The Cottage on the Hill

                                                            Photo by Cottage on the Hill Winter and I haven't gotten along very well in years.  It would be a painful, depressing time as the cold and damp would get into my bones and feel like it was freezing me from the inside out.  A few years ago I would dread the onset of winter, fear it, even.  Then, I started watching a remarkable woman who lives in the rural north of Sweden. Jonna Jinton lives in a tiny village near the Arctic Circle in Sweden.  Several years ago, she abandoned her normal urban modernist life to live a dream.  Her dream has come true, and then some! I first "met" Jonna through an adorable little meme video that went viral on Facebook.  As the northern hemisphere was nearing spring, Jonna's video of her trudging through waist-deep snow in a pretty dress to hang her laundry and enjoy the sunshine caught my attention.  Since then, I was intrigued by her living and, yes, even struggling through her

  Now, television isn't something I am able to indulge in very often.  I have one TV series that I watch with absolute strictness, and that is Curse of Oak Island.  Otherwise, I watch The Mandalorian when I can and occasionally indulge in the classics.  But, boy, do I love those classics!  My love has been renewed thanks to Disney's Wandavision, which, I think, they "spoofed" the old TV shows quite well without being rude about it.  I'd be happy if they stayed in the Mary Tyler Moore or Dick van Dyke Show style.  It's just so adorable and homey!  It brought me back to my old favorites such as: The Donna Reed Show Leave it to Beaver Father Knows Best Ozzie and Harriet The Honeymooners I Love Lucy The Dick van Dyke Show I Dream of Jeannie The Mary Tyler Moore Show And the game show What's My Line I'm sure there's more. What are your favorite old time TV shows?

  Art by Tasha Tudor Spring always tempts me to the open spaces of my back yard that I can fill with seeds, seedlings, and plants.  The little homesteader in me wants food and flower growing abundantly in the sunny areas behind my house.  Of course, I never intend to neglect the front, and I usually do throw in some excellent plantings when the weeds are few in the spring.  However, the demands of tending the large gardens in the back take away from the ones people see first. The new busy days of my life, with work and business, homeschool and home repairs, provides me with little time to devote to my gardening obsession  hobby.  I MUST plan and focus for this coming spring. I decided to focus on curb appeal, not just for the benefit of first impressions, but because it is overall beneficial: 1.  It'll exercise my gardening creativity.  The spaces are unique.  I have to think outside the box. 2.  It'll exercise my gardening education.  The spaces are unique.  I have to find out

  With Valentine's Day coming, I felt like sharing 3 of my favorite perfumes, an honorable mention, and one for the little girls in your life.  They make excellent, romantic gifts for the fragrance-loving femmes in your life! Coming in at #3 is English Laundry No 7 (for her).  This is a scent that is both classic and modern.  It's great as an every day wear, and for special occasions. My #2 is Estee Lauder Pleasures.  This was my first "big girl" perfume, a step away from drug store brands into the world of perfume counters.  It is oh so feminine! My #1 was Marilyn Monroe's #1, Chanel #5!  I feel sophisticated wearing this perfume.  It's an instant pick-me-up and self-esteem booster. My Honorable Mention is a budget-friendly fragrance from Yardley of London.  Their lily of the valley scent is a beautiful, feminine, pleasantly simple fragrance that feels young and fresh, innocent and sweet to wear. For the little girls in your life just starting on the path to

                                                                         Painting by Edward Hopper I blame Covid. And winter. I am inspired by minimalists. And young women in young marriages with young families who've learned and shared their art of creating spaces and space. Growing up, I loved all the things.  Cluttered farmhouses, Victorian aesthetic, collections, museums pack full of artifacts, late 20th century consumerism all contributed to an idea that homes were cozy when well (and fully) decorated and displayed.   But now I live in a very small cottage instead of a large Civil War era farmhouse, and I have to take care of all the things (or handle all this inventory as Dawn from The Minimal Mom calls it).  It became overwhelming. Covid has kept my children and I home more.  Winter keeps us shut in, too.  And the walls close in around us. I find I need space, empty space.   Not every surface needs something on it.  Not every wall needs something hanging on it.  Not every co

Elin Danielson Gambogi "Sunny Day" 1900  Growing up I remember going to people's houses or going to school and smelling the fresh laundry.  I loved the laundry detergent aisle at the grocery store and longed to have laundry that was a fragrant experience.  Frugality, for many years, dictated what detergent I purchased, which was often the kind that didn't have the greatest fragrance, nor would it last.  Nevertheless, through rebate apps, coupons, sales, and allowing myself a little more wiggle room in the laundry budget, I have explored the worlds of Tide and Gain .  However, as much as I enjoy both of these for massive fragrant laundry experiences, I was surprised that another option has become my current favorite! Not only is the scent amazing, but I love how my laundry feels.  I have terribly hard water and I don't use fabric softener or dryer sheets, but this detergent actually does get out the dirt, the ick, the stink, and softens the laundry nicely. 

Fragonard, The Reader I tend to be what I call an idealist pessimist.  Basically, I would think of some aesthetic ideal that I wish I was, but be very negative and pessimistic because I could never live up to that.  That developed into negative self talk.   Dawn from The Minimal Mom  talks in her videos about how she would berate herself as being a messy person and instead decided to think, "No, I'm a tidy person.  What would a tidy person do?"  I've adopted this method for myself, calling it Proper Thinking.  It isn't negative talk to punish myself, nor is it positive speak that puffs me up.  It is proper thinking that is both realistic and productive.  For example, I didn't want to go to Church, today.  So, I thought, "I'm a Catholic.  What do Catholics do?  They go to Mass."  Therefore, I went to Mass.   Another example is when I feel overwhelmed with homeschooling my children.  I think, "I am a working homeschooling mom.  Working homesch

No, this isn't Lady S, but she reminds me of her graciousness.  Miss Eleanor Urquhart , 1793 by Henry Raeburn   Two decades ago I was a naive working class teenager from a fairly rural area of the USA who managed to somehow befriend a university gent from Scotland.  When I was 16 he actually came over to visit me.  Then next year and 2 years after that, when I was 17 and 19, I went to visit him and his family in Scotland. The other day I started reading Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris  by Jennifer Scott  and realized I had my own sort of Madame Chic experience in Scotland! Lady S (she wasn't really a Lady as a title, like Lord and Lady or Duke, Duchess, Dame, etc, but her husband does hold an MBE!) was a poised, soft-spoken, kindly countenanced Highland beauty.  She welcomed me warmly, was a gracious hostess, and I always felt like she wanted to take me under her wing and polish me up a little.  Try as a might to not be a &quo

  Image made at Canva Thanks to Megan at Megan Fox, Unlocked  I decided to put together a 2021 Vision Board and share it with you! I guess the "vision board" idea is something that some people put together to speak something into existence.  That's not my intention.  Like Megan, I don't believe that a vision board or my own efforts can supernaturally make my wishes come true, but I do believe in positive reinforcement and a healthy mindset. I made a simple board on Canva.  I loved the simplicity of their platform, and though I could have done a better job editing my own work, I didn't have much time and am still pleased with the results.  It's pleasing to the eye and reminds me of my 2021 vision and goals without revealing my inner heart and deeper thoughts on the matters that are between God and me. I can comfortably reveal the gist, though. My word for the year is Growth. I could have used so many words, but Growth stood out to me. I'm working on growing