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Trash, Books & Minis

May 14, 2016 at 9:01 am by Claudia

5-14 kitchenmorning

I know a good trash can is a necessity in a kitchen – in ours, we need one that is really secure, since various critters fly inside our house during the summer months. We had one for years that was made by OXO and it was great; except for the lid, which had structural flaws in its design. Eventually, no matter how careful we were, the plastic portions would disintegrate and it wouldn’t work. OXO was very helpful, sending us replacement lids throughout the years. We must have had at least 6 different lids. But the flaw actually got worse, and the latest replacement fell apart in less than two months.

So we bit the bullet yesterday and bought a new one. Not the most exciting thing to buy, but a necessity. We rewarded ourselves by going out to breakfast and stopping at the bookstore.

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I picked up Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty – a memoir by Diane Keaton (I am a huge fan) and then I got a discount copy of The Shining Girls  by Lauren Beukes. I read her newest novel, Broken Monsters, a few months ago and really liked it.

I also ran into Michael’s to get some plastic storage bins for my minis – right now, they’re all over the place.

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And I found this mini table – I like the color and the lines.

Then we came home. Driving up and down a busy highway full of stores and strip malls isn’t really our cup of tea. We were relieved when we got back to our little cottage.

All this running around meant I didn’t get the seeds planted in the Chicken Wire Fence Garden, so I’ll do that this morning.  And by the time we got back home, I realized that I had to pick my health plan before the end of the day, so that became a priority.

But there was a little package waiting for me in our mailbox. It was from my pal, Linda.

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Oooh! The egg cup on the left is Harlequin by Homer Laughlin (in my favorite color) and the egg coddler is a lovely one from Royal Worcester.  Thank you, Linda! We both collect egg cups, by the way, so we are definitely enablers.

She also sent along three mini record albums for the TSP, but I am unable to get a good shot of them this morning. I’ll remedy that later in the day.

We might get more rain later in the day, so I’m going to attend to gardening and potting later this morning.

Happy Saturday.

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Filed Under: books, bookstores, egg cups, gifts, miniatures 24 Comments

It’s Nice To Be Spoiled Every Now And Then

May 12, 2016 at 9:56 am by Claudia

Greetings from the land of mulching, and mulching some more, and soaking morning glory seeds, and planting impatiens. I did a bit too much yesterday (big surprise) but the garden beds are looking so much better. It was worth it!

As to the mystery plant, I’m still leaning toward spirea, but reader Ann suggested chokecherry and when I looked it up, well – it could very well be a chokecherry. The way to determine that is to watch and wait, and if it eventually develops berries, then I’ll know the answer. And since chokecherry is a tree, I would have to remove it. So let’s hope it’s a spirea – they are both from the same family, as it turns out.

The day before yesterday, a package from Barbara arrived in the mail.

She mentioned that she found a wonderful site on Etsy that sells fèves. Fèves are little trinkets that are made to be put in a King Cake, which is baked on Epiphany. Whoever ends up with the fève is King for the day. I didn’t know about any of this, but I’ve since explored the shop and I am enchanted by these little mini figures. Barbara thought they would be perfect for dollhouse miniatures – and they are. They’re from France.

Some photos of the little fève vases:

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Right around this time in the picture-taking, I thought I’d throw in a penny for a size comparison.

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They are made from porcelain and are hand painted. Simply exquisite.

I’m over-the-moon about this shop – it’s called ValueARTifacts. I already have a wish list going. These pieces are so well made and the are perfect for dollhouse projects.

Also in the box:

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A can of Pringles (not a fève) – that will go in the TSP.

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And some muffins!

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An overhead shot of one of the vases in the TSP. Don’t you think the colors are perfect in that space? And heaven knows, I can’t fill that shelf unit entirely with record albums, though I do have a few more on the way via Etsy.

Oh, I almost forgot the other item in the box:

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This piece of Roseville. Barbara wasn’t sure if it was a legit piece (it is) and it has a tiny chip on the base. As you know, I care not one bit about little chips, so I am thrilled to have this join my Roseville family. It’s the Bleeding Heart pattern. Love those graduated Art Deco-like handles!

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The other side.

I’ve had curtail my Roseville buying lately, as any extra funds I have are being used for the TSP. Thank you, Barbara, for everything. You spoil me!

But, I have to admit, it’s nice to be spoiled every now and then.

Speaking of spoiling, the other present I received from Don on Mother’s Day was Adele’s new record album, 25 – yes, on vinyl. I love it.

Happy Thursday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: garden, gardening, gifts, miniatures, Roseville pottery 37 Comments

Birds, Russian, Seeds, a Gift, Appointments & Books

April 6, 2016 at 9:10 am by Claudia

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The singing birds seem to be entranced with the Aquitania.

I noticed the change in their position the other day. Are they fascinated with ocean travel? Are they pondering landing on the deck of the ship, thereby bringing delight to the passengers?

(No doubt the change in orientation happened when I was dusting, but I like to think they turned toward the ship.)

Yesterday was taken up by a long phone call with my neighbor, who is from Russia. She was enormously helpful in clarifying some of the Russian pronunciations. I’m very grateful for her help. Then it was off to the Podiatrist for Don’s follow-up appointment. The cellulitis is getting much, much better, though, as I suspected might be the case, the doctor wants him to be on antibiotics for another week. His words to Don: “Chill out. Elevate. No commuting into the city.” (Too much walking.)

Needless to say, Don is going a bit crazy. I was in the same housebound state when I badly sprained my ankle so I understand. There’s only so much you can do from your chair….

Today I’m doing more prep work on Anastasia. I am traveling to Hartford tomorrow afternoon; just for the day, mind you. The actors are doing a read-through of the script. (I hope they sing, too!)

Monday’s mail also brought a package from my longtime blogging friend, Sheila.

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She sent us wildflower, morning glory and forget-me-not seeds for Scout’s Garden. And she added two adorable pairs of gardening gloves. Sheila, this is the perfect gift for us and we are so grateful for your thoughtful gesture. We miss her. We are still in mourning. And we’re so looking forward to that time, hopefully in a few weeks, that we can break ground, prep the soil, and start planting her garden.

From Sheila: “I sent one box of wildflowers for Scout and one for Riley. The pink Morning Glory vine is for Scout, the blue for Riley, and the Zinnias and Forget Me Nots for their parents to cut and enjoy inside.”

And she sent pink gloves because we originally met while participating in the meme Pink Saturday. I’m so touched.

Thank you, dear friend.

I’m reading Beach Music by Pat Conroy, but it’s taking me a while to get into it. That’s not due to his writing, which is superb, it’s more likely due to the crazy week we’ve had. At over 700 pages long, I guess I’ll be reading this one for a while!

Oh, one more thing. Have you seen the new HBO documentary about Nora Ephron? I was a big fan of her work, both on the printed page and on screen, and this new documentary, It’s All Copy, has been produced by her son Jacob Bernstein. It’s wonderful. Run, don’t walk, to HBO to see it. We loved it and are planning to watch it a second time.

New post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page.

Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: books, coaching, Don, garden, gifts, Scout 51 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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