Twinkle lights

Hello my friends, how are you?  We finally have a clear day today after lots of rain, but still very overcast and gray.  I have been feeling the need to get out in the garden and do something, even if it's just pulling weeds.  Does the garden ever call to you?  Galen thinks I'm crazy, but I find it very rewarding and therapeutic.  

I decided to restring twinkle lights outside in the jasmine over the back porch.  The lights will usually last about six months so I only have to replace them twice a year.  They went out two nights ago.  

I twist the lights through the vines starting at the bottom, taking them up and over the porch door and ending near the pergola.  It makes the prettiest light at night.  No matter how dark it is you can always see without turning a harsh overhead light on.  The twinkle lights create a nice ambiance.  

Lights are done....now maybe I'll go pull those weeds.    

Enjoy your day!  

Merry Christmas

I would like to wish all my dear family and friends a very Merry Christmas! 

We are busy here at Mourning Dove Cottage getting ready to host the family Christmas dinner this year.  Most of the preparation is done ~ shopping done, gifts wrapped, cookies baked, and now it's just a matter of grocery shopping, cooking, setting the table and deciding what to use for a centerpiece. 

Last evening we lit the candles in the front lawn and took a photo of our cottage in the dark.  The neighborhood looks so pretty at night with all the Christmas lights. 

I hope all of you will enjoy this beautiful season and that it will be a wonderful Christmas for you and your loved ones! 

Night lights

There's something lovely about being outside at night.

String lights in your trees....

and linger as long as you please.

Cheery cherries

What's not to love about cherries.

I was in the Big Lots store the other day and found these fun cherry lights.

I like to string lights on the back patio next to the screened in porch. It's just enough light in the evening to add a little whimsy to the atmosphere.

Usually, I use clear christmas lights but they're hard to find in the middle of summer,

so I was thrilled to find these fun red cherry lights!

Little clusters of cherries hanging on a vine.

Whimsical and fun

and so pretty at night!

Enjoy your day!

Donna

Lights on

On gray rainy days I usually find myself turning lights on all over the house, how about you? Today is one of those days. I have lights on in the dining room, the living room, the kitchen, the study, the bedroom, the baths ~

good for the mood, but maybe not the electric bill.

The lamp in the photo below, Galen and I bought when we were first married. It's one of my favorite lamps.
 

Kitchen lights bring a warm glow from the red walls.

 This lamp (below) in the study is another one we bought early in our marriage at an antique shop.

This lamp was my grandmother's ~ I replaced the shade.


You can find night lights all over our house too! These lights stay on all the time. This little rose night light I found at Goodwill. I think I paid $2.00 for it.


Another Goodwill find. This one sits in our bedroom on top of the armoire.


There are night lights in the bathrooms.


The one below we got at auction years ago.

 

Would you believe, another Goodwill find! This one sits in the kitchen on top of the refrigerator.




And this little night light (below) which we have in the dining room, we bought on our 25th anniversary in Wilmington, NC at an antique shop.


Of course, lighting candles on a gray day helps the mood too, and it makes the whole house smell good...it also saves on the electric bill!