Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

A Priceless Gift

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Friday afternoon, I heard the toot of our mail delivery truck’s horn. Lori, our friendly mail person, always toots the horn when I have a package waiting. She handed off a rather large box. I discovered it was from my friend, Donna. Donna is a fellow blogger who writes the wonderful blog, An Enchanted Cottage. We go back a long way, as Donna was one of the very first bloggers I met when I started blogging back in February of 2008. We have been friends ever since. We have a lot in common, not the least of which is our deeply felt love for all creatures. We are animal lovers, pure and simple. We believe in rescuing our pets, in finding a home for those dogs and cats who are in shelters and have been abandoned.

When I read Donna’s card and note, the tears started. And as I unveiled her gift, they poured.

Donna, who is an artist, created a piece of altered art from my favorite photo of Riley and Scout. Here’s the original photo:

I snapped this picture one day when I was sitting in the living room. It was one of those moments in time that I would have missed had I not had my camera right beside me.

Donna painted out the background and embellished the dogs with her hand painting.

Another view in the late afternoon light on the day I opened it :

Not only did Donna beautifully and lovingly enhance my babies, she matted the artwork and added a favorite quote. And placed it under glass in a beautiful white tray.

Don, who came home while I was unwrapping it, and by the way, Donna sent this to both of us, was stunned. He couldn’t believe someone would do this for us. I couldn’t either. But I know my friend Donna and I know how big her heart is.

I love that quote.

We love and miss our boy. Scout misses him. This moment in time, when Scout gently checked on her brother who was getting increasingly frail, breaks my heart and fills my heart at the same time. And now I have this unbelievably beautiful piece of altered art – this lovingly painted portrait of my beloved children – from a dear, dear friend. It is priceless to me, as is her friendship.

Donna lives in Massachusetts. I live in New York. We often talk about meeting up at some point halfway between our homes. It’s only a couple of hours away. Donna, once the winter weather is past, we are going to do it. That’s my vow.

Thank you.

Happy Sunday.

A Favorite Thing #15

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Welcome, friends! It’s time for another A Favorite Thing – this is week number 15! I so look forward to this part of the week and the chance to read about and see your favorite things. I thank you so much for taking the time to post and share a little of yourself each week. Let’s look at some highlights from last week:

Diane of Lydia’s Post, shared the details of her Advent Calendar. Her mother started that tradition and Diane has happily carried it on every year. I love the illustration/graphics. She got it from Bronner’s –  a famous Christmas store in Frankenmuth, Michigan and one I used to love to visit when I was living in my home state.

Martha, of Poetry and a Cup of Tea, shared some of her Dicken’s Village with us. She has collected these pieces over the years and lovingly sets up her display every Christmas season. (We have several DV buildings here at the cottage, but alas, they are stored in the shed as we have no room to display them. So I will enjoy Martha’s!) In fact we have that very gate and stone wall. Martha’s display is magical and wonderful.

I had to add this photo. Judy, of 20 North Ora, shared this photo of her dog Bella wearing (not very happily) a Christmas wreath! Love, love this! The things we do to our dogs! You look beautiful, Bella.

And Melanie, of Comfy House, shared her love of paper crafting and mixed media, a skill I am sadly lacking in. Isn’t this lovely? You are very talented, Melanie!

Thank you one and all.

My favorite thing for this week is my great-grandmother’s syrup jug. This was used on the family farm in Orillia, Ontario. It was passed down to my grandmother, then to my mother, who gave it to me several years ago. This piece is in immaculate condition and I’ve admired it since I was a little girl. The top is made of pewter. I’m happy it now has a home here at the cottage.

Now it’s your turn!

You can link up anytime from this evening through Sunday. Make sure you enter the URL of your post. If you’re unsure how to do that, just click on your post title after you’ve published it and copy the information in your browser address window. Come back here, paste the URL into your link entry and there you go! If you have any problems, drop me an email and I’ll help you out. Please link back to this blog on your post. That way, those that read your post and are interested in reading more can do so.

One of my concerns about link parties is that the very reason for them has somewhat gone by the wayside. They’ve become so big and there are so many of them that many bloggers don’t take the time to visit any of the other participants. Link parties are a way to meet new bloggers and share with each other and the only way to do that is to visit each other. So, please, take some time to visit everyone over the next few days. No rush. Stop by, introduce yourself, and leave a comment. It’s the neighborly thing to do. It’s also nice if you leave a comment here, as well.

Have fun!



Mallomars & A Possible Moratorium On Holiday Decorating

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Need I say more?

It’s that time of the year again. Mallomars, only in stores from October until April, are back. Oh, what a delightful surprise when I spy them in a display at my local grocery store. After completely forgetting about their existence from May through September, suddenly, there they are. And I have to buy them. When we run out, I have to send Don to the store on an emergency Mallomars mission.

The perfect combination of marshmallow, chocolate and graham cracker crust. Light as air. Gone in one bite, or two if I’m being ladylike.  Oh. my. goodness. Little bits of fluffy, chocolatey heaven on earth.

Moving on.

Do I want to decorate for Christmas? I have to be honest here, I’m not feeling inspired. Do I want to get a tree (we always get a real tree) when Don is leaving over a week before Christmas? Do I want to go through all of that for just me? I’m seriously debating this subject. Trees are beautiful, but do I want to spend the money on one when money is tight?

I love my Christmas decorations but I may take the year off. Perhaps I’ll just put up the little white tree that I usually have in the living room. And maybe some lights on the porch. Christmas is going to be celebrated via a Skype call with Don. We’ve decided we’ll send each other a present or two and open them while Skyping. That will be our little celebration.

If I’m not inspired, why should I feel as if I must decorate? As it is, I don’t join in on the blogland decorating bandwagon since I never decorate before the second week of December. And if you’re interested in how I usually decorate, you could easily visit my archives.

I’m leaning toward very little to no decorating. Maybe just a smidgen.

And moving on.

I am woefully behind in leaving comments on your blogs. Please forgive me. I try to leave a few each day. I’m trying to catch up. Between crocheting for the shop, helping Don through his illness, trying to find work and other pressing needs, I’ve been a bad blogging friend. I hope you understand. Though I do my best to respond to all your comments here on this blog and I love the conversation that we have. That makes me feel a bit better about the whole thing. Because we are communicating. But it doesn’t take the place of me visiting you on your piece of blog real estate. Believe me, I know that. I’ll be around. I promise.

Okay. I’ll be back tonight for A Favorite Thing. 8:00 EST.

The winner of Judy’s lovely Christmas pillow is Leann from The Old Parsonage. That’s just perfect, because Leann loves Christmas! She even has a Christmas countdown on her blog. Leann, send me your mailing address and I will forward it on to Judy.

Happy Friday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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