Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Less is More

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I’ve been itching to clean things up around here. Here, meaning the blog, and here, meaning the cottage. I have a lot of stuff. And I love it all. I’m a collector. But sometimes I just have to go through everything and decide what I need to toss or store and what I truly want out on display. Since I’m limited right now as to my time at home, the only area I can really attack is the studio. It took me all of an hour today to put many things away in boxes to be stored and to neaten things up a bit. Keep in mind that when I left for Hartford, there were stacks of boxes on the sewing table, stuff on the chair and lots of stuff on the floor.

All of the boxes I use to ship items from the shop have been put under the sewing table. Hmmm. I’m thinking about changing the skirt on the table sometime in the future.
Many of the things I had on top of the sewing table have been put into storage. If you look to the right, you’ll see I took most everything off my inspiration/mood board. It was way too cluttered. And to the left you’ll see I’ve added a photo of my mom when she was a teenager.
Isn’t she pretty? I used to have that dress when I was young. I wish I knew what happened to it.
I cleaned off most of the mantel/shelf. There’s much less there now. (Sorry for the grainy photos, it’s very rainy here today and I’m leaving for Hartford tomorrow. So I just went ahead and took them anyway.)
Bye bye clutter on the top of the bookshelf.
I also cleaned off the top of the cabinet. Do you ever get the urge to purge? I want to tackle the bedroom next and my everything-but-the-kitchen-sink closet, otherwise known as my craft closet. Not only does it house work stuff, craft stuff, and all sorts of other stuff, it is now holding some of my husband’s clothes. It’s bursting at the seams.
I’ve been cleaning up the blog as well, starting with my new banner. I’ve changed my post divider. I’ve eliminated some of the things on the sidebar – that seems to be a never-ending battle. I also made a new blog button. The old one just didn’t suit Mockingbird Hill Cottage’s current incarnation. The new button is so simple it might even be boring. However, does anyone use blog buttons anymore? It used to be a big thing, but now I really don’t see them that much. Maybe they’ve gone the way of the dinosaur? I’d be happy to get rid of my button altogether. What do you think?
I’m off to Hartford this morning. The next 9 days will be full of afternoon and evening rehearsals and performances. This is when I have to adjust my sleep cycle. I’m usually in bed by 11 at the very latest and now I won’t even be done with rehearsal by 11. The older I get, the harder it gets to change my sleep schedule!
Happy Wednesday.

Walking with my Girl

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Little Miss Scout and I took a walk yesterday morning. It was a bit cloudy and mysterious and awfully beautiful.

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep…”
A lovely interlude with my little girl. I was all set to mow when I got back, but the friggin’ lawn mower isn’t working. Not good. At this time of year, we have to mow a lot. I won’t be back here for about 9 days and that’s a lot of grass growing time.
The good news? I just found out that tech is taking a bit longer than planned, so I get to stay here one more day. I’ll go back on Wednesday. That works out beautifully, as Don’s day off is Wednesday and he won’t have to do the ‘drive Claudia to Hartford, go home, change, and go to work routine.’
Smile.

When ‘Grass Growing Under Your Feet’ is a Good Thing

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A look around the garden:

The catmint is bigger than ever. I have it planted throughout the large bed. I can see the beginnings of its purple blooms.

Yellow Archangel. Do you see the Jacob’s Ladder in the top left hand corner? Heidi gave me some cuttings a few years back and it has really taken off. I wish everything thrived like it does. However, it tends to take over.

I wanted it for the portion of the bed that is right under the Sugar Maple. Jacob’s Ladder does really well in shade.  But it’s a pushy little devil. I’ve already had to yank some of it out. See how it’s trying to take over where my grasses and daffodils are (in the upper right hand corner?) And how it’s creeping down around the Yellow Archangel and toward the Sedum?

The silvery Lamium will have purple blooms soon. Jacob’s Ladder will also bloom. All in good time.

The peony buds are getting bigger. Every year that we’ve lived here, the peonies have bloomed the first week of June, but I think it will be much earlier this year. Please, peonies, hold off until I get home on May 19th!

But here’s the biggest news; it may not be as pretty, but it’s pretty exciting to me:

Grass is growing! After a drought-like winter and early spring, we had some rain last week, and this is what I saw when I got home on Saturday.

That grass seed sat on the dry ground for a long time. But I remained hopeful. I’m sure we’ll have to seed in the fall, too, but it will be much less daunting. And yes, I know there are rocks there. After picking up approximately 1 jillion rocks, I finally realized it was a losing battle. Anyway: Hello, grass! Welcome!

I scrubbed down the porch yesterday, planted my pots and window boxes and added a couple of hanging plants. I must admit, the inside of the house is being woefully neglected as I devote my energies to the outside. I only have so much time on these days off. One more day at home, and then I’m off to Hartford again for 10 more days.

Happy Monday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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