Tag: cozy (page 2 of 7)

January 27, 2020 / 2 Comments

Monday Morning Vibes

January is passing us by all too quickly for my liking. My opportunities to visit here have been few. I’m hoping that changes with the onset of February.

We hit the ground running into this New Year. I’ve been busy organizing, cleaning and decluttering small areas here and there. I don’t mind the bareness of space. We’re savouring all the quiet moments that we can. I’m not wishing winter away yet. I like each season to have it’s time and place. I’m enjoying winter on the coast. I love watching the sea rolling in calmness, crashing in anger and changing colour with its mood. There is a power and an awe to her beauty.

Today has been misty, rainy and damp. Patsy Cline is crooning in the background, a cup of tea is steeping next to me, a loaf of bread is rising on the counter and my candles are lit. I’m attempting to ease into the week.

After working through the morning, I’m now patiently waiting for a glass delivery to arrive. I’m taking an evening stained glass class this winter. I had my idea narrowed down to three designs, then two and the design that made the final cut, simply came down to being able to find the glass colours that I wanted to use. It will be more of a contemporary design with the focus being on colour and a play on movement. I’m excited to see the glass in person as I was having to do my best in choosing my colours from online websites. So fingers crossed they will all work as I have envisioned them.

Here’s to the week! Let it be a good one!

December 13, 2019 / 0 Comments

Happy Santa Lucia Day!

Happy Santa Lucia Day!

This morning on one of my most treasured December days, we feasted on iced danishes by the glow of candlelight and listened to Christmas music. It was dark outside and the wind was howling, but inside it was cozy, magical and was a wondrous way to start our Friday.

Happy St. Lucia Day to you all! May a light guide your way today and always. ❤️

October 28, 2019 / 0 Comments

Fall-ing Back

Our clocks fell back over the weekend. We awoke on Sunday morning to a truly autumnal day. It was sunny and crisp. There was a snap in the air; the leaves crunched under our feet. Mushrooms seemingly sprang up everywhere over night and the air was filled with the warming smell of woodsmoke.

Being so spoiled by the sunshine, I completely forgot how quickly night would close in. We were lost in a conversation, listening to music when we were suddenly aware that the room had grown dark. Quickly, lights were turned on, candles were lit, curtains were drawn and everything felt cozy again.

I’m ready for fall. I’m ready for this change of season. Tonight we’re carving pumpkins and feasting on comforting bowls of homemade macaroni and cheese. There’s a fresh sticky date cake cooling on the counter and a toffee sauce bubbling away on the stove, which will be generously poured over it along with a huge dollop of whipped cream.

Happiness is…

{Image Phoebe Wahl HERE // Pinned HERE}

September 30, 2019 / 0 Comments

Reading

We are definitely moving into sweater weather around these parts. The mornings and nights have been chilly. It rained a fair amount over the weekend, which was the perfect excuse to stay curled up, under a blanket, with a book.

I finished the fourth novel in the Earthsea series in two days. And now, I’ve moved on to a long awaited treat! This was a surprise from Mr. Michie, the fifth novel in The Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley. I’ve devoured the previous ones and The Moon Sister is no different. I’m completely transported to another world within those pages and I feel as if I know these women. It’s like visiting an old friend.

The gift of a good book is a true treasure. As the nights close in sooner and the candles are lit earlier, reading a book with a cup of tea by my side is one of my favourite past times.

{Image Tatsuro Kiuchi HERE // Pinned HERE}

January 15, 2019 / 0 Comments

A Refresh

I took down our Christmas decorations today. I don’t think I’m ever ready to do that. But, it was high time to do it! Now, the cottage feels sparse, but not in a bad way. I don’t mind the clean bleakness of it all. There is something refreshing about the inside of the cottage mimicking the winter environment beyond its walls.

A mini “spring cleaning” session took place this afternoon, with every surface being wiped and scrubbed down, dusted and mopped and vacuumed too. The candles are lit, there are still twinkle lights glowing from little spots here and there and dinner is simmering away on the stove. So, life is good!

January 8, 2019 / 0 Comments

Seven

Out of the one hundred or so houses on our street, there are only seven houses left with Christmas lights still up. Not everyone on our street decorates their house, but enough do, to make our little street feel festive. As I walked to meet Mr. Michie after work last night, the street felt so very dreary. Those seven houses were a welcoming glow in the dark.

Our little house still has twinkle lights up and the decorations are still hanging. They will come down soon, but I’m soaking every last drop out of them that I can. January is such a dark month, it feels that we need all the twinkle and glow that we can get.

