staying cozy at home in the winter

 

Happy Wednesday, friends! Tis the season for posts like today's, right? I dreamed this one up as I walked outside from work yesterday afternoon. It turned colder very quickly on Monday afternoon, thanks to some rain and very strong winds. It was like that yesterday and will be  the same all week.

All of this leads me to my first thing, which is that I like to change into something warm and cozy when I know I'm home for the rest of the day. 

I only do this on the days when I get to stay home after I come home from work at 12:30. It's my favorite thing to do! I either wear these leggings, or one of the two pairs of fleece pajama pants that I own. I also always pair both types of pants with a hoodie, cozy socks, and fuzzy slippers. If my feet are cold (or hot), then the rest of me follows suit. 

I don't know why, but also on these types of days where I spend the second half of it at home after work, if there was anything left out from my morning, then I tidy things up all around the downstairs. After I eat lunch, I clean up from that, light a couple of candles, then I sit down in my chair to read or watch a show while the baby dog cuddles in my lap.  

And yes, even though Christmas is over, I still burn my pine scented candles. I love them in the winter months! When I was looking for this picture of a candle, I came across this old picture of Drew doing schoolwork. I miss the days of them being younger and at home with me all the time, doing schoolwork and filling our days with fun things. He is like his mom, and loves to sit by candlelight.

If I'm reading, I like to have instrumental music playing in the background. You can search on Spotify for "reading music" or "instrumental reading music" and see what pops up. I talk about music all the time here, but I cannot encourage you enough to give more music a try in your home. It sets the tone in the house, and it fills the silence. I have a million different playlists I choose from to fit my mood or activity. Don't ask why, but I like more upbeat music while I cook dinner, and then I like something totally different right after. 

Another thing I love having during these cold and dark months is ambient lighting. I never use overhead lighting and have lamps all over our house. I have two in the living room, one in the kitchen, and the overhead sink light in there as well, lamps in all the bedrooms, and one at the top of the stairs. Todd has finally given up wondering why I like lamp lighting turned on in the house even if it's on a bright sunny day. I love it even more when it's dreary and darker outside; it really makes a home feel extra cozy. 

I am still using YouTube as a screensaver for my tv, too. I think I searched "cozy winter scenes" or something similar there and settled on this nighttime London scene. 

I also love using these lights on my mantel all year long. These came from Lowe's, but you can probably find some on Amazon. My ultimate favorite thing to do on a cold and dreary day is to have a fire in the fireplace. But, I don't make them on my own; I like for Todd to be here to do this, which means that we are going without this week while he's traveling for work.

(Sorry for all of the hearth pictures.) 

Sometimes I sip on hot drinks more often in this time of year. I switch between coffee, hot tea, and hot chocolate. Are you like me in any of these things? I'm sure most of you probably already implement these things, but I love hearing about what people do to love these winter months and how they stay cozy. Thanks for reading my blog, friends! Love to all. 

P.s. I'll be back here tomorrow for the Thankful Thursday link party, in case you want to join me!