Happy B-day, honey!

We took advantage of everyone being home for the holiday weekend to celebrate Amanda's birthday...


...which meant it was Amanda's day to wear the CELEBRATE birthday crown, and CELEBRATE we did!


Since Amanda is an artist, I thought I'd get a little "artsy" with some of the photos I took that night (I think this was a "pastel chalk" conversion or some such thing... it seemed like a good idea at the time!! ha ha). She requested mock meat tacos for dinner since she's a vegetarian, and this year, rather than black forest cake, she requested a strawberry cake with vanilla 'funfetti' frosting.


I love this photo of Amanda peeking through the Christmas chandelier of tinsel wreaths, sparkly birds and stars. The little dining area, which had already been decorated for Christmas, looked very festive for her birthday celebration. (And yes, we did end up having Thanksgiving dinner under the Christmas chandelier! That was a first!)


Court found a perfect card for her! I'm sure Amanda will end up displaying it above her painting desk, along with all of her other neat postcards, photos, and cards.

So happy birthday, honey! It was so wonderful having you and Courtney home this weekend (even if it did go by way too fast!!!) ... I love you and I hope that all your birthday wishes come true!!!!

Love and hugs,
Mumsy


P.S. I've tried to personally respond to everyone who left a comment on Spotty's post, but in some cases I couldn't find a blog or e-mail in order to do so... For everyone who left such kind words, you have no idea how comforting your comments and e-mails were. It's clear that you are all animal lovers. So many of you shared the pain of your own losses, and my heart goes out to each and every one of you.... Again, thank you all so much...

The love remains...

On Saturday evening, I lugged all of the Christmas decorations up from the basement... My plans were to spend Sunday decorating the house, except for the tree. That would be decorated later this week when both girls are home for Thanksgiving...

(click any photos to enlarge)

Spotty, Christmas 2008

Sometimes life makes other plans for us....

Instead of decorating the house, Sunday was spent saying goodbye to our sweet, sweet Spotty...

The cat who was more like a dog and who so loved Christmas...

Everyone loves to decorate the tree, but he was the only one who stuck it out with me last year for the undecorating of the tree...

He was the one who sat next to me while I crafted ornaments last year....

...and he was the one who would sit in the living room with me and get lost in the beauty of the Christmas tree....


...or give me advice if he thought decorations needed rearranging...


He'd also let me know when it was time for the decorations to come down so that his kitty cushion could go back into the living room window, his favorite place to hang out...

I think it was a blessing that all of the decorations had already been brought upstairs. It's kept me busy, unpacking these once a year treasures... And all the while my heart is warm with the memories of the cat who loved Christmas...

At some point in the future I plan to do a proper tribute to Spotty, sharing some of our sweetest memories and photos...

But for now... You took a piece of our hearts with you, Spotty, but we are so grateful that all the love remains...

Donna

And the winner is...

So sorry this is getting posted so late....



Congratulations to Holly at Girls at Heart. Just e-mail me with your address, Holly, and I'll send a little package from my cottage to yours :)

Donna

Tinsel wreaths and pastel birds...

... found their way into my shopping cart this week...

During a quick trip to Wal Mart yesterday, I made a little side trip through the Christmas aisles. I'm thinking of decorating the dining room chandelier for Christmas this year and I needed some inspiration.

Well, when I spotted these sparkly birds with sequined wings and the palest aqua feathers, I couldn't resist...

And then there was my quick trip to Target earlier this week. Every year I put off buying stocking stuffers until the last minute and by then, all of the good candy is gone. So this year, with the shelves fully stocked, I purchased some candy for the girls' stockings... and then I browsed (I really shouldn't browse)... But in this case it paid off! Look what I found in the Dollar section - tinsel wreaths! They were pretty skimpy, as you can see, but for $1 apiece I figured what the heck, so I picked up 3 (they came in silver, green, and hot pink at our Target, but I liked the silver best - very vintage looking!)...


Well look at what these skimpy little wreaths blossom into when you pull and tweak all the little tinsel boughs! Woo hoo!! Score!!! (I don't think these are going to last long in the dollar section so if you're in the market for tinsel wreaths, make a dash to Target!) I know that some people think they're a bit gaudy and cheap looking, but oh, how they remind me of the vintage decorations of the Christmases of my childhood!! And being the nostalgic, sentimental fool that I am, I love anything from that era!

So I ended up with my inspiration - and decorations - for the chandelier in our little dining area...

Today I played around with everything to see how it would look, and we may just end up eating Thanksgiving dinner under a Christmas chandelier because I don't know if I want to take the time to disassemble it (only to reassemble it again next week!!) I'm joining Tracey's (Notes from a Cottage Industry) Virtual Holiday Home Tour on December 1st, and if any of you would like to join in and show off your Christmas decorations, just click here for details! And even if you don't want to participate, be sure to visit Tracey's blog that day because she'll have a list of blogs who've decorated for Christmas - and let me tell you (based on the past years) - it's spectacular! There's so much to see! Sometimes Tracey even spreads it out over several days! So on December 1st, make yourself a cup of tea, coffee, or cocoa, and then settle in and browse to your heart's content!

