River Rock Herb Markers

There's plenty of time to make some of these as gifts for your gardening friends. You could make paperweights too for a busy person's desk. Personalize them with MAIL, BILLS, TO DO, FILE, SHRED, FAMILY MEMBERS' NAMES, etc. I always pick up smooth stones when I see them. 

Day is Done

I love dogs on furniture, don't you? I vacuumed both of my love seats today with the pet hair attachment and got tons of animal hair off. Tabitha tends to stay in one spot so it was mostly from Webster. He's thrilled. Now he can start depositing more, especially after I go to bed when he sneaks up and sleeps wherever he wants. Oh, the life of a treasured dog. The one in the photo doesn't have it too bad either, does he? Good night everyone, see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams.

Sleep Like A Bird

Wouldn't it be fun to climb this ladder and spend some time in this amazing nest? I slept like a log last night in my clean bed with ironed sheets and not one, but three, woolen blankets. It was heavenly. It was just in the nick of time because there was frost outside when I woke up this morning. Have a great weekend!

Webster and Tabitha Have Requests

He doesn't make a sound. He begs with his eyes. Cheese toast is his favorite.

Tabitha has settled in for a nap after being outside since the early morning hours. She wants me to postpone stripping the bed until later so she can warm up and recover. I was able to round up a full load without the sheets so her request was granted.

Ralph Waldo Emerson Quote

I love this. What a nice prayer of thankfulness.

Lovely Fall Day with Nice Sky at My Cottage

I had such a busy day doing really hard things. Not physically hard, but mentally so. I have the Verizon Triple Play and the battery on my phone box has been dead for almost a year and beeps all the time. It's downstairs so it doesn't bother me. Verizon wanted me to buy a new one myself and put it in. I refused. Today they finally broke down and sent me one and I had to figure out how to put it in. Mission accomplished. Now my phone will work again (for a short time) during a power outage.

The other struggle was in the attic. You know all about my new little window up there which I love so much. I had a storm window inside the room when there was just a louver on the outside peak. My new window is not double glass so I decided to clean and put the inside one back up for the winter to prevent heat loss. I took it outside to hose it down and when I took out the screen the two sliding glass panels came out too. Great for cleaning. Bad for putting back together because I hadn't studied how it worked. After about a zillion combinations, I finally found the right one. I left off the screen so I can reach through and open my outer window when it gets too warm up there. I am so happy I am blessed with patience, a logical mind, and the ability to fix things. My mother and I always repaired everything around the house because my dad was clueless. I don't know how they managed Christmas toys without my help. I couldn't do the mower battery but I did the big phone battery. There are only a few things I've had to walk away from in my lifetime because I couldn't do them. It's very satisfying when you finish a frustrating project, isn't it?

Tiny Kitchen Desk Area + Faucet Sprayer

This tiny, well-organized kitchen command center is really all you need. Note to self: "You do not need to use every available horizontal space on the kitchen table and counter. Try condensing it to one area instead."

This is something I've never seen and I love it. How many times do I need this sprayer every day? More than I can count. Yes, please! 

Click here for more ideas if you plan to remodel your kitchen.

Wonderful Shower Room

Now that is a spectacular shower, isn't it? I love the white tile and the placement of the beautiful window is perfect. via

Baby George at his Christening

Prince George, the 3-month-old future monarch, was christened today with water from the River Jordan at a rare four-generation Royal Family gathering.

He is so cute.

His parents are so proud. More photos here.

An Amazing Photo

Dreamer by Juliana Nan

Lovely Reflection

I've been looking at old photos saved on my laptop. This picture within a picture is wonderful. Source unknown. 

Bring On The Blankets

Tabitha has discovered the wool blanket I put on my bed a few days ago and has abandoned her cat bed in the other room in favor of my bed for the winter. She is a good bed buddy because she stays in one place on her side of the bed and is as still as a mouse all night long. Today is the last warm day before a cold front sets in. So much to do and so little time. I'm busy with real estate again and have had to put my cottage on hold for a few days. Don't you love this sleeping porch?

Doc Martin, Season 6

Look what landed in my mailbox today from Acorn. They wanted me to know they would be shipping Season 6 on January 6th. The cover of the DVD is perfect, isn't it? For those of you who need to catch up, here's a link for DOC MARTIN, Seasons 1-5 you can watch free. It worked for me when I first discovered this wonderful PBS series and I hope it works for you. Enjoy. I can't wait to see the wedding!!!

Gorgeous Raised Bed Garden

How does your garden grow? Did you put in any late summer crops? This garden is almost too neat for words, isn't it? via

I scanned this delightful image of beets from a picture I found in a magazine and added the quote myself. I love it. See my 2009 blog post here.

