the january get-together

many of us usually spend January at home, a bit worn out from the festivities of christmas & new year eve’s season. most of us are not in the mood to plan going out, and some actually cannot even afford it.

but we in excitemelove {who love to celebrate all the big and small every~day~moments} would suggest that maybe january is actually the best month to plan some good get-togethers, just in a different way:

january is for good, honest & cozy get-togethers, with really good friends, whom most likely you did not see during december, cause they had family and other friends’ gatherings to attend.

january is also a good time, because the buzz of the festivities is now over, so you can really reflect on the year that passed, and look ahead on the months that are coming; what better than going through such an exercise while sharing it with your best friends.

lastly, some feel that january is dark, cold (if you live in northern hemisphere) and slightly depressing. even more importantly then, to invite some friends over and warm your houses and your hearts!

and we have the perfect idea for such gathering: a soup soiree!

imagine some delicious, warm soups are served {so everyone can try different flavors} accompanied with fresh baked bread and of course your favorite wines, white, rose, red!

all the different soup flavors will awake different senses, trigger different emotions, inspired different ideas and definitely different topics of discussion will arise!

and keep in mind, soups are really easy, fast and economical to be made, and you can even follow the northern european model, where you all share and everyone brings a different soup! what about making a challenge and assigning different colors to each one of you?

recipes of the soups: rusty red, tomato red, curry yellow, sweetcorn yellow, pea green, broccoli green, champagne, baby pink, light deep pink, lilla

well, it is Friday tomorrow… just saying….

if you are looking for some soup bowls inspiration, have a look at food52:

FisheyeBrooklyn

Sarah Cihat

Farmhouse Pottery

color within the lines & relax

on the second evening of this amazing new year, i found myself drawing with color pencils in one of my kids’ books. they were doing their own art, relaxing, just before bedtime, so i decided to indulge in my own page. and i found myself in such peace. yet, an exciting peace; what colors shall i chose, what if i color outside the lines, will it be very pretty when i m done? ah… all these small exquisite excitements.. and yet such a peaceful activity.

so this morning i decided to play the journalist and research what makes these coloring books, or even just one page, such a great entertainment?

i found quite a few academic (and non) researches, based on experiments that show evidence that indeed “structured coloring of a reasonably complex geometric pattern may induce a meditative state that benefits individuals suffering from anxiety (Curry et al., 2005)” and “adult coloring reduces depressive symptoms and anxiety(Flett et al., 2017)”. another research talked on how specifically women benefit from structured coloring, in comparison to both male getting more relaxed while drawing free style (Carsley et al., 2015)!

well, the only thing i can suggest is just try it! i loved it! after all this lovely buzz of the Christmas and new year’s festivities, relaxing with a good coloring book and some great color pencils, it was exactly what i needed for a january evening!

as you can see two of my books are with pictures from Greece! natasa bought them so our kids could learn a bit about the country, while coloring!  

if you are looking for buying yourself some nice coloring books, we can definitely recommend the ones that gifted Brittany (the house that lars built) made:

the ”you-decide-everything” day!

last year we started a tradition here at home. one day between christmas and new year’s eve (so far has been the 27th of december), our children (at least the big ones) would get to decide E V E R Y T H I N G the whole day; everything: from what they eat to what they wear, to what they play, to what time they go to bed…

we thought that, since there are so many things that adults around them decide on their behalf the whole time, they could and they should have this day where we (the adults) just let go… and the kids just enjoy taking over!

and of course this day has been strategically chosen, since it is between the holidays, so the family’s rhythms are slowed down and we can afford the next day a bit of “too-much-candy” stomach ache and a few pairs of tired eyes from having “too-much-ipad” time ! plus it keeps the excitement going! first they have to wait for christmas day, then for the ”you-decide-everything” day and finally comes the new-year’s eve!

so, yesterday it was the day we have all been waiting for! kids were in pyjamas the whole day, and got dressed in a second (all by themselves) to go across the street for sushi ! they played a looooot of ipad, watched a looooot of tv, ate all kinds of yummy things… the whole day, and most importantly they said a lot of hilarious things like:

* “since we decide everything today, we decide that we will decide everything everyday!”
* us: “would you like dessert here (sushi restaurant) or at home?” – them: “since we decide everything today, we decide that we will have dessert … in both places!
* and late in the evening, the big one: “can i have one more glass chocolate milk?” –me: “you decide!” –the big one: “no mum, i’m done, you can decide for me again… ”

well, it is exhilarating, puzzling, entertaining and tiresome to take decisions the whole day!!!!

(you can find these amazing handmade play wear for children  at Lane's online boutique, LoveLane)

oh christmas card!

the other day i was visiting a neighbor and as we were sitting and chatting in their kitchen, her husband came with his laptop on his hands, to show me proudly their "Christmas" card! it was a super nice picture of their wonderful boys, out in the woods (or possibly in the summer house?). "what a great idea"  i thought and said aloud!  "i love it!" 

Emma Block

they are actually the second family this year who is telling me they will have a "family Christmas card"! and made me wonder... why did we ever stop sending Christmas cards... and yes, maybe many of us we now have families, jobs and thousands thing to do, but it is such a "hyggeligt" thing to do!

i remember that my grandmother would set up all the cards she would receive on a little table and we would look at them, so different all of them, and choose our favorite ones, every year! 

whimsery

when i first moved to copenhagen, i used to send Christmas cards to my friends... actually not to my old, good, best-friends-back-home, but to the newer ones, to the ones that i wanted to show that they mean a lot to me, although i do not say it to them everyday.. and i actually loved the process of finding the cards, writing them, packing them, sending them.. totally getting into the mood for the holidays!

so, this year, i am so looking forward to receiving these two Christmas cards...and maybe i ll try to find the time to write a couple of them myself!

check out these wodenrful etsy shop, where you can have personalised family christmas card made just for you and your family!

Kathryn Selbert Illustration

Laura Rosendorfer

how adorable can they be? {letters to each other}

my dearest natasa!

i just came across this super cute and charming blog, that i immediately wanted to share with you, for two reasons:

1~ this couple's pictures can truly inspire anyone on how to celebrate every moment in the most delightful way; a daily celebration of life, just for two or with lots of lovely friends n' family!

2~ i think you will just loooove sarah's personal style!

love, C.-

getting warm for the holidays

boden - pyjamas & homewear

Who says bedtime can't be exciting? 

celebrate last day of summer!

are you starting packing up your summer mood, getting ready for autumn? hmmm... I know , not yet!

what about one final celebration of the warm summer season ? invite your best friends for a laid-back get-together! no need to fuss too much about it. just make some cool fresh smoothies & a couple of tea-sandwiches & relax in the garden, the balcony, or in the living room under the fan! if you are up for it, we can open a bottle of bubblie! the last day of august if the best day to exchange summer stories & possibly make new promises for next summer!

ps: here is a great idea to freshen you up!

use any kind of berries you like, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, you name it, add a bit of sugar to your like and pour a bit of milk ! blend the mix for a couple of minutes and Voilà!

enjoy!

your own receipe!