In a seemingly endless series of very cold days with mountains of snow the only thing to be seen outside my windows, I find this to be my favorite thing to wear:
A Boston University sweatshirt that has to be 25 years old and a pair of pajama pants that were passed on to me by my husband. Certainly not high fashion, but tremendously comforting on some level. Old sweatshirts are the best, aren’t they? I have many of them. Some are covered with paint. Some are, ahem, slightly stained. Some, like this one, are in a cheery red that makes me smile and reminds me of my days in Boston. Don gave up these PJ pants because they didn’t fit and were much too small. Lucky me! Perfect for days around the house – a drawstring waist, flannel-y type fabric, and a plaid I would never choose on my own but seems to suit me just fine. Now imagine the sight of me when I go out to get the mail: plaid pants, red sweatshirt, pink down jacket, red & white hat and blue boots. My eyes hurt just thinking about it.
I won’t be featured on a hip fashion blog, that’s for sure. But winter, especially this winter, is about wrapping myself in something comfortable and comforting, whether it is an old blanket, a cozy afghan, a slouchy sweater or sweatshirt, thick socks or, of course, my beloved flannel pajamas. I don’t much care about fashion in the depths of this, I have to say it, depressing winter.
More snow is coming tomorrow into Monday. The jury is still out as to how much. I find I’m sort of numbed to the whole thing, though surely I won’t feel that way when I have to shovel it all. Again.
Winter…you win. You’ve done it. You’ve won this little battle and I quite freely admit it. Now get out of here.
Like many of you, I have strong political leanings (that I refrain from discussing on this blog) which have led to my being on the receiving end of countless emails from like-minded groups. For a long while I have, depending on my mood and the day, either read those emails and signed petitions, etc., or hit the delete key. This happens many, many, many times during the course of a day.
Yesterday, I didn’t immediately hit delete, instead, I clicked on Unsubscribe. Yes, I did. For each one. I know what’s going on in the world or at least, as much as I want to know. I stay away from the 24 hour cable news networks. I don’t need to be inundated with a constant stream of money raising pleas, petitions to be signed, and dire predictions. I want some peace.
Oh, that felt good.
Then I hit Unsubscribe on a few other non-political emails that tend to hit my inbox on a regular basis and that I never read.
Begone! And they are. It is curiously satisfying. I suppose it’s the equivalent of cleaning out a closet full of clutter, of taking control.
By the way, speaking of eliminating clutter, i.e., in the studio, the pansy print (one of my favorites) has moved from the studio to the bedroom, where I think it goes rather nicely with the D necklace hanger/hook. I have two of these, one a C and one a D (for, you guessed it, Claudia and Don) but I couldn’t find the C when it was time to find a solution for my necklaces, so the D got the job.
And to end this post with a smile, here are my cute-as-pie egg cups in the newly decluttered studio:
Happy Saturday.
Claudia, Good for you on that de-cluttering. I have been wearing outfits very similar to yours. We call them , our slug clothes, cause we are not going anywhere and just sitting around reading, doing puzzles. When we are snowed in , that’s what we do , well and play rummy. Gosh we are in for 6-10 inches of snow , starting late tonight. Once I was a fashion consultant. Hard to believe. xoxo,Susie
I feel for you, Susie. Seems unbelievable that we are getting more snow! We are due for some tomorrow – maybe as little as 3 inches, but it could be more. I like the term ‘slug clothes’ – perfect! Stay safe and warm.
I chuckled when I read your post this morning. I’m wearing my Oakland Universiy sweatshirt, a birthday gift from husband 15+ years ago, black sweat pants and blue wool socks (from my skiing days Up North). I may not win the prize for fashion, but at least I’m warm.
Stay warm and safe this weekend,
Vanessa
You too, Vanessa!
Had to laugh when I read your post, Claudia–I’m sitting in my computer chair in blue and white floral flannel pj bottoms, a Save the Children white sweatshirt, purple fuzzy socks, with a red blanket on a lap so that Willow can snuggle up with me while I browse through my favorite blogs. I’m comfy, cozy and warm, but I’m sure glad no one can see me right now! We also have more snow on the way, but I think it will be under 3 inches. I’m tired of coping with winter, it needs to leave–now! Take care, stay warm and have a peaceful weekend. xxoo, Martha
Me too. Too much to cope with, Martha! We need some Spring!
I also have my long sleeved, football jersey t-shirt and black and white plaid flannel jammie bottoms. No one messes with me when I am wearing that. “Find the stapler yourself, make your own lunch while I sew and try to forget my worries and work” clothes. I thought I had grown 2 ft. taller but then I realized the rest of the country was on its knees pleading for winter to go away. I hope we don’t see another one like this again anytime soon. I also think there is an army of us wearing the same outfit. You and Scout stay warm and safe.
