The Tale of Four Chickies

Once upon a time there were four chickies ~

Flora Diora

Violet

Tippy

and

Buffy

They were the daughters of Miss Charlotte.  Now Miss Charlotte was close

friends with Thelma the chicken who was the next door neighbor of that

notorious and tenacious chicken chaser known to the brood as 

MR. BENTLEY.

"Now girls," began Miss Charlotte, "I want you to begin to think about

where you will roost when it's time to fly the coop.  Try to find nice homes

for yourselves in a good neighborhood of course.  But whatever you do,

stay out of Mr. Bentley's garden!"

So the chickies went out in search of real estate.  Violet settled on a two story

bungalow birdhouse.  Tippy was happy with a single level bungalow.  Buffy,

for whatever reason decided that a basket would make a cozy roost.

Flora Diora, being quite uppity, decided on a high rise cloche condo.  

Tres chic!

Unfortunately none of the chickies took their mom's advice since all four

abodes were in the confines of a metal tub in Mr. Bentley's garden.

The moral of this story is ~

find a good real estate agent who knows the in's and out's of your area.

Okay big chicks ~ let's fly over to 

Marty's Cloche Party

Honest Bentley, this is just a silly story I made up.  There are no little

chicks planning to roost in your garden.

Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

It's A Cupboard Party!

This is my kind of party ~

A Cupboard Party!

Here is a glimpse of my blue antique hutch in the kitchen

filled with tea pots and cups, gravy boats and tole trays

and ...

Favorite little treasures.

Here is my open cupboard over the stove filled with plates

and bowls of all sizes with stainless and copper pots

hanging beneath. See that black stove pipe? It's from back

when there was a wood burning cook stove in the kitchen

years ago. I love it!

Here is a cupboard in the dining room. It's my hutch holding some

of my blue willow china.

David and I bought this while we lived in

Virginia. It was hand made by an Amish craftsman.

This is really a little shelf ~ but let's call it a cupboard filled with

treasured childhood books and toys.

Here's my little spice cupboard because we all need

a little spice in our lives!

Here is my little sewing cupboard. It's filled with bits of fabric

for quilts or sewing projects. It's out on the back porch where

the laundry and pantry are too.

Here is my quilt cupboard on the back porch. It's filled with some

extra quilts because in our cottage we think that there

are never too many quilts.

And here is a favorite vintage miniature cupboard

just because it's cute!

Thanks for coming to visit us!

Keep the party going by visiting

Shelia at Note Songs

and

Marty at Table Top Tuesday

Cupboards are fun aren't they Bentley?

Especially the cupboard that stores your treat jar!!

Love,

Susan and Bentley

xxoo

Make Way for Birdies!

I found this last week.

It's a Victorian style birdcage.

I won't put any birds in it because I can't bear to see any animal

in a cage ~ but it sure will look great on my front porch.

Of course, that's if and when we start having some spring like

weather. It snowed this morning and the winds were very strong.

I'm taking a quick trip to visit Marty for

Table Top Tuesday.

Bentley ~ lets get under that down filled comforter

and hibernate until spring!!

Love,

Susan and Bentley

xxoo

It Happens in Sun Valley Cloche

We love our winter sports in Idaho ...

so here is a Sun Valley theme cloche in honor of the 1941 movie ...

Sun Valley Serenade.

Skiing, snowboarding, sledding, building snowmen ...

We love it all!

I used a Pottery Barn lantern for a cloche

a good place to tuck in a snowman,

a pair of skis and a winter sweater.

Can't wait to get out the real Susan size skis!!

In the meantime I am linking up to:

A Stroll Thru Life

My Romantic Home

How Sweet the Sound

The Tablescaper

Coastal Charm

Bentley you can come sledding with us and

we can take you for a sleigh ride too!

Love,

Susan and Bentley

xxoo

A Jolly Shelf

Just a jolly little shelf ...

Full of things that make me smile!

Here's hoping that ...

They make you smile too!

