SMALL CHANGES...

January 

is already half over 

and the snowmen are

 making their annual pilgrimage 

throughout the Cottage...

...they are always welcome 

right after Christmas is all put away 

and this year 

that was not an easy task.

 There was something 

about this Christmas 

that seemed extra special 

and it was harder than usual 

to let it go.

I started packing up 

most of the decorations 

on New Year's Day 

but kept putting off

 taking the tree down.

  

With the exception of

 that icicle garland, 

there was something magical

 about this tree.

 When I took the first photo 

after decorating it,

the garland stuck out 

like a sore thumb to me 

but I didn't want to disturb

 the other ornaments 

so I just left it.

 The Captain says 

it looks like shark teeth!

As I said,

regardless, 

there was something magical

 about this tree.

  

It reminds me of 

a pretty lady

 dressed up in

 a ball gown...

 ...a scene from 

a child's doll house, 

or the setting for the ladies of

  Little Women...

...and when seen from

 our TV viewing spot at night,

 with the lamps lit

 and the candles glowing,

 it was a sight

 that I did not want

 to change.

But, finally, 

change it did, 

and about two weeks after Christmas

 the tree was taken down 

and packed away

 for another year.

  I think I am in mourning

 just a little bit.

For Christmas 

I added some sprigs of greenery 

and berries

 to this garland 

I bought at Michaels.

 After Christmas,

 I added these paper pom poms 

for a more "winter" feeling 

and will keep it up for

 awhile longer.

See the plant by the window

 on the pedestal?

 In April of 2017, 

I brought this China Doll home

 from the nursery.

 Notice that it reaches 

to the top of the floral painting 

at this stage.

 I thought it was pretty 

with its delicate foliage 

but since I have never had

 much luck with indoor plants,

 the saleslady 

had to talk me 

into it...

...and she was right.

  It just won't stop growing.

  I think I will have to 

trim it back 

shortly.

I got this grape ivy 

about the same time

 and have had to trim it

 a few times.

 It looks like 

I might be nurturing 

a sort of a

 green thumb!

This has been

 a very slow news week 

at the Cottage.

 Hope everyone is having 

a good start to

 the new year and 

keeping warm and dry.

...Judy...

Please join me today at:

Keep In Touch at Let's Add Sprinkles

and

Share Your Cup with Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

Thank you, ladies, 

for inviting me to 

join your parties.

TINY HOUSES...

Are you a fan of the craze 

that has been sweeping the country 

for awhile now? 

 I'm asking about tiny houses.

I admit that I sometimes watch

 the show on HGTV.

 I do like to see 

how the rooms are laid out and 

how they are decorated 

but to live, for any length of time, 

in one would drive me crazy. 

I'm not talking small houses. 

 I know that the time will come 

when we will be looking at those,

 but small houses and tiny houses 

are entirely two very 

different things.

Now,

 I do like little.

  You may have noticed 

that I use that word a lot

 in describing some things. 

 I associate it with the four "C's":

  cuteness, comfort, coziness and cottage.

When we celebrated 

our first Christmas in the Cottage, 

I bought a little Christmas village.

  I used it for a few years,

 having lots of fun making 

snow drifts and arranging bottle brush trees

 around the houses.

  After awhile 

some things were misplaced or broken 

and I sold the remaining pieces

 in a garage sale. 

 I knew it was time

 to make someone else 

happy.

I have always wanted 

a gingerbread house. 

 Not a big fancy one,

 embellished with candy canes and gum drops,

 but a little one

 that looked like a 

Swiss chalet...

...however, 

since I have never had the desire 

to make one myself, 

I thought this cake pan 

would fill my needs...

...and, it did make 

a cute cake that tasted wonderful...

but when it came to decorating it

 with the required icing, 

it was a disaster! 

 I finally finished it

 with a dusting of powdered sugar

 and FYI: 

 to keep the sugar from disappearing 

into the cake, 

add a small amount of

 cornstarch 

to the sugar.

So,

 this year, 

I bought this sweet little cardboard cottage,

 two different shades of brown paint 

and a white paint pen.

I put the finished project 

under glass 

and that fulfilled my wish 

for a gingerbread house 

until I remembered

 one little house that was left over 

from the original Christmas village

 and I thought, 

why not!

I forgot to take a picture before

 I started painting it,

 but you can still see 

the ugly green paint

 that was on it...

...and after a couple of coats of paint,

 some snow and some glitter, and

  even though the transformation 

didn't come in time

 for Christmas...

...the newest little gingerbread cottage 

is done in time for 

the snowmen of

 January.

When Tami and Tim spend Christmas 

with his parents 

they do a basket exchange.

  Tami bought this little music box 

to add to her basket.  

While she was getting things together,

 she realized it didn't work

 so she asked me if I wanted it. 

 What? Are you kidding? 

 I'm not proud

 and it makes the sweetest addition

 to my type of

 tiny houses.

...Judy...

Happy January

 everyone 

and stay 

cozy and warm.

I'm joining a new party today:

Keep In Touch at Let's Add Sprinkles

A LOOK BACK...

Shhh..Sleeping Dog

Well, 2017 has come to a close.

 The Christmas decorations

 are sort of put away,

 tucked in with a few visions 

of what next Christmas might look like.

  Just can't help myself!

 The days are still sunny 

but not necessarily warm.

  The nights are becoming 

colder and colder 

and a few more quilts 

are added to our beds.

 A new year 

is a time for reflection 

of what came before

 but, also, 

for looking ahead 

to the hopes and dreams

 of what is to come.

  We all have our own special thoughts 

and, hopefully,

 they will be realized.

  But, 

for right now,

 let us just let

 sleeping dogs lie,

 and I hope you will enjoy 

taking one last look back

 with me 

to the top ten posts of 2017

 from

 Gold Country Cottage...

#10: Summer Tour - Take Two

#9: My Number One Viewed Post of 2016

#8: A Weekend of Good Days

#7: My Christmas Story

#6: The Raven (Cottage Witch Style)

#5: Matters of the Heart

#4: Which Brings Us To - The Reveal

#3: The Long And The Short of It

#2: A Stumble Along the Journey

#1: Moving On

Our wish 

for you all 

is a 

Happy and Healthy

 New Year.

...Judy...