Hurry up, spring

This week I've been itching for spring.  Over here in the northeast, winter seems endless.  I calculated yesterday, and realized (somehow, after 29 years) that winter in Upstate New York lasts for five full months of the year.  Five!  That's almost half!  It's just not right.  As a snow-loving girl, I'd like to imagine that my early-March distaste for winter adds extra emphasis to the pains of a five month long winter.

Running outside surely saves me - without my daily dose of fresh air, and even regular daylight (which I get none of in my windowless office at work), I think I'd be going stir-crazy.  SO, for those also suffering the late-winter blues, here is what I do to get by:

- Dig through summery and other warm-winter photos.  My spirits are boosted when I remember the pleasures of a glass of wine by backyard fires, swimsuited weekends at my family's Cottage, and open windows in my livingroom.  Sigh.

- Rearrange!  Freshening up my bedroom or livingroom kicks a little bit of the winter boredom.

- Find a new blog.  After two and a half years of feeling overstressed and pulled from my passions, I'm trying my best to reconnect with my creative self.   This weekend I scrolled through some older favorites - NieNieDialogues and Never HomeMaker - and found a new inspiration - GreyLikesBaby.
 

Looking back

One of my favorite procrastination activities - especially useful when I'm on my laptop pretending to work on a paper - is looking through my files of digital photos to the very same date last year.  I love to see what I was up to, what I thought was important, what I wanted to document some twelve months ago.  Sometimes this search turns up a couple of photos of my apartment - decorations, something I baked, maybe just a clean room - and other times I am reminded of a sweet adventure or a moment spent with family or friends.  No matter what, it's always a reflective experience, and usually great perspective on how quickly life changes...

Late last November, we went on a nature walk at Beaver Lake...

                        ...and an evening game of checkers.

I Want Snow

 

{Union Square after a storm, from the Library of Congress photo stream}

Thick, white flakes.  Lake effect.  Inches and inches, lining curbs and my front steps and delicate tree branches like frosting.  Piling up outside overnight and into the late morning.  A snow day with a view of birds at the feeder and fluffy tufts of snow on the car that don't need to be brushed off and a big mug of hot cocoa.  Winter, you can come any day now.

Late January Love

{a coffee-fueled weekend}

Things I love this week:

...Terrariums.  I'm all about them right now.  I visited one of my favorite places, Terrain, last weekend, and the fresh spring flowers, delicate glass containers and fabulous creative inspiration everywhere I turned had me itching to get started on a small botanical masterpiece of my own.

...Valentine's Day crafting and decorating, more on that later!
...Catching up on some of my favorite blogs.  It's been too long.
...Hitting 100 followers on Pinterest this week!  Woo hoo!  I thrive on celebrating small moments of happiness.  In fact, the smaller the better in most cases :)
...Downton Abbey.  DON'T get me started, I am totally obsessed!!!

Winter in the Kitchen: Sunday baking

Weekends without a strict agenda are like a breath of fresh air.  I've become so used to plowing through tasks and projects, that the chance to sit back a bit this Saturday and Sunday, ignore a few work-like activities and indulge my creative and relaxing urges has been simple and lovely.  After a morning at the regional flea market, hot hazelnut coffees in hand, and our first trip to the local natural foods store, what better way to spend the rest of this Sunday afternoon than in comfy clothes, baking up a savory treat?  Today I chose Ina Garten's buttermilk cheddar biscuits, and the moment their aroma began to drift from the oven, I seriously wondered how I had not tried this recipe before.

They were relatively simple to make, didn't require many complex ingredients, as is Ina's specialty (the only thing I didn't already have on hand was the buttermilk), and the results are warm and filling.  I've been on an unintentional baking kick for the past few weeks, likely due to the holidays, but I've been enjoying having the energy to to work some new recipes into my repertoire.  AChef is already loving them, so I'm certain they'll become a regular in the rotation.  You can find the original Barefoot Contessa Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuit recipe here.  I made a few slight changes in mine, first because I mistakenly used baking soda instead of baking powder, and then intentionally made the biscuits a different size because I wanted to use my biscuit cutters, both of which are probably responsible for my third change: baking time.  The recipe suggests 20-25 minutes in the oven, but I actually took mine out after 13 minutes because they were golden brown on top, and baked all the way through already.  Still, they came out tender, flavorful and just as I had hoped.

Fresh starts

It's cold outside!  Oh right, it's winter, and finally feeling that way.  With no snow and temperatures fluctuating between summer and fall on a daily basis, it was easy to forget that it was December, which is probably why the holiday season basically slipped past me before I had a chance to prepare.  Now that it's January, and many of the projects and responsibilities consuming my time before the New Year are over with, I've been enjoying more time on my couch, hiding under piles of warm blankets, making plans for the year ahead and soaking up a little bit of this certainly short-lived calm.  

