Connecticut Country House Blog
Quotation therapy
“Have nothing in your houses which you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” William Morris (1834-1896)
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There once was a girl from Nantucket
She was the first piece of “real art” I had ever acquired. She was a gorgeous nineteenth century little girl beautifully painted in rich pastels – and at the time…
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Cape Cod garden tour
Back from our annual pilgrimage to our beloved Cape Cod – the place where our family really kicks back and relishes every minute of keeping it simple. Lots of beach…
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Pretty pastel iced tea
Approximately every six weeks, Connecticut Country House has become a destination meeting place for a beautiful group of Mary Kay consultants. The ladies have officially, and affectionately, named it “The…
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Oh beans!
One vegetable from the kitchen garden that always gets rave reviews, especially from our teenage son Conor, are the string beans. Now that’s saying something! He loves them freshly picked,…
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The collector: seashells
To me, decorating is about storytelling. And nothing tells a story better than a collection. A collection immediately communicates who you are, and how you like to live. It adds…
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Mid-summer garden tour
Our mid-summer garden tour is full of perennials, like our many varieties of day lilies, that keep blooming like crazy – heat or no heat! The roses are stressed right…
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Really ripe raspberries
I’m always looking for new ideas for my kitchen garden – and planting raspberry plants a couple of years ago was a good one. It was mid-summer, and I was…
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Glorious Gooseneck Loosestrife
Years ago, before we moved to Connecticut Country House, we lived in a sweet little English cottage-style house – our first house. There we created our first rose, herb, and…
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Erin’s Zucchini Bread
I love to collect recipes. I think it’s an addiction with me. When I was nine years old, I got my first cookbook – Betty Crocker’s – from Santa. Ever…
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A refreshing summer salad
This is no ordinary potato salad. It’s light, and served chilled – very refreshing. I like that it has no dairy ingredients, so it holds its own at any hot…
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Parlor games
This house was built in 1767 by British citizens (probably poor farmers) and this parlor must have been “the best room” in the little house. To me, it’s authenticity has…
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If walls could talk
For the past two months, Connecticut Country House has been a big work in progress. Our “resident” craftsman and friend, Mark Kornhaas, has been plugging away at a punch list…
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Decorating the 4th
Today at Connecticut Country House it’s all hands on deck in decorating the exterior with our collection of flags. Each area around the house gets its own unique flag –…
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A milestone for the Murphy’s
A celebration is on the way at Connecticut Country House – our 25th wedding anniversary! Hooray us! Rick and I were married twenty-five years ago today – a rainy Saturday…
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