Happy decorating!

Donna

Pre-decorating (otherwise known as the cleanup)...

A good part of today was spent cleaning the living room. Not just straightening up, but really cleaning in preparation for the Christmas decorations that will be coming up soon. As you may have noticed, our living room is teeny tiny, so the fact that the cleanup took so much time should give you a good idea as to how many dust bunnies were living in, around, and under furniture!


I changed the throw on the wing chair to a simple white king sized bedskirt, with a vintage "pink rosebud" pillowcase covering the seat cushion.


Last week when I showed you the "bargain of the century" painting, a lightweight blue floral spread was covering the wing chair and blue & white pillowcases were covering the brick hearth. They were all waaaaaaaaaay overdue for a trip through the washer.


Now that the wing chair was covered with clean, fresh linens it was time to decide what to do with the hearth. I thought this vintage sheet looked like a good choice for the holidays... a nice cottage green...


... with white polka dots, pink rosebuds and a scalloped design on one end.

When we closed in our brick fireplace a couple of years ago and painted it white, the pillowcases and/or sheets that we layed across the hearth were meant to be a temporary fix (until we decided how to finish off that area), but I've come to really like them. It's fun being able to change colors and patterns, so as far as I'm concerned, the hearth is officially done!


And I know I've mentioned this little guy before... doesn't he look like a little imp? I bought him as a Christmas decoration at TJ Maxx many years ago, but I really like him so he stays out year-round. I think he looks like he's playing Rock, Paper Scissors with someone. (I suspect he was meant to be holding something, but that during assembly that certain 'something' was omitted by mistake!)


Okay, I'm pooped after all this cleaning so I think I'm going to sit down and rest a while before starting supper... I wonder if there are any roasted vegetables left....

Donna

Roasted vegetables...

...the perfect wintertime comfort food and, luckily for me, my family agrees!

Sometimes I serve them with a side of meat and potatoes, and sometimes they're spooned over angel hair pasta, but however they're served, they are oh-so-good!!

I like to use a wide variety of vegetables... My favorites are green and red peppers, mushrooms (baby bella and white), onions, zuchini, yellow squash, plum tomatoes, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, and baby (new) potatoes...

All of the vegetables get washed and cut up (a recent post by Tracey, Notes from a Cottage Industry, encouraged me to revisit the dreaded brussel sprouts of my childhood - and they are actually very good when roasted!!) ...

.. but I leave the baby/new potatoes whole because they're so small...


Everything gets tossed with a bit of olive oil and spices ....

...and then spread evenly on cookie sheets (I usually make 3 cookie sheets at a time because I like lots of leftovers for meals during the week)... Easy breezy - off they go into a 400 degree oven for 1 hour and...

...voila!!!! Yummy in the tummy!!!

Donna

From my cottage to yours... a Christmas giveaway!

The week after Thanksgiving finds us decorating our little cottage for Christmas, and since December is right around the corner I thought I'd post my "cranberry & cream" Christmas giveaway now so it can be sent off to the winner in plenty of time for holiday decorating!


So from my cottage to yours, a wee little "cottage" ornament, complete with 'smoke' coming out of the chimney to chase away winter's chill...


... and two mini pots filled with pinecones and berry boughs, as well as the cranberry & cream toile scalloped placemat they're sitting on...


Last year I posted about three nativity sets I own, the most special being the one that belonged to my mom. The two others are vintage sets found while thrifting, both with white figurines (perfect for our little cottage!)... While out shopping with hubby last weekend, I spotted these brand new nativity figurines and it was love at first sight! I quickly grabbed a set for myself and then immediately thought what a lovely Christmas giveaway they would make for one of you, so I picked up a second set!

Now I have to be honest, this is not an expensive set at all, but I thought it was charming and I hope you do, too! (This, and all of my giveaway items were purchased at The Christmas Tree Shop.)

The figurines are actually part of a kit. You can choose to be as creative as you'd like by painting the figures (a small selection of paints is included in the kit), or you could antique or glaze them.... Let your imagination go wild! (Of course I'm going to leave mine white... Is anyone really surprised by that?............ I didn't think so!)

So just leave a comment on this post if you'd like a chance to win my Christmas giveaway! The contest ends at midnight, EST, Monday, November 23rd and I'll announce the winner on Tuesday, one week from today. (That way I might even be able to get it in the mail on Wednesday!)

Again, you'll receive the box/kit of white nativity figures, the two little pine bough pots, the cranberry & cream scalloped placemat, and the little cottage ornament.

Good luck and happy decorating to those who start early!!!!


Donna

Vintage Cottage Couture...

Just look what I have temporary custody of! And doesn't she look right at home in our little cottage? Her colors match the living room beautifully!

