Ranunculus.
Love these! They look just like a mini-version of peonies (which happen to be my all time favorite flower).
I’m definitely a big fan of having flowers and foliage everywhere in our home. I guess it’s the romantic in me, and also I probably get it from my mother, who is the same way. But there’s nothing better for lifting a foul mood than walking into a room filled with flowers.
Second to that is candles, and crystals also. We’ve got lots of those covering window sills and other surfaces in our house.
Last summer we started a cacti collection, too.
Cute little guys, aren’t they?
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i started my morning of right today with homemade granola and yogurt.
heather and i had just made a fresh batch yesterday, which meant i went to bed extremely excited for the prospect of breakfast (yes, i know- i’m a huge food nerd).
i found the recipe here, though heather and i tweaked ours a bit. for my own granola, i decided to try vanilla-almond and bing cherry, and oh it’s sooo good. i loved how the vanilla bean left little specks in my yogurt, and the tartness of the cherries was perfect with the sweetness of the honey and oats. i suggest you start making your own immediately.
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i know we’re already into the second week of january, but after seeing some other blog posts on resolutions for the new year, i was inspired to think up my own list. i like the idea of “12 for 12”, which i saw on this blog, so i decided to do the same.
it’s kind of nice to force yourself to pin down your goals into one neat little list.
somehow, it feels more official.
i’m hoping that means i’ll actually go through with as many of the above that i can.
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So awhile back i promised a post about making a hot toddy, which obviously never happened.
I’ve moved on momentarily to mulled anything, which is pretty much my favorite beverage of choice during the winter months (well, that and hot toddy’s!).
There’s nothing quite like a cup of hot, steaming mulled apple cider… unless of course it’s mulled wine, which depending on your mood, might suit you better.
The only way to really top that is to make your own spices, which i’ve been doing (thanks to this blog)- and let me tell you, you’ll never go back.
Making your own mulling spices is easy, and it’s also a delicious treat to give out to friends + family over the holidays (or anytime during the season).
Instructions can be found below. Enjoy!
1. gather up the spices: equal amounts of cinnamon, allspice berries, cardamon, cloves, + orange peel (i dried my own, but you can always use already dried).
2. crush the cinnamon (tip: place the cinnamon in a folded piece of wax paper and smash the sticks to bits with a heavy pan).
3. find a beautiful jar or container to place all of your spices into.
4. make sure it’s sealed, and that’s it! if you’re really feeling generous, you could pick up some muslin sachets (found at most grocery stores), and tie one or two up to give with the spices- that way it’s immediately ready to be plopped into a pot of apple cider or wine.
5. you could also make a homemade tag w/some simple directions, too- i printed mine out on nice card stock and then tied them around the container with some butcher’s twine.
Happy mulling!
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