Our College Graduate!

I hope your dreams take you to the corners of your smiles, to the highest of your hopes, to the windows of your opportunities, and to the most special places your heart has ever known!

~Author Unknown

From our little nursery school graduate (June 18, 1991)...

to our "cum laude" college graduate (May 18, 2008)

...in the blink of an eye, the years flew by...

We are sooooo very proud of you, honey!

To be nobody but yourself -- in a world which is doing its best,

night and day, to make you everybody else --

means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight;

and never stop fighting. (e.e. cummings, 1955)

(You must have known I'd include one of his quotes for you!)

Love, Mumsy xo xo xo

Cottage Charm Giveaway#2 - Cottage Garden

CONGRATULATIONS to Tammy at Brinkley Bungalow!! She is the winner of the Cottage Garden giveaway!!!

As mentioned in my previous post, I'm doing two giveaways for the 2nd Annual Cottage Charm Giveaway (being hosted by Kim at The Twice Remembered Cottage - One Woman's Cottage Life). Click on her blog link (above or on my sidebar) to visit ALL of the blogs participating in this giveaway - the prizes are fantastic!! This is my giveaway #2 - the "Cottage Garden" collection...

I've come across some really cute items on my "junktiquing" and shopping trips lately, so the winner of the "Cottage Garden" giveaway will receive everything shown above, which includes...

... a little flowery pair of gardening gloves, a cottage bouquet set of 8 note cards/envelopes, a 14"x18" cottage placemat/doily/runner with embroidered lotus blossom type flowers...

...a 'Shady Gardens' book, a little garden block, two seed packets (Moonflower Vine and Nasturtium), and a little prism like the ones I hang in my windows to fill the room with rainbows (like this)...

You'll also receive this L.L. Bean standard sized pillow sham (shown folded up here). The first photo shows what it looks like on a pillow, but you will be receiving the sham only (no pillow). It's so cottage sweet, covered all over with the prettiest wildflowers!

And here's a photo that shows three of my prisms hanging from the valance in my living room window (actually, just a shameless excuse to post another photo of Spotty boy!).

To be entered into the drawing for this collection, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post, or any future post up until the drawing date of May 31st. You do not have to have a blog to enter, but if your comment doesn't link back to a blog, be sure to leave an e-mail address so I can notify you if you win!

You can enter the "Cottage by the Sea" giveaway the same way - just by leaving a comment on that post or any other post through May 31st. After your comment, just put #1 for the Cottage by the Sea collection or #2 for the Cottage Garden collection. And if you want to be entered into both drawings, just put #1/#2 after your comment.

The more comments you leave between now and May 31st, the more chances you have to win, but just one comment per post please :)

Donna (who's hoping for some seriously good gardening weather soon!)

Cottage Charm Giveaway#1 - Cottage by the Sea

CONGRATULATIONS to Anonymous (racefankellen@verizon.net) for being the winner of the Cottage by the Sea giveaway!!!

How fun! I've decided to take part in Kim's (The Twice Remembered Cottage - One Woman's Cottage Life) 2nd annual cottage giveaway (be sure to visit her site for links to all of the participating blogs!)... and I've decided to do not one, but two giveaways!

Since I live in New England, I had to do one ocean-themed giveaway! So this is Giveaway #1, the "Cottage by the Sea" collection, and the winner will receive everything pictured above...

... a sweet little 8" wreath that is covered with seashells of creamy white, cottage blue and robin's egg blue (all the colors of the ocean!)...

... a distressed mermaid on a pedestal, measuring just under 9" wide x 15" tall...

... a box of 8 flameless, flickering (battery operated) tealite candles in the most heavenly blue ever! And lastly, a set of 5 cottage-colored, lace trimmed doilies - cottage blue, minty green, sunny yellow, soft cream, and pure white, all about 5"x7"...

To be entered into the drawing for this collection, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post or any future post up until the drawing date of May 31st. You do not have to have a blog to enter, but if your comment doesn't link back to a blog, be sure to leave an e-mail address so that I can notify you if you win!