Tana
Sounds, from the comments, like there are many of us in comfort clothes, Tana!
Doesn’t it feel great to declutter your e-mail? I did that at the beginning of the year. I’ve been spending a lot of time in my comfortable PJ attire but found that I was eating too much because my pjs are really loose and comfy. This week I’m joining the fabulous gym right down the street (5 minutes away) at the senior center. They also have daily stretching and light aerobics and Tai chi for arthritis. When I asked about the cost I was told $37.00. I said for a month. Nope, for the whole year. The Tai Chi has an additional fee. There are some perks in being a senior 58 y.o. Yesterday, I was online fantasizing about real estate in the Historic Lake Morton area of Lakeland Florida (where my nieces live) So tired of winter! We have another snow storm coming. I really like your Pansy print. Those were one of my mothers favorite flowers and remind me of her. Now if I was fit enough to downhill ski, I would love this weather! Hang in there Claudia, have faith that spring will eventually arrive.
It does feel great! Your gym sounds like a great deal, Sandy – lucky you! You hang in there, too, Sandy.
Happy Saturday, Claudia. I’m typing in my mis-matched pjs. :)
LOVE the pansy print & D-hook. More snow coming here too. That’s ok. I’ve got my little Singer sewing machine out & am planning on doing some baking too. Not a bad life, even though our driveway is over 200 feet long & we still shovel by hand. :)
Pop by and say ‘Hi’ when you get the chance. I miss your visits at our tiny cottage.
xo,
Lin
I’m just now trying to catch up with my fellow bloggers and I’ll stop by soon, Lin!
We still shovel by hand, as well.
Sewing and baking sounds quite lovely on this Saturday, my friend.
I go for cozy and comfy all the time and especially this week. Being sick I’ve not ventured out except to check the mail. I too have been doing some decluttering of my inbox and gosh it feels good. Love the Pansy print! Stay warm and comfy!
hugs,
Linda
So sorry to hear you’ve been under the weather, Linda. Feel better soon!
Plaid flannel PJ pants and Wisconsin sweatshirt here! Also thick white cotton socks. Hubs is judging at Music Festival today (and every Saturday this month) so I have the day to me. Putzing around the house, putting Val Day stuff away and also the last of the snow peeps. Tired of ANYTHING to do with that 4-letter word. Think I might bake something, too. I’m thinking that March has come in like a Triceratops ~ lumbering through with MORE snow and cold. Coming in like a mere lion would have been SO MUCH more amiable.
Or maybe a sweet koala bear?
It poured and poured with rain yesterday and overnight here in San Diego, with more projected for today and tomorrow although the sky is looking pretty blue right now.
Anyway, I am dropping by to say Don’s become a bit of a running gag in our household. Every time he pops up on TV (we saw him in Elementary last night, catching up on DVR), I say to my husband: “Look! It’s Mr. Doolittle in the Pygmalion you didn’t see!” This is because when he was featured in the Poisoner’s Handbook, he let me point out Don a number of times before quietly reminding me that he wasn’t at the show with me and a couple of friends, so I tagged on “that you didn’t see”. OK, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense, but there it is. BTW, Don wasn’t on screen long enough in Elementary.
Love your running gag, Leanne! Both of us missed Elementary – probably because we don’t watch it normally and we knew Don had a mere 3 lines, so we weren’t holding our breath, waiting to see it. A nice day’s pay, however!
So glad you did that de-cluttering and deleting! I did that too several months ago. Now if I could just get the phone calls to stop. I have made sure that our numbers are are updated on the do not call list, but we still gets LOTS of soliciting calls, and calls for taking surveys. UGH!
Stay safe win that storm. And thanks for telling me about Don. I hope eh will be done soon and back home with you.
Love the egg cups on the shelf!
Blessings
We are on that list and still get tons of calls, too. It’s so frustrating! Have a great weekend, Carolyn.
I think about you daily Claudia and send up a quick prayer. I wished as I know you do your beloved to say nothing of strong Don was home with you.
It is so nice to feel safe opening an email with no politics being shoved at one. Thank you! I have started deleting mine too.
You’ll be happy you did, Karen! Thank you for your kind words, my friend.
Happy Saturday Claudia. We’re all sick to death of winter. I NEED spring now. I read your post after going through and hitting delete on all those e-mails. Tomorrow, I’m taking the time to unsubscribe! xo J
Do it, Julie! It makes you feel good!
