We have so much to be thankful for this year. Just to name a few: Our happy marriage, the health and well-being of our loved ones, the roof over our heads, the unconditional love of our sweet dogs, the ability to provide for ourselves and follow our dreams, and this amazing community we live in that has embraced us and made us feel so at home. I hope you have a great holiday! GO PACKERS!
In the winter, when our garden is dead and the beach is unappealing and it’s too damn cold out for anything other than pond hockey, we turn our attention from the outdoors to the indoors.
Floors get a whole summer of dirt mopped off them, windows get washed, and the toothbrush comes out for all the baseboards. It’s nice for the place to be spic-and-span since we have to be in here a lot for the next five months.
This weekend, Mike and I found a lightly used bedroom set on Craigslist for a great price. It’s solid maple, and happens to be the same set that Mike’s parents have in their guest bedroom, which we annoyingly bug them to give to us every time we’re there and they annoyingly refuse every time. 😉
Currently our bedroom houses a box-spring with a mattress on top…….and that’s all. So obviously, we had to get this bedroom set. Oh, to have a dresser {we have somewhere to put our clothes!}, a bedside table {yay, our lamp doesn’t have to sit on the floor anymore!}, a bed {we’re looking less like a dorm room and more like a real grown-up bedroom!}, and a mirror {oh god, is that what I look like?!} Things are shaping up around here.
In order to have some clean clothes to put away in the new dresser, I had to go on an intense laundry-doing mission. Someone was pretty stoked about all the warm laundry coming out of the dryer and being piled on the bed…
I do declare, here’s nothing more cozy than tidying up, nesting, and decorating your home for the holidays.
…The Swedish word for time spent drinking coffee with something sweet.
Don’t mind if I do.
Flognarde, also known as clafoutis, is a traditional French dessert made of sweet batter poured over a layer of apple or pear chunks and baked in the oven. You can eat this dish as a hot pudding or a cold dessert.
Ingredients {serves 6}:
3 apples
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups {350 ml} milk
½ cup {90 g} sugar
½ cup + 1 tbsp {70 g} flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil {or any neutral oil}
Preheat the oven to 400ºF {200ºC}. Peel and core the apples then cut into chunks.
Grease the tart tin with butter and sprinkle some flour. Place it on a baking sheet. Spread the apple chunks evenly in the tart tin.
Gently heat the milk until warm. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until blended and foamy. Add the sugar, flour, oil and whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in the warm milk.
Using a ladle, carefully pour the liquid batter over the apple chunks in the tin, filling up to the rim.
Bake for 30 – 45 minutes until the flognarde is puffed and golden.
Make time for “fika” with someone you love this weekend.
It’s that time of year when we start thinking about what we’re going to give our loved ones for Christmas, Hanukkah, etc. Mike and I love to give and receive handmade gifts because the thought and time put into them make them so meaningful, they’re always one-of-a-kind, and usually it’s more economical than going to the store and buying something.
I’d love to hear what some of you are working on, and I’ll be sharing my gift ideas as well occasionally between now and Christmas.
First up, Jess asked me to share a recipe for homemade sugar scrub- a perfect gift for anyone! It’s all-natural, luxurious, and makes your body silky smooth by exfoliating and moisturizing.
It’s pretty inexpensive to make, but I would recommend splurging a little on a high-quality olive oil so you get the benefit of the most antioxidants possible. Cheap olive oil is more likely to be rancid, expired, or over-processed. I used Lucero Extra Virgin Olive Oil. They’re family-owned and operated and take the art of making olive oil very seriously.
Use equal parts brown sugar and white sugar {about 1/4 cup each for a 6 oz. jar} Fill to the top with olive oil, covering the sugars by an extra 1/2 inch.
Optional: Add 1-2 Tbs of vanilla extract for flavor, a couple drops of your favorite essential oil {something that you know your recipient is not allergic or sensitive to}, or 2-4 Tbs lemon juice for a scrub that lightens dark/age spots on skin.
Wrap it up pretty with a piece of scrap fabric and a ribbon. Done! Easiest gift ever! Thanks for the idea, Jess!
My name is Tonia. I live on a rural homestead in Northern Wisconsin with my husband and dog and write about living life with my hands in the dirt.
