Tag: Home (page 18 of 19)

April 25, 2010 / 2 Comments

Heidi

I have always loved this story by Johanna Spyri. I especially loved watching the Shirley Temple version when I was growing up. Seeing her play with Schwanli and Baerli, her two little goats. Running through the gorgeous Alps, picking flowers and eating her lunch of crusty bread and fresh cheese out of a little pail lined with gingham fabric with Peter by her side.

But, most of all, I loved her little bedroom. Being tucked up in the eaves of the house, her window overlooking the mountains, the smell of fresh air and warm hay around her as she drifted off to sleep.

Yesterday, I felt just like her. The day was just so perfect! A Spring day that gives you a taste of Summer yet to come. I stripped the bed and washed the duvet cover. I let it finish drying over the airer and it was slowly baked in the warmth of the sun, as its edges rippled from the breeze coming through the window.

I fell asleep last night to the gentle pitter-patter of rain and the smell of the sun and fresh air against my cheek. I felt just like Heidi nestled in her little loft with the sweet smell of hay surrounded by the beauty of Spring.

April 23, 2010 / 0 Comments

Happier Than A Bird

It is beautifully sunny today and might get up into the 70’s. There is a delicious breeze blowing, I have beach music playing on the radio and as the voices of The Platters drift over me, I can only think of being little; the window rolled down, the wind whipping at my hair, my fingers catching the updraft as the smell of pluff mud fills my nostrils, the beach is on the horizon and the diamond dazzling reflection of the sun off of the water makes me squint and very soon I know my toes will be in the sand…

So today as the sunshine sinks into my pores and nourishes my soul, I am more than content! I hope there is something making you happy on this beautiful sunny Friday!

April 8, 2010 / 2 Comments

The Holiday

I have the couch to myself, our Easter package has arrived from my wonderful parents and I am sitting curled up with a blanket and some jelly beans (I love the pink colored ones) and as the key holder of the remote control I am blissfully watching the wonderfully delightful movie “The Holiday”! What could be better than a Christmas movie on TV?

Right now, I can’t think of anything better than this, this is happiness! I love this film, I would move in to that cottage tomorrow. It is a shame that it doesn’t really exist, because I am in love with it – her kitchen, with its duck egg blue cabinets and giant fireplace, her glorious bookshelves and inviting looking furniture.

I can relate to living in something so cramped and cozy, unfortunately though, I don’t have a fireplace in my bedroom like Kate Winslet does, that would be a dream. But, that is probably a good thing, because between that and my very comfy fluffy bed, I might never leave my room…

Hope there is a little drop of rainbow happiness in your day!

(Images from the Hooked on Houses Blog)

March 30, 2010 / 1 Comment

Going on A Twig Hunt!

This past weekend we went on our annual twig hunt for the Easter Egg tree. Normally we come back with a selection of different sized branches, but this year we actually found a fallen branch that looked more like a little German Christmas tree. So, home it came with us to be decorated.

The woods are very slowly starting to come to life. Daffodils are peaking their crowned heads up, polka dotting everywhere with sunshine yellow. We came across 2 muntjacs who were making their way down to the pond to drink, they saw us and leaped and bounded in the other direction. The smaller one, however, stopped behind a tree and just watched us for a little while as we watched him.

It was cold on Sunday, so even though we were bundled up we didn’t last long in the woods the damp just oozed in to your pores. But the smell of fresh earth and clean air was so nice after a winter of not being able to walk in the woods, it wasn’t too long though before we headed home to decorate our tree.

It was bigger than we thought! The scale of the woods made our little branch look “little“. It wasn’t until we got home and tried to get it through the door we realized we had a problem!

After some laughing and cutting down the longer branches and trimming away some of the bottom we finally got it up. It is my first bit of Easter and there will be more to come this week. If the sunshine won’t be outside, I can at least bring it inside!

My husband loves to hang the eggs on the tree. The first year we were married I found a German Easter Egg kit to dye eggs with. We searched and searched for white eggs since the grocery stores here only carry brown. Eventually, we found some lighter colored ones and after carefully blowing them out we spent an afternoon dyeing them.

He had never dyed an egg before, as this is not a British Easter tradition and it was such a delight to watch his sweet face light up as he hovered over his little pile of eggs making sure they changed to just the hue he wanted. That is how it should be, the simple things should never cease to please us!

