Manchester, Vermont is a really pretty town.  There are all kinds of Inns, Restaurants and outlets for shopping. ❤

I think that Country Inns are beautiful.  They are always warm and welcoming with a cozy fire going in the fireplaces.

I also like Vermont farms.

I was over to Walpole, NH yesterday and stopped into Burdicks Chocolate.  I was going to get a hot chocolate to go, but a tiny little cup cost $5.00.  I decided that I didn’t want a hot chocolate that bad.  Who knows what a cup inside of hot chocolate costs.  Yikes.

Burdick’s also has frozen hot chocolate.  If it wasn’t Christmas time and I had money to spare, I would have bought something chocolate.

I would rather make my own hot chocolate at home.  I have the recipe for French hot chocolate that I like just as well at home.

I like the above lazy day outfit.  It’s warm and comfortable.

This time of year there is always so much that has to be done.  I don’t get much of a chance to be lazy but cherish the time that I can relax.

My Mom used to make gingerbread with whipped cream that looked just like the above.  I pinned a recipe for it on my “All things Christmas” board on my Pinterest.

I like a farmhouse style kitchen.  It just reminds me of my Mom and my Grams.

My beautiful daughter-in-law has six boys and I think that the above ring would be perfect for her.  I told my son about it and he immediately said that he was going to get that ring for his wife.  The heart diamond in the middle is her birthstone which is really neat.  That ring was made for her.  It just is beautiful, just like she is.

I like the above painting.  That style truck with the Christmas tree in the back and the tractor and horse along with the farm house and barn. ❤

And that’s my thoughts for today.

I think that mountains are beautiful.  Something about the crisp mountain air in the winter.  The white snow is just pretty.

I’ve never been on a sleigh ride, but it must be kind of fun.

Winter birds are just beautiful.  There was a program on TV today that showed a Christmas bird count.  It said that Cardinals have been coming north more because the winters have been milder.

Chickadees are so cute with their little black cap.  You see a lot of them year round.

I love how the icicles make the above bird feeder look like a little Cafe.

The weather we have been having lately is snow, deep freeze and then freezing rain.  Unreal weather.

I like covered bridges.  Every time I go through one I make a wish.  But the craftsmanship that goes into those bridges is so amazing.

Swans are so beautiful.

I don’t think they stay around after the water freezes.  They head south.

Even the snowmen have the right idea.

And that’s my thoughts for today.

I love the Christmas tree cheese tray that was on the Cabot Cheese website.  The star at the top of the tree is a mushroom.

I love French style hot chocolate.  I found a recipe for hot chocolate that is like the one that they have at Angelina’s in Paris.  I pinned the recipe on my drinks board on my Pinterest.

The hot chocolate has 72% cacao dark chocolate, coffee, cream, milk, sugar and whipped cream.  Yum.

I also like Starbucks coffee and the above coffee mug is super cute for Christmas.  And the Christmas Blend coffee is fun at the very thought of it to me.

What a cute idea for a street vendor coffee cafe.

I think that Cardinals are just beautiful.  The above photo looks like it would be perfect for a Christmas card.

I think that the above snowman hat is kind of cute for a centerpiece.  Plus they put treats in the coffee can.  The craftsmanship of making it is really time consuming.  They used a coffee can that they painted and the candle is a toilet paper roll with a little battery operated little candle on top and they painted the roll with glitter paint.  They made 2 Poinsetta flowers using a craft punch for both the flower and the leaves.  The snow is a special craft store find as are the leaves and holly berries.

The above is one of the Poinsettas that they made for the hat.  They used a Daisy leave punch and drew the veins on the leaves.  Then they had another cut out punch for the green leaves.  So I would say that it cost quite a bit to make the hat as well as a lot of time.  But the person who made it was really into crafts and had all the cut out punches.

On Etsy, they have a cute napkin idea.  You can buy the napkins that have two sides and are round.  They give you directions on how to fold it using an iron.

It doesn’t look like it would be too hard to copy.

The napkin just looks really festive.

It was a very snowy day here today.  We must have gotten at least 6 or 7 inches of snow.

I think it’s cute how people put little treats on trees to attract winter birds.

Snow can be so pretty.  A lot of people escape the cold and snow and go south for the winter if they are retired.  I like all four seasons myself.  I find beauty in all the seasons that you find in New England.

If you don’t have to travel on the snow covered roads that the snow plows can never keep up with, snow can be really quite beautiful.  A cozy candle going.

I like a steamy hot cup of coffee on a chilly winter morning.

Where we live, there are ski areas within a half hour drive.  But with lift tickets being priced for the flat landers, only the quite wealthy can take advantage of the fun sport of skiing.  I worked for a ski area one winter doing reservations and got free skiing.  The only thing is I never had the time to take advantage of that perk.  But what a fun job that was.  I got to tour all the beautiful condos with views to die for so I could reserve them and know which ones were which.  I also got free ski lessons but didn’t take advantage of that either.  But one fun thing I did was take a ski mobile ride on the trails after 4:30 when the slopes closed and we got to see the sun set from the top of the mountain.  So beautiful.

