Now you see it ...... Now you don't

The ugly SOS pad ....


Now tucked away in this cute little sugar bowl/planter found at the thrift store...


Mm hmm... This will look much better sitting next to the sink.

Spring continues to bloom in New England (sigh.... I am in love with the weather right now)

Donna

Waking after a long winter's nap...

The first signs of spring are blossoming all over our little yard. And after the long, cold New England winter we just went through, they are a very welcome sight!


A lone Daffodil has blossomed in the Iris patch (which has yet to blossom).


One of our Maple trees is sprouting new crimson growth...


... while another Maple tree is sending forth spring green growth.

The Clematis vine made it through the long winter and is sprouting new growth non-stop.

And these little blue flowers by the garden gate are in full bloom.

I planted these so many years ago that I don't even remember what they are! As you can see, we've had some windy days leaves everywhere...

The Rhododendrum bushes are covered with buds! It will be so beautiful when everything is blossoming! I am so grateful that spring has finally arrived!

And last but not least, my psychedelic girls in an Easter photo taken on their Apple/MAC laptop... They kind of match the eggs we dyed that day - so bright and colorful!!

Wishing you all a gorgeous spring day!

Donna

Happy Easter...

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I wish you a joyous Easter Sunday...


Our handiwork this morning... messy but fun!

Donna

'Tis the season... for yard sales!

Two weekends ago it was actually in the SEVENTIES here in New England!! Those gorgeous temps got me to thinking about yard sales so I checked on-line to see if there were any scheduled for the following weekend. Sure enough, I found one for the next Saturday, and not too far from where I live!

Unfortunately when Saturday arrived, it was in the mid-TWENTIES at 9 a.m. when I showed up at the yard sale. I was the only one there other than the poor homeowner and his sweet little daughter. The week before, when temps hit the 70's, a yard sale had seemed like a good idea. Not so much that morning...


But, oh, what a BARGAIN I found! I got this cool little pot for only $5. Now I'm not a cook, so if there's a name for a piece like this, I have no idea what it is. I'm guessing it's some type of kettle because of the unique handle and the little pouring spout...


I LOVE this piece! I made tomato soup in it last night to go with our grilled cheese sandwiches, and it was so easy to pour the soup into our mugs! I'm going to use it as a tea kettle on the stove top since I don't have one.


But what REALLY made this a bargain was that for my $5, I not only got that cool little "spout kettle," I got the ENTIRE set of matching cookware!!! I am in L-O-V-E with this set! I may actually end up enjoying cooking!

The set is by SILAMPOS, Made in Portugal. It seems to be a very nice quality set of cookware, although I can honestly say I know nothing about this brand... But what I do know is that I got one heck of a deal at my first yard sale of the season!!!

Wishing you all sunny spring days! Here in New England we have been DELUGED with rain for weeks on end it seems, but today the sun is shining - what a WELCOME sight!!!

Donna

Sweet Serenity ... my growing collection

My collection of Madonna statues began with a wall hanging of Mary that belonged to my mother.

(click any photos to enlarge)

It hangs in my studio office along with this beautiful cross swag that I purchased from the lovely Lori at Katie's Rose Cottage a few years ago.


Over the years my Madonna collection has grown to include planters and statues found at second-hand stores. The one thing they all have in common is the sweet facial expressions... a sense of calm, of knowledge, of wisdom. I love how each artist or sculptor uses their own distinctive style to capture that sweet serenity...


My most recent thrift store find...



There are chips on baby Jesus' hand and on Mary's nose... Neither detract from the beauty of this statue.

Amanda saw this planter in a consignment store last year and bought it for me, knowing I would cherish it. I do.

The gold is worn along the edges of her veil in one area... I wonder if someone rubbed a finger along it while saying a daily prayer.

Chips on the halo add to the character and charm of this statue, found in a New Hampshire second hand store a couple of years ago.

One of my all-time favorite movies is "Under the Tuscan Sun," starring Diane Lane as Frances Mayes. At one point, after moving to Italy, Frances talks about her relationship with Mary. I love that piece of dialogue:

"Signor Martini wants me to have faith. Something I've never been good at, and now I'm even worse at. Not that I don't want faith. I'm jealous of the believers. But as a fallen-away Methodist, I do not expect to emerge from all of this a Catholic, although I admit some interior juggling is going on. To my surprise, I have become friendly with Mary. It started the night she stood by me through the storm, knowing full well I'm not a Catholic. Yet, somehow, she seems more like Mary, my favorite aunt, than Santa Maria. Aunt Mary is everywhere here, her calm presence assuring us that all things will go on as they have before."

Mmmm... a calm presence... That's how I feel about my little collection of "Mary's, Aunt Mary's, Santa Maria's, Madonna's" ... they are, indeed, a calm presence.

Happy Monday, everyone! And thank you ALL for the wonderful birthday wishes for Courtney!!!

Donna

The birthday girl...

Is it possible my baby turned 21 today??

It must be so because that's what the candles say!

