On the “12th day of Christmas” Richard and I finished our morning coffee, then got busy storing away our Christmas decorations. I began packing Christmas treasures and memories…music boxes…wooden pyramids from Germany…feather trees…and angels, while Richard went outside and took the Christmas wreaths from the windows…stored away our manger scene…and carefully put Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus away for another year.
Continue reading “Our Season Bright and The 12 Days of Christmas”
In the Cottage Greenhouse…
I love winter days in the Cottage Greenhouse. On bright days, the sunlight streams through the clear paneled roof and warms my little house (as our 3 year old Granddaughter calls it.) On gray, drippy days, I close the cedar door, turn on my space heater, and I’m snug and warm, “out of the wind’s and the rain’s way” while I listen to the lovely sound of the raindrops falling on the greenhouse roof.
A little house - a house of my own Out of the wind's and the rain's way ~ Padraic Colum
Last week Richard was busy in the yard, putting up a cedar fence and the weather was perfect for pre-spring cleaning in the greenhouse. I used the leaf blower and blew out dried leaves that had crept in beneath the cedar panels, wiped the potting benches and shelves with a damp cloth, then cleaned each of my greenhouse treasures. On back shelves, under the potting benches, I organized seed trays, stacked planters and peat pots, arranged watering cans, fertilizers, and insecticidal soaps, all while planning landscaping beds and dreaming of woodland ferns, coral bells, and coleus.
January is the month for dreaming
Jean Hershey
Antique seed box and cedar chest
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Easy Halloween Project…”Not so Spooky” Eensy, Weensy Spider Treat Stand
Here’s one last quick and fun Halloween project that you’ll have time to finish, before you hear the doorbell ring, signaling the arrival of your first trick or treaters!
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Getting Ready for Halloween…DIY “Not So Spooky” Halloween Wreath
It’s almost Halloween, and this week I’m getting ready for our family’s traditional chili fest…always a fun, pumpkin filled evening with lots to eat, and festive treats. Our dinner menu for this special evening is always the same…steamy bowls filled with Chili con Carne served alongside a topping bar, a large salad, and a crockpot filled with delicious Pumpkin Spice Latte. No tricks are allowed, but it’s, “all about the treats” for the grandchildren. There will be Candy Corn Sugar Cookies and Harvest Moon Pies. For the adults, there’s cheesecake covered in a caramel and toffee drizzle, and for toasting, later, there’s Ghost Peep S’mores…all treats worthy of a night reserved for goosebumps and thrills.
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DIY Woodland Swag and Autumn Tablescape
~ by Trenda
It’s that cozy, all things pumpkin, sweater weather, cider sipping time of year…and time to decorate Cottage Green for autumn. Seeing the shadows of autumn sunshine coming through our shutters, while smelling the apple cider fragrance in our diffuser, I was inspired to make a woodland swag. A swag that looked like it was made with treasures found during a walk in an autumn forest…some bittersweet, wild blossoms, red, golden, and orange leaves, pinecones, wild grapes, and hawthorn berries, all weaved into a fir garland and mixed with discarded pheasant feathers and antlers shed from the deer in autumn.
Continue reading “DIY Woodland Swag and Autumn Tablescape”Where the heart is the mind works best.
Louisa May Alcott
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Fish Camp Tablescape and Recipe for delicious “Cajun Beans”
Oh, I love summer nights! The deep blue of twilight makes the lake almost glow in the distance and the stars grow brighter and brighter as nightfall deepens. Great blue heron squawk farewells when they fly by going to roosts high up in the treetops, ducks murmur goodnight as they come gliding by, and the tree frogs sing a craggy lullaby.
Continue reading “Fish Camp Tablescape and Recipe for delicious “Cajun Beans””Oh, the summer night, has a smile of light, and she sits on a sapphire throne."Bryan Procter
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Summertime at the Lake and Easy Rice Krispie Favors
Family vacation…swimming and lazy afternoons on the dock…watermelon and water guns…cookouts and ice cream…July 4th and fireworks…corn hole and fishing…it’s summertime at the lake!
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Antique and Flea Market Finds
“I saw this darling, heart-shaped mirror glimmering and beckoning to me before I even got to the booth where it was hanging, and felt my heart quicken. The antique floral embellishment at the top of the mirror and the sweet, scalloped edges around the heart spoke to me, and told me, “You are taking me home.”
Recently Richard, my dear Huckleberry Friend, and I went on a trip and had a great time stopping at different antique shops and flea markets along the way. Frequently, I am asked (particularly about the wide assortment of items I use to decorate the Cottage Greenhouse) where I find the items I use in decorating. So, today I’m sharing some of the treasures we “two drifters, off to see the world” found on our trip, and what each item cost.
Moon river, wider than a mile I'm crossing you in style some day Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker Wherever you're going, I'm going your way Two drifters, off to see the world There's such a lot of world to see We're after the same rainbow's end Waiting 'round the bend My Huckleberry friend Moon river and me Moon River ~ written by Johnny Mercer and Henry ManciniContinue reading “Antique and Flea Market Finds”
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A Tablescape and Spring Buffet Plus, Decorating Tips for your Home
“See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.” Song of Solomon 2:11-12
Brilliant blue skies, birds in construction mode flying back and forth with building materials in their beaks, Mourning Doves cooing, Barn Swallows swooping, Mockingbird’s singing, beautiful wisteria, azaleas, and roses blooming in all shades of pretty…it’s Spring!
Continue reading “A Tablescape and Spring Buffet Plus, Decorating Tips for your Home”“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Springtime in the Cottage Greenhouse…planting flower seed trays and vegetables
It was a delightful day to be working outside in the Cottage Greenhouse. In my cozy shelter, I was protected from the cool, north wind…surrounded by smells of earth and growing things, soothed with a background of birdsong, and the greenhouse door was opened to the lake beyond.
It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”
Charles Dickens
It was a delightful day to be working outside in the Cottage Greenhouse. In my cozy shelter, I was protected from the cool north wind…surrounded by smells of earth and growing things, soothed with a background of birdsong, and the greenhouse door was opened to the lake beyond.
