Slow Living at the Farmhouse in Vermont

I've been fully embracing the shorter days here at the farmhouse in Vermont. Every now and then I ache for a hot sunny day by the river, but I'm really trying to stay present without letting my mind wander too much. It's good to dream, but even better to be fully in the here and now. That's where the magic really is. For me, magic tends to come in waking up early and seeing the condition of the trees outside my window. Magic tends to be the creak of the floors as I walk down to my favorite part of the house, the kitchen. Magic tends to be the first sip of my hot morning coffee around the time my brain starts to wake up and mull over what my day will look like. I've been slowly changing the way I think and the way I want to show up in the world. I really want to live in the most intentional way I can. At times it feels impossible and overwhelming, but I constantly remind myself that a little bit each day goes a long way. I love how quiet it is when it snows. After years of constant travel and instability, it's been so healing to form a routine and find steady community. Each Sunday I go to my local farmer's market and purchase my seasonal produce and sometimes other assorted things for the week. I think edible gifts are great, and I also picked up some local goodies to gift some of my loved ones this Christmas. When I'm not working at my computer, I'm usually creating. This week it was the dried orange garland that I've seen a lot of this year, and I'm sure you have too. I like that it could serve as a decoration throughout the entire winter and then be broken down without doing much harm. Someone in my last video told me I needed to put a above my butcher block and behind my sink because it was too dark and dismal. I would just like to remind you that everyone likes things a different way, and that's okay. So while to some my house might seem depressing, to me it's very cozy. I prefer it dark. I am a gal who gets overstimulated very easily by bright lights and loud noises, so the darkness is comforting to me, especially this time of year. I also decided I wanted to learn how to knit this winter, even though it can be tough for me to stay focused enough to learn something new. I immediately messed up. Hey guys, welcome back. I can't even get it in the ball. I'll be honest with you, I used most of my energy untangling the yarn, so we'll try again another day. Ethan has been out of town, so I'm going to surprise him with a loaf of banana bread. I'm really a terrible baker, but I'm determined to get better, and I just keep practicing the most basic recipes over and over, like pancakes, banana bread, chocolate chip cookies. There's something off every time. I don't know what it is. I feel like I think I follow the recipe exactly. I read the directions, which I never used to. I measure everything, which I never used to, because I like to eyeball, which is why I prefer cooking, but there's always something wrong. So if anyone watching this is a baker, give me some tips because I don't know what I'm doing. Also, our oven isn't the best. It cooks everything really slowly. I think it's just old, and I have to double, sometimes triple the time it takes to cook something, and that's been tough to figure out. Like I already don't know how to bake, and then having to like estimate time and check things manually. We're gonna keep trying. Rookie mistake. Okay, fingers crossed. The batter looks pretty good, but I thought it looked good last time. Well, it looks good, and it smells good, and it took a whopping hour and 45 minutes. Every time I've made banana bread elsewhere, it's been an hour for the loaf, so I'm still the problem, but it's also our oven. I feel extremely grateful for this little life I'm building here, and that I get to share bits of it with you. Oh my gosh, this is beautiful. If you've made it this far, I appreciate you watching, and I'll see you next week.