Carpe Diem means to make the most of the moment, seize the day!! I feel a little letdown, after the Holidays…So I like to look around my house and find a comfy nook, make feelgood recipes, read good books, watch comfy movies and maybe add a little sparkle to my life!! In other words, make the most of the cold winter days!! 
My friend, Penny, gave me this sweet little book packed with jewels of wisdom, that reminds us to stay in the moment and enjoy it as much as we can!!! Here are some of the jewels of wisdom that I especially liked:
I love Oprah and Eckhart Tolle, so I was delighted to see quotes in this book from them!!
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So now I’m showing you some things that help me get through the cold winter months!! This is my favorite corner in our house to read a good book or watch a cozy movie…it’s in our bedroom right next to a bay window, but I have a very warm blanket to keep me warm…
It’s faux fur on top and soft fleece on the back…I loved it so much I bought one for The Train House in Virginia, at TJ Maxx!!
One of my favorite movies to watch on a cold winter night is “The Holiday” with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black, it’s funny and warm-hearted!! The fairy tale country cottage in this movie is so cozy, it looks like it has been around for 200 years, but in fact, they built it in London for the movie. See how they built Rosehill Cottage on this website!
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This is a recipe that will warm you and makes your house smell divine, on a freezing cold day or night…
The ingredients!!
In a baking dish before it goes into the oven…
Finished!!
Chicken Drumsticks and Thighs with Vegetables in Mustard-Wine Sauce
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/4 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 lb. small red potatoes
1 lb. large carrots
1 Red Onion
1 lemon
3 clove garlic
4 large chicken drumsticks
4 boneless thighs
3/4 c. dry white wine
1 tbsp. coarse-grain Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tbsp. Dried marjoram leaves
DIRECTIONS
- Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Toss 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper with potatoes and next 4 ingredients in a large roasting pan. Rub chicken with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Arrange on top of the vegetables in the pan. Pour wine into the pan.
- Bake at 450 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes or until chicken is done and golden. Remove chicken and keep warm. Bake vegetables for 10 more minutes, or until they are tender. Serve chicken with vegetables.
I served it with spinach or you could do a salad and I paired it with a glass of white wine…
The wine in this dish gives it a gourmet taste and smells divine… so tender and savory!!
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And now for some sparkle in my life!!
My hairdresser added “Fairy Hair” or “Bling String” as she called it!!
It’s hair tinsel tied to strands of hair, I chose gold!!! Fun and a good way to start a conversation with people…lots of people come up to me asking what I have in my hair???
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So these are just some of the things that will get me through a cold, snowy New England winter…of course, we can always just pick up and go to The Virginia Train House, which is what we did before this latest snowstorm😉 
Our renovation in The Train House is coming along…Before picture, when the wall was knocked down between the family room and kitchen eating area…
The same view now, as I was writing this post🤗 That second staircase leads to the master bedroom…still lots of work to be done, but comfortable to live in until it’s finished!!
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Sometimes it takes a lot of courage and strength to “untie the ribbons,” but it can be totally worth it. I feel like our Virginia home was one of the many “gifts” in our lives and now we are in the process of “untying the ribbons” to reveal this beautiful old house!!
Visions of My 70s 
Love this Carol!
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Thank you Claire❤️ Enjoying The Train House!! Hope you and Tom are having a good winter💞❄️
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Nice and warm and toasty!!!
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Thank you, Clare💖
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We are having a cold spell right now in Florida (40 at night 50 during the day) stop laughing. I am going to make the chicken recipe this week, have beef stew in the crock pot right now. Hope to see you in May or July when we are in Norwood. Maybe a girls night in May. Pat Foley
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I’m not laughing, I’m in Virginia and it’s colder than Boston😩 Glad you’re making the recipe, you’ll enjoy it!! Beef stew in crockpot sounds wonderful👍 Yes, I would love to get together💞
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Loved reading your blog. Recipe sounds light and yummy. Also love the seeing the progress on the train house. Love the name. Hope you got used to the sound. Or earplugs 😉😉😉 Also the satins and cozy corner are spot on And the hair. Very nice. Love it all. Be well. Thanks for sharing. By the way I recognized a woman in a picture Very pretty. Whitish grey hair. Used to run gift shop at Lovell’s. Loved her. The sweetest. At your yoga I believe
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Kathy, so glad you’re enjoying my blog💖 The Train House isn’t finished, lots of work still to do, no I haven’t gotten used the sound, daytime isn’t bad and 😃nighttime Victor sleeps right through it!!! The picture is my LaBlast class at Needham Y. I’ll ask her if she worked at Lovell’s, all really nice lady’s. The class is like Zumba but with ballroom dancing moves and no partners, awesome exercise!!Thank you again, for your kind comments, hope you, Kevin and your family are all doing well❤️
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I just love your blog, especially how you make your very cozy space so warm and inviting. Kind of makes me miss MA and the cold, but not too much! Haha. I chuckled upon seeing your chicken recipe for Art is in the middle of making a huge pot of his wonderful chicken soup. Now that we’ve lost our mid-seventy degree temperatures to the forties, this is perfect for a chilly dinner. Also, love the “bling” in your hair. Isn’t it fun to experiment? Take care and stay warm, my friend!
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Thank you, Nancy, so happy you’re reading my blog!!! I know, I love the coziness of New England, and chicken soup is the best…what is Art’s secret in making it??? It’s really cold in Virginia, colder than Boston, your lucky with 40’s. The hair bling was lots of fun, doesn’t last too long though maybe a month!! Stay warm, and enjoy that chicken soup, I now have a hankering for it🤗❤️
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Hi Carol,
I always enjoy your blogs and all the interesting tidbits.
Hope you and your family enjoyed the “train house” and the holidays in Virginia. The house is looking really good, and will soon be perfect. Your hair looks great. I especially liked your quotes. You know I’m not much of a cook, but I did try Patty’s recipe for chocolate chip cookies – delicious.
If your back home in Massachusetts, hope you are keeping nice and warm.
I got home from Florida last week, left 82 degree weather, came home to
snow and 28 degree weather. The snow was pretty.
You and Victor take good care and be well.
With Love,
Lucille
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Hi Lucille, Victor always asks me if I’ve heard from you…we are both so delighted when we do!! I hope Dee is doing well, so nice you spend time in Florida with her, hopefully you’re going back down soon, to get out of this cold weather, it’s even cold in Virginia!! We are really enjoying renovating The Train House, I’ll be posting more before and after pictures on the blog as we go along!! We love having the kids over for meals and soon we will have Aaden and Parker for overnight stays!!
Thank you again for your kind comments, take care and stay warm💗
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I loved every single moment of this! And I’m so glad that you enjoyed the little treasure book! You’re reading nook in that corner is so inviting. The movie you talked about it I must’ve seen at least three times! How fascinating that they built the actual building just for the movie! It has such character. I’m so excited for you that your house is coming along and that it feels like a gift each time something is accomplished inside. It’s a beautiful picture of your beautiful self in front of that window. All that light streaming through! Seeing these pictures and reading what you wrote was a little grin of peace. Thank you Carol💓
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Oh, Penny, this post would not have happened if not for YOU!!! Thank you for your sweet comments and for the sweet little book💗 After the movie, that house was somewhat of a tourist attraction, but unfortunitely they tore it down…all that work and beauty gone!!
I have big plans for that area I was sitting at…curtains, pillows and painting the antique dining table!! And my fairy hair…one strand left🤣 So glad this post brought you a grin and peace💗 Looking foward to seeing you back at dance class!!! 💞you Miss Penny!!
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Oh and how could I forget the fairy hair!!!! Love that 🤗
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