Two Book Shelves in my Bedroom

Two shelves full of some of my favorite things in my bedroom. On Instagram, this is known as a #shelfie. I am loving taking interior photos on my second-hand iPhone which was a gift from a friend. The dual cameras are awesome and have encouraged me to take more photos for my followers.

Thursday Ramblings with Pictures

All images above are from This Delightful Blog

Early American Decor

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I love the style of the curved stairs with the natural wood treads and handrail and the paint color on the rest. This looks like a homey cottage and I would love to see the rest.

Teddy Bear Portrait

This is an old jointed teddy bear that usually sits in an antique child's chair in my cottage. I didn't notice that his left ear was turned back until I got back in the house after his photo session. I was just playing around with Portrait Mode on my iPhone 7+ and it is so easy and so much fun. It's an overcast gray day here at the cottage and pretty warm (55°) for February with rain coming this afternoon and continuing for a couple of days. Maybe I will get caught up on the three episodes of PBS programs I missed on Sunday night: Howards End, Sanditon, and Vienna Blood. I am enjoying all three. 

Maine Farmhouse All Lit Up

There is nothing better than driving by a house with a light in every window. This house must be in a very private location since there are no window treatments. I love it! This looks like an old house that has been renovated. Or perhaps it's a new house. 

Stonewall farmhouse, Portland, ME. Whitten Architects. photography by Rob Karosis.

Tablescape Photo at My Cottage

Nothing earth shattering here. Just playing around with a new-to-me iPhone on portrait mode and it looks like a Nikon 35mm camera photo. This is going to be fun. 

It is not the newest model but an iPhone 7plus and I am loving it. 

Super Bowl Cookies

I made a double batch of Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies for a Super Bowl Party tonight. They are honestly the best cookies I have ever made. I have never used this recipe or this cookbook before. The first batch was so good I made a second batch.  The second batch is on the bottom and I didn't have quite enough butter so they didn't spread out as much as the first batch on the top layer. But they taste the same. They are better than Tate's. This will be my go-to cookie recipe from now on. My next batch will have raisins instead of chips.

Click to enlarge. I used whole wheat flour instead of white flour because I was out of white.  I increased the old fashioned oats from 3/4 cup to One Cup. I decreased the sugars to 1/3 cup (each variety) because the chocolate chips are so plentiful, you don't need so much sugar. I will let you what other people think after tonight. Enjoy the Super Bowl. 

My gas range has a gas oven and I always have to increase the baking temperature to get anything to brown on top.

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY click to watch a delightful video of one eating an apple. Be sure the sound is on😀 

Hello February and Leap Year

There is an extra Leap Day at the end of February this year. Has it really been four years since the last one? Photo found here in a Google Images search.

Bungalow to Farmhouse: Renovation Photos Before and After

I watched this transformation on my street and still cannot believe my eyes. It is now my real estate listing and it is quite impossible to describe the renovation. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? It is perfect now in every way. The vision of the architect owner is now a reality.

Folk Art Cat - Winter Show @ The Armory in NYC

"We generally cast our affections with dogs in the pet department, but there’s something pretty lovable about this c. 1840 watercolor gray-and-white cat. Poor mouse …"

I think this cat looks exactly like a dog. 😊

Offered by: David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles American Antiques booth at Winter Show.
Click on link to see many more photos of the wonderful antiques and folk art being offered at this annual event. Article from The Magazine Antiques.

Open House Today w/ House Tour

I just got home from putting out my Open House signs and my hands are like blocks of ice. I hope the realtors who have not seen this wonderful home will come. I have scheduled a Public Open House for this Sunday from 1-4pm. I know it's Super Bowl Sunday but it's a Super House and I think people will come. Wish me luck.

Virtual Tour Here Scroll down a bit for the Slideshow Video. Isn't it a wonderful house? The owners are an architect and a designer. It is right down the street from my cottage.

503 Spring Valley Road in Harding Township NJ. It is on the eastern side in the Green Village section. MLS # 3612070

Thanks for looking. xo

Laundry Room with Visiting Goat

Look what happens when you leave the mudroom door open. This room is fabulous, isn't it? Do you think there is a washer and dryer in the room too. That would make it perfect. It is already doing service as a potting shed and a place to wash off the vegetables from the garden. Love it❤❤❤

Snow.Cat

What?

I'm fine.

Go back to what you were doing and leave me alone.

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Stunning Kitchen

Those windows and doors! The stone walls. The beamed ceiling, The floors. The range hood. The outside. The old cutting boards. All of it. Yes, please. 

@ozarchitects

Beatrix Potter: Old Mr Pricklepin

Yet another new to me image by Beatrix Potter in 1905. Old Mr. Prickly Pin, later renamed Mr. Pricklepin. A hedgehog wearing shoes! How quaint.

OLD Mr. Pricklepin

⁠has never a cushion to

⁠stick his pins in,

His nose is black and his

⁠beard is gray,

And he lives in an ash stump

⁠over the way.

Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes.

Quinoa Muffins Recipe

This recipe for quinoa muffins uses leftover dried quinoa (you know that last bit in the box you have that just sits in your pantry for months…), fresh herbs and fruit (this one used plums, but any fruit would work like peaches, blueberries or strawberries). The link is not responding but luckily I included the ingredients. The rest is up to you. xo

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup raw quinoa
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 ¼ cups yogurt
½ cup olive oil
½ cup honey
¼ cup basil, or another fresh herb (we used mint!)
1 plum or other fresh fruit

Beauty in The Cotswolds

The Cotswolds, England | @eskimo

The sun on the local yellow limestone homes throughout the Cotswolds is amazing.

Snowshoe Hare

The snowshoe hare, also called the varying hare, or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks. Wikipedia

Bird's Eye View

This is such a gorgeous photo. Don't you wonder what the bird is thinking? I hope he's not thinking anything, just soaking up the beauty of the view. via

Perfect Greenhouse + An Appalachian Cottage

Dream on. 

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Cottage in Appalachia.

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I took a road trip in Baby Shark this morning to the Department of Motor Vehicles to return my old license plates and it was wonderful. I left around 10:00 and there wasn't much traffic. It is a trip I usually dread but it was painless in my new car. I am still learning things about it. I didn't even turn on the radio because I wanted total concentration. I was familiar with the route so it went very smoothly. I love the way my Honda handles and we are becoming fast friends.

xo