Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Pretty Blossoms and Kelee’s Giveaway

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This Weigela bush came with the cottage – it is on the far side of the property, near our shed. It blooms in the spring…sometimes. We’ve been here five springs and I can usually spot a few blossoms buried in the depths of the bush. I pruned it a couple of Junes ago, hoping it would eventually bring more flowers. At last – this year it is blooming up a storm! I love the color of the delicate blossoms, a sort of pinkish-orangeish -red. That’s my professional name for the color.


When we moved in at the end of August in 2005, this bush was big, overgrown and green. That was it. The next spring, I happened to spy a few blooms…I went into detective mode until I figured out just what kind of bush it was. I am so happy to see it really take off this year.


Have you stopped by The Katillac Shack yet? What’s stopping you? If you’re just now catching up on my posts, I am featured as a Shackster, along with Heidi. That means I get my own room at The Katillac Shack. Kelee, the amazing woman behind this fabulous blog, is having a giveaway in our honor. Swoon! Look at those cottagey colors! And that vase on the right is McCoy. Oh yes. Quite frankly, I would love to win this giveaway, but that would be a mite too grabby, don’t you think? But you can win. So go on over, read all about us and leave a comment!

Okay, my friends, I have so much to do this week before I leave on Saturday that I am in a bit of a panic. Not to mention the fact that every time I look at my husband and my dogs and my garden, I get very, very sad.

Have a great Monday.

Some News & a New Egg Cup

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While out and about looking for a gift the other day, I came across this little egg cup. I’ve posted about my collection, but the truth is I haven’t added to the collection in a long time. They seem to be getting harder and harder to find. So when I saw this goose egg cup, I squealed with delight. It is so charming – it has a made in France stamp on the bottom. And it was only $4.00.

I want to share two things with you. Our niece, Lauren, will be featured on Bang for Your Buck on HGTV tonight at 9:30 pm. She is a realtor in San Diego. We’re so proud of her. She is beautiful, photogenic and very successful in her career. The HGTV people like her so much that she is doing 8 more episodes – she just finished filming her second. I also have to add that she is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. Congratulations, Lauren!

I am honored to be featured as a Shackster at The Katillac Shack. Kelee told me that the post will be up this evening in time for Pink Saturday and through next week. Heidi of Heart and Home is also featured. Kelee is an amazing person. Her Design Gives Back has done so much for so many. I admire her more than I can say. Please stop by and leave a comment – Kelee has a giveaway planned in conjunction with this and she tells me there just might be a piece of vintage McCoy pottery involved!

The Garden

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Yesterday it was 89 degrees here. Yikes. Today it will be at least 80 degrees. Then the temperatures will fall to the normal 60 degree range over the weekend. One perk of the unseasonably warm weather is in the garden. Plants are growing by leaps and bounds. I’m thrilled because that means I get to see some action here before I leave in a little over a week. There is much more going on than there was last year at this time.





Yes! This last photo is of my little lilac bush – planted 2 years ago. I didn’t get to see any blooms last year because I was on the west coast. Don, bless his heart, took some photos and sent them to me. Maybe it will be more fully in bloom before I go.

Next week I will mulch the gardens and plant some pots for the porch and the patio. Then I will give detailed instructions to Don: when to water, how often to water, what weeds to pull. I would much rather be doing all this myself – I get such joy from it. Oh well – it is what it is.


The hyacinths are getting top-heavy…I’ll plant them outside next week. I retrieved these silver candlesticks from my hutch today. They were given to us as a wedding present from our beloved friend Craig who died last weekend. He was such a lovely man. His home in San Diego was absolutely wonderful – quirky, beautiful, full of memorabilia. And he had the most wonderful, lush tropical gardens. His taste was impeccable. These beautifully tarnished pieces will be a wonderful reminder of our lovely friend.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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