etsy — Page 12

Sunset, Scarf & Scout (and Cold!)

November 9, 2012 at 9:15 am by Claudia

Oh boy. It’s friggin’ cold here this morning. I am currently wearing a wool cap, a shawl is draped around my shoulders and a quilt is draped around my lap. Yikes. Don threatened to take a picture of me in this get-up for my readers, but I squelched that idea. Our furnace/oil guy, Gino, gave us two space heaters to use and they are helping enormously but I’ve realized what a difference it makes when you have no heat coming up from the basement. Somehow the temperature in here seems much colder than yesterday morning when we still had some residual heat rising from the basement. The new boiler will be put in later today. It cannot come soon enough. It went down to 27° last night.

But even though this is a pain in the tush, it is nothing compared to what those who lost power during Sandy are going through. I just saw an update from one of my former students who lives in NJ with his wife and children. They are on their 11th day without power. 11 days. So I will shut my mouth now and cease complaining.

This was the view out my kitchen door last night. I was so intrigued by the cloud that is low on the horizon. Doesn’t it look like an angel’s wing? It was so beautiful. Far more beautiful than my camera could capture. I love sunsets. Winter sunsets seem to be even more extravagant in their beauty. Perhaps Mother Nature knows she needs to step up the color?

My favorite subject. Scout was in a playful mood here as we wrestled a bit on the living room rug. Oh that girl has such lively eyes. She will be 14 in January. How can that be? The other night, as it was snowing, I let her outside. I came back a few minutes later to see her frolicking in the snow: running around, pouncing, smiling. Thank goodness she still has a lot of puppy in her! I am totally besotted by her and always have been.

I’m missing Riley a lot lately. It’s been almost 3 months since we said goodbye to our boy. Remember the stories about Scout and Riley barking together? Scout would bark, then Riley would bark, then Scout would bark? Don and I would howl along with them. When I was playing with Scout the day this photo was taken, I started to howl. I hadn’t done that since Riley left us. She stopped her barking, gave me a surprised look and came over and licked me on the lips. When I did it again, she did the same thing. She knew. She misses her brother. So do I.

There’s a new scarf in the Etsy shop:

This one is in the softest wool and acrylic – really, it is so soft that even I (sensitive to wool) can wear it. Update: Sold Out. I’m starting another one later today.

I’ll be back later today – at 8:00 EST – for A Favorite Thing.

Happy Friday.

Ladybugs, Cupcakes & Baseball

October 19, 2012 at 9:37 am by Claudia

Yesterday was sunny and warm and beautiful. Today? Rainy and dark. Guess which one I prefer.

And before you ask, I have yet to shred.

I’ve read about this happening but this is my first experience with it. Swarming ladybugs. I took Scout for a walk around the yard yesterday and I kept getting dive-bombed by ladybugs! They are everywhere right now.

They seem to congregate by the kitchen door and along the front porch posts and railings.

I love ladybugs so I was delighted and fascinated. Enter Google. Apparently they do this in the fall as they are looking for a warm place to park themselves for the winter. Time to hibernate, my little ladybugs. Go ahead, use my porch, you can stay for free. They get in the house, of course, and while I love seeing them, they will die if they stay here, so I try to rescue them and put them back outside.

And just when I thought my plants had stopped blooming, look what I discovered:

A lovely little Clematis flower. That was a delightful surprise.

Don was in NYC yesterday and I knew he would be near Lincoln Center. That means he was near a favorite place of mine.

Sorry for the quality. It was dark outside. Yes, he brought me 3 Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes!

I may have twisted his arm a little.

I ate number one last night as we watched baseball. By the way, congratulations to my hometown team, the Detroit Tigers! Couldn’t be happier. Well, if the Red Sox were going to the World Series, I would be happier, but I’m pretty happy about the Tigers.

I’ll be back at 8:00 pm EST for A Favorite Thing.

I’ve listed a new scarf in the Etsy Shop. For those of you who have a problem with wool, this one is made from Silk and Bamboo yarn and, believe me, it is incredibly soft and silky on your skin.

Update: Sold. I’m starting a new scarf as I write this!

Happy Friday.

What the Heck is in That China Cabinet, Part 2

October 15, 2012 at 11:09 am by Claudia

Well, for those of you who were extra observant this morning, you might have seen a quick panicked post about my camera not working. I couldn’t get the shutter to work and as this has been a bit problematic lately, I thought I no longer had a working camera. Dollar signs flashed in front of my eyes.

I figured out what the problem was and all is well, for the time being. Sigh of relief.

Now for the next installment of “What the heck is in that china cabinet?”

Here you see the kitchen china cabinet in all it’s jumbled glory. Starting with the top shelf, on the left:

1. Some Emma Bridgewater pottery: A saucer and pitcher. I have another pitcher holding our toothbrushes in the bathroom. 2. A child’s plate, also Bridgewater 3. Baked egg cup, Bridgewater (All the Bridgewater pottery was bought when I was in England.) 4. Small cream pitcher, Bridgewater 5. Fiesta teapot that I saved for myself when I sold my collection. I love it.

Top shelf, on the right:

1. McCoy vase 2. Platter, Johnson Bros. Rose Chintz (I have the dishes, as well) 3. Lovely shaker given to me by Donna 4. McCoy pot 5. McCoy pot 6. Depression glass salt and pepper shakers

Middle shelf, left:

1. Roseville pottery 2. Harlequin pitcher with my Bakelite flatware 3. Brown transferware sugar and creamer 4. pine cone candle from Poland, given to us by the same friends who gave me 5. tiny teapot 6. plate from Anthropologie with the initial H

Middle Shelf, right:

1. Teacups from my collection of Edwin Knowles china 2. Large plate that I bought in California because I loved it 3. McCoy vase 4. McCoy planting dish 5. Very old Brush McCoy pitcher 6. China salad plate made in France

Bottom shelf, left:

1. McCoy pottery planter 2. Red Wing Pottery vase (the inside is a soft green 3. Fiesta teapot 4. McCoy planting dish with a nest I found on the property inside)

Bottom shelf, right: