Forgiven.............

My beautiful son, Michael Scott, was taken to be with our Lord today.........................

Spring in Lower Michigan

Spring has finally arrived and I've been soaking it all in like a sponge!

Please join me in a little walk around Aunt May's Cottage.....(click on any photo to enlarge)

Believe it or not, this is a tulip... I don't know the name, but it opens rather flat and not the usual cupped shape.



Also comes in red which looks a lot like a poppy to me...


Leopard's Bane (DORONICUM)...


Daffodil (NARCISSUS)...


These mini Tulips are only about 2 1/2" across, in a bed of Lemon Balm. I use Lemon Balm a lot in summer lemonade and iced tea. Mmmmm....


Hyacinths in a bed of black raspberries. I'll make some yummy preserves from those in late June...


The west end of the cottage is filled with Windflower (ANOEMONE) in various shades of blues, purples and a little white......


Hmmm....looks like this fence needs a whitewash job. I kinda like it all chippy like that, though. What do you think? More Windflower......


More tulips peeking around the cottage corner....


Here, we come upon a large bed of daffodils under the big Maple tree. You can almost see the cottage in the background behind the honeysuckle bushes and vines that crawl up the potting shed walls. This bed is edged with big rocks that I picked up in the yard the first year we lived here. When the daffodils die down, several other species of perennials will take their place.

Thanks for joining me on a little botanical tour of the cottage gardens. We must do this again in the summer as it will be totally different then....

Second Issue of Victorian Etc.

Again, I have been asked to write for the newest historical on-line magazine, Victorian Etc. What an honor this is for me and a delightful way to express my love for this enchanting time in our history. My article is on the use of fabrics in Victorian room decorating. I hope you enjoy it and all of the other entries in this wonderful publication.



This second issue is filled with Steampunk fashions and ideas. Actually, I didn't know until I read this issue exactly what Steampunk was! If you too, are in the dark, come on over and be enlightened as I was.

Grab a cuppa and click on this photo or on the one in the sidebar for a delightful read.

Happy Easter. HE IS RISEN!!

Reflections of Past Post

Follow the ways of your ancestors...

This title is an old Irish proverb and very valued in the Irish community. I have traced my father's family back to Wales, but I understand that there is a strong connection with Ireland. I've yet to uncover proof of that, but I know from my own freckles and BG (before gray) auburn highlighted hair, it must be true. One of my sons is a redhead and so are all of my cousins on my Dad's side.

Do any of your relatives come from Ireland? This would come as no surprise as over 40 million Americans claim Irish ancestry. On March 17th, that number increases considerably when we all celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

The earliest recorded American observance of the day honoring St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was in Boston in 1737. But, the Irish as an ethnic group did not begin to make their presence felt in America until their numbers began to swell during the Nineteenth century.

St. Patrick’s Day became the day the new immigrants remembered their strong ties to the “auld sod” with parades and banquets. By the turn of the century, the celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day had become a distinctly American custom, with everyone, no matter what his nationality, wearing a bit of the green.

Curiously, the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland has evolved into a high-spirited holiday only in the past thirty years. Since the day was (and still is) a Holy day, people attended a Mass and all the pubs were closed. An authentic St Patrick’s Day observance with music, dance, food and liquid refreshment had to take place at home.

A ceilidh (Gaelic for “dance” and pronounced kali) is a gathering of family and friends to hear traditional Irish music, do a bit of step dancing, eat thick slices of soda bread slathered with butter, drink cups of strong tea or other liquid refreshments and engage in the Irish indoor sport of conversation.

But at the heart of any ceilidh is the Irish music, of which there are two distinct types: energetic dance tunes or lamentful narrative songs, usually ballads. In Irish reels, the main melody is repeated over and over again until it leads into another similar tune. The listener, who is unfamiliar with its unique circular structure, frequently comes away with the impression that he has been tapping his feet to one long Irish jig for over two hours.

Excerpts from Sarah Bainbridge

What's New at the Cottage??

Easter Post Cards - just like they used a hundred years ago. I'm going to glitter and embellish mine and send them out just like they did back in that day. I love the old traditions and am so happy that the materials are available to copy them. These have the divided backing with lettering that is a replica of 1901. How sweet it would be to receive one of these in the mail!!

No, this is not life sized...it is American Girl sized. I covered this sweet chair in today's fabrics for your bookshelf or doll cabinet. Doesn't this just look good enough to curl up with a book in?

Made from a vintage bridal gown train, this beauty is a one-of-a-kind window treatment. Visualize this over your bed.......WOW.


