It has been a chilly weekend around here. Well, around the entire country (or so I am told)! Winter has really been showing its upper hand. We have not had snow here – thankfully! – but the wind has been blowing. And blowing hard! The temperatures are just plain COLD and are expected to stay that way all week. Those temperatures have been keeping this warm weather lover indoors and they tend to make for rather slow, if not a bit boring, days. I’m not (completely) complaining but it does do me well to consider some of the highlights (blessings, even) from the last few days. Because, I’ll be honest, if I focus too much on the weather, I can (far too quickly) become a grumbler and that’s not pleasant for any of us. Here are a few (very simple) things from (the very simple) weekend…and one thing I would change. (And how’s that for more than enough parenthesis in one paragraph!?)
1 – Cheap coffee. Doesn’t that sound yummy? Maybe I should say tasty but not super expensive coffee. Or I could simply say coffee in general. Remember the new coffee shop I mentioned last week? My husband suggested we needed to go again on Saturday. I’m pretty sure he was suggesting I needed to get out of the house…and go just about anywhere!? Their coffee is not only pretty but so very tasty. We enjoyed it this second visit as much as we did the first time. But I will also say that we have really been enjoying our coffee at home too. It is not nearly as pretty as a coffee shop latte but we have stumbled across a coffee we really enjoy. From Amazon, of all places, and it is not expensive at all. I know everyone has their opinion of the perfect cup of joe but this one sure works for the two of us. Not bitter. Not too strong but with actual flavor. These long, cold afternoons often find us having a second cup of the hot beverage. Ah, and hubbie makes the coffee and is a much more handsome barista than any of those in the cutest of coffee shops:).
2 – British TV cozy mysteries. I’m not typically much of a tv watcher but, well, these long evenings often find us downstairs after dinner. Using our comfiest throws and watching “cozy mysteries.” Not sure why they are called cozy except to say I am not talking real crime dramas. My husband might enjoy those – but not me. However, we both enjoy some Death in Paradise, Vera, Midsomer Murders and the list goes on. Mystery or not, we always finish the night with one episode of Escape to the Country. Our favorite!
3 – A gas fireplace. I know there are folks who love the real deal. But I have no desire to chop wood, gather wood or have wood piled inside my home. I love the warmth, and the coziness, of a fire at the flip of a switch. We have been enjoying ours quite a bit lately.
4 – Extra Bible reading time. Slow mornings allow for more time to read. More time to dig in and search the scriptures. I am trying two new daily devotionals for this year. One that my husband and I do together and one I do on my own. The verdict is still out on both of them. They are good…but not amazing, for lack of a better word. I really need to decide if I want to stick with them or look for something else. I have also been trying to work on some scripture memory. This definitely takes extra time. And lots of it! I can barely remember the three things I need at the grocery store and yet I hope to commit passages of scripture to memory.
5 – Crossword puzzles. I will admit this one is a challenge for me. Even with slow days and extra time, I have a hard time “just doing” a puzzle. It feels so unproductive but I have been trying to convince myself it is okay to simply do something “unproductive” or just for fun. I used to really enjoy Sudoku…and I still do but recently I have been a bit obsessed with crossword puzzles. I have the NYT Games app on my phone and I love it. The daily games include a mini crossword puzzle, Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – all of which I really enjoy.
6 – Baked oatmeal. For some reason, I had stopped eating oatmeal as much as I once did. A few months ago, I started making a nice bowl of the hot cereal a couple times of week but I had completely forgotten about baked oatmeal. I pulled out a couple of recipes and made some this past week. How could I have forgotten? I have found myself thinking about that Pecan Pie Baked Oatmeal the minute my eyes open! So much tastiness in my breakfast bowl!!
One thing I would change. Besides the weather, of course. I hate to even confess this but I would say too much time on phone. Ugh. Empty hours lead to useless scrolling. I never used to think this was a problem for me but I don’t know what has happened recently. I blame winter. But winter or not, this is going to change. And why does my phone have to send me a weekly report on my usage? That is as dumb as listing the calorie count on restaurant menus! Don’t they want us to order their food!!?!
I think I will end there. Despite the cold and predictions of falling from the sky type winter weather (depending on what you read), this week includes scripture assembly this morning – so we are headed out early. In the cold. There is also breakfast fellowship later in the week, lunch one afternoon with friends and several other things/plans that will hopefully get me up and out of the house just a bit more. It really does help with the grumbling:) If the weather is terrible wherever you are, I pray you are safe. Warm. And healthy. Have a wonderful week ahead, friends!
