A Week of Winter Poetry - Day Seven

 Thank you so much Dear Friends for joining me for this 'Week of Winter Poetry'! For the last poem of the week I have saved a special favorite, one that involves cake! As I have shared before, winter is my favorite time of year to bake and try out new recipes. It makes the Barn smell amazing and makes it feel extra cozy.


Snow Sugar Cake
From my poetry notebook

On a soggy winter's day
My dearest friend came by to play.
We thought it best to make a cake
For when it's dreary it's time to bake.
Flour and sugar all crystal white
Sparkled in the candle light.
In to the oven nice and hot,
Meanwhile the icing - let's make a lot!
Now stack the cakes all nice and high -
"How pretty it looks" we both will sigh.
A piece for you, a piece for me,
We'll be as happy as two friends can be!
And a glance out the window will bring a surprise -
The world, like a cake, lies before our eyes.
For Mother Nature worked as we worked too,
To frost the landscape in silvery hues.


I do hope my poems brought you some joy this week! I was rather nervous to share so much of my poetry with you, but I know you are a Dear Friend and wouldn't mind if a poem wasn't all that great, haha! I don't often share my poetry, but I hope to share more of it with you if you have liked it. Thank you once again for joining me this week! Until next time Dear Friend!

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A Week of Winter Poetry - Day Six

Goodness, here we are on day six of a 'Week of Winter Poetry' already. Our week of poetry is almost over, but please - if you enjoyed my poems - tell me below and I may do this again! Today I am sharing two shorter poems once again - and even though these are shorter, they are two of my favorites! I hope you will see why...

A March Day
From my poetry notebook

The days they pass from one to two,
And so the New Year creeps away.
And March is here before we knew,
For Winter said he'd like to stay.
The birds have started coming home,
The sun returns to shine her bliss.
My friends compel me up to roam -
But who would miss a March like this?

Spring Bulbs

From my poetry notebook

The snow that falls

Each little flake

Bares forth a call:

"Spring will be late!"

But in the bed,

All safe and warm,

Comes Crocus heads

Against the storm.

The photo below is from several years ago as my garden is still buried deep under a foot of snow. Just looking at the picture makes me excited for spring! Please share with me below in the comments, has your garden started growing yet? I will be envious if you say yes, haha! I doubt mine will be waking up before the end of April. But thankfully I have pretty pictures like this one to get me by till then!

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A Week of Winter Poetry - Day Five

There is simply nothing better than finding a letter or parcel awaiting you in your mailbox. It's one of my favorite things! I am blessed to have penpals all over the United States and beyond who I am friends with - some now for over five years, before I was even married! The poem for today is all about the joy I find in writing and receiving letters. Do share with me below - Do you have any penpals? Do you make a practice of writing letters or cards often? I would love to hear!

Letter From a Friend
From my poetry notebook

I received a letter on a snowy day
   in my post box by the road.
It was from a friend quite far away,
   that's what the postmark showed.
I got some biscuits, made some tea,
   and sat down to read her news -
The sight of her handwriting filled me with glee!
   Yes the letter I quickly perused.
"I'm very well and how are you?
   Yes things 'round here are fine.
As I write I'm cooking stew
   and I've got the wash out on the line.
How's the winter been up there?
   Ours has been warm and mild."
Reading of her little joys and cares
   simply made me smile.
And so with paper, pen,
   I sat down to make reply.
One page quickly turned to ten,
   as my thoughts just flew on by.
"Tell me of your plans for spring.
   Have you been writing much?
The birds outside have started to sing,
   they twitter about twigs and such."
I always find it wonderful
   to hear from a friend so dear.
Letters? I have a drawer full!
   To my heart they're very dear.

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A Week of Winter Poetry - Day Four

Hello again Dear Friends! I do hope you have been enjoying this week so far, and I pray my poems have brought a smile to your face each day. Today I am sharing two shorter poems - the first one I wrote after seeing the morning sun turn the mountains orange and pink. We have not been getting a lot of sun this winter so it was an amazing sight to behold! The second poem talks about the coming of light - something all Alaskans look forward to after our long, dark winters.

Morning on the Mountains
From my poetry notebook

The sun comes up, up over the brink -
It glazes the mountains in a tangerine pink.
The frost it sparkles, the wind is still -
Yet in the stillness hangs winter's chill.
The sun won't rise high above the peak -
Though faces turn in search of heat.
But warmth won't be found until home once again -
When in the presence of tea and a good friend.

New Year's Winter

From my poetry notebook

Pink noses and rosy cheeks,

Counting down the New Year's weeks.

And with each passing darkened day,

A little more light is here to stay.

And so all bundled, safe and warm,

I'll make my way into the storm

Of frosty flakes, of cutting ice -

To see the winter's magic sights!

