SIMPLE FOR WINTER

Hey, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and a great start to this new year. I just thought I would stop in to chat, and to share a few wintery photos from around my home.
My holidays were filled with relaxing at home with my husband, as well as a lot of time spent with family and friends. It was such a great season, however it’s always a little sad for me after Christmas and New Years has come and gone, and one realizes they have to get back to reality with schedules and routines. But, that feeling always passes and then I feel ready to dive into the next year’s journey.
This year so far has been a very reflective time for me. I think with every new year comes sort of a fresh opportunity to check in with yourself and where you are at, and evaluate what you might like to change, or to keep the same, when it comes to how you operate as an individual or as a family. I’ve been doing a few things in my spare time that I am really enjoying. Previously, if I had an hour or so to just sit around I would promptly turn on Netflix and watch a show (which I still think is perfectly fine to do sometimes). This year I have decided in those moments to choose reading a book, or doing something creative - yes that means colouring in an adult colouring book usually. Haha. It has been awesome to do activities that either allow me to think and reflect, or to challenge my mind and educate myself further, rather than to just “veg out”.
Not that I’m big on the whole “set a new years resolution and stick to it” sort of thing, but I have also been thinking of and putting into place other ideas that I hope will make this year even greater than last for myself, and I am excited to see how those things pan out in my life. One goal I have this year is: to blog more! It’s a fairly big commitment to say that here, as I don’t really know what projects or ideas I am going to tackle, and I don’t know if or when we will be moving houses etc., so I can’t say for sure whether I will succeed, but I think that’s all a part of the process and we will just have to see how it goes!
If you have any thoughts for yourself or your family on what you want to implement to make this a wonderful year, feel free to let me know in the comments! I know this is primarily a home decor blog, but I also want to work on sharing more of my heart here and to allow people to feel open to talking with me about more than just decorating.

Now that I have bored you enough with my ramblings (thank you if you are still with me!), I am going to show you just a couple of photos I have been taking this past week from around our home, and how it’s looking a little more simple and fresh for this winter season.

I love the vintage snow shoes pictured here. I found them a few years back from someone who was selling them online for super cheap, and have been using them in our home each winter ever since. As you all probably know by now, I like to give our home a cozy cabin feel for winter, and these are the perfect touch to help do just that.

I got a couple of new pillow covers from Ikea this season (the checked gray ones). We have a bunch of pillow inserts that came with our couch, which is perfect in allowing me to update my pillow covers seasonally. It’s much more affordable than buying new inserts each time I am changing the pillows (just a money and space saving decor tip for you all). I believe the covers were only $6 each.

I also showed this well bucket full of pinecones in part two of my Christmas home tour. It’s another item I use for decor each year during the winter months.

Don’t you kind of just want to fall into all those fluffy pillows? I do… every day. Hehe.

I kept my mantle somewhat similar to how it was during Christmas, but removed any traces of red or festive decor… and all the greenery that was dried up and leaving a pool of needles on the floor to vacuum each day… thanks, nature. Haha, I did enjoy having the greenery while it lasted though.

The phrase on this chalkboard is an adaptation from a quote by Edith Sitwell. The full quote reads:

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”

I just find that so lovely. It has become my favourite quote for this season, as it rings true for me. I find winter to be a time to gather indoors with friends and family, over good food and wine, sharing conversation and our hearts with one another, as well as a time to reflect on my own at home in the comfort and peace that has been created here for myself and Troy.

I sincerely hope that everyone is enjoying this new year and all it is bringing you and your family. I will be chatting with you again soon. Thanks for stopping by!

- - Rachel, at The Porch Light Cottage