Friday, January 13, 2017

A Day in the Life - Five on Friday


It has been cold here in the foothills 
of W. Washington State, with snow
and gloomy skies, but this morning
the sun shone bright into my kitchen
 as I made my morning coffee. 


The first thing I do every morning is 
sip that wonderful, hot cup of coffee
(Starbuck's Breakfast Blend)
as I try to wake up. 

I've been slowly transitioning 
the decorations from Christmas to 
Valentine's Day, here in my little kitchen. 

My beautiful table runner is actually
an Irish Linen tea towel; 
a Christmas gift from my dear SIL, Donna. 
Thank you, Sis! <3

I made the Paper Roses a couple of years
ago out of coffee filters and watercolors. 


I am loving polka-dots right now :)


My daughter, Heather gave me the 
adorable 'Pioneer Woman' polka-dot 
mixing bowl for Christmas :) 

xoxo



I love red gingham and polka-dots
together. 
My mornings are definitely more cheerful 
with these happy little things! 


The second thing I do is venture outside 
to feed the birds. 
I won't be sitting here to finish my coffee today! 


I love how everything looks like it is 
sugar-coated. 


My Glacier Pansies keep on blooming 
despite the cold. 

These winter pansies will survive the 
freezing temperatures and go on to put 
on a show this spring. 

I plant them every fall :)


The native Sword ferns are just as hardy. 


I fill the hummingbird feeders first. 




We see evidence of foot-traffic near the 
bird feeder. 

I believe the last one is a gray squirrel. 
The snow crunches underfoot. 


Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch....
Can you see Whitey Bear?


The little chickadees are waiting........


Snow-dusted moss on trees. 


Tree fungi sport blue-tinged snow-caps. 


Let's hurry back inside......
It's cold out here! 


Today, the third thing I am going to do is finish
my crocheted pillow! 


I started this pillow way back in June. 
You can see my dear little Ling Ling
in her usual spot, along with Maggie
on the pillow. 

We never know what is around the corner,
Dear Friends, so make the best of 
every day :)


I have joined together all the squares
 (9 front and back)
and crocheted a ruffled shell edging on
3 sides. I then made a pillow insert
to fit. I used two napkins! They were
the perfect color and size! 


I then inserted the pillow and sealed it in 
with single crochet, then added the 
remaining shell edging. 
You can see the curtain on my storage rack
and the flowered ironing board cover 
in my sewing room :)


Voila' ! 


Its new home is my slip-covered chair 
in the bedroom. 


This is my favorite shade of blue :)


I made the tiny bag for my wedding, 
so long ago in my little yellow bedroom :)


And now, here I am a Mother of 4, 
and a Grandmother of 2, 
all these years later. 

I dreamed of this while making my 
little bag. 


That took all afternoon, and now the fourth 
thing I do is to make dinner! 


.

Something to warm the insides 
on a bitterly cold evening. 



We had just finished dinner 
and cleaned up the dishes 
when this happened........


We had a power outage! 

 The fifth thing I did was get
out the emergency candles.....


We stoked the fire 
and Ramblin' Man lit the fire 
in the bedroom. 


I stepped out onto the deck to 
see the full moon over Mt. Rainier. 

If you look up to the right, you 
can also see the Big Dipper! 

I could hear coyotes singing
from the distant hills 
in the cold, still night. 


And as we sat by the candlelight 
in front of the fire, 
we spoke of how truly blessed we 
are for our warm and cozy home, 
our wonderful family and friends, 
and the beauty that surrounds us
each and every day. 

xoxo

Thank you for joining me, Dear Friends! 
I hope your day is filled with blessings, too. 

( P.S. Our power was restored by midnight :)
xoxo

Today I am linking with:

Five on Friday

43 comments:

  1. It's a good job you have a cosy stove and lots of wood and candles to keep you warm if the power goes off. Your cushion looks delightful, such a pretty colour. Have a great weekend. x

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  2. Glad your power is back so quickly. I love your description of the snow as sugar coated, that is what the snow that we have today is like! It was having another go when I typed my last blog comment a moment ago, but I think it has stopped now, oh no, just saw another flake! Stay warm and safe and enjoy your crochet, it is beautiful!!!