Several times this winter I have had trouble bundling up for the elements outside my door. Not because I don't own enough scarves (I probably have too many to be truthful), but because the cold just seeps right into your bones, no matter how many layers you put on! It doesn't help that I work in an office that is constantly flooded with cold air as people move in and out from outside. Perhaps I should start wearing puffy snow gear to work like Quinn does? Haha!

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A Week of Winter Poetry - Day Three

Hello again Friends! Thank you for joining me on day three of my 'Week of Winter Poetry'. Today's poem was a lot of fun to write and talks about all the seasons of the year - I love the idea of all the seasons being sisters. Of course there are quarrels between them every so often: Winter creates a late hard frost just as Spring has her daffodils blooming, Autumn comes early with cold rains and brings a chill in the air to Summer's last golden days. These quarrels sound a bit more poetic than the fights my sisters and I would have, but you get the idea, haha!

Now do tell, what is your favorite season and why? Has it always been your favorite or has it changed? When I was a young girl living in Texas, dreaming of the home I had left in Alaska, my favorite season was winter because there was hardly a winter to speak of! Now that I'm back in my beloved Alaska my favorite season is autumn, just because it's so fleeting here. One day we have gorgeous colors and the next day the wind and rain carry them away. Oh well, it makes it all the more special since it lasts only a little while.

But without further ado, I hope you enjoy today's poem!

The Season's Banquet
From my poetry notebook

One fine day in April
The Seasons gathered for tea.
And this was quite unusual,
To have four and not just three.
For one must always be busy
It was their duty after all.
But Spring was taking a break
And letting Jack Frost cover it all.

This was a big occasion,
As all the sisters knew -
Everything must be perfect
From the first "hello" to the last "audeu"!
Everyone helped decorate
With icicles and flowers,
And Spring covered all the table
With a veil of silver showers.
Summer brought a salad,
Winter brought hot tea,
Autumn brought preserves and scones
and Spring sandwiches a plenty!

While they sat they chatted
about love and about the weather
(For Winter had eyes for Mr. Frost
Who was handsome and quite clever)
Autumn mentioned last year's early freeze -
Winter had to blush -
Spring gave a merry laugh,
While Summer talked in a rush.

And before the day was over,
They'd made plans to meet again,
As all said goodbye to each other
To each sister and dearest friend.
Yes one fine day in April
The Seasons gathered for tea.
And it sounds like they had such a lovely time
I wish they'd invited me!


Last night I actually had two friends over for a tea party, as well as my youngest sister who is visiting! We had a lovely time, just like the four Seasons in the poem, so I don't feel so left out now that I have had my own fancy tea party. Haha!

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A Week of Winter Poetry - Day Two

Here we are on day two of my 'Week of Winter Poetry'! The following poem I wrote on a really slow day up at work(when I get most of my inspiration, haha!). At the moment Quinn and I are both working up at Eaglecrest, our local ski area. He as a ski/snowboard instructor, and I myself as a member of the Ski School office, sending all the students out to him. It's been fun working up there, though I'm not sure how much longer I can hide from learning how to ski...(Quinn has been trying to get me on the slopes since we were dating).

The Ski School office is the location of our 'lost & found', which holds everything from ski poles to missing lunch boxes. I was inspired by the large tub of lost gloves we always have to write this following poem. I hope you enjoy it!

Lost Mittens
From my poetry notebook

My favorite pair of gloves - but a warm corgi is always nice too!

I have lost my mittens
I don't know where they've gone
I know I had them yesterday
When I was playing on the lawn.
And I know I had them after
When I went down by the sea -
I took them off to throw some rocks
But I brought them back with me.
I used them to defeat the neighbors
in an epic snowball fight,
and I thought I brought them back inside
when I came home for the night.
But now I can't seem to find them
They're not by my hat or coat
And my mom didn't say she moved them
Nor did she leave me a note.
So I guess I'll stay inside
What else is there to do?
You don't know where my mittens hide
or where they are, do you?

My mother had my mittens,
Yes she had them the whole time
Hidden in the highest spot
Hung up on a line.
Right above the wood stove
To get them warm and dry
Just ready to give me toasty hands
Under winter's snowy sky.
So if you've lost your mittens
And you've searched both near and far
Just ask your mom, I promise
She knows right where they are!

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A Week of Winter Poetry - Day One

Hello Dear Friend! Welcome to the first installment in my 'Week of Winter Poetry'. I so enjoy writing poetry in my free time, and although someday I hope to publish my poems in book-form, this week I will just be sharing them here with you. I think these will be the perfect posts to read with a cup of tea and perhaps some biscuits - so please get cozy! I hope you have a delightful time reading these poems for I had a wonderful time writing them. And now to our first one:

Winter's Day Reading
From my poetry notebook

It's true I like to go for walks 

In Winter's whitest snow

For I find that nature seems to talk

In the stillness as I go.

