Slowly, they’re being removed from the tree. As a branch starts sagging and I fear an ornament might fall, I gently remove it and transfer it to the pew. When I got up this morning, Don said how much he loved seeing them there. So the tree is still up and we are in no hurry to take it down. We need the lights.

Days are slow around here, but in a good way. Don is writing songs and playing his guitar. I am doing a little work on the dollhouse. I am hampered by budget, so I am taking it slow. I have no choice! Yesterday, I started building a piece from a kit.

Years ago, one of my readers sent me a box full of kits from the now defunct House of Miniatures. I’m sorry, but I can’t remember the name of the person who generously sent them to me. Time, names, and too many people over the course of my life – you know how it is. I’ll search later to see if I can find the name. Anyway, I’ve done a few of them, including the wingback chair and a wall-mounted cupboard, both of which are in Hummingbird Cottage.

Edited: I’ve received House of Miniature kits from both Laura and Anne. Thank you!!!

The Beacon Hill deserves a Grandfather clock, don’t you think? With those spacious hallways, it’s a no-brainer.

This is as far as I got yesterday. I love a good kit! I have another one – not from House of Miniatures – for an upright piano. And two more table kits, as well. I’d like to buy more. There’s something really neat about assembling pieces of furniture yourself. It makes the whole experience more personal.

In the meantime, I’m looking at wallpaper for the rooms. I know I said I would rather paint the rooms, but the previously painted walls have inconsistencies that would be better served by wallpaper.

And that’s where I am, at the moment. I have ideas for the living room and for one of the bedrooms, which will not be a bedroom, but a library/reading room. I have ideas for the kitchen, but the question there is do I save up my money over time to buy that vintage stove in miniature form which is almost exactly like Stella? Because that’s what I desperately want, of course.

I’m rambling. Time to make our second cup of coffee.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Here you see proof that I have started in on the Beacon Hill.

Several windows had to be fixed. They were either missing the acrylic window pane or part of the frame. Because I have an additional kit, I pulled frames and window sheets from there. It’s fiddly work. As I learned from working on Dove Cottage, Greenleaf dollhouse kits are inconsistent in execution. The parts don’t always match from kit to kit. So you have to cheat a little to get them to fit, or as in yesterday’s work, jam them in place.

I swore a lot.

My fingers were covered in glue. I also discovered that I have to make a trip to Michael’s to get some paints. I haven’t used them in a long time and some of them have dried out. In the case of the color white, I have barely any left. Everything is now reattached except for the front door, which I’ll delay until the end of the project. Rehabbing an already assembled dollhouse means it can’t possibily be perfect and I’m fine with that.

Besides, decorating the dollhouse is my favorite part of the whole thing.

We’re a bit down because the holiday season has ended – also because the Orange Clown has pulled another bone-headed move. It’s stupid and an attempt to distract from the E Files and J. Smith’s testimony. It’s also all about oil. (I do this with names to keep trolls from finding the blog.)

We are keeping the tree up for another two days or so. I’ve been slowly removing ornaments that are in danger of falling. I told Don that I needed the lights a couple of days longer and he agreed. I may or may not get the ornament bins out of the shed today. But the lights will stay in place just a bit longer.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.