Friday Favorite: Icicles
I’ve always loved icicles, they’re such wondrous things in winter. I love the way they catch the sun and how they drip and grow long on sunny days. Yesterday I wanted these icicles outside of our living room window grow from about a foot long to four feet long.
We never had a ton of icicles on our home in Ohio, it was newer and well insulated. I’ll enjoy them while I can.
What’s your favorite winter wonder?
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Friday Favorite: My Office Art
Last week I finally got around to finishing up the art installation behind my desk in the office. I must say I LOVE IT!!! It is my most favorite part of the house right now!
I love being able to see a few of my photos finally printed out and on display. I printed off a few quotes and inked some on kraft paper as well. The metal garden sing I purchased while in Seattle last year was also added, I thought it went well with the display. The best part is that I can change it as I want to since the photos are hung up with these Metal Hinge Clips. I love it so much though I doubt I’ll be changing it any time soon.
It gives me great delight to have the room painted an almost finished. This weekend I need to spend time organizing a little more and putting up a curtain over the closet which houses all my office supplies. I am very affected by my surroundings and having spaces that are neat, tidy, and pleasing helps keep me going. I quickly descend into despair when there is too much clutter, this is most likely an introvert/hsp thing that I’ll always deal with. I’m thankful that the room I spend many hours a day in is finally peaceful and calming.
Are you affected by your surroundings? Do you find you need certain things to maintain a sense of well-being and peace of mind?
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Friday Favorite: Toasted Spices
One of the things I love about making ethnic food is the toasting of the spices. After doing this for the first time many years ago I’ve been toasting spices every since. It really helps bring out the flavors from dried spices.
Last night I found myself toasting these fragrant spices to make duck pho and it reminded me how much I love them. If you’ve never given this a shot I’d highly recommend it! All you need is a hot dry skillet, I use cast iron of course. Add the spices and shake the skillet for 30 seconds or a minute and that’s it. You’re finished, your spices will be fragrant and the flavors will be enhanced. I guarantee you’ll take the time to do this from now on.
Do you toast spices before using them?
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Friday Favorite: Nourishing Bone Broth
I grew up in a culture that served consommé as a beverage quite regularly. Now a cup of bone broth is a very comforting thing for me, there really is nothing better on a cold winter day. This time of year I keep a pot of perpetual stock going on the wood stove. I add vegetable trimmings as I get them along with bones and other savory items. It’s really nice to have hot broth ready whenever I want it. For my nourishing bone broth recipe and to read up on the health benefits of broth head on over to this post.
If you’ve never sipped on a nourishing cup of broth you’re missing out. When I drink it I feel like my body reacts like Popeye’s does when he downs a can of spinach. I can tell that it’s nourishing every part of my body from my skin to my joints!
What’s your favorite nourishing beverage?
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Friday Favorite: Winter Sunrises
Winter means leafless trees and that means the sunrises can be seen far and wide. I’m not sure why, but it also seems that the sunrises and sunsets are much more beautiful this time of year. A few weeks ago we woke up to a very thick blanket of snow, thankfully the sunrise was also stunning that morning.
In Ohio we saw the sunset more than the sunrise. Here in Maine our house is on a hill so we’re lucky to enjoy both of them.
This is one of the wonderful things I savor in the winter. There’s nothing quite like watching the sun come up over the horizon with a warm cup of coffee in your hand.
Do you get to see sunrises/sunsets from your house?