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  3. i knew you would love the irish tea towel .... i love you xxoo

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  4. Such lovely beautiful things (I must put away my kitchen decoration!) and a white dog-bear in snow, like a fairytale...
    Wow, you have blooming flowerpots in wintertime! I have wild cyclamen in my garden, but today came a lot of snow over them.
    Have a cozy weekend in your beautiful home

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  5. Such an uplifting post, we indeed have a lot to be thankful for. I love all the red in your kitchen, the tea towel looked perfect on the table as a runner a real delight to see. Beautiful crochet. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  6. Hello, your home is so inviting and cozy. I love the pretty roses, pretty tea towel and the polka dot dishes. I am always amazed that you see the hummers there in the winter with the snow. That is awesome. Love the beautiful moon shot. Happy Friday, enjoy your weekend!

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  7. What a nice day you had! Though I don't know about the power outage:) It sounds a lot like my days. Doing homey things! I love that crocheted pillow you made. So pretty! And the photo of the moon was perfect! Have a happy weekend!

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  8. The crochet pillow is gorgeous...such a pretty shade of gray! Love your table runner too. I have red in my home so it's easy to add more for Feb. Those are the best candles when you need light...safer and better! Hugs!

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  9. What a GREAT five on Friday! (even if it is Friday the 13th-lol). I love your home and that polka-dot bowl!!! OH MY! I would arm wrestle you in the aisle for that one.

    I expected we would lose power, too, but we didn't. Your home looks cozy and lovely all lit by firelight and candles.

    If I am not dreaming your blog has a whole new look. I just love it... It is wonderful. xo Diana

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  10. What a lovely day to spend with you. Love the cushion. So pretty. The cheese and broccoli soup sounds good too. Stay warm this weekend. B x

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  11. Oh my goodness! I love the crocheted pillow. The pattern is really pretty.
    Gorgeous dishes, too. Have a great weekend!

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  12. Well...I made it to your blog. Google+ still controls the destination, but I did finally figure out that if someone has added their post to share on Google+ all I have to do is click on it and it will take me to the blog. It apparently is the only way. I thoroughly enjoyed your post! Those paper roses are so gorgeous and look beautiful with the tea towel! I adore the grey crochet pillow! I am going to be using a lot of grey in my decorating of the new house. My kitchen stays blue& white (always!) and there will be other colors throughout, but the carpet is light grey (a nightmare!) and the walls are a light greenish grey. Right now there is red in the livingroom, but I am hoping to find a dark orange slipcover for my red couch eventually and go with the orange and forest green with the grey. Anyway, soooo exciting to own our own home again!!!! I'm glad I didn't lose you. I'm worried about some others who don't post on Google+, if I will ever be able to get on their blogs again, or hear from them again on mine! I have a question....hummingbirds right now? Should I fill my feeder? Hope you have an amazing week!

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    1. Hi Marie, so glad that you have found a way to visit. I tried changing my comments to include Google+ and in the process, I have lost my 'Followers' button and can't seem to get it back. Blogger can be very frustrating and there is no way to contact anyone for help. You must be filled with so many ideas on decorating right now. I know it takes quite a bit of time to figure out and maybe that is half the fun. Your beautiful quilts should be the main feature, I think! To answer your question (and others are also curious!), no, I don't think you have hummingbirds in winter in your region. Here in W. Washington, we have a unique situation of a mild climate due to the influence of the Pacific, and usually we have very little snow and freezing temps. There is only one variety of hummingbird that has established itself here, the 'Anna's' hummingbird. All others fly south for the winter. I am at a slightly higher elevation than their usual territory, but one winter I noticed a hummingbird flitting around the empty feeder and did some research. I put out nectar and to make a long story short, now I have a little colony of them. Usually in the valleys there are flowers blooming year round - like pansies and hellebore and camellia, and they will also sip on sap from our native Northern Flicker's sap tapping of the trees! Pretty amazing, huh? Anyway, thought I should clear that up for you and everyone who is curious about winter hummingbirds! I hope your snow melts soon and that you can focus on getting settled rather than snow removal! Sending hugs xo Karen

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  13. Beautiful photos! I love the polka dots - gorgeous and bring such bright colour during the winter months. Our snow has disappeared for a little while but I'm sure it will be back!

    Happy Five on Friday!

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  14. I like red too and as soon as I take Christmas down I start decorating for Valentine's so I can use red. Really the polka do† mixing bowl. What a pre††y pillow, I do like that color.

