It's still snowing this morning. It started yesterday late afternoon, and it's coming down really lightly - it's actually very beautiful!
I was hoping that the forecast was an evil April Fool's prank, but no such luck lol...there should be more snow after the weekend, then some fun rain to make things all muddy and slushy. :)
The dogs love it though. Even Jack wandered around a little more than he usually does. For him it's usually out/quick business/back in to burrow under covers! I spent some time outside just enjoying the quiet, it's so peaceful when it snows. I was lucky, the tourist neighbours were still asleep when I went out, so there was no unwelcome noise to ruin the experience.
My efforts to be cozy seem so natural, that I resist calling them efforts. I built a little fire when we all came in and we all just chilled and enjoyed the dancing flames. I don't like to make fires too often just because this fireplace, as gorgeous as it is, is an energy-sapper and we already pay enough monthly for Hydro.
I think a big part of living a cozy lifestyle is fragrance. I baked bread yesterday and I just love how it makes the whole house smell cozy!
And of course, to celebrate our new fondue pot, Alex made his Italian fondue! We were looking through the fondue cookbook to maybe try a new recipe, but we didn't want to start buying all sorts of big ingredients so we stuck to what we had on hand. It's fun to eat different food, but I must stick to my food budget!! Though we didn't manage to bring the fondue to bed :), it was still a comfy, cozy meal. I'm already planning some different fondues for April and May's meal plans!
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Besides reading, today I'll be doing some baking. I'm challenging myself to make those Cheese-It's. If anyone else makes them, let me know so we can compare! I'm also making some dog cookies, ran out last night...and IF I have it in me, I'm going to try Sam's English Lemon Drizzle Cake. I may wait on this though because, as suggestible as I am, Mama Pea mentioned strawberry shortcake last week, so I have that planned for dessert tonight! :)
Rain, m'dear, I can't adequately express how much I love your blog posts. They are the epitome of hygge. (You must post something down and dumpy and grumpy now and then so we know you are real!) I know what you mean about what you do every day is to make your home and life cozy and as comfortable as possible. Why wouldn't anyone want the place they spend most of their time to be that way? Oh wait, many, many people don't particularly like being at home and go out and about to seek their happiness. I just hope they are truly content with that kind of life. I probably sound very "uppity" believing my (our) kind of life is superior, and I don't mean to come off that way because it's true that we all are different.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures look as if you could be living in the middle of nowhere and although I know that's not true, I think you are making the best of it while you are there.
P.S. Our Strawberry Shortcake this past week was yummy. Not as good as it is made with fresh berries, but the whole thing went down very easily and was enjoyed by us and Chicken Mama and "Gilligan."
Thank you Mama Pea :) That makes me smile! :) I try to be myself when I write...so I guess you're seeing the real me here! If you want grumpy, I'll find you grumpy...maybe, well, not really lol...I try to leave my inner grump sulking on her own while I'm enjoying life. :)
DeleteI don't think that you sound uppity at all. I HAVE read blog posts from homesteaders who really do have superiority complexes and it's such a turn off...I'm sure you've seen articles written by homesteaders that "poo poo" beginners and try to say that most people homestead because they think it's trendy or romantic...that bugs me, there...you saw grump. :)
When I was younger and living in the city in apartments, I NEVER wanted to be home. I was always out with the dogs, or out with friends (I was actually a social butterfly in my salad days) or just plain bored at home and always looking for somewhere else to go. I think that people grow into their lifestyles after some life experience. I've set up my home so that I just never want to leave, why bother? I have everything here and I feel so good being at home. So maybe in a way, I feel superior to my former self...big philosophical thoughts... :)
I cropped the neighbour's house out of those photos, and when I looked back at them, I agree with you. It DOES look like we're in the middle of nowhere. This is exactly what I want for our future home, except not having to crop neighbours out lol...I want them "pre-cropped"!!! :)
I broke down yesterday after the rush of getting the fondue pot and got some fresh strawberries for our shortcake! I don't want to tell you how much I paid because I gave myself a harsh talkin'-to for spending that money. And you know, I'm thinking they probably won't be as good as the frozen ones this time of year anyway. But I'll sprinkle them with some brown sugar, I think they'll be good. We need some kind of freshness at this time of year. Lol, poor Gilligan to be nicknamed that! :)
Look at all that snow ...
