Various & Sundry

Articles, tips, stories that don’t fit into some other section

The Bird Feeder – A Hot Spot in Our Garden!

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Yellow finch at the bird feeder in our garden

There’s nothing better than being able to sit at my desk, while enjoying all of the noise & traffic that goes by my window each day! Traffic you ask? Yes! The best kind of traffic… wildlife roaming through the yard, enjoying a little treat as they go about their day 🙂

I’m talking, of course, about our bird feeders!

With this being our first year living at the cottage in the woods, we are just starting to get a taste of the joys of living with nature 😉

I thought I’d share a few pictures of the recent guests to the cottage feeder.

The first up (one pictured above) are the wonderful finches! They come in so many colors & sizes – but most of all – they have the most beautiful songs!

Then there are the little guys like this little chipmunk! So cute & tiny – we love to watch them stuff their cheeks full of goods then run back under the trees!
Chipmunk at the bird feeder in our cottage garden

And last of all… the bigger guys like this sneaky raccoon! I do love wildlife… but I hope this is as big as the visitors get! After all… there were a few bear sightings in our area last year – yikes!
Raccoon coming around the cottage garden bird feeder

* Did you know that raccoons have “thumbs” which is why they are able to open trash can lids, and get into lots of other trouble around your property?!

* Do you know what a baby raccoon is called? Answer: A kit

Apple Blossoms Line a Country Lane

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Apple Blossoms
My daughter & I just returned home from spending a week with my mom & dad in MD. It was the first time that I had ever driven such a distance by myself, so I was a bit nervous. I figured, at 38 years old, I should at least give it a try 🙂 To my surprise (and with much prayer) I did a fine job! With my little princess at my side we were off.

To help keep me awake, and to side step trying to find a suitable radio station every little while, we decided to pick up some audio books from our local library. Although I see audio books available, I had never thought of picking up any for my own enjoyment, but now I’m so glad we did! We had a marvelous time & finished 2 novels as well! I would encourage you to go to your local library & pick up some audio books for yourself. It’s free – and you can order the kinds of books that are appropriate for you & your family. I think I’m hooked!

We had a great time with my parents. Even though we are only 5-6 hours away, the seasons unfold about a month ahead of us. We left little piles of snow, and were greeted with apple & pear blossoms, smiling forsythias, and dancing daffodils!

I had to share a few pictures of a country lane lined with apple trees that we spied along a winding country road. The white blossoms made them look like they were covered with beautiful dreamy cotton balls! The sight reminded me of a scene from Anne of Green Gables, when Anne & Matthew were first arriving at Green Gables and the horse drawn wagon enters into an old apple orchard dripping with white blossoms… <./Pearl stops dreaming> 😉

While in MD, my mom took us to the most fabulous fabric shop! When we walked in, I could see that I might need to linger there for quite a while 🙂 I headed straight over to the wonderful home decorating section filled to the brim with waverly fabrics and every kind of toile imaginable! And the prices… 50% – 70% off! Needless to say… I picked up a “few” lovely pieces of fabric for future projects 😉

I’ll be sure to share some pictures & ideas with you tomorrow!

When my husband & I came home yesterday, it was so nice outside that we decided to go down by the river and drink in the goodness of God. We spent an hour or so just taking in the sights & sounds of our little heaven on earth. The water is higher than normal due to the Spring meltdown, so the sound of the water rushing over the rocks was wonderful! We spied a pair of ducks swimming towards us, so we tried to be as quiet as possible as to not scare them away. Here in the forest we seem to see so many different types of birds that we were not used to seeing at our other home down in the heart of the village. I guess even being a short distance away – as well as being tucked back in the forest helps bring out the best of area wildlife 😉

Well… the sun is shining – the birds are singing – and the peepers were out last night for the first time! It must be Spring!

Great Blogs to Visit

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We’ve received the Thinking Blogger Award
Thinking Blogger Award

I want to thank Manuela at The Feathered Nest for choosing me to receive the Thinking Blogger Award! She has a great blog – take a minute to go over for a visit!

