A COTTAGE OF COMFORT AND JOY - PART ONE...

I had some trouble picking a theme

 for this year's Christmas, 

then I received my December issue 

of Victoria magazine

 and the cover sparked my imagination. 

 Although it didn't specifically state

 it was straight out of Little Women 

that is what I saw when I first looked at it. 

 Of course, I had been so busy 

that I wasn't aware that other bloggers

 were thinking along those same lines. 

 I thought I was being so original!

  As I started picturing the tree and mantel, 

and how romantic it would all be,

 a most wonderful thought hit me -

 that is how I decorate every Christmas.  

There might be a few little tweaks

 from year to year but, on the whole, 

it remains pretty much the same.  

Here I was thinking that I always had a theme 

when all along it was just Christmas 

and how it makes me feel

 and how I gravitate to the comfort and joy

 that it brings to me and those I love each year.

So, now that I have figured that out,

come on in...

...and celebrate this beautiful season with us

 in our Cottage of Comfort and Joy.

THE ENTRY

Small painting of a winter cottage

 I recently finished.

An evergreen print from Temu 

was added to the gallery wall.

A bowl of discarded vintage Shiny Brites.

 A charming little piece from Temu 

that I got last year.

I made the Santa many years ago 

along with another winter folk art cabin I painted.

A Christmas display on the top of the entry chest.

Tidings sign is from Antique Farmhouse.

This mirror hanging over the entry chest

 is draped with a garland, tiny brass bells 

and red velvet bow all from Temu.

The wreath is one that I had.

Moving into the parlor,

 the tree takes center stage as usual...

THE PARLOR

...this is our third year with this seven-foot Noblis Fir from Grandin Road. 

 I still love it and have used all 

the same ornaments since we got it. 

 I did add some little twinkly 

battery operated candles from Amazon 

which are a necessity on an old-fashioned tree. 

 I would have loved to add some tinsel too 

but I don't think Rugby's little tummy 

could go another round.

No matter how much I love Christmas,

 I have always hated to decorate the tree. 

 Please notice (because you didn't think I could)

 that I didn't add as many

 ornaments and ribbons this year

 and I think I love it even more.

This was my birthday present from the Captain.

 It had been on my wish list for a long time.

Christmas should be seen 

through the eyes of a child 

and this is the closest thing I have.

I really love the shape of these bells. 

They aren't really metal, 

they were red plastic from the Dollar Tree and I painted them.

The mantel is hung with an old garland 

that I have had for years 

and I added another from Temu.

  I also added some red and white berry picks

 along with a few little twinkly lights.

 The candelabra is similar to the one

 in the Victoria magazine article

and the prints are my nod to Little Women...

I always love this blue and white plate

 peeking through between the mantel and the tree.

I noticed on the pages of the magazine 

there were photos of beautiful alabaster busts.  

I would really love to have one large one

 but maybe three smalls are just as good.

This little piece is from Temu

 and it really caught my eye. 

It is very charming 

and even though it looks framed 

it is just painted to look that way.

I used this little house last year

 but didn't think you would mind seeing it again. 

Mary and her little lamb are strolling by.

THE SITTING ROOM

I am loving the new paint color in the sitting room

 and just wish it would show better in my photos. 

 I am still waiting to find a new rug

 and will be hard at it after the holidays.

I found this little jewel at the Dollar Tree

 and brought it home to paint as a gingerbread house, 

but when I turned it on 

I loved it just the way it was.

I added another Temu garland into one 

that I had with paper puffs on it 

and stuck a few pinecones among them. 

With the addition of an

 old cedar garland draped underneath

and a wreath with bronze velvet bow, both from Temu, it looks right at home over the couch.

 A pinecone did roll off 

and hit my head the other night while watching TV 

but no harm done. 

 Us old Christmas homesteaders have hard heads!

A little bit of brightness on top of the game table.

 Yup, you guessed it. 

Green picks from Temu.

Once I gave this pretty glass vase

 a mercury glass treatment

 and thought it would make a beautiful candle holder.

 It shines beautifully through the texture of the glass.

These old blocks are such a standby.  

I have used them many years in the same spot.

 Placing the little white houses in between

 makes it look a little different this year.

I greet this little rocking horse

 in this same spot every year. 

It is something I look forward to.

I hope you enjoyed Part One of your Christmas visit.

  I didn't warn you it would go on forever. 

 I am planning for a Part Two and Three

 so I may be posting more than once a week

 so be on the lookout for that. 

 We are having our family celebration early this year, this coming Sunday to be exact, 

so it is a busy time around here

 and we are loving it all.

Happy Decorating and until next time...

...find time to take in the wonder of it all.

A piece of needlepoint that I did long ago.

