Hung hearts - handmade or bought most of which were gifts.....
And now we can celebrate our Valentine's day 2013 with a great deal of heart!
Heidi
Thursday, January 31, 2013
A good heart.....
It is already the close of the month of January. Time is flying and 2013 is only just begun. Valentine's day is just around the corner so my tree is up to set the season. I took my vintage olive pot and placed the branches in it.....
Hung hearts - handmade or bought most of which were gifts.....
And now we can celebrate our Valentine's day 2013 with a great deal of heart!
Heidi
Hung hearts - handmade or bought most of which were gifts.....
And now we can celebrate our Valentine's day 2013 with a great deal of heart!
Heidi
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Monday, January 7, 2013
Cleaning up in 2013
I have been debating about what to post as I wanted to start this year out with a challenge to myself to clear out things I do not love or use. More about that debate a little later...
I started last week with a simple baby step. I have a drawer in our hutch which is a mess. I took everything out placing it on the table and going through it all. I only replaced what I needed to keep throwing out about a third of the contents. You know those Christmas cards you keep thinking to use them to make tags or new cards, old letters that need to go and just lots of tiny junk.
Each week of this year, I want to work on one area and declutter and simplify. I am going to go about it this year that even the smallest area will eventually make a big impact. I feel best and most at peace in our tiny cottage so I think that speaks mountains about our home. It too needs to be simple so I can feel that peace here too.
Are you in the simplify mood this year too?
This is a primrose blooming in my front garden. Mother Nature is quite confused by our very warm weather and thinks it is spring. I am hoping we are not in for an extreme cold freeze like we had last year. In February, we got extreme frosts and an easterly wind causing a great deal of damage in the garden. I would hate to loose more plants again this year.
But now that debat...
I normally do not like to vent on my blog. We returned from Cranberry Cottage yesterday afternoon to find that my car had been vandalized. Jos asked our neighbor if she heard anything. She was angry as there have been problems with some teenagers causing trouble again behind their house. It has been so bad that a house was set on fire about a year ago. These kids do not live here and the police say they know who they are but cannot do anything about it as the parents will not cooperate. This is the first time, we have had a problem and I have no insurance coverage for vandalism. It is going to cost a big sum of money to have the repairs done. But worse, the kids keep getting away with it. My neighbor was all upset that she has raised 4 men who respect people and their property. Jos told her that has everything to do with her as a real mother and why these kids are causing the problems they do not having one. Do their parents really not care???
Heidi
I started last week with a simple baby step. I have a drawer in our hutch which is a mess. I took everything out placing it on the table and going through it all. I only replaced what I needed to keep throwing out about a third of the contents. You know those Christmas cards you keep thinking to use them to make tags or new cards, old letters that need to go and just lots of tiny junk.
Each week of this year, I want to work on one area and declutter and simplify. I am going to go about it this year that even the smallest area will eventually make a big impact. I feel best and most at peace in our tiny cottage so I think that speaks mountains about our home. It too needs to be simple so I can feel that peace here too.
Are you in the simplify mood this year too?
This is a primrose blooming in my front garden. Mother Nature is quite confused by our very warm weather and thinks it is spring. I am hoping we are not in for an extreme cold freeze like we had last year. In February, we got extreme frosts and an easterly wind causing a great deal of damage in the garden. I would hate to loose more plants again this year.
But now that debat...
I normally do not like to vent on my blog. We returned from Cranberry Cottage yesterday afternoon to find that my car had been vandalized. Jos asked our neighbor if she heard anything. She was angry as there have been problems with some teenagers causing trouble again behind their house. It has been so bad that a house was set on fire about a year ago. These kids do not live here and the police say they know who they are but cannot do anything about it as the parents will not cooperate. This is the first time, we have had a problem and I have no insurance coverage for vandalism. It is going to cost a big sum of money to have the repairs done. But worse, the kids keep getting away with it. My neighbor was all upset that she has raised 4 men who respect people and their property. Jos told her that has everything to do with her as a real mother and why these kids are causing the problems they do not having one. Do their parents really not care???
