Virtual Snacks for The Party I'm Not Having

This looks like a delicious assortment of things to munch on while watching TV. Have a great evening. xo via

Best Media Room Ever.

I don't usually like flat screen TVs over a fireplace but I really love this one. Isn't this room fabulous? I love everything about it. I'm sure the Super Bowl party here will be fabulous. Me, won't be watching. PBS doesn't care and neither do I. via

My Favorite Landscaping

Wild and wonderful, easy to maintain. via 

I did go to the Home Depot today and got caulk and a caulking gun and I intend to master both. I'm still digging out grout and I'm doing that masterfully too. See you in the morning. xo

Connected cottages.

Via Houzz

Forget the back part. I'll just take the front connected cottages. Love this look!

Cleaning Big Ben

via

After seeing this photo, I shall not complain about my current task at hand. I am digging out all the old grout around my tub and then I'll put in new. Grout, not caulk. Heaven only knows why today was the day I decided to do it. It's like granite and I have every tool I own in the bathroom. A hammer and chisel to loosen and an old nail set to dig are my favorites, so far. I have a corner tub so I only have two sides around the top of the tub and then down to the floor. It's going well and I'm excited. It's a pretty awkward job and I have to get in the tub to work in certain spots. I'm not going to rush because I can use the shower downstairs until I finish. I know I will do a better job than any hired hand because I care the most about getting out all of the old stuff. I have a feeling a pro would just rough up the old stuff and put new over it, right? Then charge me a lot of money and run away.

The wind is howling outside and more snow is supposed to be coming over the weekend so I will have plenty to do if I get snowed in. Have a great weekend. xo

Boo.

My cat Tabitha has never been interested in boxes. This is so cute. via

Jeffersonian Architecture

Looks like a very good read.

In 1999, historians at the Virginia Historical Society acquired three curiously bound volumes of drawings and documents created between 1821 and 1858 by a long and unjustifiably-forgotten architect named Thomas R. Blackburn. Inspection revealed that these were, in fact, no ordinary documents but a unique window onto the life of a distinguished builder and his revered master: Thomas Jefferson.

In these extraordinary books, we find Blackburn, at first a young carpenter, engaged in the construction of Jeffersons famed "academical village" at the University of Virginia. He simultaneously embarked on an ambitious program of architectural study, guided, it appears, by Jefferson himself. The drawings he executed in the four decades that followed extraordinary ink and watercolor explorations of his many residential and civic commissions bear witness to his emergence as a mature and prolific architect in his own right.

In Jeffersons Shadow is a unique document of the relationship between an unknown but highly skilled country builder and the American statesman widely considered this nations first gentleman architect. But it is also an indispensable resource on the little-understood practice of architecture in the early and mid-nineteenth century. text found here This book is currently available on Amazon.

A Federal Beauty: New Home, Looks Old

Entry portico of this new classical house.

G. P.Schafer, Architecture

View 9-photo slideshow of this amazing new construction. When page loads, click on NEW CLASSICAL HOUSE in left column. Be prepared for a real treat!

Nice Cave.

I love this interesting sofa with the adjustable back. You can flip it up or down depending on your mood. Want to lean back? Flip it up. Want to throw your arm over the back? Flip it down. And I love the arms that are like tables. The rug is fabulous as well. I know this is probably designed by a stylist as an ad and it all works, doesn't it? via

Ducky Weather

I am amazed at how well animals cope with the cold weather. Mine go out willingly and seem to enjoy a romp but are glad to get back inside to defrost. Isn't this a great photo of the duck looking through the chicken wire covered by a hoar frost? via

Happy Snow

This is the kind of snow I like. Soft and fluffy and not too deep. Sun burning through the morning mist to cast long shadows is always nice too. Poor New England and Long Island got the brunt of the storm this week. I heard the entire island of Nantucket was without power!!! Juno shifted direction and went 50 miles east to spare my part of the world. I hope all is back to normal for everyone soon. Lovely snow scene found here. xo

Four Sheep and A Ruin in Northern Ireland

These beautiful sheep seem to be posing for the camera in front of this sadly neglected stone house. They look almost like big fat stuffed toys, don't they? via

'Tis The Season For Snow Buntings

Link: both images.

Snowflake or Snow bunting illustrated by R. Bruce Horsfall from ‘Bird Biographies’ (1923) by Alice E. Ball (1867-1948).

Snow Bunting (1890–1948). Watercolour by Charles Emile Heil (1870–1950). Image and text courtesy MFA Boston.

Cottage in Lower Slaughter England

It's delightful, isn't it and it looks to be a 2-family house. Love the gardens. Found on Pinterest. I hope I dream about the cottages in England tonight instead of waking up every hour to look out the window on blizzard watch. The wind is still howling but we have had no snow since morning. Sweet dreams. xo

No Blizzard Here!

What blizzard? Webster has been keeping an eye on the weather ever since he got up this morning. He and Tabitha went out earlier but didn't stay long. There is a very fine snow that is still falling at a pretty fast clip but it's not supposed to amount to much. I am going to wait until it stops completely before I shovel my walk and clean off my car. My plow man has already been here so my driveway is fine. It was all much ado about nothing in my area and I'm so relieved. Hope all is well where you are. xo

This kept it away.

Why is it that when I am totally prepared in every way for whatever Mother Nature brings my way, nothing happens? I took a bath before bed last night and left the water in the tub in case there was a power outage. I have a well and there's no water for flushing if there is no power. I feel that I am personally responsible for keeping the blizzard at bay. Smile. I absolutely love my 1930s corner Kohler bathtub. 

Belton House - Grantham, Lincolnshire England

It's gorgeous, isn't it? via This manor house has nothing to do with the Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey. I'm really enjoying Grantchester on Masterpiece Mystery. Are you watching?

So far the blizzard hasn't arrived at my cottage. I'm hoping it's more of a coastal thing and won't be as bad as the reporters are saying it might be. The heavy snow and winds will be here after midnight. Be safe and warm. Fingers crossed for us all. xo

Great Workspace with Cupboards

I like this setup very much. File drawers on the left with cupboard doors above. Built-in bookshelves on the right with drawers below. Two windows for daydreaming. Good light. Hopefully there's a hidden electrical outlet and the lamp indicates there is. Love it. via

My morning snow has stopped and it's getting brighter outside and the roads are black. The worst will happen tonight and tomorrow. So far, so good. Hope you can say the same. Be safe and warm. xo

New England Farmhouse

I like the way this outbuilding was joined to the main house. This is the image that intrigued me and I just had to find more and I did. Click here to view an amazing slideshow of this New England farmhouse. Ken Vona Construction, Waltham MA

Every home needs a growlery.

I shall retreat to mine when the predicted 3-day storm with blizzard and 50mph winds arrives early next week. Every home needs a place for a self-imposed time out, right? Mine will be surrounded by things to make me snap out of it like books, a reading lamp, etc. It will be a happy place. via

Tiny Snowman

This happy little guy makes me smile. I really enjoyed my lazy snow day today. It was just what I needed. via