Sunday, April 3, 2011

Charming Thatched Cottage to Love


I know everyone would love to spend the day at this cottage in England with the fabulous thatched roof. I am quite sure I'd never want to leave. The yellow front door works with the garden in front, doesn't it? Enjoy your Sunday; I'm doing an open house today. See you this evening.

Content in a Cottage

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Sleeping in Front of the Aga Stove


This looks like a real kitchen in a real home, doesn't it? There's nothing like curling up in your little dog bed in front of the Aga Stove, is there? I've always been told pets love them.  I'm getting ready to curl up in my own bed pretty soon and try to recover from a massive yard cleanup today. It looks so nice and it felt great to get a good workout. via

Content in a Cottage

A Mark Twain Weekend


I got rid of that big tree that fell on my private road in the back. So happy. When you work hard you can follow Mark Twain's advice and eat what you like. That's my reward today. I love his humor, don't you? I scanned his face from the cover of an old Time Magazine.


Content in a Cottage

Baby Elephant Love

Have a playful weekend doing something fun like this young pachyderm playing in the grass under the watchful eye of his mother. The sun is shining brightly at the cottage at long last. Webster and I will be dealing with some outside cleanup and it's nice enough to hang a load of wash outside on the line. Oh happy day!

Content in a Cottage

Friday, April 1, 2011

Happy Birthday - Webster is Nine Today

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR WEBSTER
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU 
Today Webster is 9 years old; that's 63 in people years. He looks a little sad because he got a rainy day. Actually we had snow earlier but it turned to rain. We got in one long walk this morning and I'm sure there will be another one after we get back from the post office and grocery store. He got 2 boxes of all natural dog biscuits -- one from Trader Joe's and one was a gift from California. Thanks Jill.

Content in a Cottage

'Life Would Be Perfect if I Lived in That House' by Meghan Daum | Book Review

From the acclaimed author and columnist: a laugh-out-loud journey into the world of real estate—the true story of one woman’s “imperfect life lived among imperfect houses” and her quest for the four perfect walls to call home.

After an itinerant suburban childhood and countless moves as a grown-up—from New York City to Lincoln, Nebraska; from the Midwest to the West Coast and back—Meghan Daum was living in Los Angeles, single and in her mid-thirties, and devoting obscene amounts of her time not to her writing career or her dating life but to the pursuit of property: scouring Craigslist, visiting open houses, fantasizing about finding the right place for the right price. Finally, near the height of the real estate bubble, she succumbed, depleting her life savings to buy a 900-square-foot bungalow, with a garage that “bore a close resemblance to the ruins of Pompeii” and plumbing that “dated back to the Coolidge administration.”

From her mother’s decorating manias to her own “hidden room” dreams, Daum explores the perils and pleasures of believing that only a house can make you whole. With delicious wit and a keen eye for the absurd, she has given us a pitch-perfect, irresistible tale of playing a lifelong game of house. via LA Times

This looks like a "must read" book for me and anyone who loves houses and real estate. 

Content in a Cottage

Vintage Cast Iron Pan/Wok by Michael Lax

This is Mother Nature's April Fool joke---it's snowing.

Vintage Copco Cast Iron Wok w/ Side Handles. Use on top of the stove or in the oven. I can't put my old wok in the oven because it has a wooden handle.  I'm thrilled that the lid fits perfectly on this estate sale $7.00 pan.

I've used this pan every single day since I got it over 2 weeks ago. Fried eggs are the best and so is any kind of stir fry. I've baked in it too. You can really cook anything you'd cook in a cast iron frying pan only this is easier because of the sloped sides.

COPCO - Michael Lax Design - Denmark He was an Industrial Designer and his work is very sought after by collectors of mid-century modern. I simply can't understand why anyone would get rid of this wonderful piece of cookware. Now that it's mine I can see myself getting rid of the pans it is replacing.

Content in a Cottage

Handmade iPad - A Wonderful Claymation Video



I loved this wonderful stop-motion video by a student from the British Higher School of Art and Design.

Content in a Cottage