Sweet potatoes,
Today The Blended Blog asks: “How do you cozy?” To which I answer, I cozy just fine, thank you! With gusto and enthusiasm, I might add. In fact, I’d say cozy is something I do naturally and something I try to incorporate into my house, my wardrobe. All areas of my life. Here’s some examples of how.
10 Questions Asking How Do You Cozy
1. Slippers: Yes or no? Official slippers, no. But those woolly warm socks, yes. You know the ones. They have treads on the soles. Kind of like the message on these socks below. And guess how much for the Guccis? At that price, they should be Swarovski crystal slippers.
2. What is your favorite blanket? My favorite type of blanket is the kind they have in the hospitals. The waffle weave, lightweight cotton blankets, like this one, that the nurses throw into some kind of microwave-type warmer and wrap you in after surgery. The blanket on our bed is silky-ish on one side and furry on the other. Purrsimmony likes to milk and suck on the furry side. My sweet baby girl.
I also have a favorite nap blanket folded on the bench at the foot of our bed, a gift from my BFF Sharon, embroidered in green with my initials.
And I have a favorite softy curl-up-in-my-loft blankie that Purrsimmony and Purrsnickitty both like to lie on when we are enjoying quiet time in the mornings. It was a retirement gift from some of my teacher friends.
3. Thin or thick pillow? Thick with down. Think puffer pillow. And striped ticking, please. Those can be hard to find these days. But check out this crazy website! Would you have guessed there are folks that would buy your or my old, slobbery pillow ticking? Oh, the money I’ve thrown away!!
4. Favorite warm beverage? PSL…pumpkin spice lattes; chai tea; rich, whipped cream topped Mexican hot chocolate. Try my recipe for Mexican cocoa, here. It’s sure to become one of your favorite warm beverages.
5. Robe: Yes or no? Once upon a time, in another life, I had a fluffy white terry cloth robe not unlike the ones at day spas and resort hotels. But it had very long sleeves that got dragged through every breakfast plate and dunked into every morning cup of coffee. So I need a new robe. Can you guess which of these would be kindest to my limited budget?
6. Favorite comfort snack food(s)? Nuts! And a spoonful of…peanut butter. Bet you thought I was going to say sugar. Nothing better than a spoonful of chunky Jif.
7. Movies or TV series binge? Rarely either one. Once in a blue moon, we will find a TV series we like and will watch it about as fast as we can from start to finish. But my PC is a movie-lover. We don’t go as often as we used to and we don’t watch movies on DVD like we once did, but generally he would say movies over TV. I would say Bachelor/ette trumps everything. Have been watching the second season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” for months. With the same speed I read the book! Check it out on Hulu.
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8. Actual PJ’s or leggings? Ha! I saw $4.99 leggings at Walmart today and wondered what that was all about. They came in lots of busy patterns and colors…wonder if that’s what hip and happenin’ gals these days are wearing to sleep? Being a grandmother and former librarian, I wear PJs or nightgowns. Haven’t given up entirely and gone flannel but some flannel pajamas could be in my future.
9. Do you cozy up on the couch or a chair? We have a reclining sofa with a console between the two seats. PC sits on the left seat and I sit on the right. Our laptops are plugged into the console, which also has drink holders and a little ‘cubby’ for remotes. If I am really tired, I will get a throw and curl up on my side of the couch to watch TV.
10. Hoodie, T-shirt or sweater? Depends on what I am doing. Cardis for work and dates or going out. T-shirts often paired with a cardi. Hoodies or pull-over sweatshirts for working out or hanging out.
In my mind, and heart, for that matter, cozy can be a lot of things. All of the things the gals at TBB asked about above…a well loved blanket, a favorite pillow, a snuggly robe. But it’s more than adjective to describe ‘things’. Cozy it is a texture, and a touch, and a feeling. I hope cozy is the feeling people get from being in my home. Or being on the receiving end of my hugs. Or sitting at my dinner – make that, supper – table.
Your Turn
What’s cozy to you? How do you cozy? Robe? Slippers? Coffee? Cocoa? Won’t you share your cozy in a comment below?
Then please come back and cozy up here later in the week for Sentence a Day, Thursday and Glossies Made Me Do It, Friday. Sure appreciate your company. It makes me feel cozy inside.
Hugs and kisses,
I was tempted to take part in this one but then I thought about it and realised that we don’t do cosy very much. Our routine doesn’t vary that much in winter, except for what we wear outdoors. I wear slippers all year round (!) but I don’t have any special drinks or blankets or pillows. But I must say, you do cosy very well- sounds very tempting! Particularly your Mexican cocoa!