ReplyDeleteI remember 3 years ago we had a huge 2 foot dump on april first. I feel for u !!!
I started to read the books and like u say too...i am pretty much living the cozy life. More or less social but very cozy...lol
I can smell your bread. I just made cheese cake for desert tonight. The kids are already drooling. Of course they got to lick spoons bowls and mixer ...
The sun just peaked thru the clouds and we are about to leave our cozy home to go for a nice walk.
I love your new fondue pot. Looks really nice :)
Hey Nik, I'm just trying to make the best of it! This area does get a lot of snow though. It's funny, when you read the books, you're like..."Yup, uh huh, yes, I do that, okay, I'll try that"...lol...I love my cozy life! Oh cheesecake! Nice!! I got a lot of baking done today and I'm going to relax with a book or a bath before dinner. Enjoy your walk! I can't wait to get out into the woods again, but it's too "sinky" right now!
DeleteHiya Rain! Just LOOK at the snow - it is so pretty really but it would be prettier in December....not April. I do love it when its quiet out and the snow makes for a lovely blanket of insulation that quiets the noise. That's lovely. And the fire! So, so peaceful - I love having fires in our fire pit outside in the summer. Much fun!
ReplyDeleteStarting last night and completed this morning I made overnight cinnamon buns- its was my lovely neighbor's 74th birthday yesterday and as I am their "baker" she requested cinnamon buns. Delivered hot and fresh to their door this morning at 0900 hours! They were so happy. I have known them my whole life. Can't get better neighbors than that!
That fondue looks amazing! Now I really need to be on the hunt for a pot! I may just bake bread tomorrow if time allows. Today was out and about so not much got done on the home front. Now its laundry and cleaning. The boring but necessary stuff!
We are still cloudy and now they are promising rain for tomorrow. More sogginess and puppy prints all over the house :) That's okay - its for a short time once a year....
Have a relaxing evening,
Dianna
Hi again Dianna :)) You're so right! This snow would be a blessing for us in December!!! No matter how much I complain about snow now, I always want a white Christmas! But NOT a white Easter!!! I remember when I was a kid in the 70's going to church for Easter Sunday and I was wearing shoes most of those years...weather is shifting.
DeleteThat's good that you have nice neighbours. Our neighbour on one side is an elderly lady of 70 and she's so quiet. I don't think she has a television and she's a bookworm. We're thankful for that! Ooooh cinnamon buns! I love the smell of them, but neither Alex nor I can handle too much cinnamon..I do make a cinnamon bread once in a blue moon though!
I LOOK FORWARD to puppy prints all over the house lol...we're supposed to have snow/rain/freezing rain off and on all week, I hope the sun makes an appearance soon, my basil has stalled!
The fondue was awesome...I love that pot. For the cheese you need enamel and I was on Amazon looking for some, they are all stainless steel, but they paint them that orange colour to make it look like the enamel ones! The brand we bought was Le Cuistot, it's a knock-off of Le Creuset, which is the big fondue pot makers. The quality is just as good but nearly half the price. Though we did get the "off" colour - everyone wants orange! I hope you find a good pot and get your fondue on! :))
Snow seems like a perfectly legitimate reason to stay inside and watch the fire, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteHi Toirdhealbheach :) You are right, actually these days any reason to stay inside and cuddle by the fire is a good one! I did exactly that this evening with my latest book The Cozy Life! :)
DeleteI think we've had our last fire of the season down here in North Georgia. We're expecting more tornado weather this week though. I think I would rather have snow.
ReplyDeleteYour place looks really cozy. I like that cold weather gear your dog has.
Hi Harry :)) I can't imagine being in an area prone to tornadoes. I think you're right, I'd much rather have snow, stay safe! And thanks, our home is really cozy! Jack needs to be warm and look good too ;)
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