Sunday Sayings and My Word for 2018 . . .

It's been so long since I've blogged.  I've been posting on Instagram almost daily for the last month or so.  It's become a bit of an addiction in all honesty.  I've noticed a good number of the blogs that I follow post less frequently now due to Instagram.  If you'd like to follow me, I'm Crickleberry Cottage there as well.  : )

Have you picked your "word" for the new year?  This is something I've done for the last several years, ever since I saw it popping up all around "blogland."  It took me a few weeks to come up with a word that I haven't used already.  I always seem to be drawn to the same few words.  This year, I've gone with . . .

. . . "FORWARD."  I feel like it's the perfect word for me right now.  : )


Have you picked a word??


Many blessings to you.  If you're living in the northeast I hope you're staying warm.  We're in the midst of cold weather like we haven't experienced in a few years in my part of  New York.  It's actually been in the negative digits.  I haven't left my house in five days.  I even told my husband that I'm rethinking moving north when he retires.  I little warm weather with the sun beating down on me while sitting on the beach sounds good right about now.  That would last for about five minutes though and I'd be looking for a beach umbrella and air conditioning in no time.  Who am I kidding??  : )


~ Wendy

A New Year . . .

Last night we rang in the new year with a house full of friends and kids.  It was beautifully chaotic and noisy.  It actually wasn't really that noisy until I broke out the noise makers and then it turned into what sounded like a gigantic flock of geese had landed in our living room.  Really it did.  My husband gave me a look and I gave him a smile because it was all for the kids.  He just shook his head knowing how I am.  I often have to remind him that he knew how I was when he married me yet still chose to put a ring on it.  Haha!!  : )  Every one of those kids made it to midnight including the six month old baby Amelia who took a brief power nap and then had more energy than all of us.  At 11:56 we gathered in the living room and turned on the television for the big countdown.  While we waited for the ball to drop, I took a few seconds to look around the room at all of the people that had gathered there.  Lots of happy, smiling faces.  It had been such a fun night.  A gathering of new friends that now feel like old friends.  Our hope when we moved to our new town was that we'd meet some new friends that were easy going, fun and liked to talk as much as we do.  We definitely found them!!  : )

I wish you all a happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful 2017.  I'm looking forward to this new year.  This clean slate.  I'm still thinking about what my word for this year is.  I've narrowed it down to a few.  Have you picked your word yet?  If you want to share, I'd love to hear what it is.


Namaste ~ Wendy

Year's End . . .

We celebrated our last meal of 2015 with friends and family in a Japanese farmhouse that was disassembled over there and brought here to New York ~ Central Valley, New York to be more specific.   The architecture is just beautiful with incredibly high ceilings and lots of bamboo and wood. 

There was a very steep staircase that led up to the area where we sat around huge hibachi grills and were entertained by the chef as he made our dinner. 

A view of the restaurant from the outside back gardens. 

After dinner we walked around the grounds a little bit.  They weren't lit very well but we were still able to see a few of the beautiful Japanese touches throughout. 

A beautiful light shade.

Above is a water wheel that helped feed the pond that held so many beautiful koi fish.  I don't know how they can survive in such cold water.  Brrr!!!

The bridge over the koi pond.

Some New Year's Eve party animals!!!  Woot woot!!!  : )

The tree is undecorated and gone now and the two youngest ones are back in school.  I love when they're out of school and we don't have to worry about bed times and wake up times but, in all honesty, by the end of vacation time, I need to have that sense of structure back in our house.  It really does make me a happier mama and, in turn, makes for happier kiddos.

I love my kids but I also love my space and my alone time and I'm not afraid to admit it.  : )


Happy almost Thursday to you ~ Wendy

Autumn into Winter . . .

With the turn of a page, the calendar is saying winter.  Mother Nature isn't giving up autumn without a fight though.  It's in the low 50's here in New York.  Bright blue skies prevail and the couple of inches of snow that fell the day before Thanksgiving are mostly just a memory now. 

This morning I cut up my pumpkins and threw them into the yard for the wildlife to eat.  I started to take down the autumnal (I LOVE that word!!!)  bits and bobs and then I looked in my hall closet for the easy access Christmas ones.  Most are packed away upstairs until decorating goes into full swing.  Hopefully, this will be in the next couple of days while my honey is off from work. 

Just a few things on the window sills so far . . .

. . . and a strand of vintage jingle bells in the bathroom.

I'd really like to cut down our own tree this year but we wouldn't be able to do that until December 13th due to schedules around here.  I thought about giving in and visiting our favorite roadside stand again so we could have our tree up earlier until yesterday when my oldest son told me he was upset with us that we got our tree and decorated it without him last year.  Who'd a thought it?!!?  Lol!!  So now I'm torn but thinking December 13th might be okay since he won't be home from college until then.  Those of you who have older children are probably familiar with how they sometimes go thru a phase where things like decorating Christmas trees and carving pumpkins aren't at the top of their list of fun things to do anymore.  Then, just like that, it becomes fun again.  I think this has a lot to do with maturity and tradition.  I've always told the boys and now my daughter how important family and traditions are.  I love that he's coming back around with this again and I'll be sure to put aside a box of his special ornaments just for him to put on the tree. : )

I'm also vowing here to keep the next few weeks leading up to Christmas simple.  I vow to stay within my budget and to not be wrapping presents still at 1 am on Christmas Eve.  I vow to have some sense of organization for a change.  From my mouth to God's ears!!  : )


Many blessings for a wonderful Monday ~ Wendy

A Little Wednesday Randomness . . .

