Telemarketers Or Why It's Good To Leave the House

I never realized how many telemarketers call during the day until

I stay home for a few days!

Bentley ~ momma will have to turn off the ringers while I am

gone so that you can get a nap!

Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Fresh and Clean

Source: sagolikasinnen.blogspot.se via Susan on Pinterest

I have a friend who always buys white tulips after Christmas.

It's her way of calming things down after all of the color and

excitement of the holiday.

Source: bhg.com via Susan on Pinterest

And as much as I love color, I feel much the same way once
Christmas is over.  White and calm and serene is just what I need
right now.

Source: minlillaveranda.blogspot.com via Susan on Pinterest

How about you?

Source: lifeingraceblog.com via Susan on Pinterest

Although ...
I do love these touches of red too, but maybe I'll just focus
on white for a bit.

Show and Tell Friday
Pink Saturday
Seasonal Sundays
Sunny Simple Sundays

Bentley has been very busy playing with his new toys.
He always likes to break them in before he starts the
rotation once again.

Hugs,
Susan and Bentley

Christmas at Grandma's Update

Bentley patiently waited to open his Christmas gifts.

There were quite a few for him.  While he looks calm, cool and

collected in this pic, after toys were unwrapped he was busy

tossing them in the air and waiting for us to applaud his skill and

overall cuteness!

Fortunately none of the flying toys hit Grandma's tree which she

so lovingly decorated.

I am off for the rest of the week and am starting to fill my

Cath Kidston "Dream Home" journal with all of my dreams.

And napping.  Bentley and I did a lot of napping today.

Bentley, I did not get a pic of you sitting up at Grandma's table

last night.  You did look pretty cute though.

Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Merry Christmas From Susan and Bentley

Bentley and I send you our very best wishes for a 

Merry Christmas!

Love and Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Christmas 2012

Christmas sneaks up on us so fast.

Such a wonderful time.  So full of hope.

So full of cheer.  So full of memories that

last a lifetime!

May your Christmas be blessed.
May the hope and joy of the season last a lifetime.

Mosaic Monday

Merry Christmas,
Susan and Bentley

Christmas in a Lunchbox

This weekend has shifted into high gear.  After losing a few

days this past week to illness, I am really behind!

But not so far behind that I could not take a moment to 

create just one more Christmas scene.

No surprise that there is tartan and a dog involved.

I hope that your weekend is running smoothly and that 

you all take out a few minutes for fun!

Seasonal Sundays

Sunny Simple Sundays

Metamorphosis Monday

Masterpiece Monday

Bentley is napping right now.  He had lots of fun on his

birthday.  Thank you for all your kind birthday wishes.

Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Bentley Has A Birthday

Hi Bentley!  Is today your birthday?  Yes peanut, it's your birthday.

Momma's sweet boy is now 7 years old!

Gather up all of your favorite toys and I will play with you.

And remember ~ tonight momma will make you a hamburger

with a candle in it and some cooked carrots.  Yum!

Happy Birthday sweet boy.  We love you sooooo much!!

Pink Saturday

Favorite Thing Saturday

Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

The Ghosts of Christmas Past at Ash Tree Cottage

For the last few days I have been suffering with a terrible cold.

Sneezing, sniffling misery.  All I have wanted to do is to stay in

bed, pull the covers over my head and hibernate.

But ....

that's really hard to do because I have so many responsibilities.  Christmas is

just a few days away and my to do list is so very long.  So after drinking

lots of liquids, taking lots of vitamin C and aspirin as often as allowed,

I am trying my best to rally and get everything done.

This evening I was thinking that I should write a new post and take some

pics of something.  But what???

My poor head congested as it is, could think of nothing.  No creative

vignette, no witty banter .... nothing!

I went through my picasa albums and pulled out some pics from the past.

Retro Ash Tree Cottage.

Here is my potting shed from a couple of years ago.  I wonder if we have any

snow for Christmas this year?

Here is Santa.  I think he is STILL up in the attic.  I forgot to bring 

him down.  I better bring him down tomorrow.

I wish that I could tell you that I have been watching my calories

but to be honest I have been eating way too many goodies lately.

I need to go to the post office tomorrow and get more stamps.  Do you even

remember when stamps cost 12 cents a piece?  I don't.

Well that's it for now.  Today's ramblings with photos from

years past.  Hopefully I will have a better handle on things tomorrow.

Until then, I hope you are all healthy and full of holiday cheer!

Vintage Thingie Thursday

Share Your Cup Thursday

Tablescape Thursday

Show and Tell Friday

Bentley ~ you better keep your trips outdoors to a minimum.  It is

going to be very cold tonight!

Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

God Bless the Little Children and Tweak Our Nation

I have a little shelf where all of my childhood blue willow

dishes live.  I remember playing so carefully with these little

dishes.  Never wanting them to get chipped or to break.

