Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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The Day that Got Away

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Well, I meant to have a post up by now, but I’ve somehow lost control of the day.

Started painting this morning; haven’t cleaned, swiffered or taken a shower. Or eaten any lunch. In the middle of it all, Brenda called with a blog problem and we spent a big chunk of time on the phone talking about it. Now, it’s 3:30 and I need to clean up a bit.

The desk is painted. Now I have to figure out what I’m going to do. Maybe a little ‘aging’ and some beeswax and then I have an idea for the shelves.

I had planned to attack the clutter in this house today (especially since Brenda and I are tackling “Clutter in a Small House” this Tuesday)….but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

How’s your Sunday going?

A Fantasy

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This is my piano. Many of you have seen it before on this blog. It was my grandmother’s piano. It’s a Chickering and it has a wonderful sound. It used to have ivory keys until they became chipped and cracked. When I had it moved to San Diego, I had the keyboard replaced.

My grandmother, my mom, my brother, sisters and various aunts and uncles played on this piano. It has a wonderful history that makes it priceless to me.

So why do I have crazy desire to paint it? (My grandmother rolled over in her grave as I typed those words.) It’s mahogany. The grain of the wood is pretty, but it is so dark. My grandmother had mahogany furniture, my mom had a mahogany dining room set – I grew up with dark wood. I’m not a big fan. Our living room is fairly light and airy. And then there is the piano.

But when I see photos like these (from Pinterest):

Or this one, a favorite, that has been on my desktop for a few years,
I want to grab a brush and some paint and go for it. Perhaps with some of that expensive chalk paint I’ve been reading about all over the blogosphere.
Upright pianos seem to take to being painted, don’t they? Maybe spinets and consoles (like mine) don’t adapt as well.
I’ll probably never do it. But I want to. What are your thoughts? Is painting a piano unthinkable to you? Or are you someone who would say ‘Do it!’

I keep hearing the words of my grandmother and mother in my head. And they are not pretty.

The winner of a copy of Just My Type is Mercedes Scott. Congratulations! Send me an email with your address and I will forward it on to TLC Book Tours.

Painting and Power Problems

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Do you think the time has come to rake some leaves? They are everywhere and, believe me, this is just the beginning. I do love seeing all the pretty leaves scattered all over the property…just not the raking part of it.

I came home yesterday to our landline phone not working. Again. (I think it all goes back to the lightning strike last July – the day after I returned home from a trip.) Last night, as husband and I were watching a program on television that we had been looking forward to, the power went out. Our neighbors’ power was out, too. We had to call the electric company but, as previously pointed out, our phone didn’t work. Much craziness ensued with both of us trying to get our cell phones to work (coverage is spotty out here in the country) and doing our best to see the numbers in the dark. We did get through and about 2:00 AM we heard the big Central Hudson truck idling on our road. Bless these guys for shinnying up poles at 2 in the morning. About 3:30 AM our power came back on.

I’m starting to get a complex about returning from a trip…

Right before I left for Chattanooga, I painted 2 more tables. These are on either side of the sofa in the den.


The room seems bigger and brighter. I like that. Now for more projects… and for the massive house cleaning that must occur before my sister’s visit at the end of next week!

Have a great day!

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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