Happy Valentine's Day ♥

 

Hello Lovely Friends! Happy Friday and happy day before Valentine's Day! ♥

We are slowly inching our way through February and frankly, things are looking up.  The sun is out today and there is a slight warmth (if you can believe it) in the air. Slight meaning "above freezing" but I'll take it :) 

Every once in a while we hear huge clumps of snow sliding off the roof like a literal avalanche.  It's awesome because it means it's melting up there.  The great thaw has begun! 

But alas, it's still winter and I'm trying to embrace it. There will be more snow and cold days but it's ok. Because I know for sure....spring is coming.  It always does.  

So what's new with you??! ♥

I took my first cup of coffee back to bed with me on this Friday morning. I took a few quiet moments to sip it and wake up a bit before heading downstairs....

Ok, I'm awake now and just processing that it's almost the weekend.  YIPEEEEE! ♥

Last night I made a cinnamon coffee cake to have for breakfast this morning.  I forgot all about it until I came down and saw it sitting on the counter - just where I left it.  I thanked my Thursday night self for planning ahead. 

Yesterday I ran to the market to pick up groceries for the week.  I treated myself to a Valentines Day present and brought home this daffodil plant for the kitchen window. The floral department was just bursting of tulips, hyacinths, roses, and these beautiful yellow daffodils that were SCREAMING springtime.  I was so happy to see it and didn't hesitate to pick one up and put it in my cart.  

I'm excited to watch it bloom ♥

 

She'll wait until the time is right because she knows we shouldn't rush these things, but regardless, I'll be waiting and watching for those pretty little yellow teacups. 

Strawberries were on sale this week for Valentines Day. I wish you could smell these! I can't tell you how many times I've stuck my nose in the bowl just to take a sniff.  So good!  

Another signs of warmer days to come! 

Not only are they yummy but it's also aromatherapy! ♥

Out back still looks like this.  

I promise you there is a river under all that snow and ice somewhere.  

  It's so quiet and still.  

I love seeing the long shadows of sunlight on the snow.  I don't think I could ever live in the city.  

I need nature every day ♥

Meals this week have been very simple.  One night we did breakfast for dinner.  I made Susan Branch's German pancake which is a family favorite.  The recipe is in her Heart of the Home cookbook.  A few years ago, I made a video about it.  Give it a click if you want to see a very cringy pre-covid me with short hair making this pancake.  Feels like a 100 years ago, but the pancake is still delicious.

 And very easy to make ♥

And that's it my friends.  

Same old ordinary days around here, which is just perfect for me.  This weekend I have loads of laundry to do, toilets to clean, and shelves to dust.  Just your average life as a princess - not really!  I'll catch up on chores, read my book of the moment, and make a yummy Valentines Day dessert that involves brownies and a heart shaped cookie cutter. I'm nothing if not creative! : ) 

Speaking of Valentine's Day, remember when Valentines looked like this?...♥

How fun! I miss those days!  So simple and yet so perfect. 

Have a wonderful weekend friends and Happy Valentine's Day! ♥

I hope you spend it doing something you love with the people who mean the most to you.  And of course, have something SWEET to celebrate!  

Love you! Bye! xoxox

PS I'm still waiting on the painter.  Patience is a virtue :) 

Happy Valentine's Day! ♥

Hello Friends and Happy Valentines Day! ♥

I took myself on an early walk this morning by the ocean to celebrate and I'm so glad I did.  Was it freezing? It sure was (is!) but the fresh air was so good for my soul.  I always feel better when I push myself to get outdoors, even if only for a few minutes.  

I needed it this morning ♥

 I love the beach in the wintertime, especially when it's this cold.  The water is like glass, and everything feels so still and peaceful.  I didn't stay that long, but just long enough to let it all sink in and it was a good start to my day.  

There were icy patches all along the pathways, so I had to be careful walking.  

    

I sat on this wall for a few minutes before I got really cold and had to go back to the car.  

I'll be back soon.  That bench is my picnic spot in the warmer months.  I'll be here with an iced coffee instead of a hot one. I can't wait.  

Spring is coming ♥

Anyway, back at home I have the fire going and now I'm hibernating for the weekend.  It's been a cold and snowy week and there is more on the way.   These are the dog days of winter, my friends, and all I want to do is bake, nest, read books, and sit by the fire.  

