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You are here: Home / Archives for Claudia

A Quick Visit and a Gift

April 29, 2013 at 8:44 am by Claudia

How can everything be overgrown here in the one week that I’ve been gone?

It’s as if the grass and the weeds shouted, “Hey, she’s gone, let’s go crazy!” Yesterday, Don mowed most of the lawn that is right in front of the house and it was so long that the lawnmower kept stalling. That leaves a whole heck of a lot of grass yet to mow and it’s looking like rain today. Don considers the front lawn the only area that needs to be mowed. That leaves out the grassy area behind the kitchen and the whole back forty. We have this argument every year. Like clockwork. I insist it needs to be kept under control because it’s prettier that way, plus, there are less ticks if the grass is mowed. If you remember, I’ve had too many experiences in the past where I had to clean up overgrown areas that Don ignored while I was away. Sigh. I have to get some mowing in before I leave for Hartford.

I let Scout out this morning, walked outside and immediately came in and started to charge the battery for the weed whacker. I’ll be decimating some weeds later today. The garden, though, is filling in nicely – that makes me happy. Still only blooms on the daffodils, but the tulips are about to open. I imagine that as soon as I leave, blooms will burst forth everywhere.

There was a box waiting for me. It arrived in the mail when I was gone. I knew it was from Judy, who just might be the sweetest, most thoughtful person in the world. It was from One Kings Lane. You can bet I opened it immediately. Well, not quite immediately, I showered sleepy Scout with hugs and kisses first.

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Oh my goodness. Could these be any more adorable? Four egg cups that come with the eternal question: What came first, the chicken or the egg? They are designed by Keith Brymer Jones, who is a British ceramic designer.

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I’m thrilled. What a marvelous addition these make to my collection!

Judy, you are the best! Thank you. I love getting surprises in the mail. These made my day. Week. Month.

Don has been taking Scout for rides in the car every day. And walks. She’s been on several adventures. What a good daddy he is! I can see where this is going: Don will be the fun, exciting parent, while I will be the medicine giver, food deliverer, bath giver, toenail clipper, sort of boring but necessary parent. Ah well.

Happy Monday.

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Filed Under: Don, egg cups, Fellow bloggers, garden, Scout 33 Comments

My New Housemate

April 28, 2013 at 9:33 am by Claudia

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I’m more than a little in love with this creature.

She seems to have sprung up as if by magic from a Hansel and Gretel-y type woods. I can imagine her playing with the bunny rabbits on our property. Surely they would get along?

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She’s not perfect, but I’m not either. When I make another one, and I will, I will do things a little differently. I learned a lot on this project. And let me say that there’s a reason I don’t make my own clothes. Enough said.

Nevertheless, I’m in love with her. Alicia called her creation Maggie Rabbit and I thought to myself, I must change her name. But then I thought about my great-aunt Maggie who died in 1920 during the terrible flu epidemic and remembered that my mother’s middle name is Margaret in honor of Maggie. So Maggie it is.

I hesitate to share this with you as she might be embarrassed.

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Here she is, sans clothes and pre-nose. Don’t tell her I’m posting this on my blog. Years from now when she’s older, she’ll be mortified.

She and Wayfrum immediately bonded.

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See? They’re holding hands.

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Then Little Lamb joined in.

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Meet my housemates. On the left, Wayfrum Holmes, with Little Lamb in the center and Maggie Rabbit on the right.

This project was so much fun! I’m not the most patient or even remotely adequate hand sewer in the world and there was a lot of blanket stitch which took me a bit of time to master. Heck, I didn’t master it, but I did get better at it.  I want to make another one out of fabric. I’ve saved all the pattern pieces and the directions for future use. I know that Alicia plans to offer these kits again, so keep your eye on her blog for the details. If you’re at all interested, jump on one. I guarantee they will go quickly – she sold out of thousands of these kits in the blink of an eye.

I’m feeling better – that headache was the all day kind that increasingly got worse as I tried to coach and fulfill my other obligations. I used to get those headaches more frequently, but thankfully, I rarely get them anymore. Still stuffy, still sneezy and have watery eyes – but this, too, shall pass.

I have rehearsal this afternoon and then Don is picking me up for 2 days at home. Since Tuesday and Wednesday are going to be days where I can’t really do any one-on-one work, I figured this would be a good time to snag a few days back at the cottage. On Wednesday I’ll come back and move from the hotel to the apartment. (I’ll miss the hotel. I’m settled in here and am not thrilled with packing everything up and moving it all – again.)

The winner of a copy of Margaret Fuller: A New American Life is Janice Murphy! Congratulations.

Be sure to stop by and leave a comment on my Poise Feminine Wellness products review. You could win a $100 Visa Gift Card! Click here.

Happy Sunday.

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Filed Under: crafts, Don, On The Road 52 Comments

A Favorite Thing #34

April 26, 2013 at 8:00 pm by Claudia

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Welcome to A Favorite Thing, week 34. I’m going to be perfectly honest with you. As I write this, I am suffering from a bad old sinus headache. I won’t say it’s a migraine because I know a true migraine is horrendous, but nevertheless, it’s a pain in the tush. (Or head.) So, I hope you will excuse me when I don’t link up my favorite thing for this week. I can’t get it together to look back in files for a photo.

Let’s look at some highlights from last week.

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Clara, from Redeemed Junk and Stuff, shared her newly created idea board. I just love that pop of red against the blue of her walls. Those ribbons you see are ribbons Clara won for her quilts!

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Laura, of I’m So Vintage, shared this photo of her granddaughter. She is being pushed by her mom. Look at the delight and love in her eyes as she keeps her eyes on her mom’s face. Oh my.

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Dottie, of It’s Just Dottie, shared a lovely post about Quiet Joys – one of which is this beautiful rose.

As always, thank you for sharing your favorites every week. I’m so glad you’re here.

Now, it’s your turn!

You can link up anytime from this evening through Sunday. Make sure you enter the URL of your post. If you’re unsure how to do that, just click on your post title after you’ve published it and copy the information in your browser address window. Come back here, paste the URL into your link entry and there you go! If you have any problems, drop me an email and I’ll help you out. Please link back to this blog on your post. That way, those that read your post and are interested in reading more can do so.

One of my concerns about link parties is that the very reason for them has somewhat gone by the wayside. They’ve become so big and there are so many of them that many bloggers don’t take the time to visit any of the other participants. Link parties are a way to meet new bloggers and share with each other and the only way to do that is to visit each other. So, please, take some time to visit everyone over the next few days. No rush. Stop by, introduce yourself, and leave a comment. It’s the neighborly thing to do. It’s also nice if you leave a comment here, as well.

Enjoy!



Filed Under: A favorite thing 32 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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The Dogs

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Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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