Wonderful Bathroom w/ Sit Down Vanity

I found this photo on my computer. What a lovely bathroom. Photo source unknown. I'm pooped. I didn't do anything today except a little real estate. My bed is calling. See you tomorrow. xo

On the Beach in Cornwall England

This is the seaside area where Doc Martin is filmed. Does anyone know when the new season begins? I can't wait to see how he, Louisa, and the baby get on when they start living together as a family. Has it started in England yet? Let me know. Enjoy this beautiful Sunday. 

Windows almost finished.

Today was a cloudy day and it wasn't cold so I washed the outside of all the windows on the front and two around the corner. I had already done the kitchen window and the French doors on the deck and the front door inside and and out. Then I did the inside of living room and guest room windows. There are two that are really difficult, one in my bedroom and one in the bathroom. I have a really hard time doing the outsides the old-fashioned way from the inside but I'll tackle them tomorrow. The other ones in difficult locations like the attic are tilt windows that are easy. I have decided that it's practically impossible to catch up with housework once you get behind. I feel as if I am on a treadmill that's running at full speed and I can't get off, but I am determined and that's half the battle. I polished my windows with a micro fiber cloth and they are the cleanest they have ever been. The outside was easy because of the power washing about a month ago before the house painting. I'm leaving the screens off for the winter and the house is nice and bright and the windows really sparkle. There is nothing nicer, is there? 

Same Scene with and without Trees

I had these three trees taken down after Hurricane Sandy and I haven't looked back. They really should have been removed long ago since they all turned out to be diseased and on their way out anyway. One tree hitting my house is more than enough, thank you.

I took this photo this morning. I will plant some grass seed in the bare spots next week. I need to rake that patch of mown grass behind the barn/garage. It was really long and I'm so glad I got my mower fixed just in the nick of time. I wish the sky were prettier so you could appreciate my opened up view of the property. The trees that were taken down had an assortment of seed pods that were constantly being dumped on my balcony so my sweeping chores are cut down to almost zero. I was originally worried that the back side of my house would be hotter but as it turned out, it is not. Those trees never really cast any shade in that direction because of the angle of the sun. It will look so nice next year when the lawn is restored. I have a giant underground bee/wasp/yellow jacket nest next to one of the boxwood I have to attend to as well. I am well under way with my window washing and maybe I'll even finish today. It's so nice to have a clear view from the inside. See you later. Have a great weekend. Webster has a play date with Henry today to help with his contractor withdrawal. 

Hold Fast To What Is Good

I love this. via

Fabulous Video: Cats Stealing Dog Beds

Cats Stealing Dog Beds

My friend Stacey of Stacey Snacks sent me this video yesterday because she knew I would love it and I did. It made me late for a real estate appointment. I almost slept the clock around I was so tired last night and my brain isn't allowing me to post anything original. Thanks, Stacey. I know our blog readers will enjoy this video of cats stealing dog beds too. Webster lets Tabitha do anything she wants because he is super respectful of her wishes, or terrified of her, I can't decide which. I think it's the latter. He won't even come inside the house if she's in the vestibule unless I stand in front of her so he can pass without having her hiss at him. 

Be sure to click on the link if you can't see the embedded video above. It's adorable. 

Kitchen Inspired by A French Bakery

From House Beautiful: A lovely kitchen in Tennessee inspired by a French Bakery. It's lovely. I got my mowing done and I'm tired. Can't wait to jump between the sheets and watch TV. I'm sure I won't be able to stay awake for any of my shows so I'll probably watch something I've already recorded. Image Source

My Riding Mower is Fixed

I just talked to the man at the mower repair shop and he told me I got lucky. There was only one bolt holding on the blade and he fixed everything for me. I guess it wasn't meant for me to be able to remove the dead battery, right? Today is going to be nice for mowing and blowing leaves before tomorrow's rain. I'm so happy!

Got My Haircut Today

Before via

After. I like it. As you can see from the before photo, it was long overdue.

Webster is lonesome!

I had to break down and have my riding mower picked up yesterday for a minor tuneup. I talked them into just putting in a new battery, changing the oil, and sharpening the blade. If it starts up after they switch the battery they will proceed with the other two things and bring it back tomorrow. Cross your fingers for me. After the man picked it up, I decided to use my walk behind power mower in the way-way back of my property. I let Webster outside to wait and watch me as he always does but it didn't work. The new owners of an old house diagonally across the street from me have workmen every day. They had to drill a new well and now they are putting in a new heating/cooling system. Their historic house never had air conditioning. I was about half finished with my hand mowing when I saw a young man approaching. He said he was busy working on the HVAC system when Webster appeared and started licking him. Poor thing. I had to stop my mower and walk all the way up to the front and put him back in the house. He's so lonesome now that our contractors have finished. He can see the heating men's vans and pickup trucks from the living room window where his bed is located. I feel so sorry for him and I know how he feels because I miss our workers too. I have become obsessed with wrapping things up before the cold weather and I never did wash my windows. Today I am determined to do the kitchen window over my sink and the two French doors in the living room. I can do those easily from the deck while the weather is still mild. That will change any day now. See you later. Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to work I go.