Lace.

I'm loving our new curtains. I've

always dreamed of lace that would

move in the breeze. But please excuse

the twine tie backs. I'm exploring

our options right now and promise

to replace those once we agree on

the right look. My Sunday night

post for everyone to enjoy: lace.

Homemade with Love.

 When the weather begins to change in the Fall,

my big soup comes down from the upper cupboard.

I bring out my cookbooks and start searching the

web for the best and easiest soup recipes I can find.

Recently, I found this one and have made it enough

times now, I don't even have to look at the recipe.

I don't know what or where "Panera" is but this

soup is worth the trip if there is one near you.

Or you can just get out your big soup pot from the

upper cupboard and start chopping veggies. Mmmm!

Homemade with Love, to nurture the body,

the mind and in today's world, the soul.

Healing Tea.

My Naturopath made a special tea

for my often raw and achy throat.

Full of flowers and herbs, it's so pretty

in my tea canister and in the tea infuser.

It's not as pretty once it's ready for my tea cup

but it's lovely on my throat and tasty for my tongue.

Cozy Lights.

As dusk falls, our home fills with

ambient light to create a cozy feel.

First our tree, then the mantel,

then the lamps as night descends.

Even the sweet lamp in the 

Butler's Pantry warms and lights.

Our scent warmer is on each night,

filling our kitchen with vanilla.

I hope I will always remember my favorite

sunsets in the Summer and our cozy Winter nights.

Out the Window.

A frosty morning landscape. One of

my favorite things about Winter.

With the overcast sky and the hoar

frost covered trees, it's cozy inside.

But chilly and silent outside. I love the

quiet of the pretty scene gifted to us.

Not too long ....

.... before this sweet holiday motif on

the Starbucks drinks disappears! I love

the pattern, all lacy and festive. But know

any day now, it will be gone and missed.

Warm Nights.

When we were building our home, we

put a small theatre room in the lower

level. My dh is a film maker and it's great

fun to have a spot to view his work. 

But Canadian Winters tend to be a bit

chilly, so we decided to save up our

pennies for an electric fireplace so our

nights in the theatre room will be toasty

warm and cozy. Last week, this unit

went on sale for just under 50% off ~

a great deal and thankfully, easily in

our budget that we had managed to save

up. When I took this picture, we had just

taken it out of the box and it was sitting

in our dining room before we moved it

downstairs. I'll have to take a picture of

it now that it's settled in its place. The

heat is lovely and we both love the mantel.

Blooming Spring.

After a week of frosty trees and no sun,

I was amazed to find this little pot full of

crocus bulbs at the grocery store. It now

has a couple of blooms on it but when I

first brought it home the other day, it was

just green shoots. Now look at the colors!

Winter Frost.

We are currently living in the most

beautiful winter wonderland.

Days filled with dense fog, warmer

temperatures and no sun created frost.

I've had a great time snapping a few

shots but wish I could capture all of

it to show you. Immense trees that

are silent and heavy with hoar frost.

Amazing and so beautiful. In a few

days, when the sun appears, it will

all disappear. Treasuring it until then.

I'll post more pictures when I can.

Struck Down.

I've been feeling a bit achy the last few days and today, woke up with a stuffy head. No drips, no sneezes, no red nose or eyes, but the definite feeling of being struck down with a virus has claimed my body. I've done a clean of the house, put life in order, taken two Cold FX tablets, made a big pot of tea and am currently tucked into my cozy spot on the couch, with episodes of "The Crown" occupying my mind. I hope this doesn't last long and will be mild. There is no great time to be ill but I am booked in for an incredible workshop on Tuesday that I've been waiting months to attend. Fingers and toes crossed that I get to attend and will be feeling well by then. A blessing or two for good health would be welcomed by anyone who can spare an extra or two! Now, time for a nap.

Still Christmasy ....

.... at least it is at our house. As long as we still have

white snow on the ground, our tree will stay up. We

love the soft glow at night and it's not in the way. It

gives light in the season of early darkness. Not the

norm but something we've always done and have no

plans to stop at this time in our lives. I also posted

this picture today to see if you can spot something

that is new in the turret .... post a note if you can.

Early Evening.

I love early morning sun but truly my

favorite time of the day is early evening.

Just before the sun sets, when the light

is low and the world starts to quiet.

Before we settle in for the night and turn on

all the lamps, the soft landscape is peaceful.

Winter Cottage.

When we decorated our home for

Christmas this year, I pulled out

some of our "mini holiday decor

for our sweet dollhouse cottage.

Just like our little house in the big woods, 

this house also has wreaths on the windows.

Glittery snow, frosted trees and this

tiny snowman in the front garden. I

hope to have this dollhouse finished up

this year, just in time for next Christmas.

Wordless Wednesday.

Tied with a Ribbon ....

.... doesn't it make you just want to

scoop them up and bring them home?

That's what I did on the weekend when

we were out and about shopping.

I needed new socks and came home

with 6 pairs for $10. Original price

was $40. Not only was it a sweet deal

but they are the softest socks I have

ever owned. I bought 3 like the ones

above and 3 striped. All purple and

white, of course. My feet and my bank

account are in Heaven. Truly, it was

the tied ribbon that was the deciding

factor for me. Anything with lace or

a ribbon around it just speaks to me.