Once the decorations do come down and the house is thoroughly cleaned, there will be more candles out and some tiny twinkle lights still tucked here and there. It in this sparseness of winter that I feel the most need to fill our home with light. It is something that I always notice when we are in Denmark. Candles lit in restaurants and coffee shops all day; peering in through windows as we wind our way back to our little nest for the evening and spying rooms a glow with candlelight. Even one little candle shines with a warmth and hue that makes even the darkest spaces feel cozy and inviting.

If my weather checker is correct it appears that snow is on the horizon for us near the end of the month and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for at least one good snow day. A day with no school and the streets are quiet and the sounds of sledding can be heard and inside there is candles, music, laughter, homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches and movie watching underneath a pile of blankets.

{Andrew Davidson // Pinned HERE}

December 23, 2018 / 0 Comments

Christmas Preparations

The cookies are baked and stored in tins, a “Pimped out Pumpkin Pie”, recipe courtesy of The American Pie Company is cooling on the counter. The turkey has been picked up from the butcher shop and a loaf of bread is on its second rise before being baked, cooled and cut up for stuffing.

There is a pecan cinnamon-sugar star bread in the freezer, that I made a few weeks ago, that will be pulled out on Christmas Eve to defrost and rise again and then be baked on Christmas morning and smothered in icing for breakfast.

Christmas music is playing, all the lights are twinkling. There is an excitement in the air, but a calmness to our pace. Tomorrow we shall work on final preparations for Christmas day and then Mr. Michie said he had a surprise up his sleeve for me. We’re going to see one of my favourite Christmas movies, “White Christmas” on the big screen. I can’t wait!

It always feels as Christmas will never come and then suddenly it’s here in a rush and a blur of lights and noise and torn Christmas paper and I don’t want to miss a thing! I’m going to savour every moment.

{Image FOUND // Pinned HERE}

November 16, 2018 / 0 Comments

The Autumn Season

There are still pumpkins on the mantel, a candle nestled in a bowl of acorns and conkers that we collected sitting on the kitchen table, an autumnal plaid flannel piece of fabric is covering our coffee table and twinkle lights are glistening on a little tree that stays up all year round is nestled next to the fireplace. Fall is still in the house as we prepare for Thanksgiving next week. Our cherry red tea kettle is boiling away most evenings on the stove, as tea and cookies are keeping us going.

I like to enjoy each season that I’m in, I don’t want to miss anything. That’s not always easy to do, when you’re bursting at the seams for the next season to hurry on it’s way. I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been listening to Christmas music non-stop! As the nights draw in closer, it just makes everything feel so cheery. Candlelight and Christmas music, what could be better?

We are still in Autumn though and I’m on countdown for Thanksgiving. The first major bit of grocery shopping has been tackled, so there are just a few things left to tick off the list. I’ve got a checklist for myself, so I don’t forget to do anything in my excitement over Thanksgiving. I’m keeping it simple, but cozy. And I have something fun planned for our Thanksgiving weekend to kick off our Winter celebrations. But, now my kettle is whistling and it’s time to make another cup of tea..

I hope you have a lovely weekend, wherever you may be.

December 19, 2017 / 0 Comments

The Last Batch

The cottage is turning into a regular ol’ cookie factory. I baked my last batch of Christmas cookies this morning. They’re all cooled now and waiting to be boxed up and delivered. This last batch of spritz cookies will be packaged up with snowballs and iced sugar cookies.

I made an extra batch this go round so there will be cookies for Mr. Michie to enjoy with a cup of tea. The vanilla, almond and hint of lemon flavour of this buttery flaky cookie goes perfectly with a hot cup of tea or a bowl of vanilla ice cream!

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December 15, 2017 / 0 Comments

The First Batch

I’ve spent my day baking my first Christmas batches of spritz cookies and sugar cookies. I think it took me longer to decide which cookie cutters to use than to actually make the sugar cookies. I love cookie cutters! This year I’ve used my pretty little lady and there are stars, hearts, reindeer, trees, mittens, a cute little bear and a log cabin. Tomorrow, I’ll ice the sugar cookies and start working on making snowballs.

I got the prettiest little pot of glacé cherries at the grocery store this week and I placed them in the middle of pink coloured spritz flowers. They reminded me of cookies on the tray of Italian Christmas sweets that always filled both of my grandmother’s homes during the holidays.

The cottage smells of sugar and lemons and vanilla and almonds and I think that everything might be covered in glitter dust now. But, that’s okay! Who doesn’t need a little sparkle in their life?

Have a wonderful weekend wherever you may be! ♥