Monday Morning Thoughts ♥

 Good Morning Friends.  I hope you all had a cozy weekend.  We are now in that weird place in January when the holidays are over and its just winter...cold, frosty, winter.  Nothing to look forward to except Spring, and we've got a long way to go before that happens.  So I'll embrace the darkness with candles, blankets, TV shows, and hot drinks.  It's not so bad  ♥

Tonight I'm making a roast chicken dinner and tomorrow I'll make stock with the bones.  This week is going to be bitterly cold so soup is definitely on the menu.  I saw online a friend of mine used egg noodles instead of pasta in her chicken soup.  I've never seen that before and I want to try it.  Honestly, there are million fancy soup recipes out there, but nothing beats good old fashioned chicken soup.  They don't call it medicine for nothing.  Am I right? ♥

This weekend I baked some bread.  Not out of necessity, but for enjoyment.  This little loaf took over 24 hours from start to finish.  I enjoyed the slow process of it.  Checking on it, kneading it, watching it rise, and then finally baking it. 

It's like therapy : ) 

Maybe that's what January is all about.  Slowing down and enjoying the process of things. 

It doesn't always have to be a race.  

It was delicious by the way.  Here is the recipe I used in case you want to try it.  It's very basic and the bread comes out perfect every time.  Crusty on the outside, light and doughy on the inside.  Everything you want in a homemade bread.  You just have to be patient.

♥

I wish you the best week you can possibly have.  It's not going to be perfect, but nothing is.  Look for the small things that bring you joy.  Like bread....with real butter of course!

Happy Monday Friends! xoxo

Slowing Down Time

I recently hung this clock in my foyer.  I love it because it reminds me of something you would find in an old French Hotel (when actually I got it at the Christmas Tree Shop....ha,ha). Anyway, I was going to put a battery in it, but then I changed my mind.  I realized that I like time standing still.  Doesn't it seem like the older you get, the faster time passes?  Some days I truly feel like a hamster on a wheel - always rushing to get somewhere or do something and missing out on other things in the process.  I wish we all lived in a slower, simpler time.  I think they call it "the good old days".....

I read somewhere that if you want to slow down time you are supposed to get rid of all machines in your house that talk to you.  Although I love the thought of throwing my cell phone off a cliff, there is no way I could ever live without TV or my computer, so that was out.  I think the key is to simply stop and smell the roses.  Take time for yourself.  Be happy.  Do the things you love.  Recognize that things don't have to be perfect. And mostly appreciate everything that you have. 

Life is too short to sweat the small stuff...

I tell myself to turn negatives into positives.  For example - we have had over a week of rain here recently.  Although a bit soggy and somewhat depressing - just look at what it's doing to our grass and flowers. 

There are new colors popping up everyday....

Do you recognize this tree?  This is the tree that we hung our Easter eggs on.  It was bare and "twiggy" then with no signs of life.  I blinked and all of sudden it's alive.  Mother Nature at her best. 

Last weekend we hung two geranium plants on our deck.  It's so nice to sit at the kitchen table and look out the sliders to see pink blooms against the lattice.  It's a perfect way to start the day.  Coffee and geraniums.   Funny how the simplest things make my heart sing.  I appreciate this.

I've started planting inpatients in my flower boxes, seedlings in pots on the deck, and the hydrangeas are getting ready to pop.  It's only a matter of time...

So maybe passing time isn't so bad after all - especially with a helper...

Who likes to stop and smell the roses...

So to speak.