...xxoJudy...

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THE FINAL TIME?...

Dear Friends:

I hope this is the last time

 I ever have to show you a new paint job, 

one that somehow looks

 just like one that came before.

I think I might have mentioned

 just how much I disliked 

the blue walls in the Sitting Room 

with the color of our newest sofa.

  When said sofa started falling apart

 (notice peeling starting on arm now) 

I knew I needed to do something different

 in order to keep my sanity. 

 The sofa was supposed to be

 a natural color for leather but, in reality, 

it is downright orange. 

 Do you think that maybe the "orange gods"

 were hearing my complaints 

and that is why it started peeling off?! 

 Be careful what you wish for.

Anyway,

 we worked our backsides off 

getting a new coat of paint on the walls.  

We had it special mixed 

to match a set of books I have.  

The photos do not show the true color, however. 

 It has a warmer brown tone than it shows...

...if you remember what it was like

 before the blue paint 

you might think this is the same color, but it isn't.

  I am happy with it

 and now can't wait to get another area rug to match. 

 Eventually, we would like to have hardwood put down

 but, for now, this carpet will have to do.

We moved the anniversary sign and the candle holders from the dining room 

and replaced them in there with something appropriate which will be revealed at Christmas...

 ...now I am concentrating on putting a 

pretty tablescape together for Thanksgiving 

and keeping Christmas in the background 

for the time being.

Hope all is well with everyone 

and wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving gathering.

Until next time...

...xxoJudy...

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CHRISTMAS, COME AS YOU ARE...

It is now November, 

but I started writing this back in October.  

In my mind the Christmas season officially starts 

when my head just starts hearing Christmas carols,

 and this year being no different, 

that usually starts in October. 

 As I am humming around the Cottage,

 planning for the kids visit for Thanksgiving, 

I am also planning how Christmas might be this year.

I have entitled this post: Christmas, Come As You Are.  

The reason being is that when trying

 to figure a cohesive look for each room, 

things took a little turn and my mind

 just went reeling in different directions. 

 I just couldn't seem to coordinate

 one space with another,

 so instead of making myself crazy I decided

 that each room would have its own personality and title

 but would all come together 

under a specific banner of

 Tidings of Comfort and Joy.

I haven't forgotten that I write this blog

 even though it has been

 a while since I have been around.  

We have been busy and when I say busy

 it only means

 that no matter what we do, at this age, 

it doesn't take much to be busy!  

And take a long time to do very little!  

One project has taken many days 

and I sincerely hope that it will be done by Christmas. 

 I am very anxious to share.

I mainly wanted to say hi 

and hope that all is well where you are. 

 We are in the midst of

 some beautiful fall weather right now

 but we did have a couple of days of rain.

It wasn't enough to keep our autumn colors down,

so they have been able

 to stick around longer this year 

and we are enjoying that. 

 

We are celebrating 

our Thanksgiving Day

 with the kids 

on the Sunday before Thanksgiving this year.

 That is the day that works out

 with everyone's schedules

 and we are looking forward to it.  

It will also be the first time we get to meet our 'newest fur great-grandbaby'. 

 Her name is Olive and she is Bean's little sister. 

We hear she is a doll 

so we are very anxious to meet her.

In the meantime, 

I will be thinking about Christmas

 and coming up with new ideas 

but you can rest assured 

that the Cottage kitchen 

will pretty much remain the same 

when Rugby and Robin repeat the age old question...

"EXCUSE US...please

Can you tell us how to get, how to get to

Gingerbread Street?"

Now, how could I disappoint them?

Last Tuesday has come and gone 

and I still didn't get this post sent off. 

 The Captain's hearing aid went out

 and Tuesday's are the only day 

he can go to Auburn to get it fixed. 

 My birthday has come and gone also 

but I got the most beautiful flower arrangement 

from Tim and Tami 

and I did get to go to Home Goods. 

 I was very disappointed though, I have to say. 

 I haven't been for a couple of years

 and it seemed to me 

that the quality and prices have changed. 

 Well, I guess nothing stays the same forever. 

 I didn't buy one thing. 

 Finally, maybe I'm getting the hint

 that I have too much already.

Until next time...

...xxoJudy...

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THERE IS ALWAYS TOMORROW...

I am invigorated.

There is a feeling of excitement around here

 that is substantial,

 and the weather is beginning to 

give way to signs of autumn. 

 It is the time of year when thoughts, 

for me, turn to practical situations. 

 Yearly doctor appointments are over and done, 

with positive outcomes,

 and something is buzzing, 

something that gets me up off the couch 

and itching to get to work. 

 Housecleaning, after a long hot summer,

 is once again a thing of pleasurable necessity 

and it seems as if a season of hope is within reach.

