Friday Cozies – Week 51 of 2020

I have to be totally stereotypical and say that I don’t know how it’s Friday again. This week has flown by. But here we are and I’m going to do my best to collect bits of joy from this week and share them here with you.

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By now you probably know about the massive snowstorm that hit the Northeast yesterday. It was intense! Matthew came home from work just before 2am on Thursday morning and it had barely started snowing. By the time the kids got up at 7, we almost couldn’t open the front door. By 10am the door was completely blocked with snow! I think the official total for our area was 24″ which is the biggest storm we’ve had since we moved into this house. Poor Matthew spent the entire afternoon snowblowing and shoveling. But hot coffee is amazing, so we got him thawed out and filled with toast and strawberry jam before he went back off to work last night – he’s a trooper.

I still haven’t made any gingerbread cookies but I think we might be able to do that next week. It’s probably a good thing, because I know the kids will want to decorate them with little bits of candy and we don’t have any of that. I’m planning to run to Joann’s today for a few bits of fabric and am going to look there. I haven’t spent much time in their cake/cookie section but perhaps they’ll have a few things I can grab to make that project more fun for them?

Colton’s treatment center closed early on Tuesday because two people there had positive Covid cases. They closed so that a cleaning company could do a deep clean before they reopened on Wednesday. It feels like Covid is closing in on us, doesn’t it? No matter how careful we are as individuals, we depend on the people around us to be just as careful and that’s scary. Not everyone is doing their part and that’s so disappointing. AND! This is supposed to be a post about joy – the joyful part is that Colton came home early on Tuesday and was as sweet as a bug could be. He stayed home yesterday thanks to the snowstorm, and I think he’s ready for a full and normal day at his center.

Two bits that I loved this week:

• Dolly Parton’s Daily Schedule: Dolly wakes up at 3am for a morning mindfulness session; hers is dedicated to daily prayer and scripture reading. After that, she spends 4 hours writing every morning. I’m telling you, this early morning routine is the secret to success and I love it. (Dolly bonus: Melissa Villaseñor on SNL has a killer impersonation.)
• Secrets of the Royal Kitchens: I watched this on PBS last night and it was delightful. You can also watch the full episode on YouTube if you can’t find it on your own PBS station right now. I loved hearing about the eating habits of the royal family throughout the generations, especially Queen Elizabeth’s teatime favorites. It’s too bad that I don’t have a team of people cooking for me all day long, because I would also request scones every day if I could.

That’s it from me this week. I’m going to do my best to live like a mouse this weekend: staying in the house, out of the cold, and eating bits of bread and cake. I hope you can do whatever it is that will bring you comfort and joy – whether it’s getting outside to play or staying cozy and warm inside. Please stay safe and happy.