It's Almost Valentine's Day

Hello, friends! It's almost Valentine's Day! I've always loved this holiday. What's not to love about pretty flowers, sweet things, yummy food, and chocolate! We always stay in on Valentine's Day and make dinner at home. I'm making lasagna along with a Caesar salad this year, as I have for the past several years, and something chocolate, of course. I likely make a chocolate cake! Do you have plans for Valentine's Day? If so, please share what you might be doing.

Recent glimmers from the past few weeks...

Freshly painted nails! I treated myself to a manicure last Friday, and I'm so glad I did. I haven't had a manicure in way too long. It was so relaxing, and I have to say I feel really put together when my nails are done. I'll be doing this much more often. 

I also treated myself to a sweet treat and a cappuccino after my manicure!

 The cutest Valentine note cards from Emily Lex Studio.

A sweet bunch of daffodils from Trader Joe's! Seriously, the best $3.95 I've spent in a very long time! They continued to bloom and bring me joy for several weeks. Just to say, January was a very blah month for me. Early February, too, if I'm being honest. The weather was very cold and gray, along with some snow and ice. Years ago, I didn't mind winter so much, but now, at fifty years old, I'm definitely not a fan. I'm a true summer girl now! Who would have thought?! I keep reminding myself that spring is getting closer each day.

I made two baked ziti recipes lately. The first one was Baked Ziti with Meatballs from Smitten Kitchen, and it was delicious. The second one (which I forgot to photograph after baking) was also from Smitten Kitchen. I've been making this Old-School Baked Ziti recipe for years. It's one of our favorites.

Freshly chopped veggies for oven-baked beef stew.

 Little Rosie was not a fan of the snow, and neither was I! 

And a cute watercolor painting I've been working on, also from Emily Lex Studio. I still need to finish the flowers, but it's coming along nicely. Something I'm trying to do more of this year since it's such a relaxing hobby. 

The sun is shining today, it's supposed to be 65 degrees, a taste of spring, and you better believe I'm going to take full advantage of it and go for a walk this afternoon! Have a great week, dear friends! ❤️

 

Weekly Glimmers

 

Hello, Friends! Just a quick pop in with a few things that have brought me joy this week.

My favorite go-to frothy matcha. There is something so special and relaxing about taking the time to make a cup of tea and also to sit and enjoy it!

I baked a delicious Chocolate Beet Snack Cake. And you have no idea the cake contains beets! It's very good and very chocolaty.

We ordered a cozy new bed from LL Bean for Rosie, and as you can see, she loves it!

And a beautiful winter sunset. 

I hope you have a cozy weekend! It's been so cold here. Hopefully, a warmup isn't too far away!

Happy New Year!

 Happy New Year, friends! I wish each of you a healthy, happy, and peaceful 2026. I'm going through my pictures from Florida, where we were a week ago, and desperately missing the sunshine and blue skies. It's dark and rainy today, and I'm so unmotivated. I know I've said it before, but I'm a sunny day girl. For anyone else who's missing the sunshine, I hope these pictures help brighten your day.

I don't usually choose a word for the year for myself, but I sure did this year! My word is Relax - something I need to do much more of. I'm always rushing around and in a hurry to do things and get things done, and there's absolutely no reason for it. Here's to more relaxed days ahead! Do you choose a word for yourself each year? If so, I'd love to hear what it is.

Now that we are back home, I'm enjoying slow days filled with pretty tulips and lots of tea!

How are you spending these January days?

I hope you have a lovely weekend, whatever it is you might be doing. Ours will be quiet for the most part. Our daughter is recovering from being sick and catching up on schoolwork, and we are planning to clean the house, wash our sofa slipcover, and give the dog a bath! Hopefully, the sun returns on Sunday, and we can get outside for a nice walk.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, dear friends! I am so thankful for your friendship!❤️ 

Cozy Autumn Glimmers

Hello, dear friends! I wanted to pop in with a few glimmers of what autumn has looked like for me. Warm cups of cappuccino and the best mixed berry cream cheese danish at the cutest French bakery, lots of candlelight as I'm not a fan of the early, dark evenings, cozy meals, matcha at home topped with frothy almond milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon, lots and lots of walks, our sweet Rosie, sunsets always and forever - and even more special to me this time of year when the days are short, freshly baked chocolate chip blondies, and the cutest book that I just started which will hopefully help to get me in the mood for the upcoming holidays. Not photographed, but I'm also watching lots of cozy Christmas movies, too!

How are you spending these autumn days? We are expecting a cold front overnight, bringing our first cold burst of the season. We will definitely be turning on the heat tonight. How's the weather where you live? Thanks for visiting, and have a great week!

 

Summer Catch-up

Hello, dear friends! I haven't blogged in so very long that I don't know where to begin... I wanted to share photos from some of the places we visited over the summer. I like to use my blog as a scrapbook, as this is as close as I'll ever get to the real thing. I am not remotely crafty! 

My brother and sister-in-law moved to Vero Beach, Florida, at the beginning of May. I miss having them close by, so we went for a visit in June. We stopped over in Savannah for a night to break up the trip, and I'm glad we did. The sunset from the rooftop restaurant of our hotel was absolutely stunning!

And Vero Beach was beautiful! Such a cozy, relaxing beach town. I'm looking forward to visiting again this winter (when it's cold here but lovely and warm there) once they are in their new home, which they are currently renovating.

In late July, we flew out west, and our first stop was in Scottsdale, Arizona, to visit my cousin and his family, whom I hadn't seen in a very long time. We had a great time visiting and catching up with them! Arizona was pretty, but so HOT!! Like 110 -112 degrees every day we were there. I know it's a dry heat, but let me just say it was Hot. 

We drove six hours from Phoenix to Newport Beach, California, to visit my dear friend (with whom I've been friends since we were eleven years old) and her sweet family! We had the best time hanging out together and catching up! Oh, how I wish we lived closer to one another. She has three daughters, and her youngest is the same age as Charlotte. They had so much fun chatting and seemed to have a lot in common. It was a great trip all around! As you can see below, we had the best fish tacos and clam chowder!

The weather in California was perfect - sunny and 72 degrees every day!

We took another little trip up to Old Town Alexandrea, Virginia, for a few days before school started. This was our first visit, and it was such a charming town. The flowers were gorgeous, and the historical homes were so pretty. Tatte Bakery was on my list to visit, and it did not disappoint. The best lattes for sure! We had breakfast there two mornings, and the food was delicious both times. We had a really nice time just walking around and checking out the area. We will definitely visit again! As much as I enjoyed visiting out west, I am an East Coast girl!

Happy September! It's back to homeschooling for Charlotte. She just started her third week of school as a 10th grader! I think it's safe to say Chemistry is not her favorite subject.

Have a great week! Thank you for reading what might be my longest post ever!🩷