Antique Wirework Find

My Valentine to myself. Yesterday's find at an estate sale is so exciting. I love this piece of wirework and will have fun finding things to display in the baskets. Fruit for now. I used the portrait mode on my iPhone for this photo. Have a great weekend.

Gnome Knitting Valentine Hearts

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

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Double Hearts on Pen and Ink 18thC Family Record

I have this framed family record on a wall in my living room that never gets any sunlight. Sorry about my reflection in the glass. It is hand lettered with pen and ink and the calligraphy is beautiful. Every line is hand drawn.

I especially love the double hearts with the word together in the center. This is the perfect post for Valentine's Day.

First Ever Bluebird Twins

Four eggs (including an unusually large one, lower right) hatched into five chicks—a first report for Eastern Bluebirds. Photo by Gerald Clark. Read the article here. More sad news about the twins here.

If you are a bird lover and don't know about Cornell Labs, you are in for a treat. Homepage here.
Sorry about the poor quality of these photos. They are not mine but I wanted to share this story.

Simpkin 1902 - Beatrix Potter Artwork

Simpkin at the Tailor’s Bedside, c.1902 by Helen Beatrix Potter (English, 1866–1943)

This is yet another illustration that is new to me. It is very charming, isn't it. The tailor of Gloucester appears to be doing needlework in bed and kind Simpkin is bring him a cup of tea. I love the big bed with a window view. The bedding is quite lovely too. xo via

Hot Chocolate Recipes

I like having this recipe for the hot cocoa dry mix. Mine will leave out the crushed peppermint candy and will probably never be served over homemade marshmallows. This recipe is worthy of being framed with the lovely poem around the edges. 
Thank you Karen and Pam for mentioning in the comments that Susan Branch is the illustrator and author of the poem.

Wonderful 19th Century Bookplate

How wonderful. I couldn't agree more. I still think about certain books I loaned out and never got back. I remember one in particular and know who has it but it's a book I can live without. When I was very young, I turned down the corners of book pages and then I quit. It still pains me to think about all those times I hurt a book. via

Farm Sink and Topiaries

What is that extra faucet on the left? If it were Instant Hot it would not have dual handles. This kitchen detail has so many things to love; the extra-deep farm sink, marble counters, white cabinets, polished chrome faucets, big window, wonderful houseplants, black hardware. What is that counter cabinet behind the topiary in the clay pot? A garage for appliances? Does it pull up like a garage door? I hope so, otherwise you would have to clear the counter in order to open it. The rest of the kitchen must be nice too because this snapshot is very well thought out. Happy Sunday. xo

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😀 

Hello February and Leap Year

There is an extra Leap Day at the end of February this year. Has it really been four years since the last one? Photo found here in a Google Images search.

Bungalow to Farmhouse: Renovation Photos Before and After

I watched this transformation on my street and still cannot believe my eyes. It is now my real estate listing and it is quite impossible to describe the renovation. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? It is perfect now in every way. The vision of the architect owner is now a reality.

Folk Art Cat - Winter Show @ The Armory in NYC

"We generally cast our affections with dogs in the pet department, but there’s something pretty lovable about this c. 1840 watercolor gray-and-white cat. Poor mouse …"

I think this cat looks exactly like a dog. 😊

Offered by: David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles American Antiques booth at Winter Show.
Click on link to see many more photos of the wonderful antiques and folk art being offered at this annual event. Article from The Magazine Antiques.

Open House Today w/ House Tour

I just got home from putting out my Open House signs and my hands are like blocks of ice. I hope the realtors who have not seen this wonderful home will come. I have scheduled a Public Open House for this Sunday from 1-4pm. I know it's Super Bowl Sunday but it's a Super House and I think people will come. Wish me luck.

Virtual Tour Here Scroll down a bit for the Slideshow Video. Isn't it a wonderful house? The owners are an architect and a designer. It is right down the street from my cottage.

503 Spring Valley Road in Harding Township NJ. It is on the eastern side in the Green Village section. MLS # 3612070

Thanks for looking. xo

Laundry Room with Visiting Goat

Look what happens when you leave the mudroom door open. This room is fabulous, isn't it? Do you think there is a washer and dryer in the room too. That would make it perfect. It is already doing service as a potting shed and a place to wash off the vegetables from the garden. Love it❤❤❤

Snow.Cat

What?

I'm fine.

Go back to what you were doing and leave me alone.

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Stunning Kitchen

Those windows and doors! The stone walls. The beamed ceiling, The floors. The range hood. The outside. The old cutting boards. All of it. Yes, please. 

@ozarchitects

Beatrix Potter: Old Mr Pricklepin

Yet another new to me image by Beatrix Potter in 1905. Old Mr. Prickly Pin, later renamed Mr. Pricklepin. A hedgehog wearing shoes! How quaint.

OLD Mr. Pricklepin

⁠has never a cushion to

⁠stick his pins in,

His nose is black and his

⁠beard is gray,

And he lives in an ash stump

⁠over the way.

Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes.

Quinoa Muffins Recipe

This recipe for quinoa muffins uses leftover dried quinoa (you know that last bit in the box you have that just sits in your pantry for months…), fresh herbs and fruit (this one used plums, but any fruit would work like peaches, blueberries or strawberries). The link is not responding but luckily I included the ingredients. The rest is up to you. xo

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup raw quinoa
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 ¼ cups yogurt
½ cup olive oil
½ cup honey
¼ cup basil, or another fresh herb (we used mint!)
1 plum or other fresh fruit

Beauty in The Cotswolds

The Cotswolds, England | @eskimo

The sun on the local yellow limestone homes throughout the Cotswolds is amazing.