Things I'm obsessed with:: week one of 2012:
...pinterest
...voluspa candles
...making coffee in the morning before i go to work (groundbreaking idea!)
...my (mostly) clean apartment
...mindy kaling's book
...the moccasin slippers anthony gave me for my birthday and i have worn every day since


A few resolutions for the new year:

...make more time for creativity.  Photo-taking, craft-making, blogging, painting, decorating and more. 

...drink more water and mix up my work out plan.  Doesn't everyone's New Year Resolution list contain some sort of fitness goal?  Though they may be oft-neglected, I still think it's worthwhile to include plans for your health in your fresh start each new year.  My goals for 2012 include a little more yoga and maybe some strength training.

...keep working on becoming a correspondence queen.  I love receiving mail, and I love prettying up a card or package to send off to someone else.  Each year I get just a pinch better at sending birthday and thank you cards, and getting gifts in the mail on time; I consider this one a lifelong goal.

...work harder than ever, get into grad school and start acting on those career goals. 

Wednesday at home

{enjoying my favorite dinner - cheese, crackers, apple and a glass of red wine}

December is here, but it sure doesn't feel like it.  Unlike probably everyone else in the world (or at least in this city), I WANT the snow to arrive.  I crave the first snowfall of the winter season in the same way a child looks forward to Christmas morning - when those flakes begin to blow in the grey winter sky and even more so when they pile up quietly on the grass and sidewalks outside, I can usually be found bouncing up and down on the couch in my living room, eyes wide with happiness, dreaming of steamy mugs of cocoa and burrowing deep under blankets while my favorite Christmas movies light up the television screen.

But alas, it is not snowing, and not likely to snow for weeks.  It just doesn't feel like the holiday season without the snow.  I need my winter wonderland!  How do you feel about snow?  Are the holidays the same without it?  Is the shoveling and cold enough to negate any potential wintery magic for you?

First holiday cup of the season :)

Groundhog Day

And no better way to spend February 2nd than indoors, drinking coffee, cleaning, catching up on email and enjoying some actual DAYLIGHT on a snowday.  That's right - no school!  This being a teacher can have its advantages sometimes.  SO, while I'm here at home pondering what project to undertake next, I was also thinking about what I was doing at this time last year.  The first thing I discovered?  I used to take a lot more photographs, even a few months ago.  As for what I was really up to this first week of February in 2010 - making dozens of delicate little linzner tarts in preparation for one of my favorite events of the year;  the 4th of July in February.  These two discoveries have led my to my plan for the rest of the week: take tons of photos and start documenting my adventures and life again, and MAKE LINZER TARTS!  Maybe both at once.  Yum.  Here's some further inspiration to do both:

Happy 2011!

Snow day!

Hot chocolate for breakfast, cleaning, gift wrapping, a little decorating, Christmas music, and maybe I'll even read a book today!

December desktop calendar find and a new art blog to check out

Every since Design*Sponge featured a year's worth of artist desktop calendars, I've been hooked on switching up my desktop monthly, preferably with something a little bit special. I found this one of a nice little deer and winter scene while browsing online today, at Genine's Art Blog, which is worth a peek even if you don't want the calendar. Her blog is packed with her watercolor designs, and so many bird illustrations!

 

  

 

I will admit, I allowed myself to get totally carried away tonight sorting through old photos.  By old, I only mean the past couple of years, but my digital folders are laden with snapshots of summer and sun and green grass.  And it looks glorious.

It's weird.  I'm usually a winter girl.  Fall is, of course, my first love; but I also love snow, I don't much mind the cold, and I like the smell of cold, crisp freshness in the air.  Winter can be cozy and perfect for staying at home or adventuring outside alike.  But the truth is, winter without snow is a bummer.  So, mother nature, please bring me snow or bring me spring.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some interesting weather.  I hope I don't regret it.

images:  1. Sea Isle City, NJ  2. path to the waterfall  3. tomatoes at the cottage  4. fields across from my apartment  5.  grilling outside in the late summer

Finally

A morning snowfall and a new video.  Just when I was in need of a fresh perspective and a good laugh.  It's about time.

January is for hibernating

I'm still here, I promise.  It's been two weeks since I last blogged, and though I'm still in denial, it's now well into January and a brand new year.  I'm trying my best to embrace these cold, dark days and to dive into new projects, but the incessant post-holiday and post-travel cleaning is wearing me down; I find myself just wanting to sink into the couch at the end of the day and watch whatever Harry Potter movie is on tv.

