Happy Friday! It’s been a few weeks since I’ve checked in with you and updated you on all that’s been going on around here, so let’s get caught up. Grab a warm drink and let’s have a quick chat. 🙂
I’ve been treasure hunting at all the local thrift stores like it’s going out of style lately. I’m not normally someone who just picks up a lot of things just to have them because the clutter really starts to get to me, but right now I’m on the hunt for several specific things and I’ve been having fun with it. It’s fun to have an excuse to pop in a few times a week just to see if they have the thing I’m looking for, and I’ve actually been pretty lucky so far finding quite a few things that were on my list like brass candlesticks, wicker baskets, and beautiful old books. I have a whole blog post about the things I look for while thrifting for home decor if you love a good treasure hunt as well.
Our cold snap didn’t last forever and the light is definitely returning. We’ve had some beautiful spring-like days and it definitely feels like warmer days will be back again, and that’s a good thing. We have not done well with winter this year in our house. It was just so dull and grey for so long and we’ve definitely had this sense of not knowing what to do with ourselves a lot of the time and not feeling like getting out and trying to find anything fun to do was really worth it. Do you know the feeling? You think “We should book a little trip!” and then “No, there’s no point. It will be better when it’s warmer.” Or “We should take a drive out to”… wherever and then “No, it’s too windy today. That will just be miserable.” The good news is that I can feel some of my motivation returning with every extra minute of daylight in the evenings. It’s been so nice to even get some sunshine on our faces after five pm a few days. Spring isn’t too far away now!
We went on a quick getaway to the cutest little rustic cabin! If you’ve been following along for awhile, you might know that we love camping in Pinery Park in the summer and often book one of their yurts for spring break or during the winter. They’ve recently added a few little cabins as well to the little yurt village section of the park, so we couldn’t wait to check one out and compare. I’ll share more about our experience soon, but it was such a cozy little escape for all of of us when Kennedy was home during her reading week break. The park is obviously beautiful in the summer, but we love it just as much in the winter with all of its quiet forest trails, chickadees waiting to eat birdseed out of your hand, and striking frozen great lake views.
One skill I would very much love to develop is the enjoyment of working in cafes. I like the idea of sitting in a cozy cafe, sipping a tasty beverage and clicking away at my laptop for hours, and I’ve certainly done it here and there whenever necessary, but I honestly don’t really enjoy it. As someone who has become used to working in pure silence, I find it a little stressful to be trying to type out an important email while music blasts in my ears and a thousand conversations go on around me. I do love the idea, though, and I definitely understand that getting out for a few hours to work in a different environment is probably better for me overall than sitting alone in my house all day on days when we’re home editing photos, or even during these evenings that are still quite long and dark. Anyway, it’s something I’m trying to practice a little more because I really admire people who can just find a coffee shop somewhere and get down to work any time of day, no matter where in the world they happen to be.
A little update on the refresh I’ve been working on in Kennedy’s room over the last few weeks: The walls, bookshelves and trim are all painted, and I just have one more piece of furniture I’d like to freshen up with a fresh coat of paint. I’ve been working on creating a cozy library vibe for the bookshelf/desk wall and I think I’m about 70% there. I have new curtains that I’ll put up in the next few days, and then I really just need to add a few more special finds here and there to make it really cozy and welcoming. Can’t wait to show you the whole space when it comes together! Kennedy’s calling the look “Elevated Peasant” and I don’t think she means it as a compliment, but it really is. 🙂
NEWS AND FINDS
-This is such a random find, but I ordered this affordable faux leather tissue box cover from Amazon and it is a thing of absolute beauty. It’s tailored and tidy looking, and the “leather” has a beautifully realistic pebbled look to it. I’m amazed, actually.
-Cute new sneakers for spring: I went back and forth between the 327s and the 574s, but decided to stick with the classic option, which we all know is exceedingly on-brand for me. I’m happy I did because they’re much nicer than I expected them to be, actually.
-Currently reading: I just finished Wintering and absolutely loved it. Highly recommend for anyone who think they might be going through their own sort of “winter”, or for anyone who has ever wintered in the past and kind of wondered what in the world was going on with them. After that, I realized that I’d never read the classic The Secret Garden, so I thought I would remedy that situation. There are no rules that say you can’t read a children’s book when your 40, in fact, you might even find that you have a better perspective on what it is that makes that book such a classic. I think this has definitely been the case for me with The Secret Garden. Even though it’s for young kids, I’m almost done now and I’ve found it to be a very worthwhile read, and maybe ever more so than it would have been if I ready it 30 years ago.
I’m also still working my way through Solito. It’s just so heart-wrenching that I find I have to take a little break every once in awhile and just read it in small bits. If you’re braver than I am, it’s definitely worth picking up.
-These pleated black lampshades are expensive for a little lampshade when you compare them to something like Target, but for a high-end pleated look, they’re actually a steal. I ordered one a few months ago and it was absolutely perfect, so I decided I needed another one for the other side of Kennedy’s room that I’ve been giving a little refresh to. Just a great find if you have discerning tastes when it comes to lampshades.
-You can find me in the latest issue of Country Sampler Farmhouse Style Magazine! Look for my recipes for homemade granola, everything bagel seasoning, and chocolate cake mix if you pick up a copy!
-Follow me on Instagram to stay up to day on all the day-to-day happenings around here between posts.
-Pinterest comment of the week: “Sooo delicious, I used way more vanilla than it called for and I think it’s better than I anticipated!” – Angelina in Pinterest. I always use more vanilla than called for in any recipe, too. It’s a good policy in general. 🙂 See the recipe she was talking about here: Homemade Pancake Syrup
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- Five Things on a Friday: 1/26/24
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Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.