Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

  • About MHC
    • Disclosure
  • Dollhouses/Minis
    • Hummingbird Cottage
    • The Studio (Formerly TSP)
    • Dove Cottage
    • The Lake House
    • The Folk Art Dollhouse
    • The Modern Dollhouse
    • The Beacon Hill Dollhouse
    • Dollhouse Source List, Information and Tutorials
  • On the Road
  • Collecting
    • Roseville Pottery
    • McCoy Pottery
    • Egg Cups
    • Bakelite
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Archives for life

Tuesday Potpourri

October 4, 2022 at 8:42 am by Claudia

• I won’t be mowing today as it’s raining. I somehow missed the fact that rain was in the forecast but then again, I don’t remember checking it at all yesterday. Lots of rain today and some rain tomorrow, as well.

• It was so cold and gray yesterday. Once again, Don and I found ourselves feeling a bit blue. I miss summer. The zinnias are blooming which gives us a little splash of color. Some of the phlox is still blooming, as well as the butterfly bush, and of course, lots of autumn wildflowers.

• I know I’ve mentioned this before but I was a camp counselor for two summers when I was in college. It was a camp in northern Michigan affiliated with the Lutheran church – Michi-lu-ca. Sadly, it was sold a few years ago, which made all of us very, very sad. I had always wanted to show it to Don as it meant so much to me. I recently connected (via Facebook) to a fellow counselor from my second summer there. I suddenly wondered if there was a group of former counselors/staff on Facebook as there seems to be a group for everything under the sun. Sure enough, there is. It looks like it’s predominately more recent employees, but I found – or they found me – 5 or 6 fellow staff members from 1973. It’s been fun chatting with them SO many years later. Those two summers were extraordinary experiences for me and I remember them fondly. In those days, there were no cell phones or computers, so we really were cut off for the summer and it was quite magical.

• A coat arrived for the girls yesterday. A Blythe friend has been making lovely coats from felt – they remind me of swing coats. (I had two of them myself and loved them.) Since I only had one coat for the girls, I ordered one in red.

Red is notoriously difficult to photograph and can change dramatically depending on the light. Case in point:

Madeleine, photographed in the late afternoon light shining on the porch. The coat looks much brighter than it actually is. It’s a deep red.

Zoe, photographed in the darkish house. This is much closer to the real color (though a bit too dark) and of course, Zoe always looks great in red. Isn’t the coat adorable? Melissa calls them ‘adventuring coats.’

I also received a little hand knit beret from another artist in Ukraine. I’ll try to get a photo of it today.

• I’m working on a new puzzle and spent a nice chunk of time on that yesterday. I’ve also been reading The Ink Black Heart  for long periods of time.

I’m grateful to be home with my husband and feeling rather cozy.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, jigsaw puzzles, life, Michigan 18 Comments

Tuesday

September 27, 2022 at 9:25 am by Claudia

Last night’s sunset.

Gorgeous.

I’m trying to check in with my sister (who lives in Florida, for those of you who do not know) this morning. Reader Brenda, who lives closer to the coast but not far from my sister, is under mandatory evacuation. I suspect Meredith isn’t, but I’ll feel better when I can talk to her. Brenda, take care! We’re thinking of you and your family.

Anyway, I’m waiting for a text from Mere. She might be working today – I’m not sure.

Finished puzzle. I really loved working on this one. I’ll let it sit there for day or so because it’s so cool.

I spoke with Darko yesterday and I’m going to work with him on a workshop of a new musical in January. It will be so lovely to see him again – it was great talking with him, too. As Don said, it’s nice to start the new year with a job. It’s just for a couple of weeks, but it sounds challenging and exciting.

I haven’t made it upstairs to clean up my studio yet. Every time I’m about ready to plunge in, my back kicks up a bit. It’s a confined space which requires bending over, etc., so I’ll see how I feel later this morning. I’d really like to have things in order as we head into ‘indoor’ time, which means more time for projects.

Just heard from Mere. She’s in a no-evacuation zone but both the older boys live in evacuation zones, so they’re relocating.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

 

 

Filed Under: life 34 Comments

Thoughts on a Sunday

September 25, 2022 at 9:40 am by Claudia

I worked on this puzzle off and on yesterday. I’m really enjoying it. I really love puzzles with lots of people and/or objects. And this one is beautifully illustrated.

I also mowed. I wanted to finish the front lawn so it wasn’t uneven. Don wanted to mow, but pulling the thingy that starts the mower is hard on his hand, so I did that. He did mow a bit, but his hand got sore, so I did the majority of the mowing. He’s frustrated.

It may have been better to wait until today, because back-to-back days of mowing was hard on my back. It’s better this morning, but I’m going to baby it today, which means I’m not going to go to the miniatures show outside of Hartford. I’d love to, but I don’t think a total of four hours in the car is a good idea. Sigh. So I’m frustrated as well. I just have to remind myself that this is just a weird stretch that we’re going through.

I’d be tempted to spend money so it’s all for the best. And there’s always next year. Besides, I usually find my miniatures online and I suspect that will be the case as I start to work on the Beacon Hill.

I’m reading The Ink Black Heart  by Robert Galbraith. (JK Rowling) I love this mystery series centered around private detective Cormoran Strike. The book clocks in at a little over a thousand pages long. The previous book in the series was also quite long. It can look daunting, but they’re so well written and so readable that I really don’t notice it. Except for carrying it around or holding it while I’m reading in bed. It reminds me of reading Gone With The Wind  when I was in 8th grade. It was the longest book I had ever read at that point and I was quite proud of myself.

Side note: When someone hurts my husband’s feelings, this particular someone being a longtime friend, everything in me goes into protective mode. (I know this person very well.) I want to tell that person off. That happened yesterday. I’ve never had children, but I imagine that’s how parents feel when someone hurts their child. You want to make it all go away.

Anyway, you know how I feel about my husband. But it’s not just how I feel. He’s loved by so many because he is truly kind and compassionate, always helping others, always generous. He’s also wise. Yesterday, he reminded me that the person who hurt him is troubled and that we should simply pray for him and wish him peace.

So we did. And do.

But boy, I still want to tell him off.

Just being honest.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Filed Under: life 27 Comments

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 107
  • 108
  • 109
  • 110
  • 111
  • …
  • 365
  • Next Page »
  • Email
  • Instagram

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.

Thanks for stopping by.

Searching?

The Dogs

The Dogs

Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives

All Content © 2008 - 2026 Mockingbird Hill Cottage · Log in