The Comfort Zone: Reading {Fairy Talk}

Reading is my passion. Do I need a lot around me to read? No. I can read pretty much everywhere, with the only exception of planes where stress hinders my mind's capacity to wander off, disconnect and let the book lead me by the hand. But that's fine. I do not live on a plane.

Having humbly said that, I did notice that I surround myself with small touches of comfort in the evening that make my reading station at home a haven for my body and mind. Ever since I have discovered Noisly, the reassuring sound of a crackling fire inhabits the background. It could be a campfire by the beach, with its lively memories of my teenage summers, or a winter fireplace warming me up while snowflakes lace the dull sky outside. 

Most of the time, a cup of hot, smoky herbal tea, my favorite one being Calme from L'Infuseur with its orange blossom zing, just enough to take me south - Sicily, Morocco? - sits on the nightstand. Sipping is very different from drinking: it is an unconscious step-by-step act of reconciliation with yourself and the world. 

One sip.

A bit of reading.

A bit of thinking.

One sip.

Piles of books have found their place in my daughters' room too and I am making bedtime reading a cherished tradition. To help them get in the mood, touches of comfort are essential: they are exceptionally allowed to lie in the same bed while I read; I have equipped my eldest daughter's bed with an easy-to-use reading light, encouraging her to keep on turning pages on her own if she wants once I have left the room... They snuggle up in bed together, giggling with anticipation at what the book I hold in my hands contains. Sometimes they choose, sometimes I choose. It is a game with flexible rules. The same reading lamp stands proudly by my bed too now: I can read, sip and drift into my book without annoying hubby with a strong light and, most importantly, we skip the manly complaint "When are you going to turn that light off?!".

One sip.

A bit of reading.

A bit of thinking.

One sip.

When I read, I also comment, draw and more generally underline, annotate the pages of my books. I know some of you are going to be horrified when reading this! Books are sacred for me, which means that they need to be used otherwise they fall into oblivion. My way to use them is to react on the spot to whatever crosses my mind while reading. I have gathered my colorful pens and post-its in one handy pouch that sits happily by my bed now. I can reach it quickly, open it and take out any tool I need: a stamp, a post-it, a marker... Before putting everything in one handy place, I used to curse for 10 minutes while rummaging into every drawer of the apartment "Where is that damn pencil?!". That won't happen again.

If you think about it, a few small arrangements are sufficient to prepare the ritual reading time - for kids or adults alike. A bit of light, a bit of comfort, a background presence. 

One sip.

A bit of reading.

A bit of thinking.

One sip.

Credits: Unsplash (edited by The Daydreamer)

N.B. In the post above, whenever possible, I do provide links to some items or services that I mention. Note that, as always, my articles are unsponsored and contain no affiliate links. I provide links as additional - dare I say "comfort"? - information for you. 

Unconquered {Page-Turner}

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

-- William Ernest Henley 

(1849–1903)

Credits: Unsplash (edited by TheDaydreamer)

La crème de la crème {Roll the Dough}

La crème de marrons, c’est mon péché mignon sur la table. Faut-il déjà qu’elle arrive intacte ou presque du placard de la cuisine à la table. Ce n’est pas une mince affaire. D’ailleurs, la minceur, elle ne connaît pas, la crème de marrons : épaisse, granuleuse, sucrée et voluptueuse, elle est toute en courbes et rondeurs. Dans le pot et sur nos hanches.

Je ne lui en veut même pas car elle n’est que de passage, lorsque dehors nous grelottons et que les bougies adoucissent nos nuits urbaines entre deux chutes de grêle. Le blues, combattons-le à coups de cuillère ! Sortons le pot de la suprême crème, partageons-la sans retenue et adonnons-nous à l’art culinaire. 

C’est Dollyjessy qui m’a lancée sur le chemin des marrons et de cette recette - il faut dire que pour moi il était tout tracé ledit chemin étant donné mon penchant pour cette gourmandise effrontée et si nécessaire. Tout en allumant votre four, il va faire chaud dans l'appartement, je ne peux que vous inviter à découvrir son blog, autre friandise visuelle et verbale qui vous plongera dans bien des délices et tendres tourments. 

Voici, modestement, ma version de son moelleux à la crème de marrons à faire lentement, calmement et en lisant aussi cet article (en anglais) de Kate. Vous verrez alors, que cette recette gourmande est tout indiquée pour mériter le hashtag #themakersyear ! 

Ingrédients pour un moule à gâteaux de 23 cm de diamètre (de style bundt) :

N.B. : Pensez à sortir les ingrédients du frigo AVANT de commencer la préparation afin qu’ils soient tous à température ambiante. Huilez votre moule - j’utilise un moule en silicone et l’huile de tournesol fait parfaitement l’affaire. Sinon, pensez à beurrer et fariner le moule avant de commencer.