And that is my thoughts for today.

New fallen snow is just so pretty.

Little squirrels don’t really like the snow that much.

I love how the snow kind of frosts pine trees.

The snow can be really beautiful.  But the weather says that an Arctic blast of really cold air is on the way for next weekend.

I love new fallen snow looking out a window.

Cardinals like sunflower seeds and Downy Woodpeckers like suet.  It’s unusual to see them together at a bird feeder.

What a neat idea to put the white lights on the gazebo.  Really looks pretty with the snow falling around it.

I like the above window seat all decorated for Christmas.

Vermont Country Store has some really cute Christmas ornaments.  I like the above Raggedy Ann ornament.

A really neat cookbook for Vermont in your kitchen is the Vermont Country Store Cookbook.  It’s 5 generations of family recipes.

Flannel shirts are warm and make a nice gift.

I like Yankee candles and they have a main store in Deerfield, MA which is right near the southern Vermont border.

All kinds of beautiful candles and ideas.

I just love all the cute ideas at Yankee Candle.  Almost every mall around has a Yankee Candle store in it.  And the Hallmark stores usually have Yankee candles as well.  But the main store in Deerfield, MA is really awesome to shop in.

King Arthur Flour store has flourless chocolate cookies that I just love and they have the recipe for the cookies on their website.  I pinned the recipe to my cookies board on my Pinterest.  That store which is near Dartmouth is about the most fun store to shop in ever.

There is a Wine and Paint place somewhere near Manchester, VT  where you can get a group together and pick a painting that you want to paint and have a party.  An instructor will help you paint.  I was looking at the choices to paint and I love the above painting.

You can buy wine and food there or bring your own.  What a fun idea.

Another choice to paint that I liked was the above sail boat.

A lot of people have ham for Christmas dinner.  My Mom always used to make her ham with a brown sugar and pineapple juice glaze and then she put sliced pineapple with a cherry in the middle and cloves like the above.  A place where I used to work used to always give their employees a huge spiral cut ham at Christmas along with neat gifts.

My Mom used to put maple syrup on oatmeal.  I put some apple and cinnamon on my oatmeal this morning and also some walnuts.  I have some maple syrup but forgot that I had some as I bought it the last time I was out shopping.  It was a good morning for warm cereal and hot coffee after digging out my car from a lot of snow.

And that’s my thoughts for this snowy day.

Would love a Chalet type house in the mountains.

Every year I buy paper white bulbs right about now and by January 1st they have beautiful white flowers.  Gotta get some today.

I like gingerbread men with a glass of eggnog.  There are a lot of cute ideas on how to decorate them.

Christmas cookies are always fun to make.

Okemo Mountain in Ludlow is a nice view from the above farm house.

A covered bridge in winter white is so pretty.

I love the above view up on Parker Hill.  My best friend that I had in school lived just down the road from this place and that’s Mt Ascutney that she could also see from their living room window.  I always loved that view.

I like chocolate cream pies this time of year.  Just something about them.  Yum.

I love the Yankee Barn Homes Craftsbury Cottage.  That would be the home of my dreams to have.

There is a balcony off the bedroom on one side and there is a screened in porch on the back.

Then a 4-wheel drive Rav-4 for all kinds of weather.

I would have a Martha Stewart Seal Harbor cabinet kitchen with granite counter tops and a farmers sink.

With a wine cooler, double oven and double door refrigerator all in stainless.

I love the above living room design.  But would add slight cathedral ceilings.

I like a dining room with lots of light and room for having the whole family over for dinner.

Because I love to read, a reading nook.

Always dreamed of a French style sewing room with French doors that opened up to garden paths.

Love the idea of a porch for having coffee in the morning and watching the sun come up and also for an evening supper.

A little dream koi fish pond with a waterfall.

A bedroom with a balcony that has French doors and cathedral ceilings.

Situated on a piece of land with distant mountain views.

A garden space.

A greenhouse.

A laundry room. ❤

Basically, with all that who could wish for anything more.  That’s what I would have if I won the powerball lottery.

The piece of land with the mountain views was for sale for years and years.  Someone bought it this year.  They probably have their own dream for it.

The Craftsbury cottage is a modular and can be put up in a couple of weeks.  Martha’s kitchen is from the Home Depot.  The Rav-4 is actually affordable.  The whole dream would not take a lottery to have.  Just planning, getting the education and not have to live at a time when the economy got shot down.

For me, it will always be just a dream.  And everyone is different and likes different styles.  I like what I like.

And that’s my thoughts for today.

We got a light dusting of snow and it was a beautiful morning for a winter walk.  The air was crisp, but not bitter cold.  Heavy wet snow that stuck to the trees.  So pretty.

Lots of little Chickadees are out this time of year.  They are so cute.