As a frequent (over) user of parenthesis, I pronounce no judgement on your many ( )´s in your first paragraph. In fact, I applaud your use of them. Sometimes, they just make sense! I feel you with the weather. We experienced it and our experiencing it here. It is keeping us mostly inside but it does not bother me much. I know the super cold temps won´t last for too long and like you, I enjoy the warmth from our gas fireplace quite a bit. It sounds like you have some fun upcoming plans. That must help with the winter doldrums. Well, that and a cuppa from your husband! My coffee lovers have been making coffee at home as well as finding some new places out to purchase it. Have a wonderful Monday!
Maria – are you not a coffee drinker? Hmm. I think I missed that with your walks to the cute coffee shops:) I hope your week ahead is a good one. Thanks, as always, for stopping by!
You and I are so similar in so many ways! I’m really not one for buying coffee in a huge cardboard mug to walk around town with, I like to sit inside, relax and properly enjoy a good cup of coffee, in a china cup/mug. We enjoy the same tv, and I was interested to see all the British dramas in your list 🙂
I always start the day with the NY Times app games. I started with Wordle, then added the crossword and connections, not to mention the one where you have to make as many words as you can with the letter in the middle. It’s good to exercise your brain!
I keep telling myself that the games are good for my brain and, therefore, a good use of my time! Truthfully, I just enjoy the fun!!:) And I have to agree – a cup of coffee in a paper cup is really not worth two cents!! Always so glad when you stop by!
I’m a fan of parenthesis and use them often (and probably not correctly). lol I’m not a coffee drinker, but with this awful cold weather, I’ve been having a cup of hot chocolate most every day. I don’t watch much of the British shows, but we do watch Death in Paradise and enjoy that. I took a photo of that particular paragraph so I can go look up some of those other shows and see if I like them. Take care and I hope you have a great day and stay warm.
Hooray for the fun use of parenthesis…and all the extra punctuation marks!!:)
If it weren’t for my husband we would never have a fire in our fireplace because the real deals are a lot of upkeep. Once he carts wood into the house and gets a fire going I’m more than happy to keep it going but I could never go through that work myself. I rarely drink hot drinks of any kind but I have been drinking lots of tea and hot cocoa this weekend.
Keeping yourself busy is the key to surviving the winter blues. Whatever works for you is the best answer. Sounds like you are off to a good start~
I found myself on my phone too much the last few weeks before the end of the year as well. And today. Not in-between…I deleted all the games (I think I had 3) off of my phone at the beginning of the year. I have started trying to fill that time I would grab the phone for crochet or something else. I need to get out more with people, LOL! It’s hard not having friends here.
Hi Jennifer 🙂 It sounds like you won’t be bored this week! Lots going on, which should help with the times you are stuck at home.
I just picked up a real crossword book at the store last week. I like to have something to work on when I’m watching tv, so I work on paper and not anything digital. Because, like you said…phones…ugh! It’s such a habit to grab our phones all the time. So I challenge myself to do things that aren’t digital, which feels great. I also have a few grown up coloring books that I will work on at night.
And we love all of those shows you mentioned! We’ve run out of British mysteries to watch (we try to choose clean ones). So we are currently watching something from 2011! 🙂
Have a great week and stay cozy! It’s in the 20’s here in Texas this morning! Brrr!
Hello Jennifer. I read your blog post last evening on my phone, but I wasn’t able to comment from there, so I’m stopping in this morning to say hello. First of all, I love all of your snowmen! They are adorable…especially the ones on the shelf at the top of the blog post!
I enjoy Escape to the Country so much! I actually have two of Jules Hudson’s books. They are beautiful. Jules and Nikki are my two favorite presenters now. I still miss seeing Jonnie on there as a presenter. Just another way that you and I are alike! 🙂
I hope you will share your recipe for the baked oatmeal at some point. We love oatmeal and eat a bowl of it probably 3-4 times a week, but I haven’t found a recipe for baked oatmeal that we are crazy about. I’d love to try yours.
Have a safe remainder to your week.
I so enjoyed reading your blog tonight. Made me smile at so much you wrote. Thank you for coming by to visit too! Made my day. I am not a big TV watcher either. But do enjoy my blanket in my chair and good movie at night with my husband. AND yes, love my coffee in the mornings. Since I retired 2 years ago I have truly enjoyed spending more time devoted to reading the Word of God. I have never been too much on Cross word puzzles but I have friends that love them. Maybe I need to get into that more in my older age! LOL! Hugs and blessings to you. Cindy
Some cozy TV, a warm fire, ragged old slippers, and a fuzzy throw. oh, and yes please to hot chocolate, too! This is how we do winter!