Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Snow & Some Favorite Products

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We got a smidgeon of snow last night. Just enough to mess with Don’s midnight drive home from work. What a bizarre winter this is! No snow until last night, if you don’t count the freak 10 inches we got in October, when it wasn’t officially winter yet.

I’m happy not having to contend with shoveling and salt and all the mess that happens with a snowfall, but snow, if you’re going to come, at least cover the ground, okay? This just looks messy.

My head is spinning (just a little) from the font thing. Most of you said you liked the new font just fine, but that you also liked the old font. A few of you took the time to write me and say that my old font (Century Gothic) was more me and suited my blog. Most of you, I’d say 98%, said you had no trouble reading the old font.

What the heck should I do? I’m going to leave the new font on the blog for a while. I like it, so I’m going to give it some time, just like a fine wine, to age and mature. I loved the old font, though. Who knows? It may appear again.

I thought I’d mention a couple of products that I’m liking very much these days:

This line is carried at Target. When I was working in Wisconsin last summer and a trip to Target and Trader Joe’s was the most exciting part of the week, I tried a little sample of this. I love the texture of the cream and the scent is heavenly. I bought a big old tube of it around Christmas time just for me. Wouldn’t you know it? That darned Don is using it, too. Apparently, he’s decided to say Yes to Carrots. I wonder if it’s possible to hide it from him?

One of my Christmas presents from the aforementioned Don was this candle from Barnes & Noble. This is part of a series of library candles by Paddywax. It’s made from soy, rather than paraffin, which makes it more eco-friendly. This one has a quote from Oscar Wilde:

“Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.”

Oh, that Oscar. Besides writing my favorite play ever, “The Importance of Being Earnest,” he was one witty guy, always coming up with a quote that makes me chuckle.

These candles are a bit pricey at $20. But both of us love the scent (which usually isn’t the case in this household) and I like to burn it in the den which sits right on top of a dirt-floor crawl space that can be a bit musty smelling at times. Besides, you can reuse the deep purple glass candle holder. Love it.

I redesigned my sister’s blog yesterday. She will be the first to admit she is seriously tech-challenged. It needed some updating. She may be seriously tech-challenged but she is a seriously talented knitter, weaver and crocheter!

For everyone who might be checking in to read a Defending the Small House post, Brenda and I are going to run this series once a month on the first Tuesday of the month. It’s a challenge to keep coming up with ideas and this change will eliminate the pressure of having to coming up with a fresh post every week. Yes, we’re brilliant, but we’re not that brilliant.

Have a great day!

Twitchy, Lamps & Fonts

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I’ve had a twitch in my left eyelid for 2 days now.

It’s as if the eyelid has been possessed.

Meanwhile, it’s very cold here. I had my flannel pajamas and a shawl on for most of the day yesterday. Very cozy and, frankly, warmer than a pair of jeans and a sweater, which I also had on for a short time until I realized my pajamas were a much better choice. Does extremely cold weather make you sleepy? Must be the urge to hibernate that runs through us all.

I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to sit here in my blogging chair and see this funky, cheery desk across the room. Seriously, it makes me smile. It brightens up that corner of the room. I brought the lamp down from the studio and replaced it with another cute lamp that I found at Target.

This isn’t the best photo; I took it very quickly. The wall needs painting, as does every other wall in this house. But you get an idea, right? A soft pink color on the shade that really suits the colors in the studio.

Here’s the question of the day: Brenda and our friend Nola have been bugging me about my font. The one I was using previously is Century Gothic. (I love it.) For some reason, they have trouble reading it. Yesterday, while on the phone with Ms. Brenda, we tried other fonts and this is the one I ended up with. It’s called Josefin Slab.

But at the end of the evening yesterday and again when I woke up this morning, I had a little trouble reading it. (Perhaps because of the dreaded twitch?) I spent an obsessive 2 hours this morning trying different fonts. Now I have no idea what I want.

What do you think of this font? Can you read it? Is it too dark, too light?

Let me also say that there’s no guarantee I won’t be messing with it throughout the day. But I promise to leave it alone for a couple of hours so I can read your comments.

Let’s close with a shot of the sky this Monday morning:

I’m glad I snapped it when I did, because it looks totally different now.

Go figure. Now I’m liking the font again. I’m sure that will change in about 2 minutes.

Update: Now I’ve changed it to Merriweather – Josefin Slab was just too light. What do you think? And yes, I know I’m slightly obsessive, but the look of my blog means a great deal to me. And if you liked the old font, let me know that, too.

Books & Threaded Comments

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It’s Sunday morning. I’ve been awake since 6 am. A mite too early for my taste.

:: My current stack of reading matter:

The Prime Suspect mysteries – these were the inspiration for the British television series starring Helen Mirren and the current series starring Maria Bello (both of which are excellent, I might add.) I’m reviewing these in March and April.

A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cossé – A wonderful read by a French author that has been translated into English. My friend who owns a bookstore in Spring Green, Wisconsin recommended it to me last summer. I’m just now getting to it and I really love it.

Starting an Etsy Business for Dummies – If I can, I will always consult a book for ‘how-to’ knowledge. I need to see all the information on the page. And I like being able to go back to the reference book again and again.

Country Gardens magazine – Because when I am in the midst of Winter, I desperately need to see green things growing.

:: Someone recently asked me about compiling blog posts in book form. I’m sorry but I can’t remember who it was! There are several programs available. The one I use is Blurb. It’s very simple. All you have to do is download the software – then you can have fun editing and designing your book. I have another one ready to print, but I’ve been lazy about pushing the publish button. I like the idea of having a book for each year of my blog. My 4 year blogiversary is around the corner, so that means I’m about 2 books behind!

:: I’m going to try something out. My friend at Olive Out recently wrote a post about how to add threaded comments to a post. That means that the blogger has the ability to respond directly to a question or a comment within the comments section. I get a lot of questions and, as you know, there are still many bloggers out there who have a “No Reply-Comment” address which makes it impossible to respond via email.

I’m a little hesitant because I know that I rarely go back to a post I’ve commented on to see if there is an answer to my question. This means there will no longer be a pop-up window when you comment, which I’ve always liked. But, let’s experiment! I’m willing to give it a go – who knows? It may be the perfect way to respond to your questions.

Let the thread begin!

It’s absolutely frigid here. Is it cold in your neck of the woods?

Update: I did some googling and it looks like bloggers who use IE are having problems commenting on posts with embedded comments. I don’t want anyone left out, so I’ve reverted back to my pop-up window until the issue gets fixed. So…I’ll definitely do this in the future, but let’s hold off until everyone can comment.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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