Wasn't it just yesterday that she looked like the cake topper photos??

...and wore fancy red sunglasses at her birthday party?

Tonight we made a special trip into Boston to visit both girls and to celebrate Court's 21st birthday! Here are the girls at the lovely little Italian restaurant we dined at.

When we got back to Court's apartment after dinner, her roommates presented her with a bright pink birthday crown and had decorated the apartment, including Court's bed, with streamers!

And then it was time for the carrot cake (Courtney's favorite!)....

... which thankfully survived the car trip into Boston despite numerous potholes and flood detours! We were treated to an incredible day - sunny and in the mid 60's - heaven after all the gray, rainy days we've had lately!!!! Happy birthday, honey!!!

Love Mumsy

Cottage bluebirds...

"About the time we first hear the Robin's ringing welcome to spring we may listen for the Bluebird's more gentle greeting. No bird's song is more associated with the return of Spring than the Bluebird's."

(Frank M. Chapman, Birdlife, 1897)

I've never actually seen a bluebird in our neck of the woods. Do they visit tiny suburban lots smack dab in the middle of neighborhoods? If they do, we've never been graced with their presence.

I have a variety of bird statues throughout the house but, to me, the queen of the cottage is the bluebird.

I love this old gravy boat. Yes, the gold is chipped with age... even worn off completely in some areas...

And yes, there is a significant chip at the end of the gravy boat...

All the more reason to love it...

Bluebirds = the promise of spring. What a lovely thought after such a long winter!

Right now we're being soaked with torrential downpours over the past several days, a "Nor'easter" of rain and high winds... But the robins are everywhere, loving the warmer weather and all the worms that the rain brings to the surface!

Happy spring!

Donna

milk glass, tulips, and a tiger cat

Life has a way of sometimes throwing us curve balls... or at the very least, keeping us on our toes. I'm sorry I've been so bad about blogging lately. Nothing catastrophic has been happening, but lots of little things have just required so much of my time lately that my blogging, I'm afraid, has been put on the back burner so to speak. I'm sure many of you can relate... There are only so many hours in a day, right?


In one of my last posts (which was weeks ago), I mentioned that I had decided on a different vase for my supermarket tulips... Oh, spring, can you come quick enough for me? I don't think so...


We get teased by temperatures that climb into the 50's only to be hammered the following day by late season snowstorms and dropping temps. But we're now in March. There is light at the end of the tunnel, both weatherwise and in many other ways, hopefully.


Tulips and milk glass.. Is there anything more spring-like? A perfect combination in my eyes, and oh-so-cottagey (is that even a word?)...

And while I was arranging tulips in the vase, sweet Tiger, who spends 95% of her time sleeping on Amanda's bed, climbed out from beneath the covers to pay a visit to the family room.

She tells me she has a bad case of spring fever and is very anxious for the days of open windows and warm, billowy breezes. We actually spotted the first chipmunk in our yard today - a sure sign that spring is just around the corner!

Wishing you all a wonderful transition from winter into spring...

Donna

the promise of spring...

Everything is relative... If this were the middle of August, a day with temps hovering in the mid-50's would send me scurrying around the house closing windows...


But since it's the middle of February, where the temps for the past 3-4 months have been in the 30's, 20's, or lower, a 50+ degree day sent me scurrying around the house to open windows!


Come on, Spring!!!! I'm ready when you are!

Donna

The storm that wasn't...

This was the scene at our little cottage yesterday... I'd made a quick run to the supermarket to pick up a few last minute items in anticipation of the major snowstorm due to start around noon. Schools had even cancelled classes the night before due to the dire predictions of driving conditions and anticipated downfall. I thought some fresh flowers would make the storm more bearable...


So I arranged these pretty pink tulips in a vase and set them on a table next to the family room window, just as the first little flakes starting to fall from the sky...


And while looking out the window, I noticed something else... Someone was admiring my tulip arrangement through the window... Here, let me get closer to the window and I'll show you.

Do you see him up there? He was clearly giving me a nod of approval....

I think he liked the bright pop of color from the tulips because everything outside had turned to shades of gray and white as the snow started.

Yup, he was definitely admiring the flowers through the window.

This is not the same hawk that has been visiting my yard lately. Although he looks large in these photos, he's quite a bit smaller than the large hawk that hangs around. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure he's even a hawk. I've heard what sounds like a falcon outside from time to time. Maybe someone with more expertise in identifying predatory birds will have a better idea? He finally got hungry and flew off in search of food, no doubt...

...which left the coast clear for Sammy to come out of hiding. He happily chowed down on peanuts I'd tossed out earlier in the day. Just be careful, Sammy. Mr. Hawk/Falcon was on the branch right above the old swingset you're sitting on!

Oh - and the storm? It fizzled out. Less than an inch where we live, and it didn't even stick to the roads.... A mere dusting.

Children: ecstatic at the no school or early release day...

Parents: not so much...
Weathermen/women: mea culpas

So today is sunny... I changed the tulip vase and had another visitor... I'll share that in my next post.


Donna