Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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I’m trying….

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This print hangs above the fireplace in the apartment. (The fireplace that I would like to use as we don’t have one in the cottage, but its been too warm at night.) I like this print of a Dutch girl, but it is so faded from years of hanging here with sun streaming through the windows that I wanted to do something with it. So I bought some fabric at the quilt shop and covered the print with the fabric. I’m not sure I like it. I like the idea of it, but right now it looks like a big wrapped package.
I will leave it as is for the time being because I find it much more cheery, but maybe some vintage fabric? Barkcloth or chintz? Something flowery, but faded? Any ideas?

I spent a lovely afternoon at the beach on Monday with friends. We had lunch and laughed and caught up on all our news. The weather was beautiful, sunshine and a lovely breeze. Monday is my official day off.

I am coming up on my first blogging anniversary on February 17th. Bloggers usually have a giveaway of some kind and I am thinking of doing that….but do I have a big enough readership? I certainly don’t have the kind of numbers that many blogs I visit do. Nevertheless, I love all of you who do read Mockingbird Hill Cottage and want to do something to celebrate this past year. Blogging has been a wonderful adventure for me and I have loved every minute of it. So stayed tuned and all will be revealed.

I will leave you with a little gift I received on opening night last week. The play I coached involves one of the Lost Boys of the Sudan and his assimilation into American life. One of the pleasures of working in theater is that it is a small world. You work with someone and he or she knows someone you know. Or you worked with someone years ago and they reappear. Such is the case with this show. I worked with this lovely actress 16 years ago in Boston and she is the lead actress in this production. I love that. She gave me this lovely piece of Kenyan soapstone on opening night. It has been hand painted and polished until is smooth as silk. The wages these Kenyan artisans earn give them healthcare, support their families and provide an education for their children. I love holding it in my hand, turning it over and over. I find it comforting.

More later.

A Treat from The Beautiful Life

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A package arrived for me yesterday at the theater. It was a pillow I ordered from Ruth at The Beautiful Life. It is a pillow from her Mathematicus line that I special ordered.

Isn’t it lovely? If you go to her site, you will find photos of the pillows in various fabrications. I ordered ’21’ because it is my birthday; the standard series consists of ’12’, ’34’, and ’56’. If you put them all together you get ‘123456’! The text is stitched on the pillow cover.

Ruth has a beautiful website – go on and pay her a visit!

My mom is still in the hospital having tests. I will keep you updated.

Good Morning!

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Let me start with these photos of the morning sunrise…glorious! I have an unobstructed view of the morning sunrise from the balcony of my apartment and this morning’s was just beautiful. Glad I woke up around 6 am!


I purchased these linens for a few dollars each. The tables in this apartment are wood, rather like something you would find in an office (from the 80’s). Two of them have deep drawers, like file cabinets. They are the same kind of wood that is used in the dresser in the ‘bedroom.’ If you remember, I used a runner to break up that surface. I have done the same with the tables. I have so many of these linens back home that I inherited from my grandmother. I love them, so I am happy to add to the stash.

Had to use the flash for the above linen, sorry! It is in a darker corner of the room.


Mockingbird Hill Apartment West is just about finished…that’s not to say I won’t add some things here and there, but I must remember that I have to ship all these things home!

Today is my day off, but I have lots of work to do in preparation for the beginning of classes tomorrow. By the way, I love my new printer and I think my husband will, too, when it is eventually shipped home to New York.

I mentioned in an earlier blog post about my search for a Singer Featherweight sewing machine to use while I am here. I saw 2 of them over the weekend in antique stores. One didn’t have a case, or any of the attachments, but was in pretty good condition. It seems that I could spend a bit more and get the extras that I need. The other one had everything and was in fairly good condition, but the owner of the store was going to ask way more than I thought was fair, and certainly more than I could afford! So the search continues. I want one very badly – I have all the finished squares for my quilt right here in the apartment and can’t do anything with them! I love Featherweights – they are little beauties!

More later.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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