• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Cozyegg Designs ~ Cozystyle

Fashion, Art, Design, Beauty

  • Cozyegg Designs
    • Cozyegg
    • Cozylife
    • Cozystyle
  • Categories
    • Photography
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Beauty & Fitness
    • Design
    • Food & Entertaining
    • Books
    • Holiday
    • Playlist
  • Contact
    • Subscribe to our mailing list
You are here: Home / Archives for Lifestyle

Lifestyle

December 2020 in Photos

April 8, 2021 by Michelle Leave a Comment

I’ll be honest, December started off as kind of a hard month. Normally, I have guild holiday parties to attend, along with our own annual holiday party we usually throw. But, Covid put the kibosh on that. Typically, the time between Thanksgiving and the first weekend in December is a flurry of trying to get the house decorated, food baked, and invites sent out. With no deadline to meet for our party though, we weren’t in any rush to decorate the house. And I’ll be honest, a part of me kind of felt like it was silly to do it because no one else was going to see it. But, Eric loves Christmas and I love having the house decorated, especially our Christmas trees. So, I decided that even if no one else sees it and we’re not having our party – we really needed this.

Eric even put his trains out for this first time since we got the boys. And thankfully, they mostly ignored them. Although occasionally Thut would knock it completely off the track as he settled into a nap on the tree skirt making it look like a scene from The Fugitive.

Since we weren’t having our annual holiday party, but still wanted to enjoy some delicious treats, we came up with a list of what we really wanted. I tried to spread it out over the holidays so we weren’t completely overloaded with desserts.

I made peppermint bark, which I don’t think I’ve made in several years. I make it with dark chocolate because Eric honestly hates white chocolate.

I made spiced nuts too. It’s an old Martha Stewart recipe and they are my favorite, so I always want to make them.

The fruitcake I made last year? the year before? was so good that Eric suggested I make that too.

It basically has brandy, nuts (I used pecans, I think), dried cranberries, and golden raisins in it. Delicious.

Eric also requested Italian S cookies. This was my first time making them and they turned out really good. Of course after I made them he informed me his mom doesn’t make them in this shape. shrug They were still yummy.

For Christmas Eve dinner, I typically make some sort of special dessert. I found a recipe for tiramisu that is made with pound cake instead of ladyfingers. Since finding ladyfingers has always been my block for making tiramisu, this sounded like a good option. I made the pound cake a day ahead.

Eric made espresso for me in his Moka pot. When I was ready to assemble.

I’ll be brutally honest. It wasn’t good. It had a couple of problems. It called for cocoa powder sprinkled over the top. I used wayyyy too much, and since it was unsweetened it was super bitter. The second problem was that the cake didn’t soak up the espresso. The third issue was the filling/topping. It didn’t have the texture I was expecting and we both felt the cake to filling ratio was a bit off.

After tasting it, we doctored it up a little bit. We poked holes into the top and poured more espresso in. That helped a good bit. The other thing we did was make more of the filling/topping and added more of that on top. It still didn’t have the right consistency, but it toned down that unsweetened cocoa powder a good bit. Not sure I will be making this particular recipe again, but I might experiment with a different recipe.

Christmas Eve dinner was otherwise delicious and we even had wine for the first time in what seems forever. We haven’t spent Christmas Eve/Christmas Day with family in several years, so pandemic aside, we enjoyed our time together and just the two of us celebrating.

One of the things that made me insanely happy in December was continuing my love affair with reading. The new book in one of my favorite series is scheduled for release in February of next year, but when they revealed the cover for it I was a bit heartbroken because they’d done away with the beautiful covers I’d come to know and love. Thus began my quest to track down and own the first four books in the series with the original covers. I had originally read these as library books, but I wanted to add them to my own collection. So, I hunted down the first book, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and read it in December. And I fell in love with this series all over again. I’ll talk more about these books in a separate post, but suffice it to say many late nights were spent with my head in this book.

The big thing that happened in December was that I revealed something I’d been working on for the past year. I charted an antique sampler and released the pattern to members of my guild as part a gift for our twentieth anniversary celebration. It was so much work and it taught me a lot, and I admit it was hard to keep it a secret. Such a huge relief though to release Sarah out into the world and I look forward to seeing her come to life with other stitchers’ needles.

While December really brought home the impact Covid was having on our usual routines and celebrations, there was a lot of goodness to be embraced. Eric and I both took time off of work and enjoyed our time together. If 2020 taught me anything it’s that Eric and I are in this together and when you take away external distractions, it gave us the opportunity to focus on what matters.