Speaking of beds.........this is the yummiest covering you could ever wish for on your skin. This beauty is made of soft 4oo ct Egyptian cotton with French Lace ruffles on the top sheet and pillow slips. Dreamy.......

Another To-Die-For window treatment. This lovely has over 7 yards of quadruple (4) layered ruffles and lace. If you are a ruffle queen, this is the treasure for you. It's also dotted with lace appliques throughout.

Well, that's all I've been up to for the past week. To see more detail on the above treasures for your home, please join me for a cup of tea and browse to your heart's content at Aunt May's Cottage.

Hey, Wasn't That US??

I received this from a friend recently and needed to share it with my blog friends. Even without graphics, this poem says it all............

A little house with three bedrooms, one bath, one car on the street.
A mower that you had to push to make the grass look neat.

In the kitchen on the wall we only had one phone,
And no need for recording things, someone was always home.

We only had a living room where we would congregate
unless it was at mealtime in the kitchen where we ate.

We had no need for family rooms or extra rooms to dine.
When meeting as a family those two rooms would work out fine.

We only had one TV set, and channels, maybe two
But always there was one of them with something worth the view.

For snacks we had potato chips that tasted like a chip,
And if you wanted flavor, there was Lipton's onion dip.

Store-bought snacks were rare because my mother liked to cook.
And nothing can compare to snacks in Betty Crocker's book.

Weekends were for family trips or staying home to play,
We all did things together- even go to church to pray.

We did our weekend trips depending on the weather,
No one stayed at home because we liked to be together.

Sometimes we would seperate to do things on our own,
But we knew where the others were without our own cell phone.

Then there were the movies with your favorite movie star,
And nothing can compare to watching movies in your car.

Then there were the picnics at the peak of summer season,
Pack a lunch and find some trees and never need a reason.

Get a baseball game together with all the friends you know,
Have a real action playing ball - and no game video.

Remember when the doctor used to be the family friend,
And didn't need insurance or a lawyer to defend?

The way that he took care of you or what he had to do,
Because he took an oath and strived to do the best for you.

Remember going to the store and shopping casually,
And when you went to pay for it, you used your own money?

Nothing that you had to swipe or punch in some amount.
Remember when the cashier person had to really count?

The milkman used to go from door to door,
And it was just a few cents more than going to the store.

There was a time when mailed letters came right to your door.
Without a lot of junk mail ads sent out by every store.

The mailman knew each house by name and knew where it was sent.
There were not loads of mail addressed to "Present Occupant".

There was a time when just one glance was all that it would take.
And you would know the kind of car, the model and the make.

They didn't look like turtles trying to squeeze out every mile.
They were streamlined, white walls, fins and really had some style.

One time the music that you played whenever you would jive,
Was from a vinyl, big-holed record called a forty-five.

The record player had a post to keep them all in line,
And then the records would drop down and play one at a time.

Oh sure, we had our problems then, just like we do today,
And always we were striving trying for a better way.

Oh, the simple life we lived still seems like so much fun,
How can you teach about a game, just kick the can and run.

And why would boys put baseball cards between bicycle spokes,
And for a nickel red machines had little bottled Cokes?

This life seemed so much easier and slower in some ways,
I love the new technology, but I sure miss those days.

So time moves on and so do we, and nothing stays the same,
But, I sure love to reminisce and walk down memory lane.

Victorian Etc.

I feel very privileged to be a featured writer in the newest on-line Victorian magazine, Victorian Etc. Like me, I suppose every author has spent years in pursuit of Victorian perfection in their particular field.

Grab that cup of morning tea and please take a moment to go on over and peruse this wonderful publication. I know you will find it truly inspiring.



Let me know how you liked it in the comments section of this post. Thanks!

An Offer Too Good to Refuse

Thanks to all of you that posted comments on my Victorian Christmas Decoration series. If you enjoyed the photos and wish to have some of these copies of your own, Aunt May's Cottage is now selling past issues of my favorite magazine, Victorian Decorating and Lifestyles. Many of the gorgeous Christmas photos came from that magazine.




Sadly, it is no longer published but I have been collecting these vintage treasures for the past few years. Sometimes, I must buy more issues than I need in order to get the ones (or one) that I am missing. I still have a few that I've not been able to locate, but that's part of the fun of a collection ....the hunt.

I'm willing to let duplicate issues of this fine publication go to folks that also feel they have been born about a hundred years later then their heart and soul.

If you love the old Romantic magazines, this is a publication you will want to have on your bookshelves for future reference. Timeless in it's decor ideas, there are also lots of articles on the lifestyles of our Victorian ancestors.

Stop on over to the cottage and check out "The Library" for the issues offered. Wonderful price of only $4.00 each!