I'm also going to post a second giveaway within the next day or two. You can enter that giveaway the same way - just by leaving a comment on that post or any other post through May 31st.

If you comment on any other posts I make between now and May 31st, and would like that comment to count toward the giveaway, then put #1 for this drawing or #2 for the next drawing after your comment so I know which giveaway you want your name entered into. If you don't care which drawing you're entered into, just put #1/#2 after your comment. The more comments you leave between now and May 31st, the more chances you have to win, but just one comment per post please :)

Aren't giveaways so much fun?? Thank you, Kim, for such a great idea, and good luck everyone!!

Donna

Mantel Makeover...

Not long ago, I gave our fireplace mantel a little makeover...

As you can see from my blog banner, I used to have family photos on the mantel. Apparently that is a huge 'no no' in the decorating world, especially if it's overdone (and since my family photos were also on the dining room hutch, the dining room half wall, and the tops of various cupboards, etc., I'd be hard pressed to argue that I might not have been a tad obsessive... and we won't even mention the photos in the bedrooms)...

So I decided to put some of my family members into storage... (sorry guys - I still love you... honest!)

Just look at this perfectly shabby little candle holder that a good friend gave me this past Christmas (thank you, Jill :)... I wanted to put it someplace where it would really stand out, so I placed that on the center of the mantel flanked by two bluebirds. Now I have tons of white birds around my house, but these are my only two blue birds. I actually got them in the Christmas section of Target this past year. I have no idea why they were considered Christmas decorations, but when I spotted them I knew the colors would be perfect with the painting over the fireplace. And the finishing touch was this sweet little NEST banner that I got on ETSY.

I didn't know what to place on the ends of the mantel, so I finally decided on some tall candle holders and glass vases. This one just has a long piece of creamy white ribbon curled up around the inside. The ribbon was purchased for a project I never got around to doing (typical me...)

And then, of course, I have some of my creamy white buttons filling several vases as well...

So that's how the mantel looks now. I think it's really nice for a change (teeny confession though... by nature I'm a very symmetrical person, so I think the center section with the candle holder and birds is great, but the fact that the sides of the mantel aren't identical mirror images of each other is driving me nuts... be calm, Donna... remember, you're trying to not be so rigid.. to be more open to new ideas, new ways of doing things)...

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if some of the family photos I tucked away eventually start popping up 'here and there' around the house though, because when all is said and done, all the "do's" and "don'ts" of decorating don't really matter if we're not happy within our own four walls, right?

Donna

P.S. Joanne at My Little Cottage in the Making has a giveaway going on her blog for some BEAUTIFUL creamy white buttons and lots of other cottage/shabby goodies!! Be sure to visit her blog to enter her drawing!

Update: I thought it would be fun to add my name to Kari & Kijsa's Mantel 101 list! Since I did a "Mantel Makeover" post not long ago, I'm just linking to that. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's mantels as I'm always looking for new ideas and inspiration!!

Freshly laundered and smelling yummy!

Remember my $1 faded pillow sham from a previous post? Well, it's been freshly laundered and now it smells sooooooo good!

I tried it on the window seat for a while....

...but I think for now I'm going to keep it on the sofa. It's really comfy for laying back to watch TV or read...

Thank you my sweet scented helpers!

Donna

Camelot...

"Don't let it be forgot, that once there was a spot,

for one brief, shining moment that was known as Camelot."

The cherry tree in the back yard was in full bloom....

And the crab trees in the front yard were covered with blossoms..

It's such a PRETTY time here in New England!! It's unusual that our cherry and crab trees bloomed profusely at precisely the same time, but that's exactly what they did this year and the yard took on the most magical look! Yesterday's strong winds, however, wreaked havoc with the delicate apple blossoms so we must now refer to them in the past tense...

These pictures were taken over the weekend and I offer them as evidence that Camelot really did exist, if only "for one brief, shining moment! "

Donna

Remembering you...

