Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Snow and Glitter

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On Wednesday, snow fell overnight and throughout the day. We always love the first snow, but boy, is it frigid here! I took this photo as soon as it became light. We had a wind advisory (the result of a clipper passing through) and once the winds kicked in, it was relentless. You know I don’t like heavy winds. We sit in a valley and the mountain range is quite close to us; the end result is rather like living in a wind tunnel.

After the sun came out. I think we got about 2 – 3 inches of wet snow. The high will only reach 30 today, so the snow will stick around for another day at least.

I’m already over it.

It’s still windy this morning and the sound of the wind chimes is driving me crazy.

But it’s pretty out there.

More in my Queen series:

Queen Holly.

Queen Pru.

Of all the girls, Pru seems to have the most changeable face. Depending on the angle, she can look very different from photo to photo. I spent quite a bit of time this morning trying to get the best angle for her photo. This was the last one taken and I like it the best.

Pru was customized by one of my favorite customizers, Dragonfly Blythe. Sadly, she is no longer customizing. In fact, Nina, my other Dragonfly Blythe, was one of the last dolls she customized. Now, her work is finite, therefore more desirable. I’m lucky I have two of her girls.

We’re staying home today. It’s really cold and windy. Bitter, actually.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

 

Cold and Gray

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Late afternoon light on the cottage.

The lights are up on the porch railings. It looks so pretty and sparkly out there!

We’re watching old movies every night and, boy, that’s a comfort! We love doing that anyway, but right now, it’s a necessity. Don is writing some new songs and playing his guitar. I’m doing some chores outside, thought it’s awfully cold out there right now, so I do a little bit each day. But it’s pretty bleak looking with frigid temperatures and gray skies. Sigh.

I assume we’ll go looking for our tree at the end of this week or the beginning of next week. We don’t go on the weekends because all the weekenders tend to mob our local nursery.

Can you tell I don’t have a lot to share at the moment? It feels like we’re deep into winter and yet it hasn’t even officially started yet! This does not bode well, does it?

Another day, another crown:

Yesterday was Ella’s day to be Queen.

I’m back to reading John Sandford and I’m not even trying to read his books in order because there are so many of them! There are several of his books on the shelf in my library, so I’ve started with them. Then, once I read them, I’ll start reserving his books through the library system. Louise Penny sits to my right, waiting to be read, but I think that will be on tap in January or February, right when I need the escape.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

 

Glitter, Miniature Decorating, Winterizing

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The tree is up in Dove Cottage. I was trying to focus on the tree, rather than the furniture – hence, the blurriness in the foreground. I aim to keep the decorating in the little houses as spare as the decorations in my big house: the Christmas tree, a few putz houses here and there, and that’s about it.

The Lake Cottage, Mockingbird Hill Cottage, and Don’s studio have trees. I may switch out the tree in Don’s studio with the vintage dollhouse in the kitchen. He doesn’t care, so why not? That way, I could get a glimpse of the tree through the windows of the house. Hmmmm.

I did a lot of work outside yesterday and it was incredibly windy! Lots of trips back and forth to the shed, as I begin to move porch pots for winter storage. I used a dolly to move the vintage pots that live in the secret garden to the porch. They’re really heavy! I also swept the floor of the shed. I’m getting ready to hang the lights on the porch, cover the sideboard with a tarp, and store the cushions for the winter. It’s really, really cold with nighttime temps dipping down into the teens. We – at least here in the Hudson Valley – are unofficially in winter.

The pansies are still going strong, though I haven’t looked at them this morning. I hope they hang in there as long as possible.

Four more girls wearing their crowns:

I’m having a lot of fun with this series. The photos have to be taken in the early morning, with a certain kind of morning light. Yesterday, I slept in, so there I was – no coffee yet – blindly grabbing Nina, trying to get everything in place for a picture.

Since Maeve has gold glitter on her eyelids, I couldn’t resist.

Such are my days; crowns, glitter, dollhouses, and winterizing….

Stay safe.

Happy Monday,

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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