Have a wonderful day and be sure to stop by and

visit Marty for Table Top Tuesday!

Bentley ~ are you still curled up under Momma's down filled

comforter???

Love,

Susan and Bentley

xxoo

A Red Plaid Table Top

So here we are at Ash Tree Cottage. A big snow storm is rolling in from the west. I have heard that 20 feet (no not inches, but feet) of snow has fallen in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and is headed this way. Thanksgiving is Thursday ~ so much to do. How about a cup of tea served from a red vintage book of children's poetry? The calm before the storm. A nice warm cup of tea ... so civilized, don't you agree?

It's a busy week, so take a short break and visit Marty's Table Top Tuesday and Sue's Rednesday for a wee bit of a fun and relaxation. Oh and look, Terri and Martha are having Tea Cup Tuesday too. That's always fun!

Bentley, you were just out in the cottage garden ... what is the snow report???

Love,

Susan and Bentley

xxoo

New Shelf Life

Here is a cute little shelf. I like the lines of it, but it is a bit dark and decided to give it some new life ...

Some heirloom white paint and suddenly it's transformed into a cute little shelf to hold some sweet little treasures!

I hope that everyone is having a great Labor Day Weekend! My hubby and I will be enjoying a beautiful day in Idaho. When you have a chance, be sure to stop by and visit Susan's Metamorphosis Monday and don't forget to stop by and see Marty for her Table Top Tuesday party and remember to visit Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays!!.

Come on Bentley ~ let's go outside and enjoy this lovely weather!!

Love,

Susan and Bentley

xxoo

Chemex ~ Perfection

The Chemex coffee maker ... just perfection! It was designed by a German Chemist, Dr Peter Schlumbohm. He was a member of the Bauhaus Art Movement. You can find Chemex at the Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian ....

And ... Mary Richard's fabulous apartment in Minneapolis on the Mary Tyler Moore Show! I am dedicating this post to my pal Robin the Decorating Tennis Girl and I am participating in my other friend Marty's Table Top Tuesday. I wish that Marty and Robin and all the rest of you could come over and have a cup of coffee with me out of this stylish pot!!

Bentley ~ Do you think that you and Thelma could be friends? She comes over to visit you every day now. Don't you think you could do your best to make her feel welcome??

Love,

Susan and Bentley

xxoo

LeCruset and Descoware on My Table Top

I'm joining Marty's Table Top Tuesday and on my table top is part of my collection of Le Cruset and Descoware. It's also on my stove top, on my granite counter top and on my butcher block too! It cooks like a dream and looks lovely on the table. I love, love, love it!!

I think that Descoware came first. It was a favorite of Julia Child and as you know by now, Julia Child will always be a favorite of mine! I have been collecting pieces of both Le Cruset and Descoware since before I was married. I taught myself how to cook using The Joy of Cooking and Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volumes I & II. I have a Le Cruset cookbook and I have made all of the recipes in it too.

My Le Cruset dutch ovens have been used often and are well loved. My first attempt at Boeuf Bourguignon was made in that big dutch oven.

Descoware has some very cute oval casseroles. I don't think that Descoware has been made for a very long time, but I don't care, I still love it!!

This little one is my favorite. It's sitting on top of my treasured Julia cookbooks. Cheers dear Julia! Bon Appetit!!

All of this talk about food is making me hungry! How about you Bentley???

Love,

Susan and Bentley

xxoo

A Favorite Cabinet

This is a favorite cabinet of mine. It's a cabinet that I use to store some of my spices. I purchased it in Virginia the first year that David and I were married. It used to be stained a medium walnut, but I decided to paint it heirloom white. I love the wire in the door.

Thanks for visiting me today. Be sure to stop by and visit Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday. I think that Marty stopped by Goodwill again and picked up some great items. See you there!! I am also joining Patricia at Colours Dekor for August Table Tops. Be sure to visit her too!!

Bentley ~ I found one of your little stuffed bears behind the butcher block. Were you missing it??

Love,

Susan and Bentley

xxoo