Once you’ve received this award, you are supposed to pick a few of your favorite blogs to give the award to. Here are just a few of my favorites.

Homespun Living
Deb shares tidbits of her families daily life on the farm. The posts are filled with ideas about recipes, crafting, gardening, and life in general.

The Decorated House
Donna shares lots of wonderful home decorating ideas. You’ll find lots of inspiration at this great site!

Daisy Cottage
I think you’ll love Kim’s little cottage… I know I do! She has a great eye for color & design. You’ll love reading her posts that cover many of her different interests.

Nostalgia at the Stone House
Read about life in Somorset (in the UK). This site is filled with wonderful pictures & ideas, gardening, and decorating ideas.

Here’s a link to see the rules, as well as how the award got started – Thinking Blogger Award

How to Boil the Perfect Easter Egg

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* Here’s one of the articles from the latest issue of my monthly newsletter “A Storybook Life”

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Fill a pot with cold water, and carefully add eggs. Bring water to a rolling boil, then cover and turn off heat. Let the pot set for 15 minutes before removing the eggs. Pour out warm water and fill pot with cold water. When the eggs are cooled remove from water & store in the refrigerator.

Using this method, you will get perfect eggs every time! Fully cooked with pale yellow centers – not green, which can happen from over cooking. There is also no cracking, they are much easier to peel …not to mention this method also saves energy!

A Storybook Life – The New Issue is Ready!

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The new issue of “A Storybook Life” is out now!

If you have not subscribed to the monthly newsletter & would like to, you can subscribe with one click at our site: http://www.LittleCountryVillage.com

Once you subscribe, you will get an email with this month’s newsletter inside.

Enjoy!

Pearl

Here’s what’s inside the latest issue:

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In This Issue:

From the Cottage – Pearl’s Ponderings

Letters to The Editor

How to Boil the Perfect Easter Egg

Elegant Easter Eggs – Your little masterpiece will be the talk of the hunt!

Have a Designer Look For Your Walls Using $1 per Yard Fabric

No Mix, No Measure, Delicious Rhubarb Crunch Cake

You can Have a Beautiful Cottage Garden Even in a Temporary Space!

Interesting Things You’ve Got to See – Pearl’s April Picks!

Various & Sundry Other Tips & Treasures
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Happy St. Patrick’s Day

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Raggedy Ann

Although we’ve had a few inches of snowfall this morning, I am still excited about the thought that spring is right around the corner! Although our village St. Patrick’s Day parade was postponed until next week due to the snow, I’m sure that people will still turn out with enthusiasm as we do for every community event.

Today, I thought I’d share a bit of history with you. If you are like many people that I know, you have most likely had your own Raggedy doll sometime during your lifetime. I thought you might like to read about the story behind the beloved Raggedy Ann & Andy dolls.

Raggedy Ann The True Story

I just love the Raggedy Ann that my grandmother made for me when I was a little girl, so I decided to do a bit of research on the doll’s history. Here’s the true story about Raggedy Ann, the museum that chronicles her creator as well as her history.

As the story goes… The birthplace of the beloved Raggedy Ann was Arcola, Illinois. She has captivated our hearts for over 80 years, but very few know of her beginning. She is the creation of a gentleman named John Gruell.

Before World War 1, John’s daughter Marcella was just a preteen. She found a tattered rag doll in her
grandmother’s attic. John was somewhat of an artist, and when Marcella showed her dad the doll, he drew a face on it. He cut out a paper heart on which he wrote “I Love You,” thus the I love heart on each raggedy.

A few years later, in 1917, Marcella died an early death from a contaminated smallpox vaccination. Of course John was grief-stricken, and started writing stories about his little girl and her doll Raggedy Ann. I wonder how many little ones know that they are reading about a real life “daddy’s little girl”?

Today you can find two beautiful brick buildings in Arcola that share a wealth of Raggedy Ann memorabilia. Each year, the town celebrates two festivals featuring Raggedy. “The Raggedy Ann Festival” is held in the summer, and “A Raggedy Ann Christmas” is held during the Christmas season.

Visit the museum website here