hark!

♪Fit it all, fit it in the doldrums

Or so the story goes

Color the era

Film it as historical♪
lump sum

It's a Bon Iver, earl grey tea kind of weekend.

My couch/cuddling areas have been looking particularly cozy.

                                                                                                                                                                                   

pattern play

Fave floral ever- this perfect vintage fabric caught my eye a few years ago "unusual daphne" Nothing could go more perfect with the couch's unique shade of green.

chartreuse crushed velvet

I can't resist that tail and those little mitts.

Hope you had a great weekend!



comfort

Lately..

making & eating yummy food(too much!)

french onion soup

lots of lattes

filled donut holes (nutella and rasberry jam!)

poached egg & potatoes/onions

Cinnamon sugar pull apart bread 

Aaand I need to get back into an exercise routine. I was doing really good walking but now that it's freezing out I'm thinking yoga, inside my bedroom..where it's warm. What do you guys do to stay fit in the dead of winter, besides the gym? I loathe it.

a little lazy..

winter warmth

cozy candles blazing

more snow today!

I've been taking tons of photos on my new phone and going instagram crazy..

Follow me! dearwinsome

Feeling a little lonely haha

Hope you're having a great week!

fresh

the world isn't in your books and maps...

it's out there

Luke and I had two glorious consecutive days off this week. We didn't make any plans, just adventured. Which meant walking to Main St. to explore our favorite dusty thrift shop and lugging a bunch of stuff back home. Should have thought about that part haha. The weather was incredible, sunny and 60! Love when that happens. Isn't it the worst when it rains on your day off, and all you want to do is go outside? The next day was gloomy and rainy so we had Mexican and margaritas and slipped into our historic 'Lincoln' theater for an early afternoon Hobbit fest. Popcorn with real butter, strawberry Twizzlers too! He's a Sno-Caps kinda guy. We read the entire book out loud before bed a few years ago(Luke's idea) so we were excited to see it. In line I realized we were surrounded by the white haired crew..and told him," This is it, we're officially old people" haha

fresh tech

We've been using Luke's Christmas present daily, this little Mr. Coffee espresso machine is just right..and a steal for under 40! mmm foam.

He surprised me after the holidays with a record player I've been mentioning for the longest..his dad's 1970's setup was always on the fritz, and never played my thrifted records. This one is the perfect teal, and converts my tunes to mp3's..love it so far! He's pretty great too, and lets me sleep in and wake up to the smell of lattes and cinnamon rolls.

 it folds up..fits right in with my vintage blue suitcase collection

bar cart 

Finally got a smartphone, I've been waiting forever! Fairly certain that I'm the last one on the planet to join the cool crowd. I don't know what to do with myself, new technology! haha I was really sad without an instagram, and a good cell camera. 

Caved and got hulu plus. We're totally caught up on Parks and Rec and I've already made my way through New Girl,Merlin,Portlandia,Once Upon a Time..working on Downton Abbey now. I 've been missing all of my favorites, I need my stories! We used to love watching masterpiece classics on PBS every Sunday. I'm horrible at watching shows in real time.They have a bunch of criterion classics too, and french new wave.

Let's just say I've been watching a lot..but I always have my hands busy working on a project. And I've got plenty.

I was pondering what my New Year's goals should be, I always set them too lofty. Thinking simple this year..

Peter LaFleur: I found that if you have a goal, that you might not reach it. But if you don't have one, then you are never disappointed. And I got to tell you it feels phenomenal.

-dodgeball(haha)

Like keep plants alive.

This orchid is my pride and joy right now. Even my succulents and ivy have shriveled up into pitiful little things. Yes, succulents. The plants that can't be killed. haha

This beauty has been alive for a few months now, and has even bloomed more flowers. That never happens.
'Grow where you are planted'

My mantra right now.

We're learning how to crochet together, I need help. I always pick up hobbies and get frustrated and forget them. He's just better at stuff like this.

Someone was over recently and said "It's like going down the rabbit hole when I come to your house,  You're usually in some weird outfit,with the hair..you're sort of ordinary today" haha! That's about right.

Hope you're having a great weekend!

treat : iced wintermint cake

After making too many sweets from scratch for the holiday bakery boxes I wanted something much easier for my wintry cake..box mix and frosting to the rescue. A trimmed doily works perfect as a stencil with the remainder as a pretty base, I knew I would use them for something! I fancied it up a bit with a dusting of powdered sugar(snow drifts?) some pine garland, and my vintage deer family.

the sweetest little faces..

Drops of food coloring(7green,3blue) and mint flavoring(1tsp) made my basic yellow cake a bit more festive.

I'm notorious for using the wrong tools for the job in the kitchen..too small bowls, a spoon instead of the potato masher,etc. It drives Luke bananas. I've yet to get myself some proper cake pans..as shown in the uneven layers. Pyrex works wonders in a pinch though haha

Hope you're having a sweet weekend!

hark!

 ♪When we were young, Oh Oh we did enough

When it got cold Oo Oo we bundled up
I can't be told Ah Ah it can't be done♪

stubborn love

There's a certain kind of music I love this time of year..wintry?  Like what I would listen to if I was holed up in a rustic log cabin, bundled up in flannel and wool, fire blazing.
The Lumineers radio is doing it for me right now..Iron and Wine, Mumford and Sons, Death Cab.
Cozy music.

We stayed in a mountain top cabin in the deep Tennessee woods a few years ago with friends. Playing hide and seek(still love it!) visiting flea markets and diners. If you ever want to test your trust in a friend let them drive you down a narrow winding strip of a road in the mountains in winter. At night.

Yeah.

The huge deck overlooked the smokey mountains, breathtaking.
 One of my favorite memories is being out there with Luke, the snow and wind swirling around us. Trees for miles.

A great thing about living in a historic district are the massive old trees, snow covered boughs are one of my favorites.

It's turned into a winter wonderland around here.

red cedar

Tree of Life

I have a soft spot for pine trees, we had a giant one at my house growing up that I loved. The perfect kind of climbing tree, even spaced rungs that I could reach from the ground going all the way up to the sky.
I want to take a drive out there and see if the land looks anything like I remember. They tore down the old farmhouse but those big trees might still stand.
They're resilient.

( Fruit trees and wild mulberries grew on the forest floodplain and crawfish(crawdads) and cattail reeds in the marsh meadow )

Isn't it amazing how you can vividly remember details like sitting in the crook of a giant cigar tree(catalpa speciosa) and the smell of a baby bird..or the perfect blue of that first tiny fallen robin's egg you find. I love that. The human mind is a fascinating thing.

black walnut

There really is something about that fluffy falling snow..everything is illuminated.
The skyline looks like an old daguerreotype. Hazy and grey. It seems so eerie, all you can hear is the sound of the snow.
And Copper. haha

I'm trying to keep my mind off of the horrible cold/flu I've acquired.
The best laid plans..
I swear it never fails that I fall ill on some major holiday.
 Being sick is the worst.
I'll be here on the couch continuing The Twilight Zone marathon.


Happy New Year!

update:

The land where I grew up still looks the same, nature has reclaimed even more. Everyone had to move when the waters rose. I took a virtual tour (can't believe that's a thing.)

(I miss the elegant snowy egrets that would glide gracefully over the shallow waters)

still here