But there are days (much like today)

When staying cooped up is better.

For all the snow has melted away

And been replaced with rainy weather.

So what is one to do you ask

When kept holed up at home?

My favorite thing it to grab a book

for in my head I can roam.

Suddenly I'm in Paris

With the Eiffel tower shining bright.

And I'm standing on a terrace

In a gown as black as night.

Or now I'm traveling east to west

With a sword strapped to my side

Clothed in armor on a magic quest

To make a princess my bride.

And now I'm a desperate maiden 

Wandering over the moor

With fears and hopes heavy-laden

To find the truth behind the lore.

And when it's time for dinner, well

I'll leave those worlds behind

But they stay with me - like a spell

Yes they're always in my mind.

And so perhaps, next day it rains

I'll find a book to lend

For after reading it, one thing remains:

To share it with a friend!

Are you doing any winter reading? This is the time of year I find time to read, since it can be so cold and unfriendly outside my door. Right now I am reading a book I got for Christmas: "I Will Repay" by Baroness Emmuska Orczy - a sequel to her famous "The Scarlet Pimpernel". I fell in love with this book last year and have since read it three times, so it's wonderful to move on now to the second book. What are you reading Friend? Please share below in the comments! I am always looking for a good book recommendation!

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On My Vanity

Ever since I was a little girl I have always dreamed of having a vanity or fancy dressing table. I believe this want comes from watching the animated 'Cinderella' so much as a child - her room may have been sparse but I have dreamed about it ever since! Not only did she have a lovely vanity and mirror, she had a dressing screen - another piece of furniture I pine after. Also, who wouldn't want birds to give you a shower in the morning and mice to help you sew your clothes?

If you look at old drawings of my 'dream home' I made when I was younger, there were always the same things: a spiral staircase, a claw-footed bathtub, a room completely devoted to books (with a ladder that rolls around the room! This was taken from another of my favorite child-hood movies, 'Beauty and the Beast'), a dressing screen, and of course a vanity. 

Last winter when my mother-in-law Melissa was building the doll house of her dreams, she asked me if I would like her vanity table as there soon wouldn't be room for it in her room. Believe me, I tried to curb my excitement but I don't know if I succeeded. The vanity didn't move over to the Barn until a while later, but what a fun day that was! I felt like a little girl putting things in the drawers and setting things up just so. I have enjoyed redecorating it every month or so - it's just so fun to have it all set up with things I love - things that bring me joy whenever I see them.

I thought it would be fun to share my vanity with you Dear Friend, and to show you some of the things that have their special places on it.

A snippet from my poetry notebook:

Upon it sit my treasures: things dainty, clear and bright.
Bottles, powders and fragrance that fills me with delight.
And in the shining mirror I seem more glamorous by far,
My reflection seems to be of some forgotten movie star.
And in it's pretty drawers, tucked in and hidden away
Hankies, letters, a favorite hat - things to brighten up my day.
If only every hour could be spent just sitting here -
I would be like a child playing dress-up, that much is very clear!

It's true, whenever I get to sit in front of it and get ready for a dance or perhaps a date I feel like a little girl playing dress-up! As I said, I redecorate the top of my new vanity every month or so, but there are a few things that always find their way on to it or are tucked carefully away in one of the large drawers...

Perfume- I can still remember the first bottle of perfume I ever received. It was from my parents and I got it in my Christmas stocking when I was around 13. I considered it so precious I only used it for the most special of occasions (and because of this I didn't run out of it until after I was married!).

Yes, I had always considered perfume something for special occasions, but now I am allowing myself to wear it whenever I feel like it - just because it brings me joy and makes me happy! I received a bottle of Summer Hill perfume for Christmas from my father and mother-in-law and I do believe it is my new favorite! This is the same fragrance that scents the drawer-liners in my vanity - absolutely one of my favorites.

Lotion- I wear lotion everyday, and although I'm not too picky about what goes on my hands, I am picky about what I put on my face (I'm almost 30! When is this acne going to leave me alone?! Haha!). The Crabtree & Evelyn line of lotion is my go-to - the scents are beautiful and make me feel like a princess. My favorite scents are Rosewater, Lilac, and again - Summer Hill.

Powder- I received pieces from the Brambly Hedge vanity set for Christmas, one of which was the powder box - so of course I needed some powder to go in it! I had seen the Woods of Windsor powders in my favorite catalog 'Victorian Trading Co.' several times, and was thrilled to find a lily of the valley scent. My goodness, I don't think I've ever owned something so luxurious!