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  15. Karen, your home is always so warm and welcoming! Love the pillow and the polka dot mixing bowl! Thanks for the visit!
    Karen B.

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  16. Those paper roses look so real! Love that table runner. I also have been suffering from snow and being trapped by it. It can down Weds but feel like it has been forever! I guess that's because it is the 4th storm and all fairly close together. You crocheted a lovely pillow!

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  17. What a lovely post filled with so many things that make your home sweetly cozy. Plus, you were ready for a power outage and the makings of a fire to keep you warm.

    Happy January ~ FlowerLady

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  18. Just adore your last photograph.
    Glad the power came back ok.

    So nice to see the tracks in the snow by your bird feeder.

    A lovely post with so many good things to look at, thank you.

    Keep warm!

    All the best Jan

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  19. We are cooking here we will sent you some heat if you send us some cool.
    Merle.......

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  20. What a pretty pillow! You are quite the talented crocheter. I just love a day at home puttering around and getting lots of things done. Looks like such a cozy day in your home. I love your red display in the kitchen.

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  21. You have such a beautiful, warm home Karen. The pillow you made turned out lovely. Wish I could sample your yummy soup and bread! I know you've really had winter this year with cold temps, wind and snow. Stay warm and enjoy your beautiful surroundings. Hugs, Pat

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  22. Dear Karen,
    thank you for taking us with you through your day! I really enjoyed it! I love your home, so warm and cozy, and so filled with Love !
    Thank you my friend!
    Wishing you a wonderful weekend,
    sending Love and hugs and blessings,
    Claudia

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  23. It took me a few seconds, but I did find Whitey Bear :) And your roses are so lovely, it is hard to believe they are made of paper! Isn't the moonlight on the snow gorgeous? I enjoyed sharing your day with you, Karen. Thanks for sharing it with me. I am glad you are safe and warm and blessed! xx

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  24. Glad your power came back on, but I know from experience of being in our home in the mountains in Italy from time-to-time that you are well prepared with storm lamps, torches etc., although it's also nice to sit by the fire and enjoy the candlelight. I've enjoyed spending time with you this morning, seeing your new décor for Valentine's Day, your delicate crocheted cushion cover - love the colour - your little crocheted bag and those beautiful roses. Wishing you a good day.

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  25. Sounds like a wonderful day, even with the power outage, I think that always gives us time to connect a little more with out loved ones :) The flowers you made are gorgeous they look so real! I love all your red and white items to put out for Valentines, so cheerful. Beautiful job on that crocheted pillow and that is a lovely shade that's for sure!
    Have a wonderful weekend!

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  26. What a lovely post, Karen, full of light and colours and happiness!
    I was slightly surprised to see green ferns and blooming pansies and even more surprised to see hummingbirds. (We don't have any birds like that and) I thought they prefer warmer weather conditions than you have in winter.
    Thank you for sharing. Have a great weekend! xx

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  27. Its been cold and dreary here the last few days which leaves me unmotivated. Your energy does't seem to be affected. Love, love your crochet pillow cover... I've crochet a little but am really a knitter.. I can't say I've seen a hummingbird in winter either? Many a Cardinal and sparrows and woodpeckers etc. You sure seem to get a lot more done that I have?

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  28. Hi Karen. Your red and white decor is sweet and perfect for Valentine's Day. It is strange to me to see a hummingbird in the winter! We are in the deep freeze here again after a few warmer days and rain. But. It's mid-January already. Only 3 more months of wintery weather to go. :) Hugs. Pam

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  29. I love your red dishes and your new pillow is adorable, you did a great job!

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  30. Lovely post Karen...love the polka dots and gingham!
    Your crochet is lovely...looks very intricate...
    You are so lucky to see Hummingbirds in Winter!
    Enjoy your weekend...
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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  31. When we actually lived in a place that had snow, I loved to see the prints of the neighborhood animals — birds, raccoons, cats that hopefully belonged to other people, mice and squirrels. I miss the snow for that reason, and that reason only!

    I hope when it's time to remodel the kitchen I can find a stove similar to yours. My tiny little grandma had a big stove like that. My wife would appreciate the two ovens!

    Thank you for sharing your snowy life!