I have said, in the past,

 that when it comes to my painting obsession,

 three little words are very important: 

 practice, practice, practice. 

 Whether I really wanted to believe that or not

 it seems to be true. 

 When I first started, I couldn't draw a straight line and had to trace all my subjects. 

 Now, even though I still can't draw a straight line, 

I have been able to draw and paint 

the above porch scene.  

I know it isn't perfect and more practice and time 

may not make it so,

 but I admit that the process is easier 

for me than it was,

 and I feel better about the outcome.

I painted this sign on the back of 

my Christmas quilt square board.  

At least two seasons can come and go

without having to try to find storage for it. 

 For whatever reason, 

I had a strange desire to paint it green 

and when I put it on the shelf over the couch 

it just looked horrible against the blue wall. 

 I can hardly wait until we repaint those walls.

Believe it or not, 

the Captain thinks this plate is

 the best thing I have painted.

Here are a few more of the little folk art pieces 

that I have been working on:

I just couldn't help myself.

  I started some fall decor.

  I have been watching some YouTube videos

 and have gotten into the spirit.

  I ordered some autumn scented cleaner and candles 

and can't wait to try them out.  

------------------------------------------------

The next part of this episode 

is the time when the screen fades to black

 and the heroine wakes up 

and realizes that while she was counting sheep 

her dreams turned into nightmares.

Da, da, ta, da!

______________________

That beautiful and amazing fall-like morning 

that I woke up to on that day didn't last very long.  

The next morning had turned into 50 shades of gray, and I mean that in color only, 

and brought with it pouring rain and soggy spirits. 

 The candles came that I ordered, and the scent is wonderful and definitely autumn 

but the cleaning supplies did not, 

so I put off another day 

that which I should have started. 

 As each day passed and the supplies didn't arrive, 

even though "Alexa" kept saying

 that was the day that they would,

 the sun came out once again 

and brought with it the unending heat

 that has come to be so familiar this summer,

 and I "waited one more day" to get busy.

I am still waiting.

As I was changing throw pillows on the sofa,

 I saw these disgusting brown spots and peeling leather on the back cushion. 

 I swear I don't know how long it had been like that 

or how it got that way. 

 It is only on the side that the Captain sits on

 and we have racked our brains to think of something 

that he would wear that might cause it 

but can come up with nothing.

This sofa was not the most expensive one but it wasn't cheap by my standards either

 and the rest that gets as much wear as that spot

 is in perfect condition.  

As luck would have it, I also added an insurance policy that would protect us

 if something should happen like this. 

 It was good for 3 years

 and we have had the sofa for 2. 

 So, in all good faith 

I called the company, Allstate, that held the policy

 and Wayfair, the company of purchase.

  They both were easy and hopeful to talk to

 and both said they would do what was needed to be done to fix the problem 

after I sent photos of the damage. 

 Allstate got back to us and said they would call us 

to set up a time to have someone come to the house and look at the sofa.  

Then a few days later, we get an email from Allstate stating that the problems we were having,

 discoloration and peeling leather, 

were not covered under our policy. 

 They listed everything else except the kitchen sink that was covered but not this particular problem. 

 I was so mad at that point 

I really didn't listen to what was actually covered 

but it all sounded to me 

just like what was happening to this sofa.  

I asked for them to cancel the policy

 and give me my money back for the remaining time 

but they said that was Wayfair's problem not theirs. 

 Long story short, Wayfair canceled the rest of the contract and will be sending the money back 

but I fault them also 

in using their website 

to promote this insurance company and for selling an inferior product and not standing behind it.

 I tried to find a place

 to leave a comment on Wayfair's site 

but they must have discontinued this particular sofa.  

Be very careful

 of ordering leather products from Wayfair. 

 Some might not be of the best quality. 

 I have made the decision 

to not order from them again. 

I have done business with them in the past 

and have always been satisfied 

but this is too large of an issue to disregard.

Now, as I write this, 

I take that first sip of the caramel latte that the Captain got for me this morning 

and I guess Starbucks forgot to add the caramel,

 so that must mean another day to sit and contemplate the injustice of it all. 

 As you probably have figured out it doesn't take much to set me off these days, 

I guess, once a Cottage Witch, always a Cottage Witch.

Well, today is a new day

 and the blue skies and gentle breeze again make me think of Autumn 

so, I might be getting back on track. 

 I managed to tuck a small bit of fall into the parlor so that is always a good sign.

Light a beautiful, scented candle 

and enjoy the end of summer. 

 Candle is from Amazon, Better Homes & Gardens, Farm Apple and Pumpkin, $11 and change. 

 A great price, smells wonderful and long lasting.

Until next time,

...xxoJudy...

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