Winter Home Decor Vignette @ Birdsong

This post is not about how cold it is in our neck of the woods {although I am freezing right now!}. I am not going to complain {although I am tempted to!} about the amount of snow we have. Suffice it to say that everywhere I look from every window and door inside the house to the outside, everything is white! Look, even the bird house entrance is blocked by snow.

Yes, it's that time of year between the thick of winter and early spring. Decorating the interior of the house can be tricky. Its too early to bring out the bunnies and pastel coloured wreaths but a little depressing for silver and greys that I used during the holidays. Why not let the grey and silver stay for a while and embellish with some colours here and there without breaking the bank,

Welcome to Birdsong in the Winter/pre-Spring time .....

The Birdsong Parlour ..... this room is bright and airy during the day then dramatic as the sun set in the afternoon .... I kept most of the holiday decor to match the white snow covered bushes outside visible from the windows.

I added pillows, throw blanket, ceramic bird and even books and magazines in matching white and teal colour combination for pre-spring feel....

The Birdsong library/lounge area ... this room is rich with dark oak wood where my hubby and Muning (out princess cat} like to hang out by the fire. This is the place where we put out feet up in our jammies, read books and have tea. I am dying to paint the wood white but my hubby begged to leave this one as is .... he didn't say I can change the decor every now and then so I did!

I used white, apple green and dark wood colour combination in this room to give it a warm feel in contrast to the dark oak panels. I covered some books in white toile paper I got from my craft studio.

From Winter home decor

Fabrics are also part of the winter/pre-spring decor in this room ....

Finally, true to my decorating style of bring the outdoors in, I used firewood and birch tree barks to embellish some corners of the house to remind us how beautiful winter is. I also brought in abandoned nests which I painted in white as a reminder that spring will soon sprung.

 

Seize the season!


Linking with : Show and Tell Friday, Flaunt it Friday

On the {Right} Track

It was Sunday morning. The snow has stooped . Shades of blue started appearing in the sky. Too early to go anywhere so hubby and I walked along a trail leading to this train track .... so sturdy and strong amidst the soft and mushy snow .... just like the man beside me .... my strength in those times that I am emotionally and physically fragile....

Thank you Lord .... everyday is a blessing!


Photo Sharing with Our World Tuesday

Our winter ... so far

One kind word can warm three winter months.

.Japanese Proverb.

To me that word would be SPRING!

.... I don't think spring will be coming any time soon at least in our neck of the woods. 10-15 cm of snow is coming our way Saturday night. Wohoo! Bring it on. Blanket of fresh snow is the best!

 

Have a fantastic weekend!

 

 

Frozen

We've been calling Canada our home for the past 14 years. We had snow storms, plenty of it but never an ice storm. Until last December ..... it was like magic. So gorgeous to look at but so damaging to our plants and trees.

Sharing photos with Our World Tuesday

WInter Soup Medley

Last Friday night, I got back from another trip to San Francisco where the temperature was hovering around 18 degrees Celsius. When hubby picked me up from the airport, he brought me my thick winter jacket  with a warning to brace myself for the cold weather outside. He wasn't kidding! After 6 days of sunshine and mild temperature, if felt like I was transported to Siberia!!!

I spent whole of Saturday and Sunday cooped up in the house in my polar fleece pajamas and wool socks asking my hubby at least several times to remind me the reason why we moved to Canada while looking at big snow squalls piling up on roofs and streets. Every time I asked, he would give me a big hug and I know in my heart I am home!

Speaking of home, ours is always filled with delicious smell of hearty soups in the winter months. One of our favorites is what I named Winter Soup Medley simply because it is a medley of everything I have in our vegetable crisper plus lentils, peas, rice and barley.

Winter Soup Medley

Ingredients
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 large onion, minced
1 large carrots, diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
2-3 ribs of celery , diced
1 cup soup mix {lentils, split peas, rice and barley}
4 tbsp tomato paste 
6 cups pork bone broth {recipe below}; can be replaced with any kind of broth
sprigs of rosemary
1 tbsp sugar 
cooked shredded pork meat from pork bone broth
salt and pepper

Procedure

Heat the cooking oil in large stockpot over medium-low heat. 

Once hot, add the onion, carrots, potatoes, celery and a pinch of salt and sweat until they begin to soften, approximately 5 minutes. 

Add soup mix and tomato paste. Mix well.

Pour pork bone broth  into the stockpot

Add sprigs of rosemary and sugar.

Cover stockpot and simmer for 30-40 minutes {or until lentils, peas, rice and barley are tender} while stirring occasionally.

Add cooked shredded pork meat from pork bone broth

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve while hot with rustic bread.

Pork Bone Broth

Ingredients

1 kilo pork bone with meat {available in Asian store, meat section}

1 medium sliced onion

salt and pepper

8 cups of water

Procedure

In a large stockpot, combine all ingredients.

Cover and boil for 45 - 60 minutes {or until meat from bone is very tender}

Strain broth  through large sieve {can be used as soup base in soup recipes}

Remove meat from pork bone {meat can be used in any soup}