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Photography

November 2020 in Photos

March 12, 2021 by Michelle Leave a Comment

November seemed to rush by. Perhaps that’s because I was hyper-focused on getting some projects completed, perhaps it was wanting 2020 to just be over already, or perhaps it was that the days seemed to just blend into each other.

I spent a good bit of the month working on finalizing a project that I’d spent basically all of 2020 working on. For my guild‘s twentieth anniversary, I was given the opportunity to reproduce an antique sampler owned by our previous guild president. We were going to reveal the sampler to the members at the December meeting, so my Thanksgiving vacation was spent finalizing threads and having Eric help take photos for the cover of the chart.

So grateful for his help!

I did some more reading in November too. After finishing Midnight Sun, it felt like I couldn’t read books fast enough. I think I read the equivalent of five books this month. I was really feeling the pain of the library still being closed because of Covid, but then I remembered that I had an ebook that Eric bought for me awhile back. A cozy mystery seemed like the perfect choice for these chilly fall days.

Still focusing on some self-care by keeping up with my manicures. This combo is always a favorite for this time of year. And my Desert Jasper palm stone matches perfectly, doesn’t it? Desert Jasper is for being true to yourself, embracing life enthusiastically, and the fiery energy of action and courage.

My mani is a combo of OPI’s Live from NY…It’s OPI with an accent nail of China Glaze I Herd That.

Thanksgiving always seems a little strange since we no longer celebrate it with our families. But of course, being 2020, this year seemed extra strange. We watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as we normally do, and I’m glad they did one even though it was a scaled back version.

Eric made a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. We had turkey and gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and Hawaiian rolls. So so good.

For dessert we had apple pie with a streusel topping that ended up more like apple crisp than apple pie. It was still delicious though.

This Thanksgiving for sure, I was feeling a lot of gratitude for making it to this point in an unprecedented year of WTF, gratitude for my little family, and gratitude that after eight months of self-isolation at home Eric and I have actually grown closer.

Honeymoon in Rome 2006

Even the boys pretended to get along with each other more than usual – while I’m on Zoom with my stitching friends…

… and while I’m working from home.

They really are the most spoiled cats.

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Photography

October 2020 in Photos

March 7, 2021 by Michelle Leave a Comment

October is my favorite month. I always seem to come alive in the fall, and this year was no exception (even though this whole year has been an exception). One of the best things to happen in October was that I rekindled my love of reading. Up until October, I’d basically read two books. Such a sad, sad state of affairs. But, Eric ordered Midnight Sun for me and I was saving it to start on October 1st.

I am unapologetically a Twilight fan, and I was so excited to finally get to read Edward’s POV. I really enjoyed this book and love Eric for buying it for me. But after the dry spell my reading life had been experiencing, this book was exactly what I needed to spark that interest again.

So, so good. And I just can’t tell you how good it felt to want to pick this book up at every opportunity and read.

Still carrying crystals in my pocket everyday too. I select them intuitively, as I feel the need to choose something different. Mid-month I was carrying bloodstone and serpentine. Bloodstone to heighten intuition and increase creativity, and serpentine for freedom from self-imposed limitations and connecting you with your true purpose in life.

Ramses had to spend a bit of time in a fashionable cone, unfortunately. He somehow managed to rip out three of his back claws. He was most unhappy with that cone. Luckily, he healed well and his claws have started to grow back in.

October was also a month of some much-needed focus on self-care. This month, that looked like painting my nails and trying to get more sleep.

OPI’s Jade is the New Black is one of my favorite colors ever. And combined with my Bloodstone and Serpentine, clearly I was having a green obsession.

Orly’s Fowl Play is what I chose for my Halloween mani. I love those orange flecks in there.

I was having some restless nights, and one night after only two hours of sleep I remembered I had this oil blend. I placed a couple drops on my forearms and that definitely seemed to help. I posted more about this blend over on my Cozylife blog.

October is also Eric’s birthday month, so I made him a twist on his favorite cassata cake. Usually I make it with pound cake, but instead I made it with chocolate cake. Basically, I layer the cake with cannoli filling, the frosting is whipped cream frosting, and then I sprinkled mini chocolate chips on top.

It was so good.

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Photography

September 2020 in Photos

October 13, 2020 by Michelle Leave a Comment

 

September brings with it the beginning of my favorite season, and we actually had some stormy, cooler days that actually made it feel like fall had finally arrived.  As I’m typing this though, we’re back to the 90 degree days but I hope they are short-lived.  We are still staying home as much as possible and aside from sharing a plethora of “autumn aesthetic” posts on my stories, even my Instagram posts are suffering from a state of ennui.  I spent most of the month working on some secret projects with deadlines on the weekends, so I had very little I could share.  Ironically, when the weather turns cooler and the leaves change (sort of, we’re in Texas), I start to feel more alive, inspired, and creative.  I start thinking about plans and projects and what I want to accomplish in the remaining few months of the year.  Sadly, the state of the world tends to put the brakes on my plans.