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love,

the things you are, the things you never want to lose."

(The Wonder Years)

"We do not remember days; we remember moments."

(Cesare Pavese)

"Life is the sharing of songs and of silences, and the

holding of memories only the heart can see." (Flavia)

"Memories are but a journey we take in our minds,

but relive in our hearts." (A. Grant)

Thank you for the most wonderful memories to look back on, Mom... Happy Mother's Day...

Love, Donna

Our Scrabble Queen...

"In thy face I see the map of honour, truth, and loyalty." ~ William Shakespeare

My mom would have been 82 today. We lost her in 1996 and I swear, sometimes it seems like just yesterday. But we were very blessed to have had her in our lives for such a long time. I know many people are not so fortunate as we were.

My mom had a fantastic sense of humor. She was easy going, quick to laugh, gentle and kind. And she was our Scrabble Queen! This is the fancy schmancy "turntable" board I bought for her many years ago (I highly recommend it if you play Scrabble regularly!). Mom taught my sister and I to play and I'll tell you, she was a hard one to beat!

So, Mom, I dedicate this to you. Most of these are words that remind me of you :) The Q and Z words were tougher to come up with (but I knew you'd want me to use those letters, and you always were the biggest PRIZE in our lives!) And did you notice the Q landed on Triple Letter score and J on Triple Word score? Nice, huh?

What I wouldn't give for one more Scrabble game with you, Mom. Happy Birthday and Happy Mother's Day!

With all my love,

Donna

So who guessed right?

(Note to Jessica: Hi Jessica! I'm so sorry, but I do not know who manufactured my statue. I purchased mine at an multi-antique dealer shop in New Hampahsire, but I don't know anything other than she is old, chippy, and the most beautiful statuary I ever laid eyes on! I wish I could have been of more help to you!)

Remember when I told you I bought something that was pictured in one of the photos I took at Fairground Antiques last month? I just couldn't pass up 50% off on this vintage Mary garden statue with the most incredible chippy cottage charm!

The original photo from the antique store just didn’t do her justice, so here are some close-ups I took today… (the chippy details really show up when the photos are enlarged)

I would have shared her with you earlier, but at 33" tall and about 80 lbs., there was no way I could get her out of the van by myself.

So last night hubby and I put her in the wheelbarrow and set her down in front of the hemlock, where she now watches over all the garden creatures and birds that visit our little back yard.

I'd been looking at Mary garden statues for the past several years, and when I spotted this vintage one (at such an incredibly affordable price), I knew my search was over... she was perfect. I love looking out the window and seeing her standing in the corner of the yard...

Donna

Outdoor Dining ... Finally!

"Make [food] simple and let things taste of what they are."

Maurice Edmond Sailland, French writer (1872-1956)

Oh happy days!! Our summertime ritual of eating supper out on the deck each evening has begun. Simple foods and unhurried meals... being serenaded by the various songbirds that visit our yard or being entertained by the antics of the squirrels and chipmunks... It truly does not get any better than this! (And look how nice the potato salad looks in that $2 glass bowl I picked up last week! Gotta love a bargain!)

Donna

Mission Accomplished...

"A cat in the house, no longer a mouse."

"Two cats in the house and still a mouse" is more accurate at our little cottage! (But you can tell from the photos that they really do try!)

Last night this little guy (I call him Fievel) decided he could no longer resist the smell of peanut butter on a cracker, so here he is in his little "have a heart" trap before being set free into the great outdoors, where he will hopefully live a very long and happy mouse life "somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight..." (An American Tail)

Donna

Still searching....

The search is still on for that certain "something" I'm trying to find and last week the hunt led me to Wayside Antiques in Marlboro, MA. Unfortunately, I didn't find what I was looking for, although I sure liked this stained glass window with the robin's egg blue and peachy pink accents!

Next door to Wayside Antiques is the Country Store and the old fashioned Candy Store. There are two benches out front - the left bench is marked REPUBLICANS and the right bench is marked DEMOCRATS. No heated debates going on that day - it was too cold for anyone to be sitting outside!

