Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Reading and Quilts

August 6, 2008 at 4:23 pm by Claudia


Just getting over my second cold of the summer. My husband got it first, then I did. Thank goodness this one was much shorter in duration than the last! So I’ve been taking it easy. Today is the first day I’ve been perky enough to do some chores around the house, other than the daily swiffering and vacuuming. While I was down and out I read Fractured by Karen Slaughter. It was so engrossing that I polished it off in a little over a day. If you love mysteries, especially gritty ones, you will love her books. She’s written several. The first time I read one of her mysteries, I was on a plane to Florida. When I got there I had finished it and couldn’t wait to get all of her books so that I could read every one of them – in order. Every time my sister and I were out I had to stop at a bookstore and look for more of her books. Don’t you just love it when you discover an author and can’t wait to get your hands on all his/her books? I was that way with Anne Perry, also. My mom had read her Victorian mysteries and recommended them to me, but for some reason I had resisted them. When I finally came to my senses and read one, I was hooked. “Catching up” on all Anne Perry’s books involves a ton of reading as she is very prolific. But it sure is a pleasure. I’ve now started The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen – another mystery involving a female police detective, apparently the second in a series. I haven’t read the first, so we’ll see if I have that “I’m hooked” feeling at the end of the book!

The photo above was taken in the upstairs hallway of our cottage. The large quilt hangs on the wall right above the landing – you can see it from the living room. At certain times during the day, the sunlight from our upstairs skylight hits the quilt and it is beautifully illuminated. I made it from a pattern by Diana McClun and Laura Nownes. Its a pansy quilt. (By the way, I believe it is hanging upside down, but by the time my husband and I were finished wrestling with it I was in no mood to do any re-hanging. I rather like it this way.)

The other quilt is made out of 30’s reproduction fabrics and is a basic nine-patch. It was one of the first quilts I ever made. One of the first things I did when we closed on this cottage was drape it over the railing and there it has stayed.

Another view of the Pansy Quilt.

More later.

Filed Under: books, quilting, reading 4 Comments

New Toy

August 4, 2008 at 8:37 am by Claudia


Thanks to a blog entry by the Gahan Girls I have discovered Picnik.com. This is a free site that lets you edit and play with your photos. If you are like me and don’t have Photoshop, and have an earlier version of iPhoto, this site gives you a lot more options as to the look of your photo. You can add text, you can change shapes, add frames – a whole lot of wonderful options. I’ve just begun playing, but here are three of my ‘altered’ photos. The one above is a section of my design board, the polaroid option and some text.


This is a shot I took in Woodstock. The building was charming and I loved the colors. With the help of Picnik, I cropped it, softened the edges and added text.

Of course, I had to play with a picture of the doggies…in this one, my husband and I were trying to recreate the image on a card we bought. This particular card had two dogs (looking almost exactly like ours) waiting at the door – It was entitled “Waiting for Postie”. Using treats, we tried to bribe the dogs into the right position. It didn’t work. So I have retitled this photo “Waiting for a treat.” Truth in advertising.

You might want to investigate this site. Its a lot of fun!

Have a great Monday.

Filed Under: photography 3 Comments

Happy Trails

August 1, 2008 at 4:12 pm by Claudia

Look at these two – all decked out in new bandanas, looking quite spiffy if I do say so myself. My husband is now calling them Roy and Dale and the sound of Happy Trails to You is in the air. Pardon their squinty-eyed look, the sun was directly in their eyes. By the way, my husband met Roy Rogers once – I believe it was in a restaurant in California. He got Roy’s autograph but laments the fact that he somehow misplaced it.

The day is a hot one, but tomorrow promises to be cooler. I mowed another section of the yard,cleaned up dog poop (yes, it must be done) and went grocery shopping. For my pains, I stopped at the bookstore as a treat and picked up some magazines (Quilting Arts, Country Gardens) and the new Karen Slaughter mystery. She is a wonderful writer: the mysteries are complicated, somewhat violent but not gratuitously so and beautifully written. I perused the Stephenie Meyer section since all I have been hearing or reading about are her books. I’m not sure yet how interested I am in them, having been through an Anne Rice phase long ago. Are they different? If anyone can give me their thoughts on them, I’d sure appreciate it. The Barnes & Noble I was in is having a big launch party for the newest Meyer tonight at 11:00 p.m.

I so appreciated your compassionate thoughts about the root canal. Things are much better now, no pain, just a little tenderness here and there.

Hope your trails this weekend are happy ones!


Note: After reading this blog entry, my husband corrected me. He got the autographs of both Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. And lost them.

Filed Under: books, dogs, reading, Riley, Scout Leave a Comment

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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The Dogs

The Dogs

Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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