I will be away for a few days, house hunting in Connecticut. If any one wants to buy a cute cottage on a lake in central Virginia, let me know!
We are trying the grand experiment and buying a house with our daughter and her husband (our son #4). We have lots in common and get along so well and even have fun together. Most importantly, the men root for the same sports teams!! So we are looking for a large house which lets out lots of cute houses like this one.
Located at 7 Old Town St, East Haddam (Hadlyme) Connecticut, this house was built in 1857 and is selling for $445,000. It is on 2.18 acres and has 1,556 square feet. The success of this house comes from not putting too much into it. I could never fit all my stuff in! 
Isn't this perfectly adorable?
It looks so clean, fresh, bright and uncluttered!
And here is the bonus!
My daughter brought this when she came for Christmas, saying I could give it a longer life than she could. (Her green thumb is some other color.) Already it was a leftover. And now, in the middle of January, it is really a leftover. Poinsettias are lovely before Christmas, but not so much after Christmas. I'm not a fan when they get leggy and scraggly as mine always do. Anyone have suggestions? I can't bring myself to murder it!
Our "neighbors" don't seem to be minding the cold very much as you can see. This was taken from my front porch. (I don't have to work very hard to get my photos.) The creek going into the lake, as well as most of the lake, has a coating of ice. Not thick enough to skate on though. The geese seem to be congregating here on the creek and are very noisy in the evening. It sounds like a party.
Isn't it fun to watch squirrels? This little guy was determined to have a snack. His/her (and all the cousins) appetite is so huge we have had to purchase squirrel-proof feeders to see that the birds get something to eat!
"I can see it but I can't get it!! Almost - Darn!"
"Well, that was tiring."
You can see how much I love my new camera. It is a Cannon PowerShot SX10IS 10.0 Mega Pixel. These squirrel shots were taken through my living room window.
This Mama deer brings her triplets into our yard to eat our azaleas. I don't think we will have many blooms this spring but it is more important that this family have enough to eat. We were so worried when hunting season started and we saw the triplets by themselves. But during our big snowstorm there they all were in our yard! What a lovely Christmas present! I took this shot today as they were headed toward the lake.
Christmas was wonderful here with three out of the four children home, along with two spouses. Everyone had done such thoughtful shopping and took pleasure in giving gifts. Of course, the receiving was pretty good too! My new Cannon camera with super zoom and macro setting is fantastic! So get set for lots of photos in the postings to come!
My cats Big Guy, Cindy and I took a walk on a nice day before the present cold spell set in. They are always ready for a walk. Do your cats like to go for a walk with you?
Who ever expected two feet of snow in Virginia? With temperatures in the thirties all week and the twenties at night, this is going to be here for a while. No sign of a snow plow today.
This is the chair on my back deck. This picture was made early in the day and it has snowed many inches since then!
The birds have flocked to the feeder. I threw some seed on top of the snow so more could eat at the same time. With the squirrels napping I was able to put the suet out and the woodpeckers were grateful. Isn't this bird cute all fluffed out?
My daughter asked me to make some gift bags for her cookies to her friends. Of course I said yes. These are 8 1/2 inches wide by 10 inches tall. The plastic bag full of cookies can be slipped inside and the drawstring pulled. It makes a nice presentation.
I am mailing five bags to her!
Isn't this tree fantastic? It is across the street from my house, near the creek. This is a good time of year to look at trees - to see their "bones" so to speak.
I did get up and go to work this morning. The rain was changing to snow and by the time I arrived in Orange, everything had turned white and the snow was really coming down. We decided there would not be enough business for me to be needed at Sherri's Shop. After a quick stop at the grocery store where the milk shelves were nearly empty, I headed home. In Virginia we always stock up on bread and milk when it snows even an inch!
At home, hubby, the cats and I settled in for a cozy day. Here is Big Guy doing his share!
Well, I have taken a little break from blogging. I had not intended to but I had craft projects to finish before I put away the mountain of craft supplies that I had strewn around the house. Then the house had to be cleaned and baking done. It was a wonderful holiday with three of my four children home, one with a wife of one year and one with a girlfriend.
I was saddened to learn that Cliff, the husband of Joanie, (My Blue Mountian Home) passed away.
Does anyone know what happened to Jane of The Thrifty Countryrwoman? Her blog is not online and I miss her.
This is Mosaic Monday sponsored by Little Red House. If you are new to making photo mosaics, click on the photo tutorial button and follow Mary's instructions. I warn you, there is a learning curve. I am not happy with my mosaic and one is not given the opportunity to change the arrangement of the pictures. I did learn that the first picture in the set (on Flickr) will be the center photo.
These are photos I took this fall in Virginia and Connecticut. The cat in the center is "Big Guy" who is lying at my feet as I type.
PK at Room Remix is giving away a $ 75 dollar gift certificate to Stella and Dot. It is gorgeous jewelry and you will find something you love! Just follow the directions to sign up. The contest ends on Sunday. How about this lovely pearl necklace?
