twice as ice

Cold outside and warm inside, but these kittens cuddle like they're warding off hypothermia.  I love it!

even with the dog!

It's so delightful to wake up from a lazy couch nap to find a kitten curled up, too!

I don't need snuggly kittens to tell me that it's winter.  It's cold outside - really cold, which means that it's a great time to make ice bowls.   I've made and posted about these before, and they're so easy to make.

Take two bowls and nestle with a layer of water in between, then freeze.  Put a candle inside and they look so pretty and atmospheric on a porch.  I have a lamentable lack of freezer space here, so I made two shallow bowls to stack.

I think it would look really pretty with the top layer inverted, or even a really tall stack of shallow ice bowls.  We're warming up today and they will melt...but it's easy enough to make more once the temperatures drop again!

I also took advantage of the cold temperatures to make some delicious bread.  I'd ordered some 6" cake pans and Sally's Raspberry Twist Bread recipe, halved, fit into one perfectly!  I cut the cooking time to 35 minutes and it was perfect.  

Flaky layers of brioche bread with of thick jam and puddles of cooked fruit...so good.  Kind of perfect on a cold winter morning.  

Since it's only a 6" loaf, it's perfectly fine if it disappears in a day!  Next time...cream cheese glaze.  Swoon!  

I've been sewing, and working on some secret knitting projects...

...and it's full steam ahead on my quilt!  I combined my 2 1/2" squares to create 17 larger blocks.  The Vintage Christmas fabric is perfect for this time of year!

Now I'll work on the star blocks, which will be solid color and interspersed with these mini-blocks.  It's shaping up nicely!  A really pleasant winter project.

When it's cold like this, I can't sleep in a sunbeam like the kittens...

...but I can still find little ways to make it more pleasurable.  That's a key to happiness, I think!

It's been a pretty great season so far. 

Have a great week!