Friday, January 2, 2015

Entertain Great Hopes

 We are blessed indeed. We had our whole family here for New Year's Day!  All ten grands and the kids and their spouses.  It was a snowy day and cold downstairs.  I kept wrapping the grands in blankets.  We need a pellet stove or something!  It's so COLD!


 I'm still taking hungry sniffs when I peel Cuties!  Somehow they aren't smelling as Christmasy to me.  Ha!
 Raspberry tea.  Chunky and very red.  It goes down smooth and no doubt deposits some raspberry goodness into my bod.  

 I made many (too many) cookies for our lunch yesterday and everyone ate them, but there IS such a thing as an overabundance of biscuits (that's for my UK buddies).  I used to be a raging cookie monster and I am happy to report that now I can resist eating cookie after cookie.  Maybe my tastebuds don't work as well as they used to!  

 I had this morning's tea in a cup with a saucer.  Simple delights.

 Speaking of simple delights, this sheep skin that Bill bought me is a fun little treat.  I can't quite decide where to put it.  I move it around.  I thought I'd sleep on it, but our bed is already decked out with those Polar Fleece sheets, a flannel-clad comforter and another big fluffy blanket.  Overkill.  It's been so cold that I stay under all that covering, all night!  


 I've been perusing my old Susan Branch books.  I love them so. I can hardly wait for her next book.  I think it's a novel (a first!) and I am hoping it's about her initial move to Martha's Vineyard.  She moved out there all by herself and lived in a cute little house.  When I read the recipe for Potato Heaven I thought, "That SB.  She's a nurturer."  


 I am home alone right now, still in my spotty leopard print jammies (HA!  I don't know why I like animal prints so much!  Kind of weird, right?) The heat is pumping, my iron is on because I like to iron a little every day, no pressure, and I have so many books around me.  Books like to live in a home, I think.  Don't you?  I like a candle burning, a warm tea kettle, the clothes dryer chugging around and around (it's too cold to hang the wash), and quiet. Too much quiet might not be a happy thing, but a little bit spread around sometimes is very nourishing.  

 And all of a sudden I have been eating more soup.  Do you have a favorite soup?  
 So here is the sheep skin in a different locale, my office chair!  Who knows where it will land?

Well, good people, I leave you with a perfect quote by Robert Frost:
"I always entertain great hopes."

LOVE THAT!  Me, too!

29 comments:

Left-Handed Housewife said...

Happy New Year, Pom! My husband makes batches of lovely tomato soup from our garden every summer, which we freeze to have all winter long. That's probably my favorite, though I like black bean soup as well.

xofrances

Farm Girl said...

All filled with such warm homey sounds. I love them all. I like your tea in a cup and a saucer.
I always think tea tastes best from a teapot. A saucer just adds to its mystery.
I hope you have a wonderful day in your leopard jammies. Today is a sad day in the chicken coop. Not for me though, the Queen of Hearts has told the rooster that today is off with his head. :) I am babysitting so the boys don't see. :) Happy day to you my friend.

Terra said...

The sheepskin looks so soft and cozy and the berry tea sounds scrumptious. I like how you said that books like to live in a home. I am sure you are right. Happy 2015 to you.

Tessa~ Here there be musing said...

A houseful of Grands is lovely, lovely. But a wee bit of quiet after, is also lovely, lovely. :-)

What a delightful dilemma!!! Where to find a "home" for your sheep's skin. Mmmm, since it's cold, how about snuggled around you, while reading? :-)

Happy first days, of the New Year,
Tessa~

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

I loved this post! Made me feel all warm and cozy! I'd like to borrow your sheepskin today.

Sharon Lovejoy said...

Hi dear Karen,

Your New Year's day was heaven on earth. Perfect. I wanted to wish you a happy 2015.

Yes, Sue is a nurturer. She had to be with all those brothers and sisters. She has always been the first to respond when anything goes wrong in my life. When my publisher accidentally threw away 238 original illustrations, well, Sue not only called but sent me a HUGE and beautiful bouquet, but that wasn't the important thing. What was important was her faithful friendship.

Sending love and a huge thanks for your review on Amazon. You made my month!

Love,
Sharon

Elderberry-Rob said...

Your sheepskin looks so warm and cosy - I have a faux skin sleevless jacket that is very snug to wear but it also looks good draped on chairs! I am loving my Susan Branch calendar and have been filling in all the important dates like dentist and hairdresser already! Her book will be wonderful I am sure.

TexWisGirl said...

the hot tea looks good, as do the blankets! chilly and damp here today but i've got to run out to wal-mart so no starting a fire until i get back from town. :)

Granny Marigold said...

I like your cute tea infuser.( I think that's what it it's called). My favourite soup is cream of veg. into which I can put whatever I have in the fridge and it always turns out yummy. Soup is a good thing.

Kezzie said...

