Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Chatty on Tuesday

October 13, 2015 at 9:11 am by Claudia

 

10-13 anniversary

•  Self-portrait, shot on the porch at Cracker Barrel yesterday. Or should it be Selves-portrait? I’m trying to avoid the use of the word ‘selfie’ if at all possible.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know we went for the big bucks and celebrated at Cracker Barrel. I know, you’re thinking that we really went all out for this anniversary.

Actually, we love Cracker Barrel but go there rarely. We’re low key about celebrations, so when Don suggested CB, I was in. As it was it took us forever to get there because of all the traffic. Thousands and thousands of people head up to our neck of the woods on fall weekends and, inevitably, they have to head back home, causing traffic back-ups for miles. It’s a pain in the you-know-what. But we got there and, of course, had to wait for a table. By the time we sat down, we were starved!

Then we watched the Mets play the Dodgers. (I love the Red Sox, but I also love the Mets.) They won.

10-13 quilt on chair

•  The nights are getting very cold. Quilts and throws are making an appearance.

10-13 quilt on bed

This bed cover is very heavy, so I usually stash it on the chair in the summer months. But it’s back on the bed, keeping us snug and warm as we transition to cooler nights.

•  Here’s a random thought:

10-13 imperialstormtrooper

Every time I look at my vacuum, I think of the Imperial Stormtroopers from Star Wars.

Is it just me? I’ve thought that since the day it arrived in the mail.

It’s a Shark Navigator, by the way, and it’s fabulous. And far less expensive than the over-priced Dyson. Just as in the theater or film, we Americans seem to be taken in by a British accent.

This vacuum is a especially great with dog hair and we have a lot of it around here.

•  My dad is still in the hospital. They’ve found a fracture in his spine which needs to be treated with either injections that might be dangerous for a 92 year old man, or physical therapy. The doctor says he cannot be on his own right now and has recommended physical therapy, so that means he has to move to rehab facility after they’ve finished running tests. We thought he would go to the same rehab facility that both of my parents have spent time in, which is right next to the hospital and just a few miles from my sister.

But no. Medicaid has managed to screw everything up. Their ‘rules’ about things sometimes drive me up the wall. When my dad was admitted to the hospital, it was coded as ‘under observation.’ For some ridiculous reason, that particular code means my father will now be forced to go to one of two facilities, both of which are about 45 minutes to an hour away from home. Don’t ask me why. My sister works long hours at her job and has a four year old to take care of when she’s not at work. Driving that far will make it impossible for her to see dad more than once – maybe twice – a week. I can’t get down there right now. Needless to say, we’re very frustrated. The rehab facility where we thought he would go would have been perfect for him. Everyone knows him there – their presence would make it all so much easier for him.

• For those of you who have found that Don’s CD is temporarily out-of-stock, hang in there. CD Baby only keeps a small amount on hand because, as you can imagine, they stock CDs for thousands of musicians. We’ll be sending them more today and they should be available shortly. I’ll let you know when they’re back in stock.

Okay. Long post.

Thank you so much for the anniversary wishes yesterday. We loved reading them. You are all wonderful, a true blessing in my life.

Happy Tuesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: anniversary, baseball, bedroom, Dad, Don, life 42 Comments

A Bird in the Bedroom

March 23, 2015 at 9:08 am by Claudia

Spring, as you know, is taking its sweet time hitting these parts. There’s still snow on the ground, though less and less each day. The birds that overwinter here are in evidence and I swear I’ve heard a little song here and there. But I’ve yet to see a robin or any of the other birds who start to appear around this time of year.

So when I saw the sweetest bird pillow in the Etsy shop of my dear friend, Judy Clark, I had to get it.

It arrived on Saturday. Judy, being Judy, included some Easter goodies, as well.

3-23 judy's pillow

Isn’t it beautiful? As Don said when he saw it: “Flowers and birds. That fits in here.” (I do realize that I have to keep a tight rein on all things flowery. There’s a lot of it around the cottage.)

I walked around the house trying to figure out where it should go. The bedroom won out.