My Dad was in hospital for a few days last week.  Thankfully he's home now and feeling much better.  This visit wasn't a good experience.  Mainly because the hospital was completely FULL so he had to spend the first night on a bed in the hallway.  I kid you not.  I felt so bad for him.  The next day a room did open up and they were able to move him.  No one ever loves being in the hospital, but being in the hallway was a new low.  We were so happy he was only in there for two days!  Now being home by the fire, with warm drinks and blankets, it's makes me so grateful to have all my family here under one roof. 

You really do have to be grateful for every day and never take anything for granted ♥

The other day I baked some bread, and it was the best rise I've ever seen.  Look how happy this loaf is! 

That tells you how toasty it is in here. 

I'm taking hygge to a whole new level this winter and I'm loving it ♥

 Satisfying is the only word I can think to describe it. 

And YUM! ♥

And speaking of YUM, Rob treated us all to some Valentine's Day donuts because they are my Dad's favorite. Taking a look at this box can you guess which one I took? I bet you'd be wrong.  It's the plain one. I love plain donuts!  The plain ones are always my first choice (unless there is pumpkin spice...that's my only exception! :) 

Have you read The Boyfriend yet? Oh you must! I curled up in a chair last week and tore through it.  It was the perfect escape, and I loved it. It was one of those books where I thought I had it all figured out and I was completely wrong.  Don't you love it when that happens?! 

I made a nice pan of brownies yesterday that hit the spot.  I have to have tea and brownies to go with my book.  It's kind of a rule : ) 

So, what are your Valentine plans? Do you go out or stay in? For years Rob and I would dress up and go out.  It was fun when we were younger but not so much anymore.  Now we much prefer to stay in, warm & cozy.  I can't think of anything worse than dressing up and going out tonight.  Get out of my sweatpants? Are you mad?!!

So cooking I will. I'm making one of his (and all of our) favorites. Eggplant parmesan!  I thought that would be nice on Valentines Day.  Right now I have no dessert planned (except leftover brownies) so I might run out the bakery and see what they have. I can throw a coat over my sweats...lol 

As much as I love baking, there's nothing like fresh cannoli's from the guy down the street. Yup...I think I just made a plan! ♥

Well, whatever your plans are, I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day!  

(calendar from John's room...lol)

Also on my list this weekend is watching the new Bridget Jones movie on Peacock.  I don't know if Rob will be interested in that, but love is sacrifice! 

Thanks for stopping by friends! ♥

Stay cozy!!! xoxo 

PS The bathroom project is coming along. It now looks like an actual room instead of a hole in the house.  We're getting there! Yay! By the next update we may have a floor.  Fingers crossed! 

Happy Valentine's Day ♥

 

Hello Friends!  ♥

I'm a day late, but I wanted to wish you all a very happy Valentine's day! 

Our day was very low key, cozy, and special.  We got take out dinner from one of our favorite local places for a nice casual meal.  I did make us a special dessert though.  Strawberry heart pies!  They were yummy.  

It snowed again on Sunday and the weather is beyond COLD so staying in an keeping warm was perfectly fine with me.  After dinner we watched an Alfred Hitchcock film, Rear Window.  Not very "valentine-y" but it was excellent! Something about those old films....nothing like them.  

If you've never seen this one, I highly recommend it : ) 

I hope you all had a lovely day ♥

Sending hearts and hugs! Xx 

We Survived the Storm! ♥

Good Morning Friends! Happy Monday! ♥

It's a balmy 5 degrees out today. Brrr! We've reached a new level of cold at this point of winter, but it is almost February so I'm not surprised.  I've spent the morning adding a few Valentine touches around the house.  Valentines Day is one of my favorite holidays because I can decorate for an entire month with all the pink hearts I want and not get any grief from the boys I live with! It's fabulous!  Plus I always feel like winter is such a pretty backdrop for pink & red things.  Everything is so plain after Christmas....until now ♥

Anyway, today is also special because it's Rob's 50th birthday!!! We are being very low key and by his request just keeping is simple tonight.  Which is OK by me as it's freezing out and staying in PJ's is music to my ears.  I am making chocolate cake though, so it's a celebration for all of us : ) 

 

I wanted to let you all know that we survived Saturday's blizzard!!! It snowed ALL DAY LONG and did not stop until a whopping 2 feet of snow was left behind.  Thankfully we did not lose power and were toasty warm throughout the storm.  

I went outside this morning to take pictures of the clean up, which I was not apart of.  LOL

My job is to make the hot chocolate ♥

(that's never a problem!:)

They cancelled school for John today because it's going to take the town some time to clean up the roads and (find) the sidewalks.  He was very happy to have a snow day! 

