Embracing the Season We’re In

Yesterday it was warm enough to go out in my yard, move yard furniture around, spend time composting dead plants that didn’t make it through the winter, and hose off my deck and patios. It wasn’t quite warm enough to eat dinner outside, sadly. But I got enough sunshine on my skin (stealing time away from my computer) that I feel deprived now that the rains have come again.

I’m trying to keep up my spirits on this dark, gloomy day. I don’t have seasonal affective disorder, but  it’s discouraging to have so many dark rainy days ahead of me this week. I’m telling myself to enjoy the opportunities this late winter season brings me – things I won’t be able to do once the weather is better. For example, I don’t like wasting a nice sunny day sitting inside a movie theater. It’s raining today, so I feel perfectly justified in joining friends for a movie this evening.

Soon (hopefully) it will be too warm to light fires at night. Perhaps later this afternoon I’ll light a fire to sit by with a steaming mug of tea and my laptop. I’ll time it right so the fire is out before I leave for my movie.

I can use this time to finish some sorting projects (boxes of photos, my desk drawers, a huge pile of papers) that I wouldn’t want to do on a sunny spring day. And I’m reminding myself I likely have a lot more book reading time to enjoy right now, since I’m not flitting about town in an open-sunroofed car going to sunny activities.

What are some things you can still press yourself to enjoy about this pre-spring late-winter time?

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

This little potted yellow rose from Trader Joe’s will perk up my house!

• Taken your vitamins today? I’m extra vigilant about getting my Vitamin D right now
• Need to declutter a coffee table, mail table, kitchen command center, or dining table before evening comes? I personally need to declutter my nightstand, which has an odd assortment of business cards, papers, mugs and a random USB stick.
• Try to make extra time to play with your pets. My dogs seem a little bored today as we can’t go outside – I should relent and let them play Chase or Ball in the house!
• If you chose to participate in any knitting/crochet projects, book clubs, journaling or art projects this winter, how is your progress? Need to set aside any time tonight to work on those?
• Enjoy an extra cup of hot coffee or hot tea – we’ll miss these scorching hot beverages when Summer rolls around and we’re guzzling iced tea instead.

TODAY’S PROJECT: Decluttering a Bit

I plan to tuck this inexpensive Trader Joe’s hydrangea into a bathroom for Spring cheerSpring Cleaning will go more smoothly if I have free space to move around in, and if everything is in its rightful place when I begin. I can’t do a big project around the house tonight as I have to cook dinner and take it over to my boyfriend’s, and we’ll be out at a movie this evening. So before I leave the house, I plan to run around looking for out-of-place items and returning them to their “homes.”

There’s a pile of our shoes by the front door that need to simply be put in their shoe baskets; I see a couple water glasses on places they shouldn’t be (bathroom counters, nightstands and the coffee table). Do you, like me, have stacks of magazines and catalogs (perhaps by the bed, or on the coffee table?)

What’s on your kitchen counters that shouldn’t be there? Any piles of things accumulating on the stairs that need to go up or down?

And just asking for a friend, know anyone who has a huge mountain of clean laundry about to topple off the top of their dryer?

LOVELY BLOGS: Panning the Globe

Lisa’s mission is to share recipes from all over the world. She lives in Massachusetts, and notes that while she can’t travel to all 196 countries, she can still learn about world cuisines through her laptop and her cookbook collection.

Today I’m enjoying checking out her recipe for oh-so-refreshing looking Cucumber Raita; figuring out how to adapt her Quick Cuban Black Beans for my vegetarian diet; and learning about Spanish Inspired Funeral Potatoes.

I love that she’s made links available on her blog so you can quickly find recipes from the country of your choice. She has obviously done a lot of work for this blog, and even has a recipe from a country I’ve barely ever heard of, Vanuatu.

This is an especially fun blog to look through on a grey rainy day like today – it’s helping transport me to other climes!

http://www.panningtheglobe.com/

LOVELY SHOPS: Merrilee Liddiard

I found these hand painted heirloom rag dolls so charming, and wanted to share them with you. I don’t know if you have a bunch of young nieces and girl cousins like I do, but I constantly am on the lookout for darling birthday gifts to send them.

Each doll has her own back story, of course. I’m the most tempted by Stella the Ballerina. These aren’t cheap, so I’ll likely only be able to gift one as a very special keepsake to a niece I’m particularly close to.

I’m also stunned by their beautifully designed, dreamy website design!

https://www.merrileeliddiardshop.com/

LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:

7 Pastel Places Around the World That Are Picture Perfect for Spring (Elite Daily)

Blueberry Tea Cake (Simply Stacie)

From Sweet to Savoury: Four Vegetarian Comfort Food Recipes (The Star)

Glorious Spring Greens: Asparagus, Lemon and Ricotta Quiche (Daily Mail)

Low Carb Chocolate Chip Ricotta Muffins (A Sweet Life)

Spring 2018 Cookbook Preview: The 37 New Cookbooks to Buy This Spring (Epicurious)

This Easy to Make Savory Beet Tart is Totally Instagram-Worthy (Cooking Light)