until his death in 1965. The National Trust property has been kept exactly as it was when he lived there. See more photos and read the article here. I love animal stories like this, don't you?

An Old School Photo of Me

This is one of the very few school pictures of mine that is halfway decent. I remember those days being very frantic the night before and the morning of picture day before leaving home. It was always a hair thing. Usually getting a too short haircut the night before or worse still, a home perm. Remember those? I actually have some natural wave to my hair but I always curled it in my youth. Pincurls or rollers. The curls in this third or fourth grade picture look pretty tight as if the rollers were removed and my hair was never combed or brushed out. I had a gap between my teeth that eventually filled in without the aid of braces.

Irish Proverb for St. Patrick's Day

I scanned the dog from my antiquarian book on Royal Crests. After inserting the quote and putting it on a bed of shamrocks it became perfect for St. Patrick's Day.

My Healthy Breakfast

Breakfast fixing before assembly this morning. Life Changing Bread, 1/2 an avocado mashed with some organic lemon juice (Italian Volcano), and a 10 minute boiled brown egg. 

I toasted two slices of my bird bread in the panini press, spread on the avocado and topped with egg slices. Finished with coarse sea salt and ground black pepper, it was delicious. There really is some kind of magic in this bread. It's so satisfying and I can honestly say it keeps me from getting hungry. So the name is perfect!

Red Gate Farm

Here's the historic green barn that everyone is trying to replicate. It's a landmark property around here that was once owned by Seth Thomas, Jr. I love the black cast iron crows on the red gates.

Orange Sections For Breakfast

This was my breakfast dessert. I never drink orange juice anymore since I heard how it was processed on NPR. What? You haven't heard? Well, the stuff you get in cartons in the grocery store was stored in vats for up to one year after the oxygen was removed so it wouldn't spoil. Then when they get ready to reconstitute it, it is absolutely tasteless so they have to add flavor to make it taste like oranges again. Yuck. I couldn't find the NPR article but I found this for you to read. Eating a real orange is the only way to go, right?

I found a link to help you with orange juice brands:

http://www.toxinless.com/orange-juice

Life's Little Instruction Book | Volume II | Page 71

A few more suggestions, observations, and reminders on how to live a happy and rewarding life.

Great advice from a father to a son that went viral and became two books. I like all the helpful hints on this page. The book was published in 1993. He was very insightful about the bankers, wasn't he? 

Watercolor of Tabitha

It's been a while since I posted a watercolor of Miss Tabitha. Here she is in profile. I took the photo this morning.

The weather was glorious today and we are back to our long walks. Three so far and there will be one more when it's almost dark. Hope your weekend is going well too. xo

Amazing Sky this Morning at My Cottage

Wow. This sky was simply amazing this morning. It didn't last long with the sun's rays but it was beautiful for a minute or so.

Black Dog Blends In

You have to look hard to see this black lab against the Black Aga Stove, don't you? What a cozy place for a dog bed when you aren't cooking. These two lucky dogs live in the English countryside. via Have a great weekend.