Heidi
Sunday, December 23, 2012
My best Christmas present ever!
My best Christmas present ever? Our beautiful old man cat Dagi (which is short for Adagio) of course. It is his birthday today. He made it to 15 years old! When we got him, our vet warned us that these kind of cats are wonderful characters but do not get old. We had him on a special diet food from 6 months old so he told us he was getting the best from a young age but still we expected to loose him between the ages of 6 to 8 years old. These cats simply have an ultra sensitive digestive system.
He has not been well but is showing us daily that he is happy regardless. Jos read up on old cats with eating problems and discovered that meat is the best for them to digest. So we gave it a try. I know he loves chicken and turkey. I bought him some chicken lunch meat. He LOVES it and has actually been getting ever so slightly stronger on it. He keeps it down well too.
He is old and has trouble jumping up and sleeps so deeply most of the day but he also still loves to hold a conversation with me regularly. This month was my quilt group's yearly Christmas party and you can see Dagi sitting in the middle of the busy group group of quilters listening intently. He is sitting next to a very dear friend Enny.
Happy birthday to my dear Dagi! We are so happy you made it to this wonderful old age. You are a sweet and dear companion to Jos and I!
It is Christmas Eve tomorrow so I wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! May your Christmas be a happy time together with the one(s) you love dearest.
He has not been well but is showing us daily that he is happy regardless. Jos read up on old cats with eating problems and discovered that meat is the best for them to digest. So we gave it a try. I know he loves chicken and turkey. I bought him some chicken lunch meat. He LOVES it and has actually been getting ever so slightly stronger on it. He keeps it down well too.
He is old and has trouble jumping up and sleeps so deeply most of the day but he also still loves to hold a conversation with me regularly. This month was my quilt group's yearly Christmas party and you can see Dagi sitting in the middle of the busy group group of quilters listening intently. He is sitting next to a very dear friend Enny.
Happy birthday to my dear Dagi! We are so happy you made it to this wonderful old age. You are a sweet and dear companion to Jos and I!
It is Christmas Eve tomorrow so I wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! May your Christmas be a happy time together with the one(s) you love dearest.
Heidi
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Christmas impressions.....
With these busy days upon us, here are a few impressions of our home at Christmas...
Today is the 200th anniversary of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales being published. My favorite is Little Red Riding Hood. When I was a little girl, I had a game I would play with my mother. I would go outside and ring the doorbell. My mother would answer and ask who was there. I would happily call out Little Red Riding Hood or another character. Since Little Red Riding Hood was my favorite, my mother sent me this beautiful picture a number of Christmas ago.
Thank you for your wishes for my getting better! I was back laying down yesterday all afternoon but am feeling much better again today.
Today is the 200th anniversary of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales being published. My favorite is Little Red Riding Hood. When I was a little girl, I had a game I would play with my mother. I would go outside and ring the doorbell. My mother would answer and ask who was there. I would happily call out Little Red Riding Hood or another character. Since Little Red Riding Hood was my favorite, my mother sent me this beautiful picture a number of Christmas ago.
Thank you for your wishes for my getting better! I was back laying down yesterday all afternoon but am feeling much better again today.
Do you have a favorite fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm?
Heidi
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
A simply perfect day!
Each year in the little fortress-ed Dutch village of Elburg, there is a Christmas event. The village becomes Christmas of 1900. It is a beautiful place to visit any time of the year but there is something really special about it each December...
The beautiful buildings and displays...
The villagers participating in the parade...
Including horse and carriages and the amazing goose shepherd and his dog...
Old world market...
Old world crafts...
And wonderful food! After a snack at a street booth, we had a lunch at an Italian restaurant. They had hot rabbit stew and white glühwein. It was such a delicious treat since we rarely go out to eat since I love to cook so much.
