Hello, readers! I am finally getting around to sharing my wintertime favorites collection. Spring is nearly here...just a few more days, so I thought I'd better get to it with my favorites from this past season. In this post, I will be sharing my favorites in a variety of categories including books, TV, movies, music, and homemaking arts. These are the things that have brought me delight and happiness and a bit of magic these last few months.
Shall we begin?
~ BOOKS ~
Over the winter months, I read some rather lovely and delightful, and immensely whimsical, stories. These stories were such a comfort during the cold wintry nights and added to the coziness that season brings. I loved sitting in my comfy chair with a blanket, or laying in bed all tucked under multiple layers in my warmest jammies, enjoying these stories, often into the wee hours of the morning. I'm a nighttime reader...and these stories were the perfect reads for late at night...gentle, settling, calming, soothing and oh so splendid!
The Tale of Hill Top Farm
What Beatrix loved more than anything else were tiny cottages with crooked roofs, their stone-flogged floors brightened by rag rugs, their ceilings hung with braids of onions and fragrant herbs, the rooms furnished with old-fashioned oak sideboards and grandfather clocks and chairs with woven rush seats. Farmhouses with no pretensions to grandeur, with mullioned windows and thick walls and narrow passages turning and twisting every which way.
(taken from Chapter 5)
This is the first novel in a series of eight mysteries. Beatrix Potter serves as the main character in these stories and in this first book, she has just arrived at Hill Top Farm in order to settle the paperwork and make it officially hers. She befriends some of the village folk and has her animal friends in tow as usual. Over the course of the story, you get to know the village and its people and are immersed in all the cozy English charm that the Lake District holds. You are welcomed into a circle of friends, both human and otherwise...a village dog and a clan of cats as well as several woodland critters that join in along the way. Several mysteries are woven throughout the story and Beatrix and her animal friends work the puzzle until all is well and solved. This was not a gory, creepy mystery full of blood or nightmare-ish scenes. Rather, this was a cozy, gentle sort of mystery...with lots of other storylines woven wonderfully into the book. As I mentioned before, this is the first book in a series of eight, and I loved this one so very much that book two has since been ordered, received and is now awaiting me to pick it up to read. This one is highly recommended by me!
The Brambly Hedge stories
Creating the books is tremendous fun, but very hard work at the same time. This is because I like to get everything right. Each flower must have the correct number of petals and be growing in the right place, at the right time. Everything the mice make or do must be possible for them, living where they do. After all, Brambly Hedge is real, and I am simply here to record it.
(an excerpt from the Introduction by the author of Brambly Hedge, Jill Barklem)
After nearly five years of hearing about the Brambly Hedge series, I finally read these delightful tales this winter. Oh, how I loved them! They were so very whimsical and never before have I wished so much that I lived among the mice in Brambly Hedge. Their quaint little village and the kindness of their friendships and neighbors just makes you want to jump right into the story and make yourself at home. There are eight stories in total, the first four written for each season and the last four just random stories about the mice and their shenanigans. These tales are not just for children; I think they are delightful stories for everyone of all ages! I know just how much I enjoyed them and cannot recommend them enough. I think you, too, may find yourself wishing you lived in Brambly Hedge with some silly mice for your neighbors.
Little House in the Big Woods
At 26 years old, I am finally reading the Little House books. My mom read them for the first time last year, in her early sixties, and now I’m enjoying the stories. I finished book one over the weekend...what a delightful story it was! I loved the family centered-ness, the good old-fashioned values, the traditional crafts and homemaking arts and just the sweetness of everything. It definitely was a quick, easy read...perfect for when you don’t want to have to think too much as you read, if you know what I mean. It’s a very gentle sort of book, which I’m loving these days. One thing did stand out to me, and when my mom and I were talking about the books, she noticed the same thing. The parenting back in the day. Holy cannoli! It was strict, harsh, cold, and dare I say...horrible in many ways! Good grief! Gentle parenting, anyone? Needless to say, I seriously did NOT agree with the way that Pa and Ma Ingalls parented their daughters and I certainly wouldn’t look to these stories for any kind of parenting advice. But other than that, it was a sweet story and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.
