Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Dad and Mom

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Mom and Dad – photo taken 17 years ago in San Diego

Today is my Dad’s 88th birthday. My mother had been scheduled to go home today, on his birthday. Yesterday he got the news that Mom has declined in the last few days (which we all knew) and that she isn’t strong enough to go home. She is being moved to the nursing home side of the facility.

Dad was inconsolable and it broke my heart to hear the despair in his voice. I think the prospect of Mom coming home was the only thing keeping him going. Most of yesterday was spent on the phone with my Dad and my sister.

In a perfect world, my parents would age with dignity and then quietly fade away at a grand old age.

But we all know this is not a perfect world.

I’ll be back later this evening with a post for Reality Shot – be sure to link up if you’re interested. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email.

The Unseasonal Decorator

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I know this might be a form of blasphemy in this nesting, decorating blog world….but I’m not much of a seasonal decorator. There, I’ve said it.

First of all, I don’t have much room to store that kind of thing. Furthermore, all I have to do is look out my window or, better yet, go outside, to see seasonal decorating in all its glory. Why compete? I know I’m blessed (or cursed, depending on the season) because I live in the northeast, where each season is distinct and beautiful. I’ve been trying to remember if I did more seasonal decorating when I lived in San Diego where the seasons are two: gorgeous or rainy. I don’t think I did.

I decorate the living room area for Christmas, never the rest of the house. No red, white and blue on those patriotic holidays. Maybe a fabric egg or two at Easter. I don’t change out pillows or slipcovers for the seasons, either. It’s just not my thing and besides, our little cottage is only 1200 square feet. Where would I keep all that stuff?

At this time of year, I usually buy a pumpkin or two. That’s about it. Last year, I searched high and low for white mini pumpkins. Tracie took pity on me and sent me some. This year, I was pleasantly surprised when I found some at my local market.

These and maybe a pumpkin on the porch will be the extent of my fall decorating.

I do love white mini pumpkins.

The wicker rocker is now in the bedroom. No, it hasn’t been fixed yet. Don commented more than once about how much he liked the more spacious feeling in the living room in the rocker’s absence. So I tweaked a few things in the bedroom and there you have it. The room is definitely closer to something-like-charming with the addition of the rocker. Next up: painting all the darker pieces of furniture. Maybe with chalk paint?

I found another piece of miniature pottery the other day.

A little creamer, most likely a souvenir, from Barbados. I fell in love with the colors and the design. Isn’t it sweet?

A reminder about Thursday:

I hope this will become a weekly meme. We’ll see. Share a photo from your home or yard that isn’t staged….you know, the mess that is just to the right of your staged, pretty photo. Just a quick slice of real life. I’ll put up my post on Wednesday evening and will figure out Mr. Linky before then. I know there are a lot of memes out there and it can be hard to take part because of life’s daily demands. If you feel like joining, great. If not, I’ll merrily keep on posting my reality shot every Thursday.

The button and code are on my sidebar.

Have a wonderful Tuesday.

DIY Quick Fix: Prettying Up a Screen That’s Missing Its Fabric Panels

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We used to live in a Craftsman house in San Diego. In keeping with that style, we had a few pieces of furniture made out of quarter-sawn oak that we’ve since sold via Craig’s List. One item hasn’t sold and has been propped against the wall in our den for several weeks now. It’s a 3 panel screen (now folded) that’s made of oak – and it’s heavy. Consequently, we haven’t moved it.

The fabric that was in the panels is long gone. But the rods are still there.

Every time I sat in my chair in the den, I looked at that screen. It was bugging me. It wasn’t supposed to be there and it looked that way. Since we weren’t going to be moving it anytime soon, it needed something to tie it in to the rest of the room. I briefly considered the jute that I bought to fix the wicker rocking chair. However, I needed it for the chair, where it will remain largely hidden behind the cushion. And the jute/burlap thing is everywhere these days; it seemed too obvious to me.

Maybe something a little more whimsical, casual, maybe even artsy? I went up to the studio and looked around. My eye finally landed on the strips of fabric that I had left over from the fabric hearts I made last Christmas. It just so happened that they were the same colors that I’ve used in the den. They’re a French General design. These are 2 inch wide strips from a fabric jelly roll, but you could make them any width.

I gathered 8 strips, ran down to the den, tied them on to the rods that are at the top and bottom of the panel. Then I used pinking shears to trim the ends.

I may add more. We’ll see.

As always with the den, it’s difficult to take a good photo. Here’s the way it looks from a distance.

Oh good. That red pillow is covered in Scout’s dog hair (that’s her spot on the sofa) and it’s not showing in the photo.

Now it looks more like wall art, like an vintage ladder or door looks when propped against a wall. It looks as if it belongs here, like I’ve purposely added it to the room. Frankly, the section of the wall that leads into the corner was always sort of boring. Of course, now I don’t want to sell it. But you knew that was coming, didn’t you?

I think it took all of 5 minutes. It took longer to take the photos.

I like it.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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