(click any photos to enlarge)

A couple of months ago Amanda and I were junktiquing together, and because I was lagging behind (taking pictures of everything), Amanda spotted her first... this original painted portrait of a beautiful woman and her cat!


This piece is massive, as you can see from the above photo where Amanda is holding the bargain of the century! (I say I have temporary custody because right now Amanda doesn't have room for this painting in her apartment; and as you can see from the top of the TV armoire, I still have temporary custody of the Staffordshire dogs we got for her when she graduated from college!! Maybe she'll forget about the painting and the dogs and I'll get permanent custody by default!)


Anyhow, I call it the bargain of the century because all she paid for this 26"x36" ornately framed original painting was $25!!! Twenty Five Dollars! Can you believe it? When she found it, she asked me to verify the price tag... I was certain she'd missed a zero - but nope - it was $25!


The portrait is just incredibly beautiful!

The woman has such a serene expression on her face.

And any woman who would let a long-haired kitty with claws sit on her lap while wearing this gorgeous (couture?) dress is A-okay in my book!! So I already love her, even though I have no idea who she is (but, oh, how I'd LOVE to know more about her, and about how her beautiful portrait ended up in a junktique shop for $25!)

The back of the portrait is carefully covered with vintage metallic wallpaper....

...and this is the signature that appears in the upper right hand corner of the painting. We can make out '59, and the last name looks like Robertson, but it's more difficult to make out the first name. So if anyone has any information on either the artist or the subject, we'd love to learn more!!!

Now you must go visit the lovely Cielo at The House In The Roses to see her "Show Off Your Cottage Monday" post, and to find a list of all others who are participating this week!!!

Happy Cottage Monday!!!

Donna

Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House...

...located in Concord, MA, is where Louisa May Alcott penned "Little Women," and what a magical place to visit! Her bedroom is on the second floor, right, front side of the house. In between the two front windows is a small, half-moon shaped desk that her father built for her, and that is where history was made. Shivers run down my spine every time I've taken the tour, standing right next to the desk where this classic was written.

(click any photos to enlarge)

In June of 1857, a then 24-year old Louisa May wrote in her journal:

"Read Charlotte Bronte's life. A very interesting, but sad one. So full of talent; and after working long, just as success, love, and happiness come, she dies. Wonder if I shall ever be famous enough for people to care to read my story and struggles. I can't be a C.B., but I may do a little something yet."

A little something? Oh my goodness! She did so much, but she is probably best known for the beloved, "Little Women," first published in 1869 (twelve years after that journal entry). As you can see, I have a small collection of Little Women books..


... as well as some other books about Louisa May Alcott's life. So let me show you a bit of Orchard House (dubbed Apple Slump by Louisa May Alcott).


Unfortunately, photos are not allowed to be taken inside the house, but I'll provide a link below where you can take a virtual tour through the house on-line. And I highly recommend taking the tour in person if you are ever in the Concord area! Don't you just love the door knocker on the front of Orchard House? (It reminds me of the door knocker that morphs into Marley's ghost in "A Christms Carol"!)

Now here is a photo that I took just a couple of weeks ago....

...and here is an 1874 photograph of the house from the exact same angle, with Mr. & Mrs. Alcott in the front yard...

A plaque by the back door of the house that now leads into the gift shop.

Flowers growing outside the study window...

This is Bronson Alcott's School of Philosophy, constructed in 1879, just behind Orchard House. (Bronson is Louisa May's father.)

You may remember that a couple of weeks ago I posted about Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, where all of the Alcotts are buried... (Here's Amanda at Louisa May Alcott's grave)..

Back in 1879, Louisa May wrote the following journal entry:

"October 8th Dear Marmee's birthday. Never forgotten. Lovely day....

(Alcott family plot)

...Go to Sleepy Hollow with flowers. Her grave is green, black berry vines with red leaves trail over it. A little white stone with her initials is at the head, & among the tall grass over her breast a little bird had made a nest....

Bird's nest on LMA's grave a couple of weeks ago

... Empty now, but a pretty symbol of the refuge that tender bosom always was for all feeble & sweet things. Her favorite asters bloomed all about, & the pines sang overhead. So she & dear Beth lie quietly asleep in God's Acre, & we remember them more tenderly with each year that brings us nearer them & home."

It was quite profound reading that journal entry after having just been at their graves a couple of weeks ago...

Right next door to Orchard House is The Wayside (you can read a bit more about it below). It was called Hillside when Louisa May Alcott lived there in her younger years, and she drew upon the many adventures she and her sisters had while living there when writing Little Women. She wrote of this house:

"I have at last got the little room I have wanted so long, and am very happy about it. It does me good to be alone, and Mother has made it very pretty and neat for me. My work-basket and desk are by the window and my closet is full of dired herbs that smell very nice."

(written by Louisa May Alcott, age 13,

in her journal, May, 1846)

Information regarding Hillside/The Wayside:

Click here to take a virtual tour of Orchard House

Click here for the official Orchard House/Louisa May Alcott website

I hope you enjoyed your visit to Orchard House!!!!

Donna