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With Deep Sympathy

September 23, 2011 at 11:29 am by Claudia

I have to take a moment to write about loss. Sometimes I am hit with news that stops me in my tracks. That happened this week when I read the latest post by my blogging friend, Jayne. Jayne is a talented miniaturist who has the most generous of hearts. You’ve seen one of Jayne’s creations quite often on this blog.

Jayne created the lovely statue with flowers on the right.

What you might not know is that Jayne sent me a wonderful package with all sorts of miniatures, including this statue, simply because she likes giving to others and I was new to the dollhouse world – because her heart is a giving one.

Jayne and her husband, Mick, are British and live in California. They bought a home last year and had been working on it together. Last week, Mick suddenly died of a heart attack at the age of 51. He was on his way home on his motorcycle. Jayne wrote eloquently about Mick and shared with us what a wonderful and kind man he was.

My heart breaks for Jayne and her family. I am not writing this in order for you to go to her post and leave a comment. I’m writing this because Jayne is part of my blogging life and has touched my heart with her kindness in the past. I have shown that statue in many photos over the past week. To show it and not acknowledge the heartbreak and loss this lovely woman is going through feels wrong.

We can be here one day and gone the next. Life is precious beyond belief. As Jayne says so movingly in her post, “tell your family you love them each time you are saying goodbye.”

Dear Jayne, may you be enveloped in the love of your family and friends and may peace and healing find their way to your heart.

Reality Shot

September 22, 2011 at 10:49 am by Claudia

I’m going to start a regular Thursday Feature. It’s called Reality Shot. I know that we all love the pretty, very often staged, photos throughout Blogland. I sure do. However, that’s not real life and it’s easy to be intimidated by all the ‘perfect’ photos. I know that the few times I have posted what I call harsh reality shots, they’ve met with a lot of positive response.

So, every Thursday I will post a photo that takes an honest look at a space and/or mess in my house. If you like this idea, maybe I could make it a weekly meme.

Today: the kitchen table. It’s looked like this for weeks now.

Starting in the lower left hand corner:

Photo enlargements from Shutterfly
Stacks of medical bills – they keep on comin’
Beautiful McCoy jardiniere filled with crap
Legal pads, envelopes, W-2s – we always file an extension on our taxes and the paperwork has to be at our accountant’s in the next week.
A bill or two
Roll of craft paper – I used some when I was painting the dollhouse door
Plates and a tin that I will eventually have in my etsy shop, plus the receipts
In the middle: more receipts

Welcome to my world. If you’re interested in taking part in a weekly meme, let me know.

Have a great Thursday!

Of Frying Pans and Mouthy Dogs

September 21, 2011 at 10:01 am by Claudia

Yes, dear readers, it’s come to this. I’m posting a photo of a frying pan. How much worse can things get here at the cottage?

You realize, of course, why I’m posting this particular not-very-good-photo. The color! My favorite color, in fact. We needed another frying pan (why can’t non-stick surfaces stay non-stick for more that a few months?) and I found this one at Home Goods. Cuisinart. This particular style comes in lots of bright colors. And yes, I took this photo before I potentially ruined the wicker rocker. In fact, it was right before I embarked on my doomed DIY project.

Seriously, does anyone else have problems with non-stick pans? If you have a recommendation, I’d sure love to hear it. Because we are seriously irritated by it. Especially this guy:

…who does most of the frying around here. Neat photo, eh? (My Canadian grandmother wrote letters to me when I was in college and she invariably ended a sentence with “eh?”) I took this last week because Don wanted some updated photos with his now shorter hair. Ooh….those eyes!! And let’s not mention his hair, which makes me green with envy.

Now I will leave you with this photo of Scout looking insane:

Scout will be 13 this December. She is the youngest 13 year old dog I’ve ever seen. She’s got far more energy than I do, that’s for sure. As she gets older, though, she has become barkier. Lots of barking. Nagging barking. She’s like an elderly person who has decided that old age has earned her the right to mouth off whenever she wants. You know, the person who says, “I speak my mind. I don’t care what people think.”

That’s Scout. She’s a piece of work, that one.

With Deep Sympathy

Reality Shot

Of Frying Pans and Mouthy Dogs

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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