Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for jigsaw puzzles

Day Three Hundred Fifteen

January 22, 2021 at 10:38 am by Claudia

Good morning!

It’s currently sunny outside! Huzzah! We’re expecting snow squalls later in the day, so I don’t expect it to last, but I’m grateful that it is sunny now.

Okay. The gorgeous John Derian puzzle is finished:

This was taken late in the day yesterday. It’s my favorite, so far, of all the puzzles I’ve put together.

Enclosed in the box was a small print version of this puzzle. If I frame anything, I’ll frame that. I’ve never framed the puzzles I vowed to frame last year and now, months later, I realize I have no desire to. I now realize that idea is unrealistic – at least, for me. We already have a lot of art on our walls and there’s not room for large framed puzzles. So, it’s about enjoying the process, letting it sit on the kitchen table for a few days in all its glory, and then taking it apart.

On Inauguration day, two packages arrived in the mail. The long-lost package from Spain arrived! In it is the work of Sofia of Twelve Times More Teeny on Etsy.

Aren’t they beautiful? I have some of Sofia’s work in Hummingbird Cottage and I knew I wanted to order from her again. These will go in the hutch in the English Cottage aka Dove Cottage.

And speaking of Hummingbird Cottage, the grand dame of all my dollhouses, Caroline was thrilled to get a new table and chairs for the kitchen. You’ve seen the table, but here are the chairs.

In consultation with Caroline, a decision was made to order chairs with higher backs, a French Country look. I like these much better than the smaller chairs that were here previously. I have yet to style this table but I will. These are from an Etsy shop called Tiny Dwelling. Lovely work – and the owner of the shop has a lot of interesting items in stock.

And yesterday, the dollhouse wallpaper finally arrived! So I will be upstairs in the studio working on the dollhouse this afternoon.

Housekeeping note: I’ll be brief, because I’ve said this many times before. I had a comment from a Trumper yesterday. You can see it on yesterday’s post. Before I saw it (I had been working on the puzzle) other readers saw it and challenged that commenter. And a few of you replied to that comment later in the day. Anyway, I responded. You responded.

You know the rules. Anyone supporting that man and his administration is not welcome here. Period. I would not welcome that person in my home. And MHC is also my home. I’ve left the comment up, but I’ve blocked her. And I’ll continue to do that when necessary. Thankfully, it happens rarely.

I can do that because it’s my blog. A personal blog owned by me.

Also: someone left a comment a couple of weeks ago suggesting what I should and should not write about (this concerned politics.) She mentioned that I might be concerned about ‘offending my readers,’ which, in reality, meant her.

The obvious answer: No, it doesn’t concern me. I am a careful writer and work hard to be articulate and honest. but I’m not in this for numbers or lots of followers. This is my  blog. I pay for it. I maintain it. You get to read it for free. I’ve been writing it for almost 13 years. It has always been about my life and that includes my opinions. You can disagree with me, which this person did, and for the most part I will leave the comment up and respond to it, unless the commenter attacks me or says something so offensive that it has to be deleted.

I don’t tell other bloggers what to post. During the course of my many years of blogging, I learned very early on that imposing my opinions on other bloggers about their subject matter was not a good idea. (And I have strong opinions!) If I don’t like someone’s content, I can (and do) move on. But I don’t tell them what they should and shouldn’t post, whether on a blog or on Instagram. Neither should anyone presume to tell me what I should and shouldn’t write about here.

I don’t take kindly to it.

I see that all the time on IG. People peg accounts as purely about decorating or books or whatever and when that the account holder speaks out about an issue, they are offended and say “I don’t come to this account for (fill in the blank).”

Oh, you’re telling that person what they can and can’t post? That they have to be what you  want them to be? I think not.

Okay. I have to reiterate these things at times. But I promise not to do it too often. (I’m not sure I succeeded at being brief.)

Moving on.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: blog, dollhouse, jigsaw puzzles, miniatures 47 Comments

Day Three Hundred Twelve

January 19, 2021 at 9:44 am by Claudia

Yesterday was mostly spent working on the puzzle. I find it so calming. As you can see, I got a lot more finished. Now, however, I’m into the fiddly bits; crosshatches, lines, tiny branches. More difficult. And since I woke up too early and feel edgy, this might not be a good day to work on the puzzle. We’ll see.

Still waiting on the wallpaper for the dollhouse. It was shipped on January 3rd – from Vermont, just one state away. What the ??? I’m frustrated because I can’t do any work until it arrives. I’m over these mail problems. I don’t know if it’s possible, but I hope Biden pressures DeJoy to resign.

And by the way, I hope he abolishes ICE. I read something this morning about them detaining and splitting up two brothers from Haiti, and I want to scream and the injustice of it all – the deliberate cruelty.

Just a little over 24 hours, friends. The day we thought would never come will be here. I told Don this morning that I feel like we’re all about to be released from 4 years in prison. The warden has just come in my cell to tell me that in 24 hours, I’ll be released. I’ll walk through the gates to kindness and compassion and competence and honor. Glory Hallelujah!

Another gray day. I stood at the kitchen door today while I was waiting for the coffee to go through the filter and it looked so bleak out there. I do my best to find the beauty in the bleakness and I usually can. Some days, it’s not so easy. Although, the sun just peeked out for a moment. See? Some beauty.

I realize my posts haven’t been all that interesting lately but I guess that’s a reflection of our life right now. We’re hanging in there. Like you, we’re waiting for the Inauguration of Joe Biden. We can’t get an appointment for the vaccine. There is none available around here. I assume that will get better once Biden is installed. But for now, even though we’re 68 and 69…no vaccine.

One good thing: Don made a sugar-free apple pie the other day. Scrumptious!

Hold tight, change is coming soon.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

 

Filed Under: jigsaw puzzles 45 Comments

Day Three Hundred Eleven

January 18, 2021 at 10:17 am by Claudia

Coming along. I’ve done more since this picture was taken. At times I sit down and spend an hour or two at the table. At other times, I stop by when doing something in the kitchen and invariably find a piece or two that I can add to the puzzle. That’s what I like about it. It’s all about the process, which is true for most things I do, whether it’s reading, quilting, working on a dollhouse, doing a jigsaw or crossword puzzle. I can be impatient about many things in life, but I’m not at all impatient about this kind of work.

It’s such a gorgeous puzzle.

So why wouldn’t I want to extend the pleasure of putting it all together as long as possible?

Also – it keeps me sane as we slowly, slowly run down the clock until the Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. My prayers last night were for the safety of our leaders and everyone involved in our government. Sadly, I have a feeling that will be a constant prayer for quite a long time.

It’s another gray day here. Endless. Occasionally we get a hint of sunshine, but it quickly disappears. These are the challenging days, not just this winter but every winter. We work hard here at the cottage to maintain a positive attitude. But it sure is a challenge!

We watched PBS last night – the new series Miss Scarlett and The Duke  and the second episode of All Creatures Great and Small. What a wonderful escape! I’m so enjoying both series.

Stay safe.

Happy Martin Luther King Day.

 

Filed Under: jigsaw puzzles 37 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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