At the end of the day, we came home with a loaf of Elburg wholemeal bread and two oublies (old Dutch pasty with a cookie wafer with mocha cream and covered in chocolate - these are not often for sale in bakeries anymore). More fun was being able to first watch 3 young men in the rope factory as they made a rope with a loop which is woven into the rest of the rope for me to use for a fresh garden garland (will share that later after I make it) and two hand forged hooks bought at the blacksmith shop. I spent almost nothing for those items but went home with wonderful memories of watching these old crafts.
It was a simple and perfect day. We went early and left after we had lunch to avoid the crowds. I have been sick and stuck in the house but was glad I was well enough to have seen this before hand.
I will leave you with this funny photo. Enlarge the photos to get a closer look at the impressions of Elburg but also the humor of this outhouse in front of a shop...
The beautiful buildings and displays...
The villagers participating in the parade...
Including horse and carriages and the amazing goose shepherd and his dog...
Old world market...
Old world crafts...
And wonderful food! After a snack at a street booth, we had a lunch at an Italian restaurant. They had hot rabbit stew and white glühwein. It was such a delicious treat since we rarely go out to eat since I love to cook so much.
At the end of the day, we came home with a loaf of Elburg wholemeal bread and two oublies (old Dutch pasty with a cookie wafer with mocha cream and covered in chocolate - these are not often for sale in bakeries anymore). More fun was being able to first watch 3 young men in the rope factory as they made a rope with a loop which is woven into the rest of the rope for me to use for a fresh garden garland (will share that later after I make it) and two hand forged hooks bought at the blacksmith shop. I spent almost nothing for those items but went home with wonderful memories of watching these old crafts.
It was a simple and perfect day. We went early and left after we had lunch to avoid the crowds. I have been sick and stuck in the house but was glad I was well enough to have seen this before hand.
I will leave you with this funny photo. Enlarge the photos to get a closer look at the impressions of Elburg but also the humor of this outhouse in front of a shop...
Heidi
Monday, December 3, 2012
There is no cottage like gnome.....
Christmas is starting to appear in the woods at Cranberry Cottage. I started my decorating this weekend. I have just a few more touches I will add when we make it back up again.
In the meantime, I snapped a few photos to share with you. Remember that crocheted gnome hat I made and the toadstools? I created a gnome tree from my Christmas tree at the cottage. I have always used the bird theme on this tree. I added the gnome hat on the bird house tree topper so I think a gnome must have moved in by now. *grins* There are toadstools on the branches. I have yet another idea but have to find some spare time before we make it back to the cottage.
This little tree skirt was made specially for my pencil pine tree. It had been a patchwork block I used for a quilt class I gave years back in 2004 which was also the first Christmas we had at Cranberry Cottage. It is a reminder of when we bought the little cottage.
Please forgive the horrible wallpaper. The paste dried too fast as the sun streamed in on this wall. We still have to redo it. A shame since I loved this paper and color. We added some things to give this area some festive cheer along with a quilt I made 17 years ago.
So now to decorate our house in the city. I am put in the mood today as we are having our first snowfall this season. It is supposed to turn to rain later today but I will enjoy gazing out as I decorate while it lasts...
In the meantime, I snapped a few photos to share with you. Remember that crocheted gnome hat I made and the toadstools? I created a gnome tree from my Christmas tree at the cottage. I have always used the bird theme on this tree. I added the gnome hat on the bird house tree topper so I think a gnome must have moved in by now. *grins* There are toadstools on the branches. I have yet another idea but have to find some spare time before we make it back to the cottage.
This little tree skirt was made specially for my pencil pine tree. It had been a patchwork block I used for a quilt class I gave years back in 2004 which was also the first Christmas we had at Cranberry Cottage. It is a reminder of when we bought the little cottage.
Please forgive the horrible wallpaper. The paste dried too fast as the sun streamed in on this wall. We still have to redo it. A shame since I loved this paper and color. We added some things to give this area some festive cheer along with a quilt I made 17 years ago.
So now to decorate our house in the city. I am put in the mood today as we are having our first snowfall this season. It is supposed to turn to rain later today but I will enjoy gazing out as I decorate while it lasts...
Heidi
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