A Dream Come True

There is something so peaceful about snow.

The quietness, the purity and its ability to

cleanse anything unsightly.

We got snow.

Talk about a house full of happy people.

School let out early the day the storm was due

with two snow days to follow.

Roads are iced so nobody is going anywhere.

Do you want to see what we have in our backyard?

It doesn't look like much but there is a mighty thick layer of ice under that snow. 

That storm brought ice rain before we got the soft stuff.

We don't care! We love it!

This chilly weather has put me in the mood to bake.

I think I perfected an amazing 

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin

{just like Starbucks}.

I think I'll have to keep this recipe in 

the vault. 

Hope you are all keeping warm.

xo, Amber

My New Life Resolution

My first day of 2014 

started with a solo trip into

town for some yardage to make some

cafe curtains.

Before I left the house,

I had written down some addresses 

and plugged those into the GPS after

I left the store.

Although we are grounded,

I still like to look.

Farms For Sale

One particular property inspired me to park

and take in what it had to offer.

A simple yet beautiful Farmhouse,

 a pasture with a couple of muddy horses,

a small patch of land with greens growing

and a lovely gravel driveway.

I wondered how old that house was and how long

the owners have lived there.

I wondered their reasons for selling something

so comfortable looking.

On my way home,

I thought about my 

definition of the "perfect" life.

The true meaning

{for me}.

I enjoyed my peaceful drive.

When I got home,

the boys were napping after

a few hours of playing in the rain 

and being bathed.

It was the perfect opportunity for me

to do something I don't believe I

have ever done:

make a cup of hot spiced cider,

grab one of my new cookbooks and 

Lucy (who just had surgery) and

snuggle under our heavy down 

duvet and relax.

{Did you know that some cookbooks are like a novel?

Who would have known!

I'm enjoying my newest read,

The Glory of Southern Cooking. I'm looking forward

to my next read: Bon Appetit, Y'all}

I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

My life Our life has been nothing

but fast paced and on the gas and not taking

a lick of time to do something very important...

nothing.

I admitted to my truths:

~I'm not a social butterfly but a homebody;

I enjoy solitude and quiet.

~My love for being in the outdoors gets stolen

by sitting behind a window and a screen.

~My projects go slower because I'm "busy" seeing what 

everyone else is doing either on blogs or FB.

Lack of self control? Maybe.

A waste of precious time I will never get back?

Absolutely.

I'm mad at myself because I did not

get out all the Christmas cards that I needed to because

"I ran out of cards".

I didn't make the gifts that I had planned to

because

"time just escaped me".

No more nonsense.

My "word" for 2014?

Unplug.

I'm going back to the

olden days.

My time behind the screen will be

to learn how to properly cull a chicken and

how to can the bounty

I plan on growing.

I will spend more time reading.

I will make the time to make

thoughtful gifts for next years

Christmas.

I will teach my children how 

to be sufficient.

After I shut my business down,

I convinced myself that my blogging 

was because I liked to write.

Seriously, my life is not that interesting.

So, I shall practice what I preach.

I've enjoyed Every.Single.One.Of.You.

May you all live the life you love

and

love the life you live.

xo, Amber