We've been back in the apartment for a full week, and those seven days have been packed full of coffee from my new french press, the aforementioned cleaning, and just a pinch of projects.  Last Monday, after we unloaded luggage full of dirty clothes and our Christmas loot, the first order of business was to slightly rearrange the bedroom.  Meaning we rotated the bed 90 degrees.  Sounds boring, I know, but it's nice to make a change, however small it may be.  It feels somewhat fresh. 

And so:  I'm keeping my checklist short for this month.  Home projects are on the horizon for January.  A crafty thank-you card project (stay tuned for pictures, perfecting my chocolate torte, and watching lots and lots of Seinfeld on the laptop (our new habit in 2010).  Anything to stay curled up by a fire.  New years resolutions might just have to wait until February :)

From the couch

On a holiday from blogging this week (perhaps you've noticed), and this evening I'm flipping through the online pages of the Julie/Julia Project.  You've heard of it, of course.  It's the blog/blogger that the movie "Julie and Julia" was based on.  Winter always brings out the cooking and baking spirit in me.  Perhaps it's the cold, perhaps it's the cozy, thick clothing that can hide an extra pound or so, or perhaps it's just that, come January, I don't really want to commit myself to much more than being at home and doing whatever I want.  Looking up new recipes is a natural part of this process for me.  This Christmas I got a set of four white ramekins, and I'm planning on tackling the famously daunting souffle recipe this January.  Lemon or chocolate, I can't decide.

My Sunday-before-Christmas plans did not go, well, as planned, mostly due to the fact that after all that hype, we got no snow.  Not a single cold, white flake.  SO.  I am fully looking forward to the calm, quiet weeks of January, before the campus is again flooded with activity.  I used to hate January:  nothing to look forward to, short chilly days, going back to work or school.  Now, I've found I can't wait for those empty days when I can go to yoga and cook and clean and craft all I like, with no big holidays or such to prepare for.  My hope is that, on any given weekend in January, you can find me sitting at the (dining room? kitchen?) table, blogging from my laptop, sipping tea or coffee and snacking on whatever goodie I baked that week.  Maybe I'll occasionally go for a walk, or drive to the Barn Sale, too, but let's not get too crazy.

...and a slushy birthday, too.

My morning began with the opening of gifts and a nice cup of tea. 

I've been tossing handfuls of birdseed onto the patio occasionally, and it's attracting all sorts of pretty little birds...sparrows, bluejays, and even an occasional cardinal.  Anthony and I spent the morning and early afternoon on the couch, watching the snow fall, the birds eat, and 'Little Women' on dvd.  Why don't I watch that movie more often?

While we had some nice little plans to take a tour of the Vanderbilt Mansion and eat dinner down in Poughkeepsie, the weather had other plans.  The morning snow quickly turned to cold rain, and the roads to slush, and soon the Vanderbilt Mansion had closed it doors for the afternoon.  Instead we made a quick trip to our favorite local hardware store, Williams Lumber, to get a refill on birdseed and to pick up a small roller...to be used for a future craft project :)  Tonight, Anthony is making me dinner, I will be watching Christmas movies to my heart's content, and I will be the recipient of a promised back rub.  Maybe relaxation is really what I need for my birthday.  Hopefully we'll make it to the Vanderbilt Mansion next Sunday - I want to see those Christmas decorations!  I'll keep you posted.

Snow, snow, snow, snow, SNOW

Good morning!

A Perfectly Magical Birthday.

Despite the ice, power outage and constantly changing plans, we managed to celebrate my 25th birthday...

...with a lovely little trip to the city!

Anthony let me do all of my favorite things, starting with seeking out a little coffee and tea shop in the Village that I'd been hoping to visit. I've been on a quest for some good loose tea, and this place turned out to be perfection!

It's a small shop, but mmm...so many choices! And everything is weighed on beautiful, vintage scales.


Next stop: Magnolia Bakery, of course. No birthday is complete without dessert (in this case, BEFORE dinner). It happened to be just a few blocks away.

We had to wait in line, but we left with four little treats, two of which we ate for
breakfast the next morning :)


And NOW the part I've been waiting WEEKS for!!!
Birthday Dinner at CHIPOTLE.


YUM. I could eat here every day.



After dinner, we walked up to Rockefeller Center. It's becoming a little bit of a tradition for us to take a picture at the tree. This marks the third year in a row.

And, of course, how could I possibly go to the city (and ESPECIALLY to Rockefeller Center) without stopping at my most favorite store??? I always love LOVE LOVE their decorations, even more so at the holidays.

Summary: They had an advent calendar on the walls, made of a cute series of wooden boxes with doors. Lots of sweaters on sale. I bought 4 new green latte bowls. I spent way too much money. Time to go home!


We saw Elmo and Cookie on our walk back to Grand Central!



Lovely.