egg cups — Page 42

Random Bits on a Tuesday

November 24, 2015 at 9:17 am by Claudia

• Because you often ask about her and she’s currently snoozing in the tunnel:

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Our sweet girl. Yes, I know she’s almost 17, but she’ll always be our little girl.

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• I brought that Bible home with me from my parents’ condo. It isn’t particularly pretty and it’s very much the worse for wear, but it was on the bookshelves in my childhood home for as long as I can remember. It was a part of the view I saw every day as a young girl. So I felt it needed a home here. (I’m going to be reviewing the latest Michael Connelly that you see on the shelf next to the Bible – The Crossing – on Just Let Me Finish This Page today. Click here.)

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• I’ve now attempted to bid on a few of the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs egg cups on eBay. I lost out each time. Oh, so frustrating. I have a strict budget, so in a couple of cases, I simply had to stop bidding. And one time, I couldn’t be around for the end of the auction.

Waah. They rarely come up for auction. Darn it.

• I listed another scarf in the Etsy shop.

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Obsession scarf in Spanish Moss. You can find it here. More yarn is on the way. I’m hoping some of it will arrive by tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Update: Sold! Thank you.

• And finally, a talented filmmaker recorded Don and Dan performing a couple of Don’s songs. The videos are on their website and the link is here. Thought you might enjoy watching these two talented guys at work.

Happy Tuesday.

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On Two Gifts

November 14, 2015 at 9:32 am by Claudia

Gifts. That’s the subject of today’s post. The first, a gift that came in the mail and the other, a gift that came through a stranger’s words.

First, the mail. My longtime blogging friend Mary of A Breath of Fresh Air sent me a package that arrived yesterday. Mary was born in England, grew up in Devon, and eventually married an American. She’s lived in the States for many years. She’s a world traveler, her home is beautiful and, most importantly, she’s a beautiful person.

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This is what I unwrapped. It’s a beautiful vintage egg cup from Devon – Torquay/Devon Motto Ware. Gorgeous. Heavy. Would you like to see the motto?

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Love it. Fresh eggs! This is so, so charming.

Mary went back to Devon recently and brought home some pieces of vintage pottery. And she decided I should have this piece. I’m so honored.

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The mark shows a ship on the sea. The name of the pottery is obscured, but according to my research, it might be Dartmouth Pottery Devon.

Also included in the package:

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Lovely crochet, isn’t it?

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It’s an egg cozy! Isn’t that wonderful? After all, we have to keep that egg warm until it’s ready to eat.

Thank you, dear Mary. Her note said she hoped the gift would bring a smile. It sure did. I am blessed.

Gift Two. Meredith and I have been trying to get in contact with the financial company that handles my Dad’s stock investments. We found a business card on his desk and Meredith left several messages. No return call. So I volunteered to go online and find an email address and I wrote to them. We probably had the wrong phone number or something, because I received a response right away from the gentleman who had handled Dad’s account. He expressed his sympathy on Dad’s passing and I passed on Meredith’s phone number. We emailed back and forth a few times, but the gift came in the final email.

I had written about the suddenness of Dad’s illness and death and that Meredith and I had held his hands as he passed away.

He wrote this: “Gordon went from holding your hands to holding Shirley’s in a blink.”

That was such a gift to me. I called Meredith and read it to her and we both were struck by the beauty and profound truth expressed in those words. I find it enormously comforting.

From a man I’ve never met, words that I will hold close to my heart. A gift.

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I’ve just listed this scarf in the Etsy Shop. It’s the Obsession Scarf in Summer Sky Heather. I crocheted it in Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Wool. It is the softest wool and completely machine washable. There is a link to my Etsy shop on my sidebar – some of you have asked for it. I’ll also link to it here.

I was tempted to keep this one! I really love it. Hope you do, too.

Gosh darn it! I just lost out on the Snow White egg cup for the second time! I almost had it. Very, very disappointing.

I cannot close without saying my heart is with Paris today. Words are inadequate in the face of such horrific and despicable actions.

Heartsick.

Happy Saturday.

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The Proliferation of Lists and Shoulds

November 9, 2015 at 9:48 am by Claudia

Because they make me smile:

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And smiles have been in short supply recently.

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Under the topic of Things that Irritate Me: Any headline or blog post that says something like “10 Essentials You Should Have in Your Home.” Or on the Huffington Post today, “10 Books at Garage Sales You Should Never Pass Up.”

Really? According to who (or is it whom)?

Stop with the ‘shoulds.’ I am stubborn. If you tell me I ‘should’ do anything, which is really just a way to write what you think is a catchy, can’t-fail post or article title, I will not read it. In fact, if I’m feeling a little surly, I will look at your list and do the opposite.

And I’ll add, though I’ve said this before, the list trend in blog post titles irritates me, as well. Also on the Huffington Post today: “18 Annoying Things I Don’t Want to Hear About Your Child.” Stop it. Or I will counter with “18 Annoying Things I Don’t Want to See or Hear From You.”

If there’s a list, I won’t read it. I know many readers are drawn to that kind of post and more power to you. That’s just fine. This is just my opinion. I think it irritates me for a couple of reasons. Writers have clearly been told this is a good way to get readers. So EVERYONE is now doing it. My eyes glaze over. Who knows? Maybe stats show that this is indeed a sure-fire way to get people to read a post. Since I’m not in this for the stats, and – again – since I’m stubborn, I will not go there.

Another reason? The tendency for everyone to assume the title of ‘expert’ simply because they have a little writing space on the web. Just because I love decorating my home doesn’t make me an expert on the subject. I know what I like, but surely that’s not what everyone likes. I wrote a series of posts on living in a small space a few years back. I was never entirely comfortable coming up with ‘rules’ for small spaces. Again, I know what works for us here in this cottage, but making a list of rules for others to follow is not me. I’m not an expert. I just know what works here.

I often consider deleting those posts from my navigation bar. Maybe today…

Just because I’ve worked with coding and designed this blog and my other blog doesn’t make me qualified to be a blog consultant. I almost started a little side thing to help others with blogging questions a few years back, but it never felt right and I’m glad I didn’t follow through. I don’t know enough about graphics and design. I know what I need to know for my purposes but not nearly enough to qualify as an expert.

Humility can be a good thing.

Okay. Enough of that. It just feels good to talk about something other than grief.

I asked Don to make breakfast for me yesterday and he did. French Toast = comfort food. Oh, was it good! He’s been great; checking in with me to see how I’m doing, listening to me when I need to talk, holding me when I need to cry. I’ve been a little testy at times. I admit it, I don’t have a lot of patience at the moment. I’m working on that. But he understands and for that I am truly grateful.

I hope you’re all well on this Monday morning. Thanks for being there on the other end of these posts. Thanks for reading my words, awkward as they may be at times.

Happy Monday.

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Random Bits on a Tuesday

On Two Gifts

The Proliferation of Lists and Shoulds

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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