Thankfully, my dh agreed and I'm

so glad they were a decent, frugal

price so I could buy more than 1.

Are you a frugal shopper?

Any good deals lately?

Art Everywhere.

Now that our walls have received their final

coat of paint, we can start hanging our art.

We stored our art everywhere after we moved

in. In boxes, in closets, under beds .... everywhere.

There is quite a bit as we have a few favorite

artists and because some of it is "seasonal", like

my Christmas/Winter art that will be stored again

this year but brought out when it snows later on.

Now that I'm sorting it out, I'm trying to finding spots

to lay it out so we can decide where it will all go.

The guest bedroom has been a good spot, that is

until we need to set it up for an overnight guest. 

My favorite find from our local charity shop.

Done by hand, a beautiful needlework piece.

My mom used to say this to us every night

when she was tucking us in. I often did as

well with our own kids when they were small.

So excited to find this and hang it in our home.

Do you have a lot of art in your home?

Where do you store it if you need to?

Frugal Food.

 For years, we used a device that created bags to

store meat, fruit and veggies in our fridge and

freezer. The concept was to buy food in bulk

and then store them in airtight pouches, insuring

the produce and meat would last longer. We

loved having this handy kitchen gadget and

when it quite working in the Fall, it was time

to look for a new one. We estimated ours

was approximately 24 years old at the time

it "died" .... a small investment that lasted a

very long time and likely saved us thousands

of dollars over the years. A great savings for us.

After some research, we chose to buy this new food

saver from Costco. It was $170.00 but we had just

over $95 in coupons, so our cost was a sweet $75.

It came with a set of pre~made bags and a roll too.

We found a great sale on chicken and pork this week.

6 big packs of meat for $60. After making smaller 

packs for just the 2 of us, we ended up creating 16 

meals at a cost of $60, which breaks down to $3.75 

per meal. Not bad at all for our frugal grocery budget.

And the smaller packs fit much better in the freezer.

We'll be set now until mid February as we before

we have to buy any meat again as I also bought a

good sized ham to roast then cut up and we already

had some fish in the freezer. We're not big meat

eaters at all, just some extra protein in our meals

here and there. We love stir frys and casseroles

but also eat soups, sandwiches and salads as our

main meals. Hoping we get 24 years out of this one.

Do you have a device like this?

How do you save on meal costs?

Journaling.

I started journaling when I was a child.

My first diary had a little gold lock on it

and it felt so very grown up to be able to

write my thoughts and then lock them up.

Since then, I've used lined journals, blank

journals, online journals and hemp journals.

All gave and continue to give me a sacred

place to record my life, my ideas, my dreams.

My 2 new journals for 2017 include the smaller version

in the upper photo and the black floral version below.

The white journal is my Art Journal ~ a place to flesh

out my art projects and to do some mixed media in

the journal itself. The second journal is for my daily

ideas, notes and lists to keep me on track. I'll also use

this blog as another option for recording and reflecting

on life. I have no plans for the journals once they fill

up, other than I tuck them away for safe keeping. I

have gone back to re~read my words and am always

encouraged by the growth and raw energy of my life.

Inspiring on days when life proves to be extra hard.

Do you journal or keep a journal?

What kind works the best for you?

Two Days In ....

.... and so far, so good. Honestly, the last year was a really tough one for us. Not the "end of the world tough" but difficult at times. I'm sure most can relate. I do believe that times that challenge us can provide an opportunity to truly appreciate the small moments, the gifts we do have, the relationships that hang in with us when life throws a curve ball. Do I appreciate everything so much more this year? Absolutely! I'm happy we've weathered the storm to date and hope that this year, we all get a bit of a break. Life is hard but it's also beautiful. More beautiful would be most welcome by the world!

I'm not a resolution maker. I like goals and am realistic on my limitations. Usually at this point in the year, I've got a good idea of things I'd like to accomplish in the coming year. Today, I don't have a list. It's still growing in my mind. I'll share once I have it set. Realistic and short.

Today, the 2nd day of 2017, was beautiful. We woke up to warm sun streaming through our windows. Outside, snow had fallen overnight and the perfect landscape was glittery and white. The trees were encrusted with frost and all around, silence. Living in the country is still so new to us and we marvel at everything new around us. I bundled up and stood out on the back porch to take pictures. I'll share some over the next few days. After breakfast and showers, we settled down to tackle our "to do" list. We hung curtain rods in the dining room to match what we did in the living room last week. Sweet lace curtains now grace the front rooms in our house. We hung some pictures and made plans for more next week. We did laundry, cleaned the kitchen of Christmas clutter, reorganized the desk in the great room and the shelves above. We went outside for a bit to set a new trap to catch the mouse in our garage and used some steel wool to plug a spot that I've been worried  mouse could slip through and get in to the house. Dh, like our builder, are certain it's too small for a mouse but I feel better tonight knowing that we filled it up anyway. After dinner, we watched Coronation Street and then Leah Remini's series on her experience of leaving the Church of Scientology. Folded laundry, swept and mopped the floors, and then it was time for bed. A day well spent. I hope tomorrow and the rest of this new year are much the same. I hope the same for you. Peace and well being. Hope and love.

How was your 2nd day of 2017?

Have you had a good break?

Happy New Year!

May your New Year be filled with love,

good health, prosperity and family.

This past year was very difficult and

I'm happy it's done. Peace out 2016.