Gloria - The Long Awaited Home

There is nothing more beautiful in winter than the snow covered mountains of New Hampshire. 📷 @danmcmahon_ My son Dan and his friend @daveziebart_otr are experienced winter hikers in these rugged mountains which are not for the novice or unprepared hiker. The beauty Dan captured yesterday is other-worldly and I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy! ❄️❄️❄️ #whitemountains #whitemountainsnh #hikenh #hikenhwhitemountains #visitnh #mynewengland #nhigers #newhampshire #newhampshirelife #newhampshireoutdoors #newhampshire_igers #newhampshirewinter #newengland #newenglandliving #visitnewengland #yankeemagazine #nhmagazine #hike #snowglobe #christmastime #scenesofnewengland #scenesofwinter #magical #snowscenes #winterwonderland

Rey loves Christmas too. 💚🎄🐾

Has anyone else simplified their Christmas this year? Once we decided to quiet our Christmas, we were all in. We filled many bins with our bright red pillows, blankets, and miscellaneous flotsam and jetsam. Out went the red bows and jolly Santas. I’ve done it all for years and now, I just want a peaceful and calm feeling in our home. I had Brian take it all to our local community center before I could change my mind, where I hope many families with young children will enjoy some “new to them” decor at bargain prices. It makes me happy to think of a struggling mom discovering these treasures and bringing them home. We still decorate, but now I’m leaning more into the seasons than the holidays. Of course we still celebrate. I have my beloved nativity, two Christmas trees and the stockings are hung. But most everything else in the dining room, living room, tv room bedrooms and baths is simple greenery, cozy throws and candles which I think will work all winter. The kitchen and mudroom are the last holdouts, but that will probably change next year too.

Feeling a little under the weather so I’m relaxing with a Chai Latte and cozy Christmas videos on YouTube. . #chailatte #christmaslights #christmastime #quietmoments #calmchristmas #momentsofmine #seekingthesimplicity #simplechristmas

First snow ❄️❄️❄️ #newenglandwinter #firstsnow #quietmoments #calmchristmas #peaceandquiet

I am trying to find a balance between peace and outrage. 🕊️🌲☕️ . #peaceonearth #christmasseason #calmchristmas

The chilly air has finally come to New Hampshire, and coats, hats and gloves are required. We set off for the woods to let Rey run and gather some pinecones and evergreens to finish the window boxes. The sun was warm but the wind was cold keeping others at home. It was wonderful to escape to the quiet forest after days filled with people and festivities. Brian made tomato soup and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch while I arranged my plunder, adding to the holly and red twigs I had gathered from our yard. Brian spent a lazy afternoon watching football and I may have snuck in a little cat nap in front of the fire. 🎄 . #gather #woods #forest #naturalchristmasdecor #walkingthedog #christmastime #getoutsidenh #mynewengland #rusticchristmas #naturalchristmas

One of our favorite family traditions and no better place to kick off the Christmas season than on a Christmas tree farm in Bethlehem, New Hampshire with all our favorites. 🎄 . #christmas #christmastree #christmastreefarm #whitemountainsnh #mynewengland

Hello friends. I hope you enjoyed a happy Thanksgiving. I am so grateful for another wonderful holiday with family. Everyone got here safely, we had plenty of delicious food, played a fun game, watched Thanksgiving episodes of our favorite tv shows, and Rey loved having her people sleeping everywhere. We are exhausted, but our hearts are full this morning. We’re looking forward to a quiet day at home after a hectic week. Brian built this tv wall with a built in faux fireplace and finished it on Thanksgiving morning with a little help from Dan and Phillip. The whole project cost about $300. It is 99% complete and I absolutely love it. Rey seems to like that it has ambiance without the heat of the woodstove which is usually too much for a husky. It does have a heater but we won’t usually need to use it. This replaces a tv stand that was chunky and took up too much floor space in this tiny room. I think this is our last DIY for 2024! . #dayafterthanksgiving #comfortandjoy #cozyhome #tvroom #tvwall #hygge #hyggehome

We’ve got DIY projects and Thanksgiving prep on the agenda. Rey is just going to be Rey all day and that means getting outside and as far away from the woodstove as possible. . #cozyspaces #rustichomestyle #simpleliving #huskiesofinstagram #husky #dogsofinstagram #dogsndecor #dogsindecor #woodstove #simplechristmas #hygge #hyggehome

Three days of wind, rain, clouds, sun and even a rainbow, and then, at 4 pm this afternoon…this happened. The most amazing light broke through and illuminated the soaking wet earth, and it was glorious. . #moodysky #aftertherain #beautiful

Slowly making our way into the cozy season. . #slowmorning #cozyspaces #cozyvibes #rainymorning #calm #fireplace #woodstove #momentsofcalm #hygge #hyggehome