One last walk on the beach in 2016.

The water was so calm on this beautiful day.  The perfect

A quick Cinnamon Bread for any morning.

My mom received her Betty Crocker New Picture Cook Book for

Making evergreen roping.

Evergreen roping is so seasonal!  It's not difficult to

Finding the littlest Christmas tree.

 One recent cold morning when it was snowing lightly, we took a

Fixer Upper or Tear It Downer?

 Don't you just

Ice on the birdbath.

 Remember the waning garden?  Now there's ice on the birdbath! 

"If you don't like the weather in New England now, just wait a few minutes."

Mark Twain

The waning Autumn garden.

The colors of fall are

The woodpile.

The woodpile is a necessity when

How to make piping.

Piping is relatively

A glass menagerie of pumpkins.

The windowsill in the kitchen begins to light up as the sun

Fixer Upper or Tear It Downer?

I wasn't sure of this treasure's fate when I snapped the photo last winter.  Now that I have more information, I wanted to share the picture with you so you could make your own judgement call!
Update - Sadly it's been torn down to make way for a new community.

It's time to bring the amaryllis indoors.

When the pumpkin is set down

Make a personal apple pie for National Dessert Day.

You don't need a lot of apples to

Raspberry Jam - A simple recipe.

 Our raspberry bushes were overflowing this year!  I couldn't

Celebrating garlic!

The North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival was a

Blue Sky at Owls Head Light in Maine

Owls Head Light is a wonderful place to

The Betty Crocker house may be off the market but travel west a bit and you'll fall in love with this lovely antique home situated in the gorgeous Quabbin Region of Massachusetts.

 An antique home holds special characteristics that you

Mom's Fresh Blueberry Pie

There's nothing better than an afternoon cup of tea, a good book and

It's time for the Union Fair and Maine Blueberry Festival!

It's time for the Union Fair and Maine Blueberry Festival; an event that's

Some repairs and a new door for the old barn.

The old barn has been neglected over

Rain. Finally.

 After a long dry spell,

Raspberries and vanilla ice cream.

 It's so much fun to pick raspberries this

Oiling soapstone.

Soapstone in the kitchen is a nice alternative to granite and marble

Baby Turkeys

When my husband says "look out the window", I'm never sure what I'll see.

Do you recycle these?

Wait!  Before you throw these away, you can

Updating a 70's bathroom with a charming new vessel sink.

The popularity of vessel sinks made us think.....we have the perfect

Painting a bouy or two.

Bouy

noun

1.  Nautical. a distinctively shaped and marked float, sometimes carrying a signal or signals, anchored to mark a channel, anchorage, navigational hazard, etc., or to provide a mooring place away from the shore.

2.  a life bouy

verb (used with object)

3.  to keep afloat or support by or as if by a life bouy; keep from sinking (often followed by up):

The life jacket buoyed her up until help arrived.

4.  Nautical. to mark with a buoy or buoys.

My admiration for Betsy Ross.

As a child, I learned that Betsy Ross was responsible for the creation of

The LL Bean boot truck and a couple of Maine 4th of July parades.

 If you're lucky enough to be spending the 4th of July in Maine

"I told you; cats don't drink coffee."

The dandelions.

Dandelion

noun

1.  a weedy composite plant, Taraxacum officinale, having edible, deeply toothed or notched leaves, golden-yellow flowers, and rounded clusters of white, hairy seeds.

Note the word "edible"!  It's the clusters of white, hairy seeds we don't like! 

Picnic food.

 Picnic season has officially begun!

Memorial Day

We remember all of our servicemen and women today but mostly I remember my Dad; a gunner's mate on the USS Pawcatuck in WWII.  He was extremely proud of the time he served in the Navy.

Navy Hymn 

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy word,
Who walked'st on the foaming deep,
And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!
Our brethren shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoe'er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

Antique home up for auction on Maine's mid coast.

 Have you ever wanted to own a big old rambling house on the coast of Maine?

Preparing the porch for the summer.

The weather is warming up and it's a good time to think about

Its a great day for backyard birdwatching!

 It is a very blustery and chilly day here but it hasn't deterred the birds

Snapshot - Spring Seedlings

Mother's Day - A snapshot of 1965.

Happy Mother's Day!

Miss you mom.

An historic inn....The Eagle Mountain House.

 Nestled on a picturesque mountainside in New Hampshire, the Eagle Mountain House

Sweet Potato, Butternut Squash, Carrot and Apple Bisque

It's a chilly, rainy spring day, just right for soup.  I've gathered some apples, sweet potato,

Wildlife in the garden on a rainy morning.

There was a flurry of activity in the garden.  It's as if the animals knew

The wreath and the bird's nest.

When I arrived at a friends house last week, I walked to the front door

Re-purposing a blueprint.

While visiting a vintage shop recently, I loved the fact that my purchase

Butterflies and rainy days.

Butterflies are a work of art that can't be replicated.  Each one is

Spring sailing in Mattapoisett.

With an air temperature of 45 degrees and a

A couple of new consignment finds.

 Tucked into the woods in southern New Hampshire is a delightful

Chicks and bunnies for Easter.

I'd like to share many years worth

Simple glitter Easter eggs.

This is easy....simple roll colored eggs (make sure the dye is dry) in iridescent glitter and let dry. 

Simple and charming.