Oh, Gail, please try the Mexican hot chocolate and then let me know if you all have anything like it in Great Britain. It is so good!!
Love your cozy answers, especially your pillow preference! That’s specific and I’ll say I really respect a person who knows what she likes! Now I feel like I need to try one of those pillows from the website and I am remembering similar pillows from my childhood. Great memories!
xo,
Kellyann
Oh, feather pillows with striped ticking are the best. Such memories. I remember the John Denver song, “Grandma’s Feather Bed.” So fun.
I love slippers in the winter!
I need to get some new ones. Up where you live, I would think they would be a necessity.
I totally agree with you that cozy is a feeling! I hope my home feels cozy, too. I bet yours is wonderful 🙂
Thank you, lovey dove! I hope my house is cozy. It’s probably the coziest in the fall. Putting up my decorations today.
I do love all things cozy. I’m a big fan of soft blankets and I don’t mind slippers, but I suppose I do wear fuzzy socks more often. 🙂
-Lauren
Softy blankies are the best. I think I like the sock-slippers because they aren’t as shoe-like, they are more easier to move around in and walk in. I step out of slippers a lot of times. Or they fall off when I am sitting down and then my feet are cold again!!
As soon as the weather cooperates, I’m trying your Mexican Hot Chocolate! Fo sho! I’ve been considering watching The Handsmaid’s Tale. Is it scary? Should I read the book first before binging the series?
The Handmaid’s Tale is scary only in that it is a possible direction our country could find itself in sometime in the future. I would say it is more thought-provoking than scary. You don’t have to have read the book but it i a good read. The program is pretty…the contrasts of the red and green uniforms the women must wear, the dismal gray of the city, the white of the snow. The cinematography is very pretty.
Hope you will try the Mexican Hot Chocolate. It takes cocoa up a notch. I love it!
I complain about having cold feet but rarely wear either slippers or socks in the house — Birkenstocks are on almost as soon as I walk through the door. I don’t wear a robe. When I was a kid, I wanted to be like Cliff and Claire Huxtable and wear cute robes and pajamas… Most of the time, it’s a tee and a pair of sweat pants. But I totally agree with you — cozy is texture and feeling and love and warmth and comfort…
I remember the Huxtables wearing robes! Hadn’t thought of that til you mentioned it. I really want to give robe-wearing a try this winter. I am so cold, a robe had to be a good solution. Right?
My youngest daughter makes fun of me for wearing my shoes all the time. It is 9:00 pm and I have had these tennies on for more than 12 hours. Just don’t think of taking them off. But maybe if I had slippers, I would at least wear them instead.
Reading all these cozy posts is really getting me ready for cooler weather! I love to wear leggings and read by the fire on a cold fall or winter day! That website with the used down items is CRAZY!
People can make money in a lot of weird ways but I never thought there would be a market for old down pillows! My ex-husband took my daughter’s feather pillow away from her when she was 3 or 4 and threw it away. I found one that looked like it (only new) and told her I pulled her pillow out of the dumpster and washed it. She was so glad to have her pillow back. I could have wrung his neck for doing that. She was so sad and traumatized.
Do you have cooler weather yet? We are still about to roast over here. It feels more like July than September. But I am getting out my fall decor today anyway!!
I moved from Boca Raton, Florida to Columbus, Ohio 30 years ago because it never felt like home — in other words it never felt “cozy.” I surround myself with all cozy things. I wrote the following article on hygge, which originated in Denmark, and is “a feeling of comfort and appreciation for the moment, associated with relaxation, indulgence, and gratefulness.”
Getting Hygge With It
By Melodee Currier
Despite raining over 170 days a year and having seventeen hours of darkness a day in Denmark, it is known to be the happiest country in the world which could be attributed to the Danes’ Hygge lifestyle.
Hygge comes from a sixteenth-century Norwegian term, hugga, meaning “to comfort” which is related to the English word “hug.” Hyggelig is an adjective – meaning a feeling of comfort and appreciation for the moment, associated with relaxation, indulgence, and gratefulness.
The concept of Hygge began in Denmark centuries ago, but in 2015, an article written about it for the British Broadcasting Corporation website went viral in Europe and has now made its way to the United States. Numerous books have been written on this subject and it is now so popular that it was on the short list for the 2016 Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year.
Other countries have similar expressions. For instance, Germany has what they call Gemutlichkeit, meaning a sense of well being, great food and drink and good company. But Danes insist Hygge is unique.
It is wholesome and nourishing, like soup. In fact, Danish doctors recommend “tea and Hygge” to cure a cold. It can also help ease the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder.
