My Cozy Corner

Bohemian Rhapsody (with apologies to Queen)

Let’s get ready for a cozy chat. Bohemian explains my style. It took a long time for me to find a word to describe it. I have read pages and pages of decorating ideas and watched hours of HGTV, but even though I have learned how to do lots of things, I never found a word to describe my preferred style. Bohemian is the word! It means “unconventional”. That explains a lot. I love cozy spaces and surroundings that are comforting and sooth my soul. I love pieces with a story. My old hippie soul longs for rest.

My furniture is old; many pieces are hand-me-downs that come with memories attached. Other pieces we’ve picked up along the way, and I’m sure they have stories we may never know. I’ve written extensively about my beloved writing desk that I rescued from my father’s garage, where it was being used as a tool cabinet. I won’t go into those details again here, but it’s just typical of what is important to me. Our dining room buffet is a beautiful old mahogany piece gifted to Mr. M years ago by his long-time neighbor. It is complete with a set of teeth marks on the front edge when one our sons was trying out his two year old teeth. I wouldn’t get rid of those marks for anything.

My best loved rocking chair was a recent purchase from a thrift store. Oh, the stories it could tell! I wonder how many babies rocked in it. My coffee table is an old steamer trunk, bought at auction. It came full of photos that certainly told its story. They were from the early 20th century, and so much fun to look at. My dining room table came from an antique mall, but the important part is that it is made out of an old commercial furnace register from a downtown building. Our end tables came from here and there. We don’t know their stories.

Even our accessories are one of a kind pieces. There is pottery made by a friend; oil paintings by Mr. M’s mother and grandmother, as well as many pieces we have collected in our travels. The couch sports a quilt made especially for us by another friend. Much of Mr. M’s photography adorns the walls. Nothing cost very much. Everything has value, only to us. The cozy comfort that it brings is priceless.

So what’s the point of all this? Surround yourself with things (and people) you love, and that make you feel cozy and comfortable. Don’t get caught up in the trendy, if it doesn’t speak to your soul. Be willing to wait for something until you find the thing that speaks to you. Maybe don’t buy at all. There are amazing treasures by the side of the road. And, it doesn’t have to come in my old beat up bohemian style. My niece has furnished her midcentury modern house using much the same method.

Besides loving warm, cozy surroundings, I love food that makes me feel cozy and comfortable, too. Autumn is just the time for that, and soup is one of our favorites. We have it at least once a week, all fall and winter. This week’s offering is:

Stuffed Pepper Soup

You will make this much the same way you make stuffed peppers.

1 pound of ground meat (beef, pork, sausage, or a combination)

1 quart of broth (either chicken or beef works)

1 chopped pepper (or a combination of red, green, and yellow to equal one pepper)

Chopped onion to equal about a cup

2 Cups cooked rice

1 can diced tomatoes

Garlic, Basil, salt and pepper to taste

Brown the meat, then combine everything in the slow cooker, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

I guarantee it is a hug in a soup bowl!

I hope you have a week of coziness. You deserve it!

Until next time,

Helen