Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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The Day after Christmas

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Happy Boxing Day! I hope you all had a wondrous holiday. We made a special dinner on Christmas Eve and watched The Christmas Story. Love that movie. Christmas Day was lovely; we exchanged gifts in the morning after eating some of my Annual Christmas Coffee Cake. I only make it once a year. It is the best coffee cake I’ve ever had and I guard the recipe with my life. Later on in the afternoon we went over to Heidi’s for dinner. We always have a fun time with them and yesterday was no exception. Now that I’ve given Heidi and her daughters their presents, I’ll show you Obsession Scarves #3, 4 and 5.

I think they were a hit. They sure are a lot of fun to make. Heidi gave me the largest vintage pin cushion I’ve ever seen. I took a photo of it next to one Betty made. And Betty’s isn’t small.

The red fabric is sateen-like and the felt leaves are beautifully faded.

Among my presents from Don are 2 books on photography that I wanted. I’ll share more about them in another post. I have grown to love photography so much and I want to learn more about aperture and f-stops and ISO and all of those things that can be very intimidating. Hopefully, I will be more skilled by the time I save up for a new camera. By the way, I keep getting emails like this from B&H:

See the bottom row? The one I want is on the right. I tell you, B&H has somehow read my thoughts. They are taunting me once again.

I ran out to the store this morning to stock up on provisions. We are just about to be pounded with a major snow storm. In fact, as I write this, the snow has begun. It’s blowing sideways. The amount predicted keeps changing, but we are in for at least a foot or more. We’re hunkering down. Tomorrow looks to be a day of shoveling. And more shoveling. Wish us luck!

House Renovations

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No, not to Mockingbird Hill Cottage…to the dollhouse. More on that later.

How was your Christmas? Ours was quite lovely. We had a strict, strict budget this year and had to stick to it. Do you know what I re-discovered? How many presents, how much they cost – all of that doesn’t matter. We were creative with our budget. We played Christmas music, talked about the real meaning of Christmas, had fun with the dogs and realized how blessed we are. Later that day, we went over to Heidi’s for dinner with some wonderful friends. All in all, a perfect day.

Renovations on the dollhouse have begun. I finally decided to stop staring at the house and start doing something with it. I was inspired by this gift from my dear husband.


That cutie pie wanted to give me something for the dollhouse. He researched dollhouse shops online and found one near where we used to live. After visiting the shop and charming the older ladies who run it, he chose this fireplace. I love it. So, today I hauled the dollhouse into the kitchen, put it on the table and decided to go for it. This little dollhouse was extremely inexpensive, so when I complain, remember that I know I got a great deal. Nevertheless, whoever assembled this didn’t do such a great job. Walls are sometimes a bit off, there were slight gaps in the intersection of some walls, the base was too high and wasn’t level, there was some water damage on the floors, the cupola was glued to the roof in the wrong place, etc.

I replaced several shingles.

I took off the side of the house, re-positioned it, glued it back on (hopefully straighter) and I removed the cupola and re-positioned it.

The shutters that were on the house were just pieces of wood with the slats painted on. Took all of them off, and will be using shutters like the one on the right to replace them.


The top two windows (on your left) were put it at an angle. I’m not sure why. They were crooked. I wanted to straighten them and was very nervous about prying them away from the house. But it was actually surprisingly easy and straightening them was a snap. They are straight, even though something about this photo makes them look a bit off.

I also took off the old base and will have a new one cut. All in all, a very satisfying day!

The inside is a blank slate. Nothing was done by the previous owners, so after I take care of the outside, I will start priming and painting the inside. I’m not sure whether I should electrify it or not. Any helpful hints?

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

My Misadventures

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Presents bought? Check. I dragged myself out again today and bought the last present on my list (which is rather a short one compared to most everyone’s, I bet.) I have to wrap everything, including the presents sent to us from my Mom and Dad. Mom leaves the wrapping to me. I am so grateful to be done – now I can stay home, stay warm and, hopefully, get rid of this bug.

Last night, after another endless bout of coughing, I decided it would be smart to come downstairs so as not to keep Don awake. It was about 4:00 AM. I gingerly tiptoed down the stairs in the darkness – feeling my way all the way down. As I came down the last two stairs into the den, I rammed my left shin right into the coffee table (which used to be the dollhouse table and was not in the middle of the room.) I bit my lip to keep from loudly cursing…but boy, did that hurt! After turning the light on, I saw I was also bleeding from my right toe. I have to laugh at the whole thing in the light of day – because it really is rather comical. After all the drama, I finally did go back to sleep on the sofa in the den. Don came downstairs later and said he’d been coughing all night. We are quite a pair.


I took this photo the other evening. I was in my flannel pajamas, having just let the dogs in from outside. The sky was so beautiful I had to grab my camera. Sunsets are so wondrous, especially since their beauty is so fleeting. One blink of the eye and the colors change. Another blink and it is gone. Enjoy your evening, dear friends; drink some hot chocolate, watch a sunset and listen to some Christmas music. I think we’ll watch a Christmas movie tonight…maybe The Shop Around the Corner. Tomorrow: Its a Wonderful Life. Christmas Eve: A Christmas Carol, with Alastair Sim.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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