Bluebirds in February

I could not be more excited having seen lots of bluebirds circling in my backyard this morning while brewing my coffee. This is an old photo and I recently replaced this house with a larger one from the Audubon Society. Last year the house wrens claimed it and I have high hopes the bluebirds will win out this year. I worked in the yard before the ground froze and installed a new metal post that is much sturdier than the copper pipe on the house above. Bluebirds are very picky about where they live and they were always happy here before the wrens took over. Fingers crossed. Spring is definitely in the air today and the sky is blue with no clouds. So nice after several days of rain. Enjoy your weekend. xo

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😀