Even the boys couldn’t be bothered to do much more than nap these days.  Thut has chosen a new napping spot though.  And my deadline projects had to be mailed, so I gathered up all of the things that have been sitting around awaiting a trip to the post office and got those ready to go as well.  Luckily, I was able to go after hours and use the self-service kiosk to limit having any interactions with other people.  And honestly, it feels really good to get these things off my to do list.

 

★ After finishing up our rewatch of Star Trek Deep Space Nine, we decided to watch Star Trek Voyager and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it too.

★ We took advantage of one of the cooler days and Eric made chili and I made some mini loaves of cornbread.  It’s been forever since I had cornbread so I was so happy for that little treat.

★ The only other thing of note in September was that I finally finally finished reading Frankenstein.  I did enjoy it and I will do a separate post about it, but I was glad to turn the last page and start on something new.

Here’s hoping for a more eventful October and dreaming of some cooler, rainy days…

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Photography

August 2020 in Photos

September 7, 2020 by Michelle Leave a Comment

Hard to believe it’s September already and we’re into our seventh month of staying home due to the pandemic.  I am still only venturing out for doctor’s appointments, although I am going to have to brave the post office soon because I have a stack of packages I need to mail.  Things are starting to open up more, but since there are so many people that refuse to wear masks or maintain social distancing, I’m staying home.  Of course, with August being my birthday month, it was a bit of a let down to not be able to go out for a birthday dinner or get together with friends.  But Eric brought me tacos from Rosa’s (drive-through) at my request and he baked me a delicious lemon cake with lemon icing.

Not much else going on here last month.  I did take a few days off from work around my birthday, which was much needed.  It was a reminder how much I value being able to spend my days on my own projects and not having to spend so much of my life at a job I don’t love in order to pay bills.  With the pandemic and staying at home, it seems the only difference between the weekdays and the weekends is that I don’t log into work.  Not much to look forward to, and nothing to break up the monotony.  What a gift it would be to be able to spend my days doing something I am passionate about.

★ I’m still working my way through reading Frankenstein for the first time.  I’ve had this going since January when I finished The Bear & the Nightingale.  I’m enjoying it, and the language is really lush and detailed.  I just don’t find myself picking it up to read frequently or for any long stretch of time.

★ For my birthday, Eric ordered Midnight Sun for me.  It was on backorder, so it hasn’t arrived yet.  I’m hoping to get Frankenstein finished up so that I can dive in.

★ With there not being much on tv, we did a free trial of CBS All Access so we could watch Picard and Star Trek Discovery back in June.  Both were excellent and rekindled my love of Star Trek.  So, when we ran out of things to watch we decided to watch Deep Space Nine on Prime.  We finished up the final season (season 7) around the end of August, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I don’t think I ever watched the last couple of seasons when it was on tv originally, so those were new to me.  But it was nice to watch something that was out of time and a bit of escapism.  Plus, Star Trek is kind of like comfort tv for me, which fit my needs perfectly right now.

★ I did do a little bit of sewing in August.  I was supposed to go on one of my in town quilting retreat weekends back at the end of March, which of course never happened.  So, it’s probably been since late 2019 since I’ve done any sewing really.  I have a donation quilt I am making and I needed to get started on it.  Of course, I had Ramses helping me sew which is part of the reason I rarely sew at home.

I’m looking forward to fall weather and the end of the oppressive heat of summer.  That should raise my mood significantly.

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Photography

July 2020 in Photos

August 4, 2020 by Michelle Leave a Comment

July marks the fourth month of being at home due to the pandemic.  I still only go out for doctor’s appointments, although with our cases continuing to rise I’m starting to question the wisdom of that even.  I’m really missing being able to go out to a restaurant for dinner and sit and talk and enjoy the food.  I miss seeing my friends in person.  I miss being able to run out to the post office or a shop to get something.  I hate having to leave the mail in the garage in quarantine for a few days before opening it.  I don’t love having to wear a mask when I go out or having to wipe everything down with alcohol when I come home.  I’m also really missing having time alone.  But, we continue to make the best of it and take the precautions we have to in order to stay safe and healthy.

So, let’s take a look back at July, shall we?

