Winter? I’m not your biggest fan. And this week has been colder than most for those of us living in the Midwestern United States. Brrr. It’s dipping into the negative numbers now, and I’ve found myself getting a bit cranky about it. So, for this week’s “Hooked on Fridays” post, I decided to cheer myself up by focusing on what I enjoy about chilly days. Here are 5 simple things that keep me cozy, not cranky, when it’s cold outside:
1. Hot chocolate. The first thing the kids shout when they walk in the door after school is, “Hot chocolate, please!” Lily likes it with marshmallows. Jake and I prefer whipped cream with lots of chocolate-chips on top. And you have to stir it up with a Pepperidge Farm Pirouette rolled wafer cookie (I prefer French Vanilla, myself). We take our hot chocolate seriously around here.
2. Reading by the fire. This winter I got sucked into the “Twilight” series (pardon the pun), even though I swore I wouldn’t. Once I started, I found it hard to put them down. Is there anything better than getting swept away by a good story? I also love snuggling with my daughter and reading Junie B. Jones books to her. If you’ve never read any of Barbara Parks’ books, they’re hilarious. They make us laugh out loud.
3. A big pot of my Grandma Leota’s beef & vegetable soup. It takes a little work and has to sit on the stovetop for most of the day, so it’s perfect for a snow day when I have nowhere to go and nothing else to do. My grandmother died in 1996 and we still miss her. The smell of her soup, which she always had waiting for us when we visited her in Illinois, always brings back wonderful memories. Add cornbread on the side, of course.
4. Watching “comfort movies” in bed. I know a lot of people disapprove of TVs in the bedroom, but I could never give up lazy Saturdays spent propped up on pillows, under my duvet, watching old favorites like “Jane Eyre,” “Pride & Prejudice,” and “A Room With a View.” Would it be as satisfying if I watched them in the family room, sitting on the sofa? No. No, it would not.
5. Searching the real estate listings for beach houses. Every winter I start fantasizing about moving somewhere–anywhere!–warmer than here. You’ll find me obsessively checking the MLS listings in places like Destin, Florida, and imagining how I’m going to decorate my beach house when I get there.
Wouldn’t this cabin in the woods be a cozy place to wait out the winter? If I can’t have a beach house, this would be my next choice. And I hope the dog comes with it. (Cabin built by The Cottage Company of Harbor Springs.)
Now it’s your turn to tell us what you’re hooked on today! If you have something to share with us on your blog, add your link below. Just please be sure to 1) add the permalink to the specific blog post, not your general blog address, and 2) link back to the party from your post so that your readers can come and see what everyone else is talking about today! Thanks!
(If Mister Linky is down, feel free to leave your link in the comments.)
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(The Inspired Room is having a “Beautiful Life” blog party today, so check out the links on her site, too!)
Hooked on Fridays Participants
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The cabin looks like a perfect spot to enjoy winter….picture perfect!
I do think I need to spruce up my hot chocolate around here! Yours sounds amazing!
Stay warm!
-Kim
Love all these ideas and the pics are fabulous too! I am looking forward to linking up in the morning.
coco’s last blog post..have a settee…
searching listings for beach homes… now that is a great idea… off to the mls! Have a great weekend – keep cozy!
jill’s last blog post..I’m Hooked on…
Thanks for doing this fun party again! I just love feelin’ cozy…..but it’s a little cold in Florida right now for feelin’ cozy
Tamara’s last blog post..I’ll Do The Walkin’ While You Do The Lookin’
Hi Julia. I love your list and descriptions for how to keep cozy on a cold day! And thank you once again for hosting these fun Friday blog parties. ~Arleen
Arleen’s last blog post..Interior Decorating at The White House
I love your snowy pictures. Pictures are about the only thing I like about snow. We moved from Pa. to Florida last year. Today was a damp, chilly day.(60’s) I know it probably sounds warm to you, but living on the water makes it feel cooler than it really is. Today was a good snuggle day down here.
Enjoy your hot chocolate
Kathleen
Kathleen Moser’s last blog post..Now You See it, Now you Don’t
first of all, i want to come to your house for hot chocolate and soup. second of all, i want to visit you at your new house in destin (where we got married). third of all, it’s WAY TOO COLD. fourth of all, thanks for the linky love day!
maya | springtree road’s last blog post..Looking up
I’m going to list this on my Facebook. I honestly didn’t know you were having this blog party. I put my post up earlier today not knowing about it. What a coincidence.
Brandee’s last blog post..Award & Addictions…
I love this snowy cottage! I could just move right in to this place!
Robyns Online World’s last blog post..I Can See It!
I had TWO grandmothers who often made vegetable soup and cornbread. Once I made a cross stitch sampler that said “Country bred and cornbread fed.” That was so true of me in my childhood. Sweet memories!
