Domesticali

Haramaki heaven

Not sure what a haramaki is? You need one. Believe me.

Blackbird introduced me to this wondergarment, which is basically a tube of stretchy material you wear over your midriff as a bellywarmer. You can buy them from Japan, and they allegedly bring many health benefits. But basically I just want to hang out with the cool kids and look layered.

Oh, and solve many wardrobe issues like jeans that gape at the waist, or skirts that sit way down low on the hips, or a wonderful cashmere jumper that your dearest one put in the washing machine so it's just a bit too short.

So I made  a haramaki myself. There are fancier tutorials out there, but mine is simple. I chopped the bottom off a jersey top that was destined for the charity shop. And then finding it a touch baggy in the midsection, I zig-zagged the side seams in a bit.

My internal organs are now toasty warm. And as Dr Kawashima says:

A warm body is also important to lift our spirits.
The heart literally turns cold when the body temperature goes down resulting in a negative mood-swing. Simply by keeping oneself cosy and warm at all times results in a better outlook on life.

Amen to that! Now what other clothing can I cannibalise...

Yellow week: 4

On the lookout for yellow at the seaside today. There was a smidgen.

But we were distracted by other things.

 

Yellow week: 3

How old Johnny?

Not such a little one's birthday today. Sweet boy.

Yellow week: 2

The ultimate expression of domestic alchemy, spinning straw into gold.

Yellow week: 1

Erin nominated this week as yellow week. My offering today? Some spring sunshine to say thank you for all your wonderful words of support on the last post. We truly feel very lucky to know you.

I have always loved the simple joyfulness of daffodils - so unpretentious.

When I was pregnant with Johnny, Mark (who was three) kept asking when the baby would be born. And my answer was simple - when the daffodils come. For me, they will always be his special flower.

Change

That things change is one of life's few certainties. Sometimes it is in a gradual and much anticipated way  - the infant who begins to sleep through the night or the opening of the first daffodils of spring.

But at other times change arrives suddenly, without warning and we just have to deal with it the best we can and hope one day to look back on it as an opportunity for new growth. 
My husband got made redundant. But this evening I saw a rainbow.

Before and after

We like routines in our household - they help life tick along more smoothly. But with their many benefits, there does come a risk of things getting a little stale. And sometimes, it's good to take a step back and mix it up a little bit. So this weekend, it was out with the regular pancakes for breakfast and in with a batch of cinnamon buns.

And voila, a new routine is born. The recipe is here (thank you Emily). I've baked cinnamon buns before using a Nigella recipe, but they make such a ridiculously large batch that we waste loads and they always seem to catch on the top before they are cooked through.
In contrast, these were the perfect amount for the 4 of us, cooked perfectly in 15 minutes and were delicious. As evidenced by the plate.
 
The plate which my children are now responsible for loading into the dishwasher. Yes, we had a serious chore allocation discussion over the buns. Do you like my tactics? Sweeten them up and then go for the jugular.

So Johnny is on cutlery loading and rounding up all dirty laundry and Mark does cups and glasses and puts the bins in and out. We'll see if those new routines are as popular as the buns in due course!

One last one

If I promise to stop being so excitable about the white stuff, will you indulge me in just one more snowman photo?

Thank you!

The full monty

 We had to wait for it, but the snow came. Magnificent.

And what else to do with 6 inches of snow, but build a 6 foot snowman? Happy days.

Loving words

loving words, originally uploaded by domesticali.

We all need them sometimes. Especially in these dark days of winter.