I love new fallen snow.  It is just so pretty.

I would love a yard like the above.  What a beautiful view of rolling fields and the mountains in the distance.

I also love lantern street lights.  So pretty with snow on them and decorated for the holidays.

People always put lights on any Christmas trees that are in their yard and they looks so pretty with new fallen snow on them. ❤

I was downtown yesterday afternoon and by 5:00 PM it was dark.  The Christmas tree all lit up there looks so pretty.

The ski areas are open now.  It’s beautiful when you are coming down the slopes and the beautiful views of the mountains with beautiful mountain air just fills your senses.  I broke my ankle once, so have to be careful skiing as one ankle is weak.  But can remember some really fun times.

My Mom used to make a cookie that she called “Hermits”.  It’s sort of like the above recipe.  They were so good.

I like the above new fallen snow photo.

And that’s my thoughts for today.

I like the Pioneer Woman’s Christmas dishes.  I think that they are beautiful to have for the Christmas season.  And they are reasonably priced at the Walmart.

I like the Pioneer Woman’s Adeline collection, also.

I love the above Adeline footed bowls.  Could be used as a fruit cup or for ice cream.

Then the water goblet.  So pretty.  I just love dinnerware.  I think the red Adeline would look nice with white dinnerware.

I also love jewelry and fell in love with the above Heidi Daus cuff bracelet that she calls “Evening in Salzburg”.   How pretty and elegant to wear on a special evening out.

And then they have the earrings to match.  So pretty.

The above outfit minus the necklace they have would look really neat with the cuff and earrings.  I like the black turtle neck and the black tights with the green skirt idea.

I like the above idea using peppers for dip and the arrangement of the veggies.  The red and green looks like Christmas colors, also.

I like the above snowflake pin.  It’s not a Heidi Daus as she puts Swarvzoski crystals in her jewelry which I love, but I still like the looks of it.  I think that it would look nice on a basic black dress.  It just sparkles.

I watched Ina Garten’s cooking for Jeffrey on TV this morning.  I mean she makes a fritatta for a brunch and she can’t use just cheddar cheese.  She has to have gruyere cheese which probably costs about $15.00 an ounce and she has to have a half pound of it.  And not bacon, she has imported from Italy pancetta which costs 10 times as much.   And then she has Belgian waffles and she can’t make them in just any waffle maker.  She has to have a special Belgian waffle maker that probably costs $300.00.  Then a fruit platter with about $100.00 worth of fruit.  And then smoked salmon and not just any smoked salmon, a “good” one she always says.  So for a brunch for 4, she probably thinks nothing of spending a good amount of money.  Or a huge amount.  Fun to watch but not at all practical even for a very special occasion to want to make.  And Ina, I am sure only thinks nothing of spending all that because the Food network pays for it for her show.  I bet even with her millions, she does not waste a penny.  And would not spend $500.00 on a brunch for 4.

My idea for a fun cook show to watch would be on how to have a nice time cooking and not have to go bankrupt trying the ideas.

And that is my thoughts for today.

I love the PBS stations on cable.  Watching a beautiful Christmas concert in Vienna.  It’s just like almost being there and so elegant and joyous with the beautiful music.

I just love the chandeliers and all the history and beauty of the concerts.

Then they show an evening in Salzburg.  So dreamy and beautiful.

I was thinking what would be fun to wear to an elegant Christmas concert and I think something like the above blue velvet dress.

With the above set of jewelry that sold out on HSN.  So elegant and it was actually on clearance, but I think it looks like a million bucks.  The stones are such a pretty color and I just love the style even though the stones are not real.

And I love the above faux fur coat that is made by designer Dennis Basso that designs clothes for expensive stores but he designed the above coat for a todays special yesterday on QVC and made it at an affordable price in faux fur.  It looks elegant to me and would look beautiful with that blue velvet dress.  The coat sold out in that color.  The collar can be taken off or not and it also has a hood.  So elegant looking.

I also love the above Heidi Daus pin that has Austrian crystals in it.  It would look beautiful to pin on a purse.

The above outfit would be fun to wear also.  I pinned it on my fashion board on my Pinterest just for the idea of it.

This Heidi Daus necklace looks like a million bucks to me but can be bought on HSN for a fraction of a price.  So pretty and festive and not meant to look real.  Just plain pretty.

Then I love the above outfit to wear to a work place Christmas party.  It just looks classy to me.  I would have a smaller heel and a little longer skirt.  But I love the purse and accessories.

We used to have a Christmas party at work where everyone brought something.  I love the idea of the above Red Velvet Cheesecake Trifle.  It’s so elegant looking in that trifle dish.  I pinned it on my All Things Christmas board on my pinterest.

I love the above decorative pillows and throw idea.

I can see so much beauty all around me.  Even though I can’t have any of it, there are more important things in life to appreciate.  I am thankful for the life that I have been granted and find all kinds of little joys every day.

And that’s my musings for today.