i rearranged the house this weekend & added some fresh flowers along with a new {rosemary plant}. it makes such a difference having a little green around to brighten my spirits & kick those winter blues that seem to be creeping in. it also helped to read the latest {3191} & mav’s take on overcoming the winter blues. you have no idea how much tea i’ve been drinking & oranges i’ve been eating since reading her tips… & you know- it really has helped!

of course, the month of february always reminds us of our spending habits. as soon as the tax returns roll in, we are reminded of how quickly we went through last year’s.

this year has to be different, though. with the expenses of moving & not being sure of what they future holds for us {we are becoming “adults” with real jobs!}, saving our money is key! luke is an excellent saver. i, on the other hand, live in the moment… to put it nicely. so, this idea of “saving” is pretty foreign to me. thankfully i have a husband who will kindly nudge me into the right, frugal, penny-pinching direction.

i hope to have a sort of “savings” series on this blog… i’m not committing to too much… just sort of letting you guys know what i do this month to save a little more. it is definitely not “rocket science,” but it is good to be mindful of where money is spent. to start off- some tips on making a {meal plan}!

have a lovely week, friends!
don’t forget about the {giveaway}!

right now i am absolutely in love with old book pages.
& lucky for us- as luke & i were perusing a little antique shop- we found a beautiful german world atlas published in 1927!
the maps were too beautiful not to share so i posted a series on my {etsy shop!}
i am also offering free shipping on the original prints, too.

& as a big thank you for following along on the journey of this blog & my shop, i am offering a free map print as a giveaway! the print will be a surprise & not listed in the shop!
i will randomly pick a winner on february 10th!

just make sure to leave your name & email along with a comment about what you’d like to see more of on this little blog of mine.

thanks, everyone!
i cannot believe it has been over two years & almost 200 entries since i started this blog. i’ve never been more consistent with anything in my life.
i guess you guys are just too awesome!

there is something about a snow day that brings magic to the everyday life.

luke & i woke up slowly, cuddled under our warm blankets.
light filled our home & flakes danced along our window panes.

luke made a special breakfast of buttermilk pancakes & eggs. we spread plum syrup over our warm cakes, a gift from a dear friend.

as soon as the temperature rose above the teens, we stepped outside wide-eyed & amazed by all of the snow. fifteen inches, actually.

we walked around the neighborhood in absolute delight.

all of the light. blue skies. deep green pine. birds chattering.

after a long walk & a visit to our neighbor’s home, we hurried inside with wet socks & hungry bellies. time to dig through the pantry, make a hearty soup & some homemade biscuits.

now let me just remind you that our home isn’t always perfect or heck! even clean. but what makes a snow day actually magical is the clarity to know that it isn’t time to do the dishes, the pile of clothes can wait & the floor doesn’t need sweeping. it is time to make biscuits.

now, a little side story {but absolutely necessary}- when one of my {close friends} lived here, she would always comment on her quick & easy biscuits that she would make for her family on the weekends. as soon as she left, i set out to find my own biscuit recipe in honor of her & also my craving to find a weekend biscuit of my own.

my go-to cookbooks are always from the mennonite community. i appreciate their views on holistic eating & the enjoyment of eating together. their cookbooks, {simply in season} & {more-with-less} are used for dinners most nights around here. so naturally, when i set out for the perfect recipe, i looked at these two cookbooks & of course, i found what i was looking for.

i hope you enjoy this recipe. it was inspired by the “basic biscuits” recipe from the {more-with-less} cookbook & adapted to fit our family preferences.

natalie’s buttermilk biscuits, inspired by her good friend jess & more-with-less

{makes 10-12 large biscuits}

preheat oven to 425 degrees

sift together in bowl-
2 c. flour {part wheat & other part white}
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt

cut in-
1/4 cup vegetable shortening

add-
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup whole milk
{you can use all whole milk if you do not have any buttermilk on hand}
stir until soft ball is formed

turn dough onto floured surface & kneed lightly approx 20 times

roll dough out onto surface

cut with floured biscuit cutter
{i have used a heart cookie cutter before & it worked really well. perfect for valentine’s day!}

place on ungreased baking sheet & bake for 10-12 minutes

take out of the oven when golden brown & serve warm

enjoy with soup.