And with the winter cold, all tucked in at the desk in cotton fleece long blue big hoodie dress or big/long cotton pull on overdress as night clothes/lounge wear . . . watching the squirrels and birds feed on the balcony . . . seeds and nuts . . . spring is in the air . . .

At home, the inside space becomes the subject of makeovers, making the place sing with inexpensive adds . . . flowers, roses, amaryllis, bulbs that bloom . . . your favourite plants . . . macramé plant hangers from the ceiling all in a row . . . home decor – neutrals with white walls, white couch and furniture, antiques, vintage secondhand furniture, reupholstered or painted, and black framed art and photographs, a large mirror, shots of colour . . . for the kitchen Secondhand, vintage housewares, cutlery, dishes, glass, Depression glass, Anchor Hocking, Hazel Atlas – clear and all colours – pink, cobalt blue, amber, green, blue green, teal blue . . . the parfait and ice cream cups, bowls, easy to find online (Etsy, EBay) and even better for no shipping charges try the secondhand, local Kijiji, Salvation Army, Goodwill, Mission House stores . . . a day brightener . . .

Winterfest foods, inspired by reading food mange from Ancient Rome . . . honey/maple syrup and lemon pepper (or pepper) adorn seafood, scallops, shrimp, fish . . . perhaps wrapped in bacon . . . Orange/Lemon/Lime zest – It’s good to save the washed peel from citrus fruits. You can lay it out on a cloth and dry it over 3 days or use it fresh . . . Add to tea, coffee, baking (soak dried zest in honey/maple syrup and add to dessert recipes). Place in a jar and pour vinegar over making organic cleaner. Place dried zest in a bowl in the kitchen cheery and clean . . . Organic green tea soaks and Organic coffee . . . buy a vintage Sadler tea pot off Etsy or at the local secondhand store and get a tea ball, fill with loose organic green tea (jasmine, ceylon) . . . drink down the tea when it is the hottest you can stand . . . steamed heat . . .

Waiting on Summer, the expected skies . . . nothing says beach and sunlight like large heavy Turkish cotton towels (Teema and Amazon) with tie ends hanging in the bathroom . . . can be used as throws, as shawls, to take to the beach . . . an evolution in sunshine . . .


Love,

Rebecca