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home · January brings the snow · our house · Winter

The rhythm of a simple home

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the good

We got our first winter storm of the season yesterday. It felt nice to be home all cozy and warm with no worries about having to get out to work or the market or…anywhere at all.

the random

The sign on the table says, Happy Birthday. I made it many years ago with my daughter, whose birthday we celebrated yesterday. She is 33 now which is ever so hard to believe. I keep the sign hanging someplace in my home all year round and when asked whose birthday it is, I reply, “It’s always someone’s birthday. Isn’t it?”

the fun

The next birthday we celebrate will be my youngest granddaughter, Natalie’s. She will be three years old toward the end of the month and has told everyone who will listen to her that she wants a rainbow cake. 

The good, the random, the fun

beloved · Green day · home · January brings the snow · Out and about · Winter

Yellow tulips

A spirit of simplicity9 Comments

* My mum was been sick with a cold/flu for 2 weeks and only just started feeling better last weekend. On Friday she went out to run a few errands for the first time and picked up some pretty yellow tulips for me. It was her way of thanking me for taking care of her while she wasn’t feeling well. I stopped at the store a few times for her on the way home from work and Joe and I invited her upstairs for dinner a few times as well. One time we made dinner upstairs but brought our plates, and one for her, downstairs so she wouldn’t have to tackle the stairs. She’s 85 and in great shape but stairs are difficult for her. She’s feeling much more like herself now…we all joke that her social life is more active than mine, my brother’s and my sister’s combined!

*on Saturday Joe and I went to Joey’s basketball game. He is number 24. His team lost by quite a bit. The other team were literally head and shoulders taller and at some point Joey just started laughing about it. It didn’t seem to matter how hard they tried because they were just outsized. Learning to lose is a valuable lesson to learn in life though. After the game, I heard Joey’s uncle tell him, “Don’t worry about it, there’s always going to be someone taller.” I thought those were great words.

*Saturday was absolutely beautiful weather here. The sidewalks were full of people walking to and fro, the sun was shining, I think it was around 60 degrees (F), and smiles were all over the place. Being a dyed in the wool New Englander, I’m waiting for the winter to come back full force…there’s no such thing as free weather here. But it was certainly a lovely day and I’ll take it!

*Monday night I made a quiche for dinner and it came out delicious. I usually make a soup for supper on Mondays but I didn’t get to it over the weekend. So I threw together some veggies, cheese, and ham and we had quiche.

*on Sunday my brother and sister-in-law, and my mum came for dinner. We celebrated my sister-in-law’s birthday which was this week. It was lovely to all get together on a winter’s eve.

Friday fave fives

home · January brings the snow · Winter · yellow day

The conservatory

A spirit of simplicity1 Comment

There is a very small room just off the kitchen in our apartment. It has many purposes and many names. This picture is my old desk and the office part of the room. It also has two armless upholstered chairs and a brightly coloured round rug. We keep Joe’s guitars here, an old pair of drumsticks, and a thumb piano that I picked up a church fair years ago. I also keep a big basket of books and toys for my grandchildren in the corner. In a sort of tongue in cheek way we refer to the room as the conservatory because we do play music in it and it also holds a few of my houseplants. My grandson has christened it the playroom however. Either way…there’s my desk.

I’ve been participating in A Bowl Full of Lemons challenge. We are organizing and decluttering one room a week for 14 weeks. We just moved here in July so there isn’t years worth of decluttering for me to do. I purged so much stuff when we downsized to this apartment. I still have a few things that need to go however, because I wasn’t sure if I would need certain things or not…turns out…not. Also, it was a big move and I didn’t take any time off of work so some rooms aren’t put together as well as I would like. This challenge is the perfect opportunity for me to straighten things up.

Little Things Thursday

Chill December · home · rhythm of a simple spirit · Winter · yellow day

A heart for home

A spirit of simplicity3 Comments

Wednesdays are a yellow day and in the morning I use a yellow candle on the kitchen table, a yellow dish towel hanging on the stove and a yellow dishcloth at the sink.

We usually do seafood for dinner. I stop at the market on the way home from work to pick it up fresh. It comes in from one of the local fishermen. We live in the seaside town we grew up in and went to school with most of the fishermen.

Wednesdays are laundry day. I wash all of the clothing and kitchen towels that we’ve used that week. There is only two of us so it’s not normally over two loads. On Saturdays I wash the bathroom towels, the bedding, and any other little things that didn’t get washed earlier in the week.

I use the colour pink to categorize self-care. Wednesday’s are the day I check in with myself. What have I done for myself lately? What do I want to do for myself? What do I need to do for myself?

In 2020 I am going to pay a little more attention to how I do self-care. I will be 57 this year. I want to be happy with myself physically, mentally, and spiritually when I turn 60. So, I’m starting to make that happen this year.

I’d like to add some bible studies both on-line and perhaps at church. I have set up a walking routine for the winter months and in April, I plan to start running. Also, I plan to get a pedicure once a month. I don’t normally do this because I never seem to have the time. I’ve been letting my hair return to it’s natural colour. Which is brunette with a fair amount of grey. I don’t think I’ll be all grey till I’m well into my sixties. Self-care, for me, is not having to spend so much time and money at the hair dressers.

Strength and dignity are her clothing

and she laughs at the time to come.

