I once read that you can learn a lot about a person by the way they handle three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I’ve remembered it always, and thought this would be the perfect way to share a little more about myself with you. So, here’s the final installment– an inside look at my approach to tangled Christmas lights.
“I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas lights.
RAINY DAY DISCLAIMER
I feel I should explain first, that where I live, rainy days are few and far between. Very few and far between. Which is a shame because I really love the rain. I love the way the air feels and the rain sounds. I especially love the smell of wet earth and how all the plants seem relaxed and happier after a downpour. I even love the look of umbrellas, I just find them beautiful and I secretly hoped for rain on my wedding day. Where we live, getting to enjoy the rain so rarely, I’ve come to treat rainy days rather like national holidays. Especially, if rain fall on Sundays.
LAZY MORNINGS
To me, there’s nothing like laying in bed late listening to the rain on a lazy morning, with the windows open and the drapes fluttering in the breeze. When I get up, I love to make my Vanilla Macadamia Nut coffee with Vanilla cream and open all the doors and windows to let in the fresh air while I sip coffee on the porch.
PONIES AND PUDDLES
We bring our horses in during lightening or heavy rains, and I always take the opportunity to give my boy some extra attention before tucking him in. And now that I’m a mom, I love to share the beauty of nature with my daughter by exploring the gardens in the rain, teaching her about the weather, splashing through puddles in our rain boots, and watching for rainbows.
GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES
I once read a novel about a woman who decides to move to Ireland mid-midlife crisis, where she ultimately finds herself and meets a handsome Irish rogue (and falls in love) along the way. It’s still one of my favorites. But one passage describes the first day of her arrival– a mystic, rainy night in a candlelit fairytale cottage, where she wakes from jet lag at 3am and all she can find to eat are the makings for tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. Well, it really stuck with me. Ever since then, rainy days are for grilled cheese sandwiches, and it’s a tradition that years later, both my husband and daughter have come to love.
CANDLES AND WINE
Rainy evenings put me in the mood for candles and wine (two staples of any rainy day). I love to keep the windows open and play some sultry music like Melody Gardot or Norah Jones, while enjoying a glass of Justin Cabernet.
DANCING BAREFOOT IN THE KITCHEN
Cooking is just about my favorite thing to do while drinking wine. And enjoying a quite rainy evening with candles, music and wine is a perfect opportunity to enjoy making Daniel’s favorite spaghetti dinner, or my favorite raspberry chicken recipe. In between prep and platting, we’ve gotten in the habit of slow dancing barefoot in the kitchen. Most romantic dinner date I can think of.
HOT COCOA AND PORTCH SNUGGLES
Noting feel more like stolen time than sneaking away in the middle of the night to get cozy with some blankets and hot cocoa (or cocktails), snuggle up on the porch swing, and watch a spectacular downpour or lightening storm. My favorite memory of this was during a tropical thunderstorm while vacationing in the Dutch Caribbean.
ON YOUR WEDDING DAY
If a rainy day falls on a wedding day, needless to say, my day looks slightly different. In this instance, I find flexibility and preparation are key. That’s why I’m constantly stalking the weather forecasts, come prepared with extra help and rain gear, and even stock my style kit with beautiful umbrellas for the couple and wedding party, just in case.
