Winter Comforts

I live in Los Angeles and enjoy mostly temperate weather and beautiful sunny days much of the year.  We  have our rainy season and have gotten some unusually cold temperatures this winter.  But for the most part we have enviable weather. 

I grew up in Pennsylvania and Connecticut and went to college in Maine.  I do miss the seasons from that part of the world, with gorgeous crisp autumns, beautiful winter snow falls, and glorious spring weather.  And so when it's February in L.A. I tend to revert back to habits from those days on the east coast.  This is the time of year when I love to stay home and be cozy.

 I put hydrangeas and roses in one of my favorite vases

I work through my stack of books from Christmas

I spend more time writing  

I love to bake and recently made these Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting from "The Barefoot Contessa"

I want to make these Brownies from the February issue of "Bon Appetit"

I am getting the garden ready for Spring.  It will be on a garden tour in May.  The pressure is on! 

We just cut back the roses and mulched everything.  I am dreaming about Spring and Summer blossoms, but am also enjoying the bare bones look of everything right now.

I am learning how to needlepoint so I can make this pillow that I got in England.  It is a reproduction of a pillow designed by Vanessa Bell and the original is in Charleston Farmhouse in Sussex, England, where the Bloomsbury Group spent so much of their time.

 The canvas for the pillow  

This is the Garden Room at Charleston with the original pillow

And I am learning how to play Bridge!

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Looking forward to enjoying this winter and all the pleasures that can be found in the heart of the home.