She opens her mouth with wisdom

And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue

Make it pretty Monday

Home and garden Thursday

beloved · home · In the garden · January brings the snow · purple day · Winter

Oh happy day

A spirit of simplicity1 Comment

The good

My brother and sister-in-law came over on Sunday evening to celebrate her birthday next week. We have some food constraints in the family I did some creative cooking and everything turned out delicious.

The random

We had a sunny, sixty degree day here on Saturday! I didn’t take any pictures because I was too busy enjoying it in real time…so here’s a picture of a sunny, yellow tulip on my kitchen table.

The fun

We went to see my step-son’s basketball game on Saturday. Even though they lost it was fun to see him play. There’s always going to be someone taller…lesson of the day.

The good, the random, the fun

beloved · home · January brings the snow · Orange day · Out and about · Winter

Wolf moon

A spirit of simplicity9 Comments

Sunday my daughter, Hannah, and I went to Boston symphony hall to see A New Year’s salute to Vienna. It was absolutely wonderful. I hadn’t been to Symphony Hall in about 6 or 7 years and I forgot how much I love it.

Tuesday was my daughter, Bonnie’s birthday. I went up to see her last week. I brought things to make dinner and a cake and she went out to do some shopping while I watched the children and made dinner. I’m not sure who got the better end of that deal.

Two nights in a row my husband got home before I did and made dinner for us! We had fish one night and chicken the next! What a treat to come home to a set table and a delicious aroma.

I’ve been trying to fit a walk into my daily schedule. It’s difficult because it’s so dark and cold. I did get out a few mornings this week before work and the harbour is beautiful…even if it is really chilly!

Joe and I often go out for a date night on Fridays. We don’t go far..we walk around the corner to the Barnacle restaurant and get some fish and stare at the harbour. We decided to go last night as we will be busy tonight and as we came down the part of the narrow lane that opens up to the harbour there was a big round full moon shining down and reflecting off of the water. It was so pretty. I wish I had taken a photo but it was about 20 degrees and I was too cold to stop walking!

Friday fave fives

beloved · Chill December · Green day · home · Winter

Dark roast of the decade

A spirit of simplicity8 Comments

One day just after Christmas I was shopping at Whole Foods. I’m particular about what I buy there because they are quite expensive. They do have nice flowers at a reasonable price and bulk goods as well. I was there for panettone, which I just discovered this year, where has it been all of my life? It’s so delicious we ate 2 loaves and I had to go back for another one! Panettone French toast is to die for!

Unfortunately, we ate it all up before taking a photo. Even the third loaf was gone before we knew what was happening. Suffice to say that it was slathered with fresh butter and drenched in real maple syrup! Yum!

I stumbled across this coffee and thought…there’s only few more days left to this decade, if I don’t get it now it will be too late!

The year 2020 is going to be a year that I pay more attention to how I do self-care. So on Monday I went and got a pedicure. It felt wonderful and my toes look much prettier.

As you can see, Tucker, Joe and I had a nice quiet New Year’s Eve. I took this picture from my place on the couch…we were all in bed and sound asleep quite a bit before the ball dropped.

Today is my first day back at school/work since just before Christmas. The lovely thing about being a teacher is having Christmas break! I’ve spent quite a bit of that break walking all over town and starting the process of getting myself back into some sort of healthy shape. This is one of the little boat yards just around the corner.

Yesterday I spent the day at my daughter’s house. Her birthday is next week and I brought up the ingredients for her favourite dinner and a delicious oatmeal spice cake with chocolate cinnamon ganache. Bonnie went out to spend an afternoon sans children and Verne, Abigail, and I spent the day cuddling up on the couch watching movies. Verne helped me make the ganache and dinner was ready when Bonnie and my son-in-law got home. It was a win-win for everyone!

Friday fave fives

acres of sky · Chill December · home · Indigo day · Winter

The rhythm of a simple spirit

A spirit of simplicity3 Comments

I am not much of a resolution maker. I do like to choose a word for the year though, and this year I’ve chosen the word hope.

I also like to reset my own inner rhythm and with that the rhythm of my days.

I have become accustomed to both a morning routine and an evening routine.

These routines set up my day and allow me to run smoothly and also calm me at evening so that I sleep well and am prepared for tomorrow.

At the beginning of the new year I reevaluate my daily tasks, my thought processes, and the position that my heart is in.

I try to tune in to the natural world around me and find a simple and spiritual rhythm to set my inner metronome to.

Yes, there are storm in nature. Waves that crash errantly against the shore but under the chaos there is the rhythm of tide…ebb and flow, ebb and flow, ebb and flow.

I know there will be times throughout the year that may be filled with chaos, sorrow, and even joy…things that will not be under my control – things that I cannot know or even think of yet.

It’s the rhythm of the tide that I seek…they rhythm of the earth spinning, the sun and the moon and the stars. The rhythm of the seasons changing, the rhythm of my own heart beating and the rhythm of my own lungs breathing in and breathing back out again.

And when I have sat still enough to feel this rhythm…then I begin to add my own dance within it. A place for morning worship and evening prayer, a place for daily tasks and for self-care, a place for those I love, a place for driving to work and coming home again at end of day.

My own circadian rhythm that beats with the ocean, the leaves on the trees, the sun, and the seasons.