Hi! mmmmm, sheepskin!!! How I love it!!
The tea sounds tasty! It is cold here too!x

Gumbo Lily said...

I have a sheepskin on my computer chair and one on my leather couch. Sometimes leather can be cold at first, and the sheepskin helps it to be a bit cozier. I gave baby Will a sheepskin for his bed.

Your cookies look so good. I used to eat at least a half a dozen while baking. I don't anymore.

I love soup, and we've been eating quite a bit of it lately. One of our favorites is French Onion with homemade beef bone broth. I love homemade tomato soup too.

Happy New Year!

Granny Marigold said...

I like your tea infuser ( I think that's what it's called). My favourite soup is cream of veg. into which I put whatever I have on hand and it always turns out yummy!

happyone said...

What a nice way to spend the first day of the new year.
We gave two pellet stoves and love them and is what we heat our house with. Don't even have to turn on the furnace.

ellen b. said...

What fun to have everyone under your roof on New Year's Day! Love that sweet tea cup and saucer. I'm glad you are finding ways to stay warm. A favorite soup...hmm...I love all kinds of soups. I so enjoyed Susan Branch's book about her trip to England. Was it called "A Fine Romance" anyhoo I so identified with it and laughed and sighed my way through it. Have a most lovely weekend.

Sue McPeak said...

It is definitely SOUP weather here in Texas...we have sheets of ice on the road and big icy drips hanging off the trees. Lately, my favorite soup is Cheesy Chicken Enchilada made by Progresso. I add salsa and chips to it...yum! Happy 2nd day of 2015. Your books and words are warming!
Sue at CollectInTexas Gal

Scrappy quilter said...

My favorite soup would have to be cream of broccoli. Lovely post.

Between Me and You said...

Soup - Sweet Potato and Courgette with a spoonful of fromage frais on top.
Book - 'American Wife' - loosely based on the life of a First Lady - in this case Laura Bush.
Sheepskin Rug - at the side of my bed where my feet land first thing in the morning!
Tea - Honey and Lemon to ease this rotten cold I've been nurturing all week - great start to the New Year!

CAROLYN SAXBY said...

I always love how homey your blog is ... with love xx

Nancy McCarroll said...

Enjoy that sheepskin!

Your house must have been full of good people and fun. Sweet.

Lisa Richards said...

Everything looks warm and cozy at your house. We had lots of problems with our pellet stoves. One of them filled our basement with smoke. Maybe you would have better luck! :) I love your bluejean couch, and it looks like you kept the grands warm. The raspberry tea is very pretty in that flowery cup and saucer.
Is there a particular place where I could read more about Susan Branch's home in Martha's Vineyard? That sounds very interesting!
Feel like knitting some gnomes? I saw this on Etsy and thought of you!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/63312670/pdf-knitting-pattern-garden-gnome-hat?ref=mt

Amy at love made my home said...

Your tea infuser is so cute!! I hope that you stay warm and keep enjoying snuggling with your sheepskin and lovely books! xx

M.K. said...

It's a very fluffy sheepskin. it will find a home. Susan Branch is a treasure. I need more of her books, but I don't really need any more cookbooks, you know? Adam cooks. So I want her to write more like "A Fine Romance" or something akin to it.

I love that little tea ball! Never seen one like that before. When I see Branch's watercoloring, I think, "I want to do something like that. Not Monet, Not fancy, but pretty and true." Happy January to you. Enjoy your tea!

Anonymous said...

I have spinach soup with egg or fish or shrimp in it, almost every morning - that's convenient using frozen chopped spinach. I can't think of a soup I don't love if it's made well ;-) and I like the suggestions in these comments.

Heather LeFebvre said...

Can't wait for Susan's book to come out! Something to look forward to this year!!! And of course her trip to Scotland!!!! My mom got me her large calendar for Christmas and I had bought the mini so both are now up in the house! My collection of SB books is growing -- I think I have 5 or 6 now.

melanie said...

Wonderful! Happy New Year Pom Pom to you and yours :)

The Susan Branch books look wonderful, definitely on my to read list :) x

Maggie said...

Such a chatty post full of news thoughts and recipes, lovely.
I made a chowder from scratch last week using frozen mixed fish fillets, potatoes & parsnips, yum!

Julia said...

Oh I love my fleece sheets and I always make gift of them for Christmas. They are so nice and cosy. I even bought some for my great grandson's crib.

I slept on s sheep skin rug once, very comfy, I just wish it was bigger.

I love knitted afghan to keep warm or thick cotton throws. I'm feeling the cold more and more since I'm getting older.

Hugs,
JB

Leslie said...

I made turkey and dumplings with the leftovers from our brined Christmas turkey the other night. Oh my was it goooood. And not nearly enough of it. Sigh. Now I want a cuppa hot tea. :)

Jeannette said...

Here we go...that is a sweet ready set...I bet you are just marveling in being stay-at- home and able to do and create and luxuriate and give to others...there you go and there you be!

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