3-23 judy's pillow 3

I’m not one to shy away from pattern. As long as the patterns have a color in common, I go for it. I love color. I love pattern. I love eclectic.

I am still in love with our newish bed. It’s heavenly.

But I digress. The pillow looks just right on the bed. It needed to be with the two larger pillows. They work together.

3-23 judy's pillow 2

Judy, I hope you like it there. Your work is beautiful, as always. Thank you.

In case you’re interested, the quilt at the foot of the bed was made by yours truly. Most, but not all, of the fabric is from the Kaffe Fassett line, as was the pattern, which is based on the classic snowball block. This quilt was on our other bed, which had a full sized mattress. Since the new bed is a California King, this quilt is used for naps and it also travels with me when I’m on the road.

The gold coverlet is from Garnet Hill. No, I will not be making a California King sized quilt.

I got the pillow on the left from Home Goods.

The one on the right has a cover made out of vintage fabric.

The dust ruffle is from Overstock.

I’m off to start taking photos of egg cups.

Happy Monday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

 

Filed Under: bedroom, birds, decorating, Fellow bloggers, friends 38 Comments

Some Favorite Things, Upstairs Edition

March 12, 2015 at 9:18 am by Claudia

When you’re somewhat housebound in the midst of winter, a day where the sun is streaming in your windows makes all the difference, don’t you think? We’ve had more than a few of those sunny days lately (not to mention warmer temps and melting snow, huzzah!) Our bedroom is awfully pretty when the sun pours in the two tiny windows so I grabbed my camera the other day to take some pictures.

3-12 my pals

My pals. Maggie Rabbit, Wayfrum Holmes and Little Lamb. You’re probably familiar with them, but if you’re a newish reader, I’ll introduce them to you. Maggie Rabbit was made by me from a kit designed by the lovely Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy. By the way, Alicia has just added more Maggie Rabbit patterns to her shop. They go very quickly, so if you’re interested hop on over. I made Maggie when I was working out of town in Hartford and I love her.

Wayfrum Holmes was given to me by Don when I was about to leave for a six month stint in San Diego. Wayfrum kept me company while I was away from my loved ones. Little Lamb was a lovely gift from Sheila. Maggie, Wayfrum and Little Lamb are my traveling companions when I’m going to be away from home for a longish time.

They are perched upon a vintage hatbox I found many years ago in the Berkshires.

3-12 dogs I love

Right next to them are framed photos of our dogs: Winston, Scout and Riley. (Have to straighten that photo.) The mirror was a gift from my mom. The McCoy pottery piece is filled with pennies. And you can just see my other parakeet lamp, which is sitting on the bookcase because it needs to be rewired, along with at least two other lamps we own.

3-12 roseville

I own several pieces of Roseville pottery but this one just might be my favorite. It’s a cornucopia in the Bushberry pattern. It sits in a place of honor on my dresser.

Uh oh. Now I’m fixating on Roseville and this particular pattern. It might be time to add to my collection. Roseville can be very pricey, but it’s all in the timing. I’ve found some pieces at auction for very little money. If you go to a higher-end antique shop, you’re going to pay a lot more. The very first piece I ever purchased was a little bowl in the brown version of Bushberry. I got it in a little shop in San Diego when we were still living there.

The photo in the background is of yours truly in her office when I was teaching at Boston University. The other piece of pottery on the right is McCoy. It’s full of fabric hearts. The dresser scarf is really a tea towel. (I like it much better as a dresser scarf.)

It’s sunny again today. Snow is melting. I know that March is a big tease and that the temperature will eventually get colder, but boy, do we appreciate this little warm spell. The driveway is mud, of course. We had to put down some straw in Scout’s mini-corral because it’s also a sea of mud. But we’ll take it.

An interesting article in yesterday’s New York Times: The State of Alabama is now investigating a complaint of elder abuse re: Harper Lee and the decision to publish her ‘new’ novel.

Happy Thursday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: antiques, bedroom, china and pottery, dogs, favorite things, Riley, Roseville pottery, Scout, Winston 25 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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The Dogs

The Dogs

Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

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Lambs Like to Party

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