A Spring Cutting Garden Grow Along!
Happy February, Friends!
As I write this, the snow is melting from last weekend, but it is clearly still covering the ground and there is a decided chill in the air. I discovered today that voles have been at work in The Orchard and ate the entire root system of one of my apple trees, so I have to think about that unfortunate situation! But aside from that unpleasant discovery, all is well here.
I held off on my monthly update, because I had a very fun announcement to make: I am doing a Cutting Garden Grow Along with my partner, Botanical Interests! If you have ever wished you could have a cutting garden, let’s start one together!
All of the details can be found in this blog post:
Grow Along Details
Everything You Need to Know to Join the Cutting Garden Grow Along!
And the seed list is available here:
Grow Along Seed List
Choose the seeds that will work for your garden!
A cutting garden can be any size, and I chose seeds which will work in most zones. There are flowers for every climate, but choose what you like to grow. And choose what will work where you are, too!
I will be posting all kinds of content both on Instagram and on YouTube for the Grow Along, and I’ll post updates here as well. Be sure to subscribe and follow on Instagram and YouTube to stay up to date!
If you have questions about the Grow Along, don’t hesitate to ask!
And here’s your February Gardening Checklist, too!
Before & Afters and Valentine's Day Ideas
Valentine’s projects, before and afters, and more!
Happy February! We had a delicious snowstorm yesterday, and it is brilliantly blue with more than a foot of snow now. Gorgeous!
A mid-storm shot from yesterday. The raised beds are fully buried in snow. So thankful for the moisture!
And today in the brilliant, cold Colorado sun. These little trees continue to delight!
I left our Christmas decorations up longer than ever this year, but they are all put away at last. And OMG! Remember our Mudroom Makeover last summer? Well, all that work made putting Christmas away SO EASY! It took less than two hours to undo it all, and it all had a dedicated place to go, too. I was a little shocked, actually. I knew it would be better, but I hadn’t realized how much better! Amazing!
If you are new around here (Hey! Welcome!), here’s a little before and after so you can see what I’m talking about:
All of that good storage and organization made putting away the Christmas decorations so much easier! This transformation was part of the Mudroom Makeover. Check out the whole thing here!
If you are organizing at your home right now, or even just thinking about it, I have tons of organizing ideas here.
A Little Before & After
Speaking of Before and Afters! I am in the midst of a little renovation project that is now more than 6 months in the making. But we are close! When we redid the Mudroom, I found two amazing doors at an architectural salvage yard. They are midcentury — taken out of a church. I love them! You can see one of them in the Mudroom Makeover reveal. Well, the other is our new front door. And a new front door meant that everything else around it looked even shabbier than it had before. So… the light fixtures were replaced (after months of waiting for delivery), new house numbers are on order, and here’s the big excitement: the mailbox! Seriously. It doesn’t take much to make me happy!
It’s not new! It’s the same old mailbox which is probably original to our home. There are several other houses in the neighborhood with the same mailbox, so I suspect it was one of the options when these homes were built. It’s lovely — heavy steel with great functionality. But it had been painted several times and was rather sad looking. So I took it to a local shop where they sandblasted the old finishes and rust spots away. Then they powder-coated it in a cherry red. I added a simple chrome handle, and now it’s the as shiny and cool as… well, maybe not a Maserati, but perhaps a vintage Fiat?
Just wait until it is all together! For very little money, we are finally bringing some big changes to the front of our house, and I can’t wait to show you how it has all come together. Just a few finishing touches to go!
Valentine’s Day Ideas
But here we are on the cusp of Galentine’s Day and Valentine’s Day! I have lots of fun DIY ideas and gift ideas, too, for Valentine’s Day including two new budget-friendly gift guides: one for kids and one for anyone. And don’t forget to check out the Galentine’s Day cards, too. I love Galentine’s Day, and these are fun and easy to make, too!
Wherever you are, I hope you are warm and safe and healthy! Happy weekend!
XOXO
Angela
Happy January!
A January update from Angela
My nasturtiums are living their best life in The Greenhouse!
Happy January, friends! I hope you are well and are enjoying some good, winter weather! We have had some really good snow here in Colorado — much needed! And it is finally cold, snuggly, build-a-fire weather which we have missed!
If you are still working on your thank you notes from the holidays — or need some help getting started — check out my guide to writing a fabulous thank you note! I’m still working on mine. I’m not perfect, but I certainly make a good effort!
Perhaps you are feeling a need to get back to planning or journaling — or even to make a start.
I have some guides and ideas for planning and journaling — processes which I see working together, but many people do one or the other as a practice. Check out the resources below for ideas, tips, and some of my favorites, too.