Gigi’s last blog post..Hooked on Needlepoint Pillows
My goodness! I LOVE that little cabin! I’ll be storing those photos away for inspiration when I have a house of my own.
Taya @ Delightful’s last blog post..Hooked on Fridays – My First Handbag
It’s your #5 for me too. I seem to want to move to Florida…, a little condo perhaps where I could spend the winter! But snowy scenery is beautiful, I have to say.
Maya’s last blog post..Nantucket Wine Basket
Am hooked on wanting it to be wintery in the first place … the southern hemisphere is sweltering right now!
I love having a fire in the woodstove. We’re also eating lots of cookies and watching movies here. I *heart* that cabin!!!
Astrid’s last blog post..it IS cold
I kid you not, I was going to write a post last night about staying warm and I fell asleep at 8:30 instead curled up under my cozy comforter
Stay warm! I swear I will get my act together for a hooked on fridays here soon! All I am hooked on at the moment is getting organized and it’s not pretty 
Emily@remodelingthislife’s last blog post..On Grace and Graciousness
Oh, I just want to vicariously live through the coziness of your post….love it!
jen@Balancing Beauty and Bedlam’s last blog post..Seriously, do I have to?
A blog party surely cheers up a dreery Friday! What fun!
Lynne’s last blog post..Wednesday workspace: Sandra Lane
Lovely post, I feel like snuggling now with some movies in bed
Thanks for the add on Twitter!
Liz@VioletPosy’s last blog post..Hooked on Friday
That cabin looks so cozy! I’m hooked on that!!
Amy @ Living Locurto’s last blog post..Hooked on Fridays
Gorgeous fireplace. I feel like I live at the North Pole these days, cept I’m not so jolly.
Darla – Sassy Homemaker’s last blog post..Raw Egg Facial Mask
I’m SOOO lovin’ that cabin!!
~Tidymom
You just described my day today! The kids are out of school and it’s cold here (for us Texans, anyway).
I’m now on the comfort food part.
May hover there for awhile!
We are THAT family’s last blog post..The Coffee Club {Sincerely ‘Fro Me to You}
Wow! Thanks for the lovely shots of that cabin. So cozy! I am hooked on unique coffee tables and buying old furniture to re-do. Last week I bought a great, but ugly, headboard that will soon be a bench! Can’t wait to post when it’s finished. Gotta get back to Goodwill and get the awesome cocktail table, it needs me!
~Misti
Misti @ Studio M Designs’s last blog post..Not your average Coffee Table
Oh, my…I love this place!!! I’d love to live there!!
Jan’s last blog post..Hooked on Fridays…with Julia
I love that cabin! And the dog is a must have. It’s amazing how it can look so warm and so cozy with all that snow outside! I might not feel as bad about our cold weather if we actually had some snow to show for it!
Christine’s last blog post..Blog Party!
Loooove that kitchen!
Thanks for the Mr Linky fun!
You know, I’m not normally a fan of log cabins, but that one is fantastic! And yeah. Sick of cold weather here too. I’ve worn the same pink scarf for three days, all day at work. NOT taking it off until it warms up around here.
Liz’s last blog post..The Old Mill
Julia,
Thanks so much for hosting this cozy event! I came by way of The Inspired Room to visit. I like to spend time being creative when it is cold outside. I am sharing a tutorial of one of my projects that is not only a cozy activity but creates cozy decor in the form or sassy storage for my home! Have a cozy weekend!
Sandy’s last blog post..A Beautiful Life Goals & Sassy Storage Box Tutorial…
Hey, girl! I didn’t do a hooked on post this week; I’m so far behind on my blogging this week, it’s pitiful.
Your list is perfect. I’m totally with ya on the TV/movie-watching in the bedroom — especially in the winter. Hope it warms up for you soon, and have a great weekend.
Such a pretty home!
I did my post for this week, this is loads of fun!
Christine’s last blog post..Hooked on Fridays: Paul
I also thought It would be grand to live in a cabin- and you just sealed my feelings- Great ideas and pictures.
teresa’s last blog post..Ordinary Women at Vintage Rose Interiors
I am hooked on visiting !!!
Oh someplace warm would be nice, we love our hot chocolate too, mini marshmellows for sure, and TV in bed….THE BEST !!!
I have yet to get into Twilight, I’ve finished all the books I got for X mas. so perhaps I will give that a try…I was so HOOKED on Harry Potter, so I could use another series…..
Sending you warm thoughts,
Kathy
That cabin matches your words so perfectly. It all looks so cozy. I’m hooked!