March 15, 2010 / 0 Comments

Put the Kettle On…

Put the kettle on, I’m making scones this morning. I am making The Pioneer Woman’s delicious scones today. However, I have made a few adaptations, there are some things that I can’t get at my local grocery store in Jolly Ole’ England, so when in Rome…

The house smells like a cozy tea room and makes me yearn for the little cottage we stayed at in Cornwall with the sun shining so brightly today it would be perfect for a walk down the coastal path and a stop at Daisy’s for a doorstop sandwich and then some cake and tea.

Oh, I hear my kettle whistling, I wish you were here, you could join me for a spot of tea and a pecan scone….

March 12, 2010 / 0 Comments

Getting Organized

I am trying to get organized in our house this weekend. The Spring Fever Bug has bit me! So today I am cleaning and getting the house ready to go into the weekend, so tomorrow I can tackle the pantry.

The pantry is not only a place for food storage, but living in a little cottage it has taken on the role of having bookshelves packed with books, holding my cleaning supplies and most importantly all my sewing bits and bobs.

It has gotten quite messy at the moment since I have been in the throws of creating bears and bunnies and now when you open the door you just hold your breath. It is like those can of snakes, you pop the lid and they all come shooting out, well, when I open that door, I am waiting for everything to come shooting out at me! (it is not that bad I am being a bit melodramatic, or am I?)

So, I have donned my June Cleaver pearls and I am going to wax my way out the door to go grocery shopping. Tonight we are making bean burritos with queso sauce and making my sister’s guacamole, yumm!

(apron image from Stitch Thru Time)

March 10, 2010 / 0 Comments

Good Morning!

After pulling an all nighter Monday evening to finish up the last of my RosaBlue order, I am very content this morning to munch away on my lucky charms cereal, with the hum of the dryer in the background as I get caught up on laundry and just be!

Oh, Mt. Laundry, I will tackle you today! I will reach the top and wave my banner of accomplishment high! Or at least come close to chipping away at your peaks!

The wind is whistling around the house, so I think a cup of hot chocolate will be the next thing I make as I slowly move into the kitchen with my green shamrock cladded socked feet! Hope you are having a nice morning wherever you are…

January 14, 2010 / 0 Comments

Shake! Shake! Shake!

Shake! Shake! Shake! Oh! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake that snow globe, shake that snow globe!

We awoke this morning to another snowfall, this time it was just a lovely dusting of snow. It is like living in a little snow globe world.

I think I am the only person in the whole of England who is still happy there is snow underfoot! I watched, over a steaming mug of tea, as big fat flakes gently fell to the cold earth. Winter is such a graceful and hauntingly beautiful woman.

January 10, 2010 / 0 Comments

Staying Cozy

Snowy Morning

Wake

gently this morning

to a different day.

Listen.

There is no

bray of buses,

no brake growls,

no sirens howls and

no horns

blow.

There is only

the silence

of a city

hushed

by snow.

– Lilian Moore, The Golden Book of Poems for the Very Young

We were kissed by the Snow Queen this morning. Awaking to more snow, swirling around in big fat flakes, like we were living inside a snow globe being shaken up. I love these mornings!

I am off to make a warming cup of hot chocolate and take my “lambiekin” clad feet back to bed for awhile to just enjoy the morning’s peace…

(Snow Queen Image by Angela Barrett)

January 6, 2010 / 0 Comments

Little Christmas

Happy Epiphany! Today, I moved my little Wiseman to the manger. We always celebrated “Little Christmas” in our house. There was always a small treat waiting at our places at the dinner table. It was that last little special time of Christmas. Once, there was a very big Epiphany present waiting for us.

Our Church was raffling off a Nativity Set and my sister and I bought so many tickets we were convinced we had won. But when they announced the winner at midnight mass, it was not us. That was alright, we thought, another family needed it more than us. But the Church store had one left and my parents bought it for us as a surprise. We could not believe it. Lovingly touching the beautiful little figures we were in awe, that was a wonderful Epiphany dinner we had that night admiring our little set placed on my Great-Grandmother’s hutch.

I love nativity scenes. One of my favorite belongs to my Grandmother. My Great-Grandfather, Papa Nonni had it built in Italy for their Church. It is so exquisitely crafted. The colors on the 1950’s Italian style Creche are still as vivid today as it was when he first pried open the wooden crates and lifted them out of their hay beds.

When I was younger the Church decided to replace it with a smaller version and were going to throw this set out. My grandmother would not allow it and brought it home, where she proudly displayed it on the hall table every Christmas.

It was the first thing you saw when you came in through the door. It said very simply to me, “Christmas”, Christmas is here. Some of the pieces are a little worse for wear and the donkey is missing an ear. But the colors are still bright and the story is still there and as I moved my Magi this morning to the stable door, I thought of her doing the same thing.