~ TV Shows & Movies ~
Boy, oh boy! I came across some absolutely winning shows this winter! That always makes me so excited! {{smiles}} The first two shows that I fell in love with are Korean dramas, which I have found to be some of my favorites over the last year or so. Especially these two!
Flower of Evil is a mystery/crime drama/thriller sort of show. Yes, all of that packed into sixteen episodes. This was an exciting, intriguing, enthralling show and I loved every minute of it. There were twists and turns and moments where you didn't know what was going to happen and who was good and who was bad. You were taken on a ride from the first minute of episode one to the last minute of episode sixteen. It was exciting all the way through! This series is rated R, but honestly, I have no idea why. There is absolutely nothing in any of the episodes that gave any indication as to why it has that rating. I loved this show, would totally watch it again and highly recommend it!
Now, for something the total opposite of the above show...a hilarious and sweet and quirky romantic comedy series. Clean With Passion for Now has got to be one of the best K-dramas I've seen yet! Yes, it has a funny title and if you just read the one or two-sentence synopsis that is offered on the internet, you may not be interested. But, rest assured, if you give it a fair chance, you will fall in love just like I did. The characters, main and side, were so relatable and genuine. There was plenty of comedy...I laughed so hard at some parts, and lots of sweet, heartwarming, touching moments as well. The romance in this drama just maybe my favorite so far in a Korean show. I just loved everything about this one!
And finally, Home Fires. This is a British period drama set right as World War II was beginning. It is based on a book sharing real-life accounts of life during that time in England. Several of the actresses were familiar to me as I recognized them from Downton Abbey and Call the Midwife, and they were excellent in this series, too. Each one was more of a background or side character in the other shows, but in this drama, they each got to shine beautifully. There was so much packed into just two seasons, with a total of twelve episodes. Emotions, relationships, family drama, wartime troubles, worries and stress, community gathering together, men and women fighting the war together, each in their own spheres and ways. It was remarkable...the only thing is that it is only two seasons. And worse than that, season two ends with the biggest cliff hanger...more than one, to be exact. Several of the characters that you have come to love are faced with something HUGE and something BIG happens and then the series ends. Oh, I just hate that! Thankfully, thanks to some kind readers of my blog, I learned that there have been some novels written by the creator of the show that continues on with the story. I think it goes without saying that book one is currently on its way to me from England. And I am ever so excited to see what happens!
~ Music ~
The wonderfully talented JJ Heller released a new collection of well-loved, popular songs this winter. She had done so previously with lullabies and classic type songs. This one has some more modern hits that have been popular and they are just wonderful. I have a few favorites, one in particular because it reminds me of the movies and TV shows that I watched in the late 1990s and early 2000s...it's a song that was very commonly included in romantic scenes back in the day and it just feels so nostalgic to me. Plus I've always loved it anyways. You can listen to it here. But, really, you just need to listen to the entire new album entitled, I Dream of You, Volume 3.
~ Homemaking Arts ~
And for the final category, I have two homemaking arts that brought me delight this winter. The first is hand embroidery. Oh, I have longed to do this for probably six years now and just kept pushing it off. It seemed so daunting and overwhelming and complicated. But I just took the plunge and set to work on a kit that I received for Christmas a few years back. I fell in love with this handicraft immediately! I am nearly done with my first project and while it's not perfect (I am just a beginner, after all), I am very pleased with how it looks. The rhythm of making the different stitches and the peacefulness it brings is what I love most. The end result is a plus, too! I'll have to share pictures once it's all done!
The other homemaking art that I learned was yoghurt making from scratch. I mentioned this last week in my Friday Femininity Gathering post, but I am still blown away that it actually worked! I'll be sharing the method I used soon here on the blog. Now I just need to make some more granola to enjoy with it and some yummy fresh fruit.
Well, friends, there you have it. All of my wintertime favorites! This was a delightful bunch of treasures, if I may say so. The books and music and shows and crafts all made my winter that much more cozy, fun and magical. I hope that maybe you learned about something new in this post that you want to add to your spring days. And as always, I'd love to hear what your favorites were from the wintertime, so do share below!
Have a lovely weekend! Stay cozy!
♥