Katie
Katie @ makingthishome.com’s last blog post..Forced Learning: the Metric System & Our Countertops
Hot chocolate FOR SURE! This Christmas my mom bought me a Bialetti Hot Chocolate Pot from William Sonoma. Oh my – if you love hot chocolate, you will LOVE this machine! I pop water/milk, a packet of Swiss Miss cocoa mix AND a tablespoon of vanilla into the pot and turn it on for 4 minutes. The Bialetti heats the liquid and makes a frothy mug that keeps me warm on these -9 degrees days! (BTW, my sister loves reading the Junie B Jones books with her 8-year-old daughter. She says they make her laugh out loud too!)
Hey, Julia, I figured my shoe love post would qualify for this one too, so I added it on & mentioned your party! Happy Friday!
Rhoda’s last blog post..Shopping with Eddie
I’m hooked on hot tea today. It was well below zero this morning and is a whopping 7 degrees now at 1:00pm here in NH.
Chris@catsonmyquilts’s last blog post..Ode to New Hampshire
The cabin is wonderful & so is that sweet dog! Makes me want to be there right now! I just did a post for your party. Have a great weekend!
Ms.Tee’s last blog post..Hooked On…. Art by Fifi
Oh it looks so cozy!
We’re huge Junie B. Jones fans around here.
PamperingBeki’s last blog post..Fingerprint Friday
Hi Julia! I love the things you are hooked on today! I especially love the picture that reading by the fire paints. Sounds great on the ridiculously cold day we’re having here!
Gayle’s last blog post..Today I’m Hooked on…
Yeah, it’s definitely cold!! Even here in NC, it’s ridiculous for us! Just last month, it was unseasonally warm….this is nuts! I’m loving your Friday parties!! THANKS and have a wonderful weekend!! ~angela
Angela’s last blog post..Hooked on: Lime!
Mmmmm…that cabin looks sooooo cozy…yep, I could move in there!
And those would be some of my favorite cold weather activities, too…would you share the beef vegetable soup recipe with us?
Have a happy weekend…I’ll think of you when I’m drinking my cocoa by the fire!
Kathleen Ellis’s last blog post..Thank You, Fifi Flowers Design Decor!
Ohhhh… that cabin looks perfect! I wish I was there right this minute! Thanks for sharing. Stay warm, Ginny
I think we now know why the renamed “Global Warming” to “Climate Change” – no one was buying it!
Susan Smith’s last blog post..Some flair for your laundry room!
What a precious house! I enjoyed the tour so much!
Thanks,
Sheila
I love hot chocolate but it’s WAY too hot in Australia right now! I’m currently hooked on cool lime cordial fizz …. mmm ….
troischats’s last blog post..Loving my Friday (now that work’s over)
Thanks for hosting the party, Julia. I added my permalink about an hour ago and it was there for awhile, only to disappear. Maybe Mister Linky is having a bad day.
Linda’s last blog post..My rogues’ gallery
Julia you’re the best!
I love this idea of linky Fridays but I am so dumb. Here’s my link:
http://visualvamp.blogspot.com/2009/01/mocca-chocolata-ya-ya.html
It’s all about another kind of hot chocolate ha ha
xo xo
Visual Vamp’s last blog post..Hey Sister, Go Sister, Soul Sister, Go Sister – The Bayou Contessa is Back!
Wow – what a party! Almost missed it – that’s what I get for being out of the loop for a day. It’s freezing here in Connecticut so I really a related to your post!
Laura’s last blog post..Historic Cottage Cape For Sale – Madison, Connecticut
I’m hooked on music! Come visit my blog entry at:
http://musicallymotivated5.blogspot.com/2009/01/hooked-on-music.html
Musically Motivated’s last blog post..Hooked on Music!
I’m hooked on the Apartment therapy web site I could roam there for hours.
and wreaths …. and decoupage.
pat griffith’s last blog post..send in the clowns
Julia,
Thanks for stopping by for a visit. I am really enjoying the link list and finding some really great blogs! Thanks for hosting.
Sandy’s last blog post..A Beautiful Life Goals & Sassy Storage Box Tutorial…
Well, Id love for you to find a place in Destin while searching the mls on cold day’s. Although we have had a cold spell the last few day’s, so I’m not sure a beach house here will do the trick. maybe start seaching St.Thomas, I’ll come visit!
Hi Julia.
I have been tempted by the Twilight series, but I’m afraid I will get nothing done if I start!
I think I just might have to give in and start reading, with a cup of cocoa of course!
xo
Brooke
brooke’s last blog post..i’m not worthy!
Hi Julia,
I nominated you for a Lemonade Award at my blog. Please stop by at my blog to pick up your award.
nancy’s last blog post..An award. Un prix.
That house is charming and adorable.
I just looked at the House a Rama houses, and I’d much rather live in that lovely cottage than any of those McMansions. They are not built in a human scale. They seem more geared “to impress.” I much prefer the friendly and unpretentious vibe of that adorable cottage. The cottage also seems infinitely more suited for sustainable, sane living.
Who lives in those multi-million dollar abominations? They guys who cheated and swindled us all on Wall Street?