And if you are working on some simple home improvement — reorganizing, decluttering, or repurposing, I have some thoughts and ideas for you. I’ve done it all and hopefully learned a bit along the way. Hopefully these ideas will help you, too!
Lastly, Valentine’s Day is just a month away! Eek! If you are starting to think about Valentine’s projects and crafts, decorations, or gifts, check out my Valentine’s Day guide for ideas.
If you are on Instagram, be sure to check out my 2021 highlight reels. 2021 was a great year for projects, and it was fun to go back and chronicle them all!
And, if you missed my earlier announcement, I am taking two classes this year which I’m sure will spur all kinds of interesting conversations. First, I am taking Wanderlust, a year-long art journaling class. It’s really my first introduction to painting techniques and tools. I am just thrilled about everything we are learning so far and look forward to my Friday lessons.
Additionally, I am beginning the Colorado Master Gardener program this week! I am thrilled to embark upon this adventure in learning and volunteer work. More on that at a later date!
What adventures await you this year? Always learning; always growing.
Lots of love!
Angela
Preparing for Christmas
Resources to help you have a merrier Christmas season!
Christmas is coming! And I have all kinds of resources to help you prepare. If Christmas is a big part of your life — as it is mine — I have all kinds of projects, giving guides, and so much more to help you have a happier, more beautiful Advent and Christmas season.
Most exciting: the new update Decorating the Greenhouse for Christmas! We just finished putting the finishing touches on The Greenhouse, and I wanted to decorate it for the holidays. I was inspired by my own Scandinavian traditions, bringing touches from my own Norwegian traditions as well as incorporating what was already in my garden into the festive scheme.
I’ve included the three links below for your reference! The Christmas link includes a variety of content including projects like embroidered Christmas stockings, recipes, and more. The Giving Guide includes budget-friendly gift suggestions for all kinds of people on your list.
Budget-friendly gift suggestions for everyone on your list! Lists include:
My Favorite Gifts | Gifts Under $15 | Gifts for Mid Modern Lovers | Gifts for Children | Books to Give Gifts to Make | Wines to Give | Bubbles for the New Year
And don’t forget to order your copy of the new and improved edition of The Nice List! It’s available in my store below, and I’m so excited about this redesigned resource. It isn’t too late to use it and allow it to help reduce your stress level this season.
Merry Christmas, friends! I’m so thankful for your love and support all year.
Love,
Angela
The Best Thanksgiving Recipes
Some new takes on traditional Thanksgiving fare including a few new vegan recipes, too!
Thanksgiving is coming, and I have been making notes and thinking about our menu this week (on my meal planning pages in The Nice List Christmas Workbook, of course!). A few friends got together and decided to do a recipe exchange, so I have a bunch of great recipes to share with you! Whether you are looking for some new Thanksgiving traditions or need to infuse some excitement into your favorite standbys, here are some wonderful and simple Thanksgiving recipes to make your holiday table particularly special.
Let’s start with dessert — because why not! My family is SERIOUS about pumpkin pie, and I’m probably risking my inheritance, but I’m sharing our incredibly delicious pumpkin pie recipe with you, my friends! Enjoy!
Desserts
The World’s Best Pumpkin Pie
Our family is serious about pie. This is our favorite.
3 Ingredient Pumpkin Fluff
A yummy pumpkin treat from Cait at Cait’s Cozy Corner.
Sweet Potato Pop Tarts
Nicole from Our Robin’s Nest has a new take on a classic.
The Turkey
I will tell you, I always do my turkey following Alton Brown’s brined turkey recipe. I have used it dozens of times, and it never fails. So for all things turkey, trust Alton.
Vegetables
DAIRY FREE GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
a vegan take on a Thanksgiving classic from Jenna of The Urben Life
Sides
Cranberry Fluff Salad with Pineapple
Jen Cowan of And Hattie Makes Three swears by this delicious treat
Sweet Potato Casserole
A vegan version for Team Marshmallow from Nicolle of Our Tiny Nest.
Here’s hoping your holiday is a safe and healthy one!
Make Your Holidays Merrier!
The all-new version of The Nice List is here!
The All-New Nice List is here!
Introducing The Nice List All Year and The Nice List Christmas Workbook!
THE NICE LIST: PAPER EDITIONS
The Nice List includes two separate notebooks:
The Nice List All Year: a gift-giving tracker to last for years to come
The Nice List Christmas Workbook: a planner for the entire Christmas season to keep you organized and help bring a little sanity to your holiday season
Both are available individually or together as a bundle and are designed to be used in a traveler’s notebook or independently.
