It was another one for the books this week-end. Temperatures ranging from – 18’C (0’F) during the day to -38’C (-36’F) at night made the inside seem so much more pleasant than anything going on outside. Seems February is starting out the way January ended. Very cold, very sunny, very much a time to be dreaming of spring and green things soon to be growing out of this beautiful Earth of ours. I will admit, although I love winter, extremely cold winters like this year’s with little snow fall and body rocking winds make me less keen to go out and enjoy them. But we headed out every day, faces curled against the “breeze”, bodies bent running for the shelter of the woods, hands stuffed in mittens, stuffed in pockets… It was all about getting some air and getting back inside.
But still, the sunlight on cold days is so amazingly bright…
And baking makes it warmer. I read this article from JoyBilee Farm about how to stay warm in winter without increasing your electricity bill and ever since, we’ve been baking a lot. Bread, muffins, even warming up leftovers… My oven is on half the day and it makes my kitchen so nice and toasty. The kitchen has become the hub of our household, we dance in it, talk in it, play in it… It’s a mess, makes it hard to work, but also keeps it filled with joy.
We were also spoiled this week-end. A little while back, me and Summer from Summerplayshouse (an amazingly talented artist and inspirational mama) organized a small swap. You can imagine the excitement when our little mini selves, all dressed up in winter gear, arrived in the mail. Little Miss has been taking them everywhere, mixing them in with the little peg doll fairies and gnomes we made her for Christmas. Now, our family can truly visit her fairy world and she’s so enchanted. You probably noticed the little Valentine’s Day extra. The sweet rosy cheeked lady was named Summer and goes every where with our family as well. It always amazes me, the amount of generosity and talent that this blogging community has. Once again, I feel so blessed to be a part of it.
And so the week begins. Hoping everyone had a wonderful week-end and wishing you all an equally lovely week.
Family, Faith, Food and Fabric 
Wow- that is a whole new kind of cold, I think I may have to just sit by the oven and pass on the outdoors for a bit:)
http://www.hollandsreverie.blogspot.com
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I always say that if Canadian wait until it,s hot to do anything, we would never do anything! LOL!
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What a lovely start to the week! I love your small selves. But…brrr! So cold! Stay warm. We love microwaveable bags (filled with rice) – I think you said you no longer have a microwave, but if the bags are made of cotton you can heat them in a very low oven instead (perhaps using residual heat after baking!). The children are also enjoying hot water bottles at bedtime these days.
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I need to maake new ones. We had an incident with the freezer a while back (door got swung open by the cats one night) and bags of fruit thawed and dripped all over them. Thank you for reminding me. Definitely a good week-end sewing project!!!
Have a wonderful week.
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I tend to bake a lot in the winter, too. I love making bread, but that can be touch and go here this time of year with lots of high humidity days.
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The pleasures of an old home! All the humidity gets sucked out through very old windows in winter. We have humidifiers running round the clock to keep the air at 40%, but most days, we are around 30%. Hard on noses, but great for bread baking! Stay warm…
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That is a blessing! Living in a camper means we get whatever the air is like outside that day. It’s a challenge, but I always enjoy a good challenge!
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Good for you for staying positive! 🙂 And denser bread makes REALLY good french toast and bread pudding!!!!
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oh those dolls are so nice! Congratulations to their maker! Enjoy your warm house, there will be hotter days. xo
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Thank you… yes, warmer days are not far away. And less snow on the ground means less snow to melt come spring. 🙂
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oh my goodness it looks so cold. Our winter has been surprisingly warm. This is not good as our state thrives on ski season! But it has been so nice to work outside this winter on prepping our garden for spring. Cut peg people!
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We get use to it after a while. It’s all about how you are dressed and how much you move. 🙂 Where are you guys (generally speaking)?
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I hear you on the cold, it is definitely going down as a frigid winter. We just finished up with small storm, and usually when we get snow the temperature warms up a bit, but not this time…15cm of snow and still -25 with the windchill. Crazy. We still got out there today, finally enough snow for me to get my snowshoes out. Too much fun!
Summer’s peg people are just lovely, I have a few, they are currently playing in the snow on our nature table 🙂
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Oh my, same here! It is snowing right now with a windchill of -30… makes no sense! The wind gusts are in the upwards of 50 km/h, we gave up on walks today. After being out half the week-end in such cold weather, I think the kiddos called it quits! LOL!
Glad you got the snow shoes out. We have so many powdery amazing trails near my home, wish you lived closer. xo
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Oh my. Perhaps you better not read my recent post about our mild week last week 😉 Good for you to get out in it everyday. We’re still working on that one. It helps so much, even if it is just 15 minutes don’t you think? Hope that it warms up for you soon. All that cold can be quite draining. And the peg dolls, so sweet!
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We didn’t get out today… But yes, it makes all the difference. My daughter did go out at preschool. I was the lazy one at home. I look forward to catching up with your blog tomorrow, even if I may be a bit in envy of your weather.
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Oh wow that is properly cold!! It does look beautiful though – says she from the warmer side of the atlantic!!
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Hehe! Winter is gorgeous… you just need to take a deep breath and head out. Not always easy to get motivated, but you never regret it.
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I love those little peg people. Such a great idea! My home is very much like yours. When the temperatures drop, the oven goes on frequently. IN fact, sometimes I turn it on just to warm my hands. Like a fire, if you will. 🙂
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haha! My daughter always laughs when I warm my hands over the stove rings as they are warming. We are hoping to be able to put in a wood burning stove next year or at the most the next year. *fingers crossed* 🙂 Stay warm!
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I love the peg dolls! Are you and Summer planning on expanding the idea of a peg doll swap? I would totally be in!
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Could be fun! I’ll have to talk to her about it. I’ll get back to you on it. 🙂
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My goodness it looks cold there! I think if like a little bit of winter here. It’s been like summer time here. It’s crazy!
I’m so glad you liked your peg people! It was a joy making them for you!! Happy Mail!!!
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Yay for happy mail indeed!!!! Yeah, this is even more winter than we are used to, But we’ll get through it and will be that much happier for spring. I noticed in your pictures how warm it’s been. I miss the warmth a bit. Have some sun for us okay?
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What lovely presents in the mail 🙂 We have snow and cold weather (for us) I prefer it as the alternative is warmer and wetter and grey which I loathe!
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Oh I totally agree, the “inbetween” weather is so much worse. I’ll take a clear and definite cold to so-so weather. That is usually when we get sick the most. Have a lovely week.
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What lovely photos, Yanic. You can almost feel the cold just looking at them. It is definitely the perfect time of year for baking. Stay warm.
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Oh, it is even colder than the pictures seem. LOL! But this week was much nicer, we actually got outside and enjoyed some leisurely walks instead of walking at a fast pace just to keep warm. And YES! Baking is just the best in those cold winter times. I’m getting all the baking in that I can. Before you know it, we will be baking ourselves! Thank you for stopping by! xo
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I do believe that my thin desert blood would freeze the moment I stepped outside. 🙂 I really love that you Canadians are so hardcore about the cold and don’t let it stop you from living your lives. People here freak out about rain!
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Haha! As I was was reading your comment this morning, I was getting us all ready to walk my daughter to preschool at -35’C. I guess we do get used to just about anything here. We have such a wide range. If we would wait til everything was perfect, we’d never do anything. It’s all about what you wear too. You would love it after a while, I’m sure!
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That does look really cold, but very beautiful! And your peg people are gorgeous.
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Cold doesn’t even start to describe it. But yes, winter truly is splendid. Just wish it didn’t have to be such an extreme season this year.
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