Cinnamon Swirls and Cozy Corners

Hello Friend,

I’m so glad you dropped in for tea today. Excuse my attire, I’m dressed like a toddler, in white long-sleeved T and denim overalls. The Cowboy is calling me Ellie-Mae but I’m very comfortable, and comfort is the main idea.

I’m looking forward to our visit, and I can hardly wait to take a bite of our treat. Can you smell the wonderfulness of the Cinnamon Swirled Banana Bread? My mouth is watering.

I’m breaking with tradition and serving coffee today. It seemed like the right thing to serve with this scrumptious cinnamony banana bread. The perfect comfort food. Check out the recipe here.

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Winter has arrived in my little corner of the world, along with ramped up Covid numbers, heavier restrictions, and lockdowns, in places. We had to cancel our trip to celebrate Little Man’s seventh birthday with him. Very disappointing for him and for us.

Luckily, we could make a quick trip to soak in some grandkid hugs from Sweet Thing and Little Munch before their province’s restrictions came into effect. I still feel those little arms squeezed around my neck, a healing elixir.

But it is hard, isn’t it? And now my heart is seeking comfort and joy. And cozy corners.

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Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.

Edith Sitwell

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What is your idea of a cozy corner? Is anyone else there, or are you alone? Are you staring out the window, or reading a book, or in a heart to heart conversation with a dear friend?

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Are you sitting by a light-filled window or snuggled up next to a fireplace? Does your cozy corner contain a blanket or a pet? Is there something good to eat? A warm drink?

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Cats are connoisseurs of comfort.

James Herriot

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I’m hesitant about a pet in my cozy corner. Kittens are cute and cats seem cozy to me, but I’m not a big fan of pets in the house, so my cozy corner would likely be pet-less. However, it would definitely include a blanket – either one of those velvety soft ones so popular now, or better yet, the flannel rag quilt in pinks and blues that Mom made me years ago.

Then, of course, there’d be a big comfy wing chair with a footstool. Wing chairs are nice for nodding off in – they have built in headrests. I’d be near a window with a view, there’d be quiet instrumental music playing, a book or two within easy reach, and the smell of something wonderful coming from the kitchen.

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Books are good company, in sad times and happy times …

E.B. White

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Maybe your cozy corner is in the kitchen near your coffee pot, cupping your favourite mug in your hands. You’re comforted by the lingering smell of buttered toast, and the sight of cherished pieces of china peeking at you from the cupboard.

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The smell of that buttered toast simply spoke to Toad, and with no uncertain voice; talked of warm kitchens, of breakfasts on bright frosty mornings, of cozy parlour firesides on winter evenings, when one’s ramble was over and slippered feet were propped on the fender; of the purring of contented cats, and the twitter of sleepy canaries.

Kenneth Grahame

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Or maybe your most comforting place is your sewing or crafting corner, where your busy hands create masterpieces of love and sanity. I think I’d pick my sewing corner as my second favourite cozy corner. For me, sewing has proven to be soothing for frayed nerves and an unquiet mind.

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I am certain that a Sewing Machine would relieve as much human suffering as a hundred Lunatic Asylums, and possibly a good deal more.

Margaret Atwood, Alias Grace

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Whatever your cozy corner entails, I hope you can spend a little time there soon, gather your thoughts, and remember the good things in your life. If this season of unrest has taught me anything, it is that regardless of circumstances going on around me, there are still so many moments of beauty, of comfort and joy, to experience. Look a little harder and you’ll find them.

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As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful. They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness – just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breathe it; just warmth and shelter and home folks; just plain food that gives us strength; the bright sunshine on a cold day; and a cool breeze when the day is warm.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

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Thanks so much for visiting today. Bye for now, and stay safe out there.

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Featured image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay.

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