I’ve not been great at keeping up with this series. Doesn’t mean I’ve not been writing posts in my mind.

While over all we had a nice weekend, I’m not sure how well I did with the hygge manifesto living.  The boys had both Friday and Monday off school though I did work Friday. We were on the go for the first part with a high school football game and a Saturday morning parade.

The second part, more low-key plus an argument with my husband. Just enough to ruin my mood. Is it possible to find hygge in a bad mood?

I applied the “outside is calming” principle. It helped a bit.

Worked in the yard:  

Spent the time planting tulip bulbs. We’ve already had a frost but not enough of one for it to be a concern. And moving irises. And planting a “dead” sage bush I bought on clearance. It’s a perennial. Noticed the lavender basket on the ground (windy days) so decided to plant that as well.

Walked to the front. Decided to move the butterfly bush to the butterfly garden area I started over the summer. Thought I should move the tropical milkweed as well. Noticed the seed pod almost ready. Took those seeds to the backyard wildflower garden plot.

The butterfly garden now has two kinds of milkweed, zinnias, daisies (if they return), a butterfly bush, and some black-eyed Susan flowers I moved over there as well.  The next order for it might be rocks to help with the erosion a bit.

Back Inside:

Spent some time drawing rudimentary maps of how I want the flower gardens to look next spring and summer. 

As the day faded, ignored most everyone and read a book.

Is it possible to do hygge things without feeling happy?  Yes. And I do think it improves a bad mood a bit.

My week started with a muddy coat on Monday.  No choice but to throw it in the washer on gentle cycle and hang it to dry.

All week, when I throw on my coat, the wonderful scent of fresh laundry captures my senses. (And gives me slight pause to wonder if I needed to wash my coat well before the mud puddle incident.)

Today, I worked a half-day, came home and tackled our over-flowing laundry. Seriously, out-of-town Saturday, lazy day Sunday, and work plus evening activities Monday and Tuesday….lots of laundry waiting!

I started with my “hidden” pile of gentle cycle, hang to dry clothes. My husband helps with the laundry, probably stays more on top of it than me. However, he’s not a label reader. If it’s in the basket, it goes in the washer and then, in the dryer. Not all clothes are dryer friendly so I keep a pile aside out of the laundry baskets.

After smelling my coat the last 2 days, I knew I wanted to wash all the hang to dry laundry today. Mostly work t-shirts, a vacation t-shirt, a pair of J’s black dress pants, and my dress from the wedding we attended.

I use our shower rod to hang the clothes for drying. Makes the bathroom smell great! Why not outside?  Honestly, birds. I like to bird watch but I don’t want their poop on my freshly cleaned laundry.

How is it Hygge?

• I had to take my time, waiting on the washing machine, picking the right hangers.
• The scent of clean laundry is one of my favorites, adding to the atmosphere of our home and bringing me pleasure.
• Taking the time to appreciate and have gratitude for the comfort of clean laundry made a usually mundane task somewhat enjoyable.

I did not expect to find hygge hidden in the laundry but it was there. And it was just about as nice as finding the occasional spare dollar in the dryer!

This may sound like an excuse for not keeping up with my current 31 Days series…

Perhaps, it is an excuse. I’m busy. True. My time management is certainly not the best. Right now, I’m trying to squeeze this post in before running off to play Bunco.

The plan: answer a few blog comments and write this post. What happened so far….I may have wasted too much time reading a little “saga” on a neighborhood site. Couldn’t even tell you why I read it. Dog problems between neighbors and griping about the city, not even in our neighborhood. And I’m a cat person. Go figure.

Back to this post….

I started to write another post after my Happy Homemaker Monday post last night. However, I ended up snuggled under a blanket, finishing a cup of tea, and watching a 9:00 PM television show with my husband. Didn’t want to spend all night on the computer.

Oh yeah, hygge is about being cozy, comfort, and being present. Sometimes the blog posts suffer for that.

(Also, unexpectedly called into work again today! And working a half-day tomorrow. Hoping it will be my catch up afternoon…)

Just a random photo from a warmer fall day…

Mentioned this series to my oldest son. And how I found myself struggling with writer’s block quite a bit on it.

Tried explaining the concept of Hygge to him. Hard to explain something as you’re still grasping to understand it yourself.

“No wonder you’re having a hard time. We’re never home on October weekends.”

It’s true. Sort of. We were home Friday night. And all day today, we lounged about the house.

However, yesterday we drove all the way to the western outskirts of St. Louis for a band competition. And drove back home last night. We got in the door just shy of 2:00 AM.

Forgot my camera, too!

Next weekend, we’ll be on the go as well. Thankfully, closer to home with a football game and a parade.

Not sure if Hygge is possible on a road trip. Maybe?

We did start a belated tradition of eating at Waffle House for lunch every time we went to a competition. Those pecan waffles, oh my.

Can’t get much closer together than all being in one car. (Of course, my oldest son, the band member, rode in the bus with the band.)  And we do all prefer to stay home and hang out together after a very long Saturday.

I’m sitting here tonight wrapped in a blanket scarf as I type this, it’s cold outside (chance of our first freeze tonight!) and I’m ready for bed. Please, forgive the short post.

My idea of Hygge at home doesn’t work well when we have to be on the go every weekend! All good stuff but I’m looking forward to a full Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at home soon.

Another Saturday of scheduled postings. Tomorrow, we’ll be on our way to a band competition across the state and (hopefully) not home until after midnight. We’d only be home early if our band doesn’t make the cut for finals.

I might throw a few magazines in the car for our 3 hour trip.  My photography magazines are great for pretending I understand the articles. I don’t. Mainly, I just look at the photos.

Better Homes and Gardens is fun for pretending I know how to garden. One look at our whole yard tells everyone I just look at the photos in that one as well.

I do love curling up under the blankets with a stack of magazines. Or a good book. And of course, the cat as well. 

My weekend plans do include starting on Survival Of The Fritters by Ginger Bolton. Maybe with an apple fritter in hand!  I haven’t been reading enough. Time to return to it for a bit.

Looking for a Hygge Read? My suggestions include the following:

Non-fiction:

• The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way To Live Well by Meik Wikig
• The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search For The World’s Happiest People by Meik Wikig
• The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering The Secrets Of World’s Happiest Country by Helen Russell

Fiction:

• Matchmaking for Beginners by Maddie Dawson
• Goodbye Cruller World by Ginger Bolton

A few of my fiction, favorite stand-by books:

• A Wrinkle In Time by Madeline L’Engle
• The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
• The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury

I could make this post a lot longer. My book lists are purposely short. 6:00 AM comes especially early on a Saturday. So, I’m stopping here and asking what titles would make your cozy book list?