We always want to protect the things we love ...

the ones we love.

Sometimes we can't.

And the little ones are taken away from us.

And our hearts are never the same.

I pray that our nation will both heal and change.  That we

will remember to treat each other the way we wish to be treated.

That we regain our civility and leave the violence behind.

Imagine a world without hate.  Without cruelty. 

We have the ability to make that happen.

Tweak It Tuesday

Rednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Wouldn't it be nice if everyone was like Bentley?

He loves everyone!

Love,

Susan and Bentley

More Christmas on the Porch 2012

I saw a couple of snowflakes this morning.  It's cold and damp

and cloudy but I don't think we will have more than a few

flakes today.  I decided to take a break from watching the news

about the tragedy in Connecticut.  I have been shedding tears

on and off all morning.  

I have decided to turn the whole thing over to God.  Without

Him, I can do nothing.

I found this adorable little bird at Blooms.  I just knew that

he had to be in a front and center vignette, so I gave him his

own little Christmas roost.

I always hang a pair of stockings on the porch just in case

Santa is too pooped to make it up to the rooftop!

I love to fill the wicker chairs with seasonal pillows too.

And some packages.

Have a safe and happy weekend and be sure to hug everyone

you love.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I

will give you rest."

~ Matthew 11:28

Seasonal Sundays

Simple Sunny Sundays

Bentley ~ where is Rudy Reindeer?  

Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Cottage Christmas Tour Part 1

I will be spending the next few posts sharing scenes from my

little cottage, tablescapes and recipes with you.  But I must

tell you that I am so very saddened about today's shooting

at a Connecticut elementary school.

My heart and my prayers go out to the parents and families

of 26 victims in Connecticut, 18 of whom are children.  

What a terrible tragedy.  I will never understand what

possesses shooters to kill other innocent people, especially children.

For all of those families, Christmas will be a very sad one.  Their 

lives will be forever changed by this loss. Senseless, senseless tragedy.

God Bless them all.

Pink Saturday

Favorite Thing Saturday

Bentley and I want to express how very thankful we are to

have you all as friends.  Family and friends are the greatest

gifts in the world and our time together so precious.  

Blessings,

Susan and Bentley

Vintage Christmas Wrapping Paper and Cards

Last weekend one of my favorite antique shops was having

a holiday open house.  I spotted this vintage wrapping paper

from the 1950's and fell in love with the graphics.

Source: flickr.com via Susan on Pinterest

I have been saving vintage Christmas cards on my Very Vintage Christmas

board on Pinterest.

Source: flickr.com via Susan on Pinterest

These little terriers are so cute!

Source: flickr.com via Susan on Pinterest

Just can't help but to love these vintage scotties.

Source: oldcentennialfarmhouse.com via Susan on Pinterest

And I love this scene by the fireplace.  Too charming!

If you would like to see more of the vintage Christmas cards 

I  have been saving, go to Very Vintage Christmas.  I have lots of

other Pinterest boards too, so enjoy my pins and follow along

if you like.

I am happily joining

Home and Garden Thursday

Vintage Thingie Thursday

Time Travel Thursday

Show and Tell Friday

Home Sweet Home

Vintage Inspiration

Bentley ~ I am all finished with my Christmas shopping except for 

one very special loved one ~ YOU!  I need a list from you Bentley.

I know you can't write (yet) but you could give me some hints.

Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

My Cookie Baking Christmas Tree

This basket on the vintage scale on the tea cart in my kitchen

is usually filled with red apples.  But everyone needs a little 

Christmas in the kitchen ~ me especially!  I spend so much time

in my kitchen that I want it to have some Christmas spirit there too.  

So I popped in a little Christmas tree and decorated it with 

gingerbread men, cookie cutters and holiday spatulas.  

It's been tweaked alright.

Did I ever show you this little vintage flour sifter?  It holds two cups of

flour max.  At least that's what the measure reads, but honestly, it

looks more like one cup to me.  Whatever, it's cute and I love it and

I just want to be able to look at it because it makes me smile!

I have so much to do these days that I feel like I will need

a spa day very soon.  I just spent four full  hours shopping with my

mom yesterday and she wore me out!  She was armed with a 

stack full of coupons and away we went.  

After power shopping through three stores, we hit the market.

I was not sure I would be able to load everything into the back of

the Mini Cooper, but let me tell you, that Mini is mighty and 

everything arrived home safe and sound.  By the way, the Mini is

named Beatrix, after Beatrix Potter of course!

Here it is Monday afternoon.  Before I go back to work, I am 

brewing a cup of tea, putting up my feet for a bit and joining ~

Tweak It Tuesday

Table Top Tuesday

and then

Wow Us Wednesday

Rednesday

What's It Wednesday

Bentley ~ I think you should do your own Christmas post.

Don't you think so?  Let's work on that!!

Hugs,

Susan and Bentley