Seize the (Snow) Day

I was awake at the usual time this morning.  Laying there in the dark, I started to get up but then noticed how chilly it was and quickly ducked back into bed.  The fire must have gone out in the night and getting it started can be a chore.  I decided to put it off for another half hour.  

By then the sun was coming up and I wrapped up in my robe and went straight to the kitchen to put the kettle on before starting the process of building a fire.  As it turned out, there were still a few coals and the fire was roaring in no time at all.  I left the stove door open to heat the house more quickly and to create that inviting orange glow that makes that house feel not just warm but cozy on a winter morning like this.

With the fire taken care of, I went to heat the oven and popped in a few blueberry coconut muffins to warm up before pouring some steaming water into my cup.  I like to let my herbal tea steep for at least ten minutes before drinking it, last year my teas of choice were dandelion root, milk thistle, or burdock.  This year it's been holy basil with clove or thyme tea, and it takes about as long for my tea to steep as it does for the muffins to heat in the oven—no microwaves in this house.

I can usually enjoy a few quiet moments on a morning like this before the rest of the house wakes up.  This is my time to contemplate my daily to-do list.  But, I decided that today, I would probably spend all day right where I was reading, drink tea, maybe playing a card game or two and very likely not getting out of my pajamas and robe.  

And so I was curled up by the fire, tea cup in one hand, muffin and plate in the other, when my youngest daughter came out of her room, hugged me for a moment, then went to the window to wave at the cats before crying, “look!”  I went to see what the cause of her excitement was.  The whole forest, the whole mountain was frosted with snow and ice crystals.  It was lovely indeed and all my plans of doing nothing went right out the window with the view.

I hadn't planned any outfits, in fact I was down to the bare bones on outfit ideas since it was so cold and bleak outside, but I couldn't let a backdrop such as this go to waste.  It was below freezing out, so I assembled only a few outfits, quickly did my hair and make-up and went out into this beautiful icy landscape.

Snow is such a rare thing here; I almost wish we had more of it so I could take more photos out in it, but then I suppose that the very fact that it's rare makes these photos more special to me and gives me more motivation to get outside than if it happened all the time.

And as for the rest of the day?  Well, I when I came back inside, I promptly switched out my pretty dresses for some fuzzy socks and a sweater and resumed my place in front of the fire with a second cup of tea.  And yes, we did play a few rounds of cards, but mostly we all just hovered near the warmth of the wood stove and went about our day in a cozy, quiet harmony.

Shopping list:  Outfit from Shein