When I moved from Florida to Ohio twenty-five years ago, friends thought I was crazy. When they asked me why I would make that move, I told them Florida never felt cozy or homey to me like Ohio does. Plus, I feel that Christmas in Florida does not have the same incredible atmosphere that Christmas in Ohio does. They just didn’t understand. They thought living near the ocean was all you needed to be happy. For some, that may be true, but I wanted something more.
I didn’t know then, but I was describing Hygge (pronounced hoo-gah) — a feeling, an ambiance, a moment that leaves a person feeling content, warm and blissful. My “Aha! moment” came while surfing the Internet recently when the word Hygge jumped out at me.
The prime season of Hygge is Christmas, when Danes pull out all the stops. Since Danish winters are long and dark, the Danes fight the darkness with their best weapon: Hygge — with millions of candles.
You can get your hygge on by:
1. Taking time in the morning to light a candle, drink coffee from your favorite mug and meditate a few minutes before the day begins. Or take an early morning walk with a friend.
2. Creating a cozy atmosphere and making every moment special. That means piling on comfy blankets, putting on warm socks, dimming the lights and lighting candles for a calming glow, relaxing and reading a book, knitting or watching a movie.
3. Focusing on building relationships. Entertain more, but keep it simple. It means taking pleasure in other people’s company, and avoiding anything that is unpleasant. It’s being kind to yourself – indulging and not denying yourself anything — even dessert.
4. Slowing down and savoring the moment when eating and drinking. Preparing food, as well as eating, can be satisfying. Food considered to be Hygge are comfort foods like home baked bread, cake and pastries, soup and stew. Also warm drinks like tea, mulled wine, cocoa (with marshmallows) or freshly brewed coffee.
5. Knitting, playing a board game, working on a puzzle and sitting around a fire pit are Hygge type activities. A typical day for me includes writing or working on a project. Sometimes I meet a friend for coffee or lunch or get a manicure or pedicure. In the evening my husband and I spend time talking about our day or watching a movie, sometimes we sit in front of our wood burning fireplace.
6. Surrounding yourself only with things you love. Wear cashmere or knitted socks, cozy, soft clothing. The Hygge wardrobe is about how clothes feel, rather than how they look. Create your environment so you only have items that you love and that have meaning. My husband and I designed our wedding bands with gems from my mother’s wedding band, which is meaningful to us.
7. Uncluttering your home and focusing on things such as candles, comfortable chairs, soft throws, sheepskin rugs, twinkling fairy lights, a warm fireplace and music that creates the perfect ambience.
8. Snuggling with your pet is pure Hygge. My cats enjoy sitting on a warm heater vent or in a laundry basket full of warm clothes just out of the dryer, laying on a cozy, warm blanket or simply basking in the sun.
9. Enjoying a Hyggelig pub experience is best if you find one that is homey with comfortable arm chairs next to a warm fire. It’s even better if they have comfort food and a board game or two.
After your basic needs are met, more money doesn’t lead to more happiness. Buying more things such as clothes, jewelry or a bigger house will not make us feel more content. When we let go of comparing ourselves to others and stop adding more things, we eliminate stress and are able to focus on what is most important to us.
Some things I will not give up to experience Hygge are my cell phone, my computer, certain television shows and the news. Two things I need to do now to really get Hygge with it are start my long overdue uncluttering project and buy a pair of cashmere socks. I think that’s a fair trade.
What an interesting comment you shared with me. So glad to learn about Hygge. And to meet YOU! Love all of the preparations and activities that constitute hygge. Thank you for sharing your insight into these Danish practices. Glad you have returned to Ohio where you feel cozy and comfortable and at home. My husband is in Ohio right now visiting family in the Dayton area. It’s a small world.
Thank you Leslie!
I still need to try your Mexican hot cocoa! I have it pinned! I’m like you, I love those fuzzy socks with the grips on the bottom, but man… I wouldn’t say no to a nice pair of Ugg slippers! ha! I really need a new robe. Oh, I love PB on the spoon, but I prefer Peter Pan over Jif. It is creamier I think. But, I used to love Jif until I tried Peter Pan. ha! I prefer my coffee iced, even when it is cold! So, I have been getting my iced #PSL, BUT it is still hot here!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Hmmm, Peter Pan you say? Maybe I need to check it out. I was a Skippy girl for a long time but I think I was unable to buy it for some reason, or maybe Jif was cheaper, so I switched. Aren’t you just sick of this endless summer? We are still having temps in the upper 90s. So crazy.
At this new job I am doing, they have UGG slippers for sale. I haven’t asked how much but thinking my feet would be forever grateful if I bought some for them.