Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Another photo from the other night. Gorgeous.

We got our tree yesterday. It’s really lovely. No decorations or lights yet, as we’re giving it time to settle. Photos will be coming, of course. They’re ridiculously expensive but Don still wants a real tree, so we consider the tree our Christmas gift to each other.

We also removed both window a/c units, which is heavy work. We packed them up and put them in the shed. (Our backs were complaining by the afternoon.) At the same time, we stacked the bins of Christmas ornaments on the floor and we’ll bring them inside later today.

It was a busy day and I’m glad we finally dealt with the air conditioners – something we seem to be doing a bit later every year. I’ll bring the furniture cushions in from the porch today and we’ll carefully move the egg cup cubby so we can stow them under the stairs. Since we don’t want to move the cubby more than twice a year, this will also be the time when Don switches out a guitar (yes, in addition to all the guitars upstairs in the office, Don has a couple stored under the stairs.)

We’ll put lights on the tree this afternoon. Hurrah!

Queen for the Day: Katie.

And four more:

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

It’s frigid out there. Even though the winds are not as intense, I can hear the constant ringing of the wind chimes as I write this. We will see a warming trend starting tomorrow, with rain in the forecast mid-week. And the snow will disappear.

But last night was clear and I was stationed at the kitchen door taking photos of the beautiful sunset and the moon. I’d open the door, grab a quick shot, and then quickly close it. I’m pretty pleased with the results.

The crescent moon and the sunset.

Mysterious and wondrous night sky.

Today’s Queen:

Pretty little Olivia.

Have a great weekend.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

On Wednesday, snow fell overnight and throughout the day. We always love the first snow, but boy, is it frigid here! I took this photo as soon as it became light. We had a wind advisory (the result of a clipper passing through) and once the winds kicked in, it was relentless. You know I don’t like heavy winds. We sit in a valley and the mountain range is quite close to us; the end result is rather like living in a wind tunnel.

After the sun came out. I think we got about 2 – 3 inches of wet snow. The high will only reach 30 today, so the snow will stick around for another day at least.

I’m already over it.

It’s still windy this morning and the sound of the wind chimes is driving me crazy.

But it’s pretty out there.

More in my Queen series:

Queen Holly.

Queen Pru.

Of all the girls, Pru seems to have the most changeable face. Depending on the angle, she can look very different from photo to photo. I spent quite a bit of time this morning trying to get the best angle for her photo. This was the last one taken and I like it the best.

Pru was customized by one of my favorite customizers, Dragonfly Blythe. Sadly, she is no longer customizing. In fact, Nina, my other Dragonfly Blythe, was one of the last dolls she customized. Now, her work is finite, therefore more desirable. I’m lucky I have two of her girls.

We’re staying home today. It’s really cold and windy. Bitter, actually.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.