Makeup- As a general rule I don't wear a lot of makeup. Just a little concealer and some powder and that's it! But I do so enjoy wearing my vintage and retro dresses, and these always call for an extra touch. For this I like to curl my hair and perhaps do a victory roll or two, and who doesn't feel special wearing some red lipstick? I was very lucky to be given some products from Besame at Christmas, a makeup company that recreates real vintage makeup! Now if I could only figure out how to do a proper winged eyeliner, I would be set - haha!

Memories- I don't think my vanity would be quite complete if I didn't have some love notes and letters tucked away inside it! Ever the hopeless romantic, I of course have some special things hidden away: a birthday card from my mom & dad, a mermaid doll made by my sister Abigail, my garden journal - awaiting the arrival of spring. These are the things that truly make it special I think.

I do hope you have enjoyed this little look at my vanity, Friend. Now tell me, do you have a vanity or a dressing table? What sorts of special things do you keep on it? I would love to hear! Please share with me below in the comments. Until next time, Dear Friend!

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Autumn in the Mountains

A Small Note:

These photos were taken last year, 2018, but for whatever reason I never got around to writing the story to share it with you. I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless - 

Autumn has come again to Southeast Alaska! As you know Friend, Autumn happens to be my most favorite season of all the year. Quinn and I just hiked our favorite trail yesterday - up to the top of the Eaglecrest ski area - and already the bright coppers, golds, and amber tones of fall are gilding the alpine landscape. I was reminded of last year at this time and of the fun we had had. Yesterday was not nearly as lovely as the day last September, almost a year ago now, that the three of us (for Greta of course came along) hiked the same trail, picnic basket in hand. It was a gorgeous evening, and the sun was shining low in the sky. Very soon the late afternoons would grow dark, but for now at least a little bit of summer remained...

Looking at the photo above, I am now realizing I missed a golden opportunity to run out into the muskeg and whirl around singing "The hills are alive - with the sound of music!" Oh well, perhaps next time!

Now, let's play Quinn and I's favorite game: Spot the Corgi! 

I know, it's not a very hard game now - but just you try it when the snow sets in and the snow drifts become taller than little Greta. It gets hard quick, I can assure you!

Poor Quinn had to deal with two lolly-gaggers the whole hike, when he just really wanted to get up to the top so he could start munching on the picnic. I was off taking photos (and perhaps trying to take a short break unnoticed), whereas Greta was off inspecting every marshy hole and fallen tree near the trail. She helped me find some lovely spots off the beaten path and down at her level.

Here's Quinn and Greta taking a short break on one of the ski lifts, enjoying the view so far!

As we hiked up higher and higher I made a little bouquet of leaves and other findings - including a feather or two. It was about this time that we were getting quite hungry for dinner and all the delectable things packed away in the picnic basket...but have no fear, we were nearly there!

We made a quick stop at a lake (Greta's favorite swimming spot) and I dunked my feet in the cold water to give them a respite from hiking. We often spend happy afternoons here in high summer, swimming and splashing around, but we were so close to the top - so this time we didn't linger - up the trail we went!

The alpine meadows were just breath-taking in all their abundant colors. I asked Quinn to snap a photo of me sitting in the heather when out of nowhere Greta arrived and attacked me with kisses! I wasn't sure I would survive - I was laughing so hard!

We climbed up above the lake, which looked quite small now that we were so high (isn't the blue water beautiful?). As we hiked over the last bunch of rocks we were met with a glorious sight in either direction!

We could see for miles and miles in all directions around us, and a truly marvelous sight it was.

After exploring a bit we found the perfect spot to have our picnic, and so we sat down to enjoy the view and the food we had packed: several different types of cheeses and some crackers, grapes, peppered sausage, homemade smoked salmon, and a bottle of sparkling cider! It certainly felt like we were having a proper feast.

Greta had been off traversing the ridge line, not bothering about us, but as soon as the peppered sausage and the smoked salmon were unpacked, she stuck close and practiced looking adorable. We had packed her some dog biscuits, but they seemed like meager fare to her eyes compared to the feast we had laid out. I can't remember exactly, but I'm sure she didn't hike home hungry, haha!

After enjoying our supper it was time for tea and cookies, made even more enjoyable by the colors of the nearing sunset.

Quinn had brought his pirate spyglass, a birthday present from me several years ago, and spied out the unknown shores across the water. No other pirates, or any navy ships, were spotted. It seems we were safe for a while.

I sipped my tea and read some favorite Beatrix Potter tales from a book I had just recently gotten at a used book store. Quinn kept watch with his spyglass and Greta jumped and hopped like a bunny through the heather. What a lovely way to spend an early autumn evening.

Soon - too soon it seemed to me - we started our hike down the mountain, the sun shedding its last rays as we ducked under the mountain peaks.

And as we watched, the golden hues gave way to dark blues and chilling shadows of gray. It was time to head home - to a toasty fire and another cup of tea before bed. 

I'm so happy Autumn is finally here!

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