So it looks like we dodged another snow storm here in New York.  Hallelujah!!!  I absolutely love snow and being cozied up in our little cottage during a snow storm is one of my absolute favorite things in the world, HOWEVER, I think I'm ready for spring.  The only thing that makes me hesitate when I say that is the fact that after spring comes summer ~ hazy, hot and humid New York summers.  The pits!!

A seagull on top of a HUGE pile of snow. 

In my garden.

The sun has been staying out longer and feeling just a little bit warmer.  There are hints of flowers coming up in the garden and the birds and squirrels that have been frequenting our back yard all winter to eat have been visiting less frequently.  I imagine they're busy building their nests for the new babies that will be coming in another month or so.

A woodpecker in our little pear tree on a recent snowy day.

A jet in the sky on a beautiful late winter day.

 And this little girl is thrilled that she'll be playing in her beloved sand box and swinging on swings again real soon!!

Many blessings for a wonderful Wednesday ~ Wendy

A Perfectly Balanced Weekend . . .

We had, what I would call, a perfectly balanced weekend.  Dinner at our house on Friday night with life long friends and their kids who have now become life long friends with our kids.  Isn't it so amazing how that happens??!!??  One of the many special things about small town living.  : )

Another wonderful thing about small town living ~ glimpses of days gone by in the form of an old abandoned barn.

Saturday was a day to catch up on laundry and start filling my online shops again.  I made a big decision that I've been mulling over for a little while now.  I've decided to leave my job at American Greetings and concentrate on selling online again.  My shops have been neglected since I started working and, quite honestly, judging by how well my shops have done in the past, I can make more money with them than I make with AG.  Plus, I get to be home when my kids get home from school which is something that has always been important to me and was starting to happen less and less.  My last day is March 31st and I'm feeling good about my decision.  I feel the Universe is nudging me in a different direction and I have to go with it.  : )

Saturday afternoon we watched Brendan's basketball team play what ended up being their last game of the season.  They played their hearts out against the first place team and went neck and neck with them until about the middle of the second half and then they lost steam.  : (   Brendan had a great season and even scored a couple of baskets.  His confidence has soared since last year's season and I thank his wonderful coaches for that.  I'm going to miss his games but not those Tuesday night at 8 pm practices!!  : )

Yesterday I puttered around the house and listed a few more items in my Etsy shop while Jim worked on finishing up my closet that he's been remodeling when he gets the time to work on it.  Megan had a friend come over to keep her occupied otherwise my husband wouldn't have gotten anything done.  She loves being Daddy's helper and we all know how that works out sometimes.  Haha!!

Yesterday afternoon, another life long (since 5th grade!!) friend, Stacey, called to see if she could stop by for a little while.  She's in town from Florida for a couple of days and brought a quiche on the plane with her to give to me.  She had posted photos on Facebook of a 12 course meal she was cooking the other night when she couldn't sleep and I had casually mentioned that I'd love her to bring one of the quiches she baked to New York with her.  Well, guess what we had for dinner last night???  Yep!!  Chicken, bacon, broccoli and cheese quiche.  TO DIE FOR!!!  Just one of the MANY reasons I love that girl!!!!

A perfectly balanced weekend . . .  Friends, family, down time and homemade quiche!!  : )


Many blessings for a beautiful week ahead ~ Wendy

More of the White Stuff and a Sunday Saying . . .

We've been bombarded with snow, snow and more snow this last week.  The kids were off Thursday and Friday for yet another double snow day which means they will have to make some time up probably for spring break.  They are also off this coming week for mid-winter recess and we are expecting possibly even more of the dreaded "S" word!!

Our front yard.

Mr. Bigglesworth spying on the birds at the bird feeder.  I pull a chair up to the window for him so he can look out.  I can tell he's totally over this snow.  He goes out the front door and is meowing at the back door five minutes later!!  : )

I took my camera with me yesterday when we ventured out to take Brendan to his basketball game.  On our way there, we drove past the ponds near us.  They are all ice and snow covered.  The green flag is up for ice skating but the latest storm covered up the rink that had been cleared. 

Beautiful red-tipped bushes around the ponds.  They look so pretty with all the white around them!!

This sign is up all year 'round.  : )

When we got to the school where Brendan plays basketball these guys were up on the chimney trying to keep warm.

These are turkey vultures.  Kinda creepy to look at but really amazing creatures.  We have a good amount of them in our town and they seem to have increased in numbers over the last few years. 

Some kind of nest in a bush outside of the entrance to the school.

Today, we meet up with Megan's bff, Cybele, and her mom Ophie to have lunch and to take the girls to Barnes & Noble and to FINALLY visit the new Fairway Market that is now in our area.  I've heard so many great things about it and need some dinner ideas for tonight so I'm looking forward to stopping by there.  I doubt I'll like it as much as my Trader Joe's but we'll see!!!!!!  : )

Now for a Sunday Saying . . .

Probably one of the best quotes I've ever read!!!


Many blessings for a beautiful Sunday and a happy week to come ~ Wendy

Outside My Window . . .

This morning, we woke to the first official snowfall of the season.  It measured less than an inch but was pretty enough to make everything that is already dull and grey that much prettier.  It's so hard to believe that just about a month ago the leaves were all at their peak and there were gorgeous shades of red and orange everywhere you looked.  Last winter was such a dark and dreary one and almost impossible to find any kind of natural light bright enough to take a decent photo.  I'm hoping there's a blanket of white more often than not for the next couple of months. 

I love when these little guys come by for a visit. 

Many blessings for a happy day ~ Wendy