Like I mentioned, it's only 5 degrees today so what looks like fluffy snow is really blocks of ice.  

FYI - it's 48 days until Spring.  I just googled it 🎕

But inside I remain warm with my candles lit and a hot coffee in my hands....always.  

This weeks plans include homemade minestrone soup, sourdough bread, and leftover chocolate cake...if there is any....♥

Happy last day of January Friends!  Stay warm! xoxo 

How was your weekend? ♥

Good Morning Friends! Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a happy Valentines Day! ♥

My weekend was lovely and very relaxing, just as I hoped it would be.  On Saturday John and I went out for a little car ride.  We've been doing this since the pandemic started just to "get out" and it's become a weekend routine for us now that we really enjoy.  We cruise around town, listen to music, and will most likely hit a drive through for drinks and snacks.  Honestly, I've been down roads in my town that I've never seen before in all of the 46 years I've lived here! It's kind of fun. My favorite part is John and I talk and tell stories.  He doesn't realize it, but I'm bonding with him! LOL 

This past Saturday we also made a quick socially distanced visit to my in laws who live a few towns over, to wish them a happy Valentine's Day.  It was nice to see them!  The pandemic has hit everyone pretty hard and it's not getting any better around here, but I am grateful to be able to make those quick little stops when I can. 

Valentine's Day was delightful.  I woke up to the biggest cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee I've ever seen! According to Rob it's called "the great one".  It's not on the menu but if you ask, they'll make it for you.  He knows the way to my heart ♥

We had a quiet day and I was even able to squeeze in a 30 minute rest on the couch right after I put this cake in the oven.  Rob offered to treat us to a take out dinner so I didn't have to cook, but I still wanted to make dessert : ) 

 

Our favorite take out place is closed on Sundays so we went with our second choice, which turned out to be amazing.  I got the fish sandwich.  It was Yummy! ♥

Strawberry cake for dessert, followed by cards, and movie.  

I couldn't have asked for a more cozy day with my loved ones.  

 And all of sudden it's Monday again and the start of a new week.  Rob has taken John out sledding and I'm warm and cozy here at my desk, steaming coffee at my side, and awaiting more snow....actually slush because it's supposed to be a "wintery mix" which usually equals slushy mess.  Can you tell I'm over winter?  We are half way through February my friends and Spring is one day closer!  Yay. 

Wishing you all the best Monday and I'm sending you good vibes for the week ahead.  Tonight's dinner is chicken pot pie so I'm going to prepare that now so I don't have to worry about it later.  I'll just pop it in the oven.  Don't you love those kinds of dinners?  Me too! ♥

Byeeee! xo 

Happy Valentine's Day ♥

Wishing you all a warm and snuggly Valentine's Day! ♥

We'll be celebrating with a yummy take out dinner from our favorite local place and for dessert I'm making strawberry cake...heart shaped of course! : ) 

It doesn't take much to keep us happy over here!  What will you be up to?  

Have a great weekend friends!  

I'll see you on Monday morning with a hot cup of coffee and probably leftover cake for breakfast! xo 

♥

Heart Shaped Soaps ♥

Hello Friends! Happy Wednesday  ♥

This morning we are digging out from yet another winter storm.  I saw on the news that Spring is 32 days away.  They flashed that on the screen right after they announced it was 19 degrees.  But at least we have something to shoot for ✔

 

Despite it being cold, February has it's charms.  

It's also very beautiful.

One of the best things about February is heart shaped everything ♥

  I love adding little valentine touches around the house.  Especially if they smell good too!

For this month's craft I decided to pull out my supplies (because I did the same thing last year :)  and made heart shaped soaps.  

 

I used silicone molds and leftover glycerin soap that I had picked up at Michaels last winter.  

I cut the soap block into cubes and melted it in the microwave as per the directions. 

I also had some dried flowers that I used in my candles and some essential oils. 

I added a few drops of oil into the melted soap and gave it a stir.  

Smells so good!!! 

I made lemon scented soaps with dried flower petals and lavender scented soaps with dried lavender.

After pouring in the molds I put them in the freezer for a few minutes until they set.  

After they were good and solid I popped them out of the molds.  The silicone made this super easy to do. 

 

Viola! 

I think they look very pretty in a flowery dish on the bathroom counter.  

They can certainly be used but I think I love them as a decoration/air freshener  ♥

And so goes February.  Cold and frosty on the outside.  Cozy and sweet smelling on the inside  ♥

Have a great day, friends! 

I hope you are staying warm and enjoying your week! xo