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  32. Your paper roses are very pretty, Karen, and your home welcoming. It's lovely to go outside when there's little light pollution and look up at the amazing sky. I'm glad your power came on after not too much time. That's a beautiful crocheted pillow cover you made.

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  33. What a lovely, wintry, homely, cosy post. Your crochet work is beautiful. We had power last night but we turned the lights off and lit the fire and some candles anyway, I love it so much. Happy weekend. x

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  34. Hi Karen, I like your pretty china with the polka dots. Your crocheted pillow cover came out so pretty and I love the color of the yarn! It is so pretty where you live. Stay warm and enjoy the week. :)
    Julie xo

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  35. Oh Karen, I am a polka dot girl too! And I love that Pioneer Woman mixing bowl. I didn't know you had Starbuck's coffee every day. Do you ever drive through and treat yourself? I love love the rose table runner, that's so lovely. The snow looks beautiful outside, and it's such a delight to see the sweet hummingbird. The crocheted pillow is a pretty shade of blue. It looks nice resting on your chair. The broccoli soup and bread sounds so good. I love soups during these cold winter months. That is a cool picture of the moon over the mountain. You live in such a charming area, Karen. I love to see bits of your home.

    Have a happy week ahead.

    ~Sheri

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  36. Dearest Karen,
    Lovely post...
    Isn't that amazing how well pansies do in frosty weather or in the snow, in your case?!
    We have white pansies in our kitchen bay window planter boxes and they are always so happy looking; rain or shine!
    Yes, what a sweet day-by-day photo with Ling Ling still in her spot... One indeed never knows what lies around the bend.
    Love your crocheted pillow, looks very pretty after it got finished.
    Your handmade roses are lovely too. So many artistic things you created with love over the years!
    My latest blog is not showing up on the side line... Don't know why?! https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2017/01/after-40-years-somethings-gotta-give.html
    Today I have finished the 4th Fleur de Lys and each one takes 6.5 hours of speedy crocheting; like a robot! And that means no errors and I've yet to live the day that I have that happen. Today I had to undo 2 rows... Arg but we all have been there. With perseverance I will get it done and can enjoy it once it hangs.
    Such things keep us busy and happy as you very well know yourself!
    Hugs,
    Mariette

    PS For 2 days I could crochet with open veranda door and 80°F... Unreal as it did snow the previous weekend with frost!

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  37. I loved getting a peek into your life. These posts will be such a blessing to those who come after you. Your grandchildren and great-grandchildren will love the trail you're leaving. Even perfect strangers will enjoy them. I know I do.

    You had me fooled with the roses. I thought they were real, and a perfect match to the dish towel. And thanks for the tip about the pansies. Will check them out to see if they can survive in Zone 6.

    Your pillow has inspired me to get out my crochet stash and get busy. Thank you.

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  38. Sorry I'm belated dear sweet Karen! I was gone for the long weekend - away at a hockey tourney. So today I'm playing some catch up.

    I love this post of your day! Your home just cheers me...and your words always make me feel so cozy inside. ;)

    I love how your pillow turned out! And your dinner looks so yummy. I think that soup and good bread is one of the best kinds of dinners ever...especially in the Fall and Winter.

    I think it was quite lovely that the power forced you to have a cozy candlelit night to chat away and snuggle and think of blessings. What a happy accident.

    Blessings on the rest of your week my Dear! xoxo

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  39. Karen, I'm now home and trying to catch up. Your red touches and pink touches softly whisper Valentine's Day. Thank you for sharing your day with us. I am glad the power when back on!

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  40. Keep feeding those little birds Karen, along with your paper roses, polka dots and energising coffee it will be guaranteed to keep you smiling! Here's to happy days
    Wren x

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  41. Hi Karen, I am totally surprised that you have hummingbirds hanging around when it gets that cold in your area. I thought they couldn't survive in those temperatures.
    Wow, you have really quite some Valentine's Day decoration up there! It is almost as much you would do for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I don't think I take this holiday seriously enough ;-)!
    I agree with you, red gingham and polka-dots go quite well together and I like that you used everyday household items like the jam jars with the gingham lids in your decoration.
    You have inspired me to at least think about what I would like to do on Valentine's Day to show my appreciation of my loved ones.
    Stay warm!
    Christina

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  42. What a perfectly cozy and uplifting post. Thank-you ! ( BTW, I love your crocheted pillow ! )

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Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

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