FREE GIFT WITH PURCHASE:
The Nice List books are designed so that they can be used in a traveler’s notebook -- a simple way to keep them together. For a limited time we will include a FREE handmade, upcycled traveler’s notebook with each purchase of The Nice List Bundle (while supplies last).
THE NICE LIST CHRISTMAS WORKBOOK INCLUDES:
How to Use The Nice List
How to Use The Christmas Workbook
November Calendars: weekly and monthly (undated)
December Calendars: weekly and monthly (undated)
Weekly To Do Lists for November and December (undated)
What Sparks Joy for You? Setting priorities for the holiday season
Budgeting worksheets: to establish a budget for your Christmas season — and for each gift, too
Coupons & Codes: tracker for holiday sales and discount codes
Giving Lists: to help you prioritize where you spend your money and on whom
Thoughts on Thoughtful Giving: ideas for gift giving and reducing the stress of the holidays
Thank You Note Tracker
Holiday Card Tracker
Menu Planners
Baking Planners
Shopping Lists
Blank pages for notes and planning
With a little planning and some careful thought before a gift is ever purchased, The Nice List can help you keep Christmas from spinning out of control and help you find the perspective you need. The Nice List helps you set deadlines to avoid high shipping charges and has a tool for tracking all of those promo codes and sale codes that start to flood your email inbox, too.
The Nice List All Year gives you a place to track all of the gifts you give the loved ones in your life -- not just at Christmas time. It is designed to be used for multiple years and can be purchased separately if you have more than 15 people in your life to track.
THE NICE LIST ALL YEAR INCLUDES:
How to use The Nice List
How to use The Nice List All Year
Giving Records for 15 people covering multiple years
The Nice List All Year is also designed to be used by anyone -- not just people who celebrate Christmas. From Hanukkah to Lunar New Year, Kwanzaa to Eid, and birthdays, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day and more -- record every gift you give and make notes for coming occasions, too.
Plus, when you use The Nice List All Year year after year, you develop a record of your gift-giving, so you never give the same gift twice!
A BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS PLANNER
Not only is The Nice List a beautiful planner, but it also comes with online tools including an extensive giving guide with gift suggestions in every budget for every person on your list — parents, inlaws, kids, friends, teachers. We have suggestions for them all and exclusive discount codes as well.
I love the Christmas season so much I have written what my husband described as my “love letter to Christmas” — The Nice List!
Order your copy of The Nice List today, and give yourself the gift of a very organized and holiday season!
Happy Valentine's Day
Valentine’s Day is coming, and I have lots of fun Valentine’s projects and DIYs for you to make this cheery holiday even more so! Check them out!
Chocolate Snowball Cookies
an easy and delicious Christmas cookie with just the right amount of chocolate
I love a good Christmas cookie exchange! TCHO Chocolate sent me some of their delicious chocolate yesterday, so here's my contribution to the #TCHOCookieExchange -- a virtual celebration of the taste of the season! Just don’t eat these powdered sugar confections while wearing black!
This is my own chocolatey version of a Snowball, but instead of a chocolate surprise in the center, the whole cookie is chocolately-delicious. We jokingly called them "Dirty Snowballs" today while we sampled them -- but the name might stick!
𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀
Makes 36 cookies
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla extract
1 3/4 c. flour
2 c. chopped pecans
1/4 c. TCHO unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c. TCHO drinking chocolate crumbles
1/2 t. salt
Powdered sugar
1. Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl until it is well-mixed. Cover tightly and chill for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 325° F.
2. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or baking mats.
3. Remove dough from the refrigerator. Roll dough into uniform balls of about 1 tablespoon full each. I use a 1 T. measuring spoon to make the balls even. Place balls on prepared cookie sheets evenly spaced apart — about 2 inches.
4. Bake for 12 minutes. Immediately transfer balls to cooling racks.
5. When cooled, fill a small bowl with powdered sugar. Roll each ball in the sugar to coat. You could mix in a few tablespoons full of cocoa powder for even more chocolate deliciousness!
Enjoy these with a little TCHO Drinking Chocolate — they are perfect dipped into the thick chocolate drink!
TCHO Drinking Chocolate
(much like a thick Mexican hot chocolate)
6 tablespoons boiling water
6 tablespoons TCHO Drinking Chocolate Crumbles
Boil the water in a small pan on the stove. When it is boiling, slowly add the TCHO Drinking Chocolate Crumbles while whisking swiftly with a small whisk or a handheld milk frother (my favorite). The boiling water melts the chocolate perfectly!
Serve in espresso cups.