★ I took a few days off work at the beginning of the month and combined with our holiday for fourth of July gave me five full days away from “the office” (still working at home), which was much needed.  I spent some of vacation working on my haunted dollhouse project and planning out the rooms and what furniture could be reused from the pieces my grandmother made.  I’m excited to start looking at wallpaper and flooring options for my rooms now.

★ I also spent some time during the month doing some organization of my craft closet and it feels so good to get that more in order.

★ We continued, and finally finished, the deep cleaning of the house this month and I’m so glad we did.  I always appreciate how much better the house feels with the energy stirred up, but man it’s exhausting.  Maybe next year we’ll actually do our spring cleaning during spring when it’s not so hot.  And just so there’s no confusion, the photos above of the furniture mess is dollhouse furniture and not related to the deep cleaning lol.

★ We invested in some LED lightbulbs for a few different spaces in the house, one of which was our bathroom.  The light fixture (which we don’t love) has eight bulbs in it so that many bulbs makes it super hot in there.  By moving to LEDs we could lower the heat factor and update the look a little bit too.

★ Early in the month I was also feeling the effects of the full moon and penumbral lunar eclipse – I was feeling a lot of change, a shift in energy, and a simultaneous restlessness and expansion.  My intuitive selection during this time has been Blue Apatite for creativity, motivation, and personal power, and Serpentine for purpose, healing, and transformation.

★ Eric made lemon cake for the 4th, which was so so good and he got some hard apple cider to go with our burgers and hot dogs we had over the holiday weekend.

★ I’ve been thinking a lot about clearing out things that no longer serve me and focusing on aligning my daily actions with where I want to be.  I actually created a vision board for myself, which I haven’t done in several years, and I’ve been focusing on creating and moving closer to those goals.  More on that to come.

★ Near the end of the month, we tried to get a glimpse of comet Neowise, but alas weren’t able to see it.  I’ve loved seeing photos of it, like this one over Stonehenge.

★ The month ended with a bang, literally.  I had to go out for a doctor’s appointment and on my way home had a blowout of one of my tires on the highway.  Luckily I was able to pull off safely and get someone to come put the spare on, but it was definitely not something I want to do again.  Eric took the car the next day to get a new tire and you can see by the photo, this one was in really bad shape.

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Photography

Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Get my posts delivered to your inbox

Currently Reading

Read in 2021

Read in 2020

RSS Posts from Cozyegg

  • Flosstube Episode 103 – A Return to Egypt
  • Flosstube Episode 102: Oceans of Time
  • Flosstube Episode 101: New Beginnings
  • Flosstube Episode 100: Winter Solstice
  • Flosstube Episode 99: No Nonsense November

RSS Posts from Cozylife

  • Dreamcatcher
  • Summertime Smoothies
  • Summer Mixer Make and Take
  • Laundry Detergent DIY
  • August 2018 Promos

Categories

Archives

Instagram

The 13th of the month is upon us and I am deep in The 13th of the month is upon us and I am deep in my need for dark stitching. Settle in with a glass of absinthe and tell me what’s beckoning to you from your stitching  collection. 🦇🥀🕯 #dark13stitching #itsalwayshalloweeninmysoul #cozyeggcreates
Finished the carnation band on Sarah. Moving down Finished the carnation band on Sarah. Moving down to the next section. I’m also prepping the corrected charts and hoping to send them out tomorrow.  #cozyeggdesigns #sarahannbanton1833 #tudorrosesamplerguild #samplersunday #samplerstitchersofinstagram #samplerstitching #reproductionsampler #cozyeggcreates
Fifteen years. Happy anniversary, my love. ♥️ Fifteen years.  Happy anniversary, my love. ♥️

You cannot possess me for I belong to myself.  But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give.
 
You cannot command me, for I am a free person.  But I shall serve you in those ways you require and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand.
 
I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry aloud in the night and the eyes into which I smile in the morning.
 
I pledge to you the first bite of my meat and the first drink from my cup.
 
I pledge to you my living and dying, each equally in your care.
 
I shall be a shield for your back and you for mine.
 
I shall not slander you, nor you me.
 
I shall honor you above all others, and when we quarrel, we shall do so in private and tell no strangers our grievances.
 
This is my wedding vow to you.
 
This is the marriage of equals.
It may not be pretty but it was delicious. I made It may not be pretty but it was delicious. I made Eric’s favorite cake (cassata cake) for Easter dinner. He found some espresso chocolate chips to use in the filling, which gave it a little kick. #cozystyle #baking #cassatacake

Copyright © 2006–2021 Cozyegg Designs · All Rights Reserved
Built and designed by 7th Circle Designs

Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | CCPA Privacy Notice | Accessibility Statement | Affiliate Disclosure