outside my window
While the photos I'm sharing today would make you believe we are living in a snow globe at the moment, that is simply not the case. These are from the day before Christmas...yes, we had a white Christmas! It was utterly magical and wonderful and amazing and lovely and enchanting...and every other good word you can possibly think of. The only other "white" Christmas I have experienced wasn't really white in terms of snow, but rather an icy Christmas. It was when I was nine years old, and I remember slipping and sliding all the way down the driveway going to the mailbox. It was fun, but snow is better. How glad I am to live in a world where there are white Christmases! I simply cannot imagine having to celebrate Christmas in the summertime...it just doesn't seem right to me.
Now, though, it is feeling like spring. Our winter has been up and down with varying temperatures. One week, it's freezing and the next, it's almost like spring came early. As much as I love the color and growth of springtime, I also dearly adore wintertime and am not quite ready to bid it farewell for the year quite yet. However, there are little green stems shooting up from the earth which means...daffodils are on the way! Hip! Hip! Hooray!
musical treasures
I've been just simply enjoying putting my Spotify on shuffle and letting it go wherever it wants. Lots of the songs I've saved are old favorites from my older teen years and very early twenties...and I still love them. Just good fun, upbeat, happy, feel-good songs that make me believe in the possibility of magic again. Lots of Ed Sheeran, One Direction, Celtic music and a few others.
{Oh, how I believe!}
bookish ramblings
During the last month or so, I have been so excited to find some very charming, whimsical, darling stories to read. But I'll share more about them soonish...
what I'm watching
Just before Christmas, I found the new Downton Abbey movie on Amazon Prime. However, I must say, it did not impress me. I actually was quite disappointed in it and am glad that I did not purchase it on DVD before I watched it. I also completed the entire Hobbit and Lord of the Rings series before the year's end and I fell in love. Head over heels, totally and completely. They are definitely on my "favorites" list. {{smiles}} And the last movie I watched recently was The Odd Life of Timothy Green. This was one I randomly found out about on YouTube and decided to give it a try. It was absolutely delightful! I loved the message of being unique and different and being confident and proud in that. And it was just a pleasure to watch...definitely recommend.
And right now, I am going through the episodes of Agatha Raisin, which is just a fun, sort-of-cozy mystery series. Kind of quirky, kind of odd in parts, but just a fun one to watch and chill out to.
a grateful heart
rain and snow and moody weather, warm pajamas, stovetop potpourri simmering all day long, banana chocolate peanut butter "smoothies" (really more like a vegan milkshake...absolutely yummy!), starry nights, music that makes me dance and just feel like "me", watching a new favorite show with my mom and sister, really good books- even though I hate when they end, countertops laden with freshly washed fruits and veggies, sweaters and warm socks, fun earrings, my new comforter that feels like a cloud, and cooking with my mom and sis.
from my kitchen
We have been enjoying some incredibly delicious meals here lately...white enchiladas, meatball subs, burritos, Korean bulgogi and sticky rice, macaroni and cheese with lots of veggies, loaded veggie nachos, "crab" cakes with broccoli slaw on the side, soup and chili, burgers, and I could go on. All 100% vegan. And 100% delicious!
what I'm wearing
While I love my sweaters and leggings in the wintertime, I also love to switch things up. One of my favorite outfits is a dress, cut above the knees, and leggings, a cute cardie and, of course, boots with warm socks. I love using summer dresses and just wearing a cardie or sweater over to keep warm. Even though I do not have one wardrobe for the entire year or a capsule wardrobe (that's much too boring for me!), I do love collecting a variety of pieces that can be worn year-round with just a few simple adjustments. And I am all about cute, whimsical, fun earrings (it is dreadful to be serious all the time)...these little purple foxes were a Christmas present from my mom and sister, and I just love them to bits. They make me smile!
in my mug
I've been loving lemon balm tea lately, as well as a new blueberry lavender blend that we found at Whole Foods recently. I can't wait to try it as iced tea come springtime!
{a few outfit details}
a few of my favorite things
♥ plant-based vanilla yogurt with an apple diced up and a sliced banana on top, sprinkled with a bit of granola and raw pumpkin seeds...just perfect in every way,
♥ keeping a reading journal and adding new titles as I finish them, along with my thoughts about the book,
♥ and taking walks down the street and around the corner and breathing in fresh, wintry air.
for the love of words
My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage.
(Practical Magic)
The newest addition to my collection of "Words to Live By and Ways to Aspire To" quotes.
{a final photo from our early winter days...this was our Advent calendar for December. There were 24 mini puzzles, one for each day, and when you laid them all out side-by-side, they created a large image of "Christmas through the window". My sister found this and it was the most fun! Though, I must say, the puzzles were quite tricky because there was a bit of a special method to doing them. One that I never quite mastered, to be honest. But it did put us on a puzzle kick!}
We are now in the second half of winter and I'd love to hear what's been delighting you recently. Do share below!
May your day be a beauty sparkling with hints of enchantment in every nook and cranny!