Hohenzollern Castle, Germany

Germany is supposed to be magical at Christmas. This castle in the clouds looks amazing! via

Too Pretty to Cut

Let's decorate this one in place. via

Tiny Puddle Loving Boy + Dog

This is simply wonderful. Over 4 million views too. In case you haven't seen it, click here to watch on YouTube. It is so heartwarming to see how carefully the toddler puts down the leash before going back to play in the puddle. That dog is pretty wonderful too.

Boston Terrier Puppy Does The Flip

Boston Terrier puppy "flips" over his food. Click here to view this adorable video on YouTube. It will make your day!

Webster, the Pillow Thief

Webster sneaks in my bedroom every chance he gets to put his head on my contour memory foam pillow. He loves it when I don't make up my bed. When I do, he's out of luck because this pillow is at the bottom of the pile. Goodnight from both of us!

When I find my milkman, I'll ask him if he knows a bread delivery man like this one in France. I actually found a link called "Find Me A Milkman" but alas there isn't one in my area.

Image: Pain au levain by alvarolg on Flickr.

Wonderful Christmas Beverage

Nothing says Christmas like hot chocolate in reindeer mugs with homemade marshmallows and chocolate swizzle sticks. A little peppermint mint bark candy on the side is nice too. I'm sure there is a roaring fire nearby too. via

Cheetah in the Snow

This is an amazing photo -- found on Pixdaus -- photo by Exeter. His coat must be extremely thick and warm. 

One More Week

A week from today these beautiful creatures will be flying around the world pulling Santa's sleigh. They look to be in fine shape, don't they? via

Cottage House Plan, Circa 1929

I really like this dutch colonial cottage from a 1929 home building catalog. I would want a full bath on the first floor and maybe a bedroom on that level too. It's a very sensible and charming plan that would work just as easily today with a little tweeking. Agreed? I love the green roof. Found here.

Carved Angel in Rome

Such a beautiful image. I hope the families in Newtown are able to be comforted in their time of sorrow. The whole world weeps for and with them. via

Spider weaves love web.

via

Delivering the Egg Nog

I still have such fond memories of the milk man. Nothing today compares to those glass bottles full of fresh milk with the cream on top. Ours delivered eggs, butter, cottage cheese and probably a few other dairy products too. The egg nog at Christmastime was the best! Leaving the empty bottles in the milk box beside the front door with a note in one containing the next day's order was recycling at its best. Now that you can have your groceries delivered to your home after placing an order online, I say bring back the old-fashioned milk man! via

White on White

I love this photo. No footprints, just snow and shadows. I wonder if this was a color photo converted to black and white and shades of gray or if it was just a gray day? It's absolutely beautiful. You can hear the quiet, can't you? via

One Horse Open Sleigh

I can hear the jingle bells, can you? via

Goose Crossing in Hampshire England

A delightful thatched country cottage on the south coast of England. Charming! via

Perfect Tree Lined Drive

I hope there is a wreath on each of the gates now that the trees are (probably) bare. I'm curious about the driveway. Is it patterned concrete or stone pavers set in concrete? I'd like to see more of the walls with the diamond espalier. I love the way the canopy of the trees has formed a natural arch. Lovely! Have a wonderful weekend. via

Wonderful Weathered Door with Wreath

Another great old weathered door with a grapevine wreath covered with berries opening to a great room all decked out for Christmas. via

White Poppies

These white Oriental Poppies are beautiful. Must look for some seeds. Now is the time to sow them. image source

Red Tulips in White Ironstone Pitcher

The red tulips from Jill are lovely and they really stand up straight. I don't own many vases. I usually run for a pitcher or this ironstone coffee pot. Don't look too closely at the dust circles on the top of my bookcase. [my photo]

Hooked Rug with Not Quite White Owls

Not Quite White

21" x 27"

#8 and #6 cut wool on linen 

Designed and hooked by 

Karen Larsen

Crows’s Foot Farm Designs 

Elliottsburg, Pennsylvania 

2012

I recently reconnected with an old friend from this area who now lives in Pennsylvania. She has been hooking since 2006 and one of her original rug designs is on the November/December 2012 cover of Rug Hooking Magazine. 

Read about why these owls are "Not Quite White" in a portion of the article Creating White from Colors. I think she did a wonderful job, don't you? Her home was just photographed for an upcoming feature in Rug Beat. The owl rug looks beautiful on her dining room wall.

Image: IMPACT XPOZURES

Works of George Eliot

"Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms. George Eliot." 

I couldn't agree more ~ Quote from  'Mr. Gilfil's Love Story,' Scenes of Clerical Life, 1857 

[my photo, my books]

Christmas Wreath on Cottage Door

I put the wreath on my front door a couple of days ago after I gave the outside a good cleaning. A red bow looked too garish for me so I left it unadorned. Yesterday I got some beautiful flowers with a big white bow and quickly put it between two pinecones. It looks amazingly perfect, doesn't it? To me it represents the purity of my mother's spirit. [my photo]

Tulips and Spatterware

White tiger tulips in a blue and white spatterware pitcher. My friend Jill brought them to me to remember my mother. They get more beautiful each day and she says they are very long lasting.

A Sweet Kitchen

Sometimes I wish I had done a cooktop and built-in oven below in my kitchen. It makes for a more seamless countertop. I like open shelves for other people but for me, I prefer closed cabinet doors in the working part of the kitchen. via

DIY Stamped Christmas Wrap w/ Tutorial

I've always been a fan of brown paper Christmas wrap and love the idea of carving a custom stamp to decorate it. Fabulous tutorial here. Once you make your stamp, it can be used for gift tags, Christmas Cards, Christmas ornaments, and you could probably even decorate cookies with it. 

Garden Arch, Regents Park, London, England. What a lovely place to sit and reflect. via

Beautiful Double Door in Italy

Wonderful old door in Rome. You can't fake patina like this! via

Sunless Days

This word describes the weather we've been having lately. Tomorrow is supposed to be very cold. I want to finish clipping my boxwood so they will all match. I sort of quit in the middle for some reason. I never put everything back in place after storing things before the hurricane either. I want to replace the tops on the birdbaths because they look nice filled with snow.

Thank you again for helping me with your wonderful words. We all have to deal with letting a loved one go at some point in our lives. My mother and I both knew her time was at hand and she told me she was not afraid. Even though her body was weak, she was strong of spirit up to the end. She was even able to climb into my big car with the running board to go to the nursing home. She walked inside with my help but we didn't get too far before she agreed to ride to her room in a wheel chair.

Because she was a nurse herself she was able to convey her appreciation of any kind care she was given and everyone admired her for that. There aren't many thank yous and hugs given to professional caregivers by the patients these days. My mother didn't forget. She made me proud and I always tried to make her proud too.

image source