There's a beautiful gazebo built on the pond next to buildings...

... and there are always ducks, geese, and swans waiting to be fed. (You really need to watch where you're walking in the parking lot :)

Even though I didn't find "the" item, I did pick up a sham and bowl on my travels last week. The little pillow sham was $1 - it has a sweet pleated ruffle around the edge. The pattern is a soft pink floral and it's faded to cottage perfection. And for $2, I couldn't resist this little bowl. I love using glass bowls on the table for serving salads, side dishes, and desserts.

Thank goodness it has warmed up since I took these photos last week. The cold, damp weather has been replaced by sunny skies and temps in the mid 70's... perfect days!!

Donna

One man's junk...

... is definitely this gal's treasure!! I scored this perfect cottage lamp in early April and the baker's rack on Saturday...

Just look at this sweet, chippy reading lamp that was sitting in front of someones house with a FREE sign attached to it!

And here's the white baker's rack with the FREE sign still attached! Again, just sitting at the end of someones driveway (and now temporarily plunked down in my backyard).

This is the coolest lamp. The light and shade extend out for reading and then swivel back in when not in use. Now the shiny gold has to go... it will probably be painted creamy white to match the lamp... And the pleated shade has a cracked plastic underlayer, so eventually it will need to be replaced, but for now it's just perfect as it is...

Just look at this old, scuffed up base. I couldn't faux paint a perfect worn finish like that if I tried!

I thought this baker's rack could work nicely as a trellis for either the cardinal climber or scarlet runner beans or moonflower vine that I'm going to (attempt to) grow... And maybe some plants on top of the shelves?

Now can you believe that my husband tried to talk me out of BOTH pieces? (Why is he always in the car with me when I spot this stuff??) There was actually a FREE rocker next to the lamp but he said "No way!" when I tried to talk him into helping me load that into the van, too! Sometimes he just can't see the beauty in "one man's junk" that I do! But I have to admit, he balances me out, and that's a good thing because we certainly did not need, or have room for, another rocking chair in the house!

P.S. We had our first hummingbird on Sunday. This is the earliest I've ever seen one. I'm so glad I had already put out the feeders!

Donna

Oh, dear... a mouse in the house

No, not this one. She's my little cottage mouse, all dressed up in her shabby pink angora sweater...

Mm mm, not this one either. He keeps my pins and needles organized when I sew... (can you tell how much sewing I do? He doesn't look like he's had a hole poked in him yet!)

And definitely not this bunch... they bring back such happy memories of reading to my girls when they were little...


And this little guy, well he's as "quiet as a mouse, " always with his nose in a book...


No.... the mouse that starts with "Oh, dear..." is the one that makes the cat(s) sit for hours on end, just like this, staring into the corner of the kitchen.

Oh, dear.....

Donna

Where have the years gone?

My oldest girl is graduating from college this month, but wasn't it just yesterday that she and her sister graduated from high school? And wasn't it just the day before that that they graduated from preschool?

Maybe it's the upcoming graduation, or maybe it was reading Pat's Golden Books blog post today; but whatever the reason, I've found myself reminiscing quite a bit...

So I pulled out the "Life 101" books that I made for each of my girls when they graduated from high school, and took a trip down memory lane...

The "Life 101" books are basically computerized scrapbooks - not as cute, clever, or colorful as a real scrapbook, but full of photos, memories, and some good quotes nonetheless!

I have to say that out of all the gifts that my girls received when they graduated, the presents that meant the most to them were the Life 101 books that I made up for each of them and the "Memories" folder that their dad made up for them, full of all the funny, sweet, special, comical, and, yes, embarrassing moments and memories unique to each girl.

It was so much fun looking back on so many fun times, like the one pictured above! I remember snapping that picture (again, wasn't it just yesterday??)...

So there you have it, a little trip down memory lane (sigh...)... They grow up so quickly, don't they?

Donna