3 œufs entiers

150 de beurre ramolli

90 g de sucre de canne

150 g de farine 00

320 g de crème de marrons

2 cuillères à café de levure chimique en poudre

1 pincée de sel

1 cuillère à café de rhum

Comment procéder : 

Tamisez la farine et mélangez-là à la levure ; mettez le tout de côté, le temps de battre les œufs entiers, le sucre et le sel. Ajoutez ensuite la farine et le beurre ramolli. Intégrez en dernier la crème de marrons et le rhum qui est toujours bon pour le moral. Mélangez encore afin d’éviter les méchants grumeaux.

Versez l’appareil qui est à présent souple à souhait dans le moule préalablement préparé (cf. N.B. au début de cette recette) et enfournez à 150° C pour 35 minutes (chaleur tournante, haut et bas dans un four électrique). Pensez tout de même à surveiller la cuisson en insérant un pic au cœur du gâteau 5 à 10 minutes avant l’abominable sonnerie du minuteur ! J’utilise pour cela un simple pique à brochettes en bois...

Sortez le moule du four, laissez refroidir, démoulez et… dé-gu-stez. La décoration chez nous a été laissée à la fantaisie de mon aînée et ce fut donc vermicelles multicolores. La décoration de Dollyjessy est nettement plus résistante et sobre : un peu de neige et c'est parti !

Parce que vous le valez bien et l’hiver est rude.

Photos : TheDaydreamer

Get To Work Book: dreams come true {Discover}

Daydreaming is essential in (my) life, that's a fact, especially when creativity comes into the picture. There's another undeniable fact that comes with it: without some down-to-earth upstream thinking, planning and organization, daydreaming is uplifting for sure, but it won't get us very far, and certainly not to the shining moon and its radiant smile. To turn those wonderful moments of mind and soul awareness into actionable items that have a tangible echo in our lives, I find that grabbing a pen and a sheet of paper is the best solution. Let's get material here.

In this year of upheavals for me (family, job and whatnot), I have decided to leave more space to my creative endeavors in order to pleasurably pave the way for major challenges and improvements requiring all the flexibility and openness in the world. As contradictory as this may sound, I do believe that daydreaming, creativity and spirituality (in all their variety of shapes) can help us gain poise and resilience in our (sur)real, tormented world. 

How do we leave more space to our true, inner selves? There are a million ways, and no miracle solution out there. Aside from the ever so painful topic of managing time between a full-time job, a family, friends and social obligations, I have grabbed a workbook - the Get to Work Book, created by Elise Blaha Cripe. The verb in its name already suggests being active and seriously committed to its contents. What do I use it for: appointments, medical visits, work deadlines? 

No.

The Get To Work Book is exclusively dedicated to those creative tidbits that fuel my spirit, allow me some extra space, replenish my energy tank and spark gratitude from me to the world. Before starting to use the work book, I sat down and listed those activities - the list is a labor of love and as such will evolve over time, expand, shrink...:

-Reading

-Writing

-Taking Pictures

-Volunteer Work

-Social Media

-Testing New Virtual Tools

Choosing the right agenda/planner/notebook is just as crucial as the activities: for me, nothing too frivolous and colorful will do just fine - I do not enjoy being distracted when writing my daydreams down you see. At the same time, the support should not be too stern, it should welcome colored ink, provide plenty of space and a calendar (so a simple, white paged notebook won't cut it for me).

The Get To Work Book found its way to my desk via Instagram: it is a chunky, solid, promising, well-structured and designed planner that felt welcoming from the start. Its lined pages begged to be filled with color codes, stamps, wash tape, stickers and dreams. Elise's video showed its every detail and I can only encourage you to view it to get a feeling of how it works and whether it is cited to your needs. To me, the planner was screaming "Reach for the stars"! How could I ignore the prompt?

I turned its every page into a cosy space, full of codes, dots and names that instill instant happiness, relief and visibility: blog posts, Instragram publications, pins, blog post ideas, volunteering meetings and tasks... The planner is helping me infuse additional droplets of life into my daydreaming diary; it has proved to be a steadfast ally in turning thoughts into actions and goals - no pressure, only pleasure with style and organization. Every month cover page is beautifully designed with an inspiring sentence that we can frame or pin on our wall, or simply remember and repeat like a mantra. The choice is ours. 

Do you feel the need to write down your thoughts and dreams to help them materialize? How do yo plan your next trip to the moon? How do you choose your planner? Let me know fellow daydreamers!

N.B.: this is not a sponsored/affiliated blog post.

Credits: TheDaydreamer