We must be of a like mind. I spent time this morning unsubscribing from many emails. They seemed to have been multiplying faster than rabbits. We are preparing for another storm, too. I say enough already. xo Laura
They do multiply – I think they trade subscriber lists. Yes, you are very right – enough already!
Reading this in my Lands End sleep-tee [one of THE most comfortable garments ever created by man]. I can relate to the e-mails and have done the same periodically myself. Though I do feel guilty when doing it. I know soon enough I’ll be back on all the lists! And I count my blessings. At least the e-mails don’t have to be peeled of names and addresses and recycled! Have a great weekend Claudia!
They keep coming and I keep unsubscribing, Janet! Have a good weekend.
Hi,
I’ve just spent the better part of the morning and early aft. getting my bins organized downstairs and starting to toss things I need no more. This is part of my Lenten challenge….40 bags…40 days. I have also been unsubscribing to political and other websites. My email has been so full of clutter lately…Maybe it’s that ole spring cleaning that we used to do with our Moms.
Have a nice weekend.
Balisha
The 21st Century version, Balisha!
Thanks for sharing your efforts at unsubscribing, like you I try not to watch the 24 hour running news shows. Brings out my worse co-dependent feelings for not being able to fix everything. Then I realized just opening all of those emails I did not sign up for was causing me just as much stress. Can’t fix the world. I removed over 35 addresses none of which I had signed up for. Really. Enjoyed seeing Don such a big guy,filled the doorway! And I think I have the same pants you are wearing, except I just took them form my hubby. He never said a word. Winter Alas what would Shakespeare say.Something profound no doubt! This one has sure been one for the ages.
I know. If I read something in one of those emails, I feel conflicted if I delete it. I’d just rather not see them at all.
Looks like everyone saw Don but Don and me!
Guess what I’m wearing right now? Black yoga pants, purple shirt, and Phil’s gray Fender guitar hoodie with some orange and dark red on the front. Matchy-matchy! Who cares…it’s comfortable, I’m clean, I’m not going anywhere, and it’s – ahem – sn**ing again. I’m not at all into politics so I don’t watch anything about it on TV nor do I get any emails or subscribe to or read anything on line. Makes life a lot more peaceful! I don’t blame you for unsubbing from some of these groups. All they do is bicker and insult one another – no one needs to hear that. Well, from one pajama-clad, sick of winter and snow woman to another – try to have a good weekend.
You too, Melanie! The dreaded snow is headed our way tomorrow!
We call our at home snugly clothes…our woobie’s! And, unfortunately, they’ve gotten way too much use! I did some decluttering myself, feels good…whether it’s my email, old magazines, or old whatever. The stuff has to go…and we can’t do anything else anyway! We’ve had a quiet day, watching the snow…and chatting with two of our sons. How many days til Spring?? ;)
Officially, not that many, but I think Spring will be late this year.
I’d still be in my blue/grey plaid flannel bottoms, snuggly grey fleece top (a homemade P.J. set), and some airline’s night flight fuzzy socks IF I hadn’t had to get out this morning and do some much-needed food shopping at Trader Joe’s and Aldi. We were due to get freezing rain, instead 54 degrees and lovely sunshine most of the day – I love it when the meteorologist is wrong this way! Hope your guy/gal has made a mistake too, more snow you don’t need.
Tonight I’ll get snug again, light a fire, pour some wine, and watch Enchanted April – Summer in Italy will be perfect!
Mary X
Glad your weather came out for the better, Mary. Envy you your cozy fire!
Hi Claudia!
We’ve been DVR’ing Elementary for weeks since you told us all that Don would be on and finally last night when we had it on … I had my head bent down reading something and I lifted it up and saw Don and started yelling That’s him! That’s Don! to my husband sitting right next to me. Too funny! And so much fun to see your hubby again.
I unsubscribed to a lot of newsletters after my father passed away – I thought I’d done all but a few – they’d become totally unmanageable and I didn’t even open them anymore. Well somehow they’ve grown exponentially again and I haven’t signed up for new ones! One I don’t understand is a charity I sent a check to – I never give out my email and yet, they are sending me emails! How’d that happen?
Anyway I need to delete them all too. But even worse – I send myself emails with craft links and you would not believe how many stupid emails I have from myself, unopened. Egads. I’m such a knucklehead, I have a Pinterest account for heavens sake. DUH.
Isn’t it a lovely feeling of accomplishment with you’ve tidied up and gotten rid of unnecessary stuff?!
Hope you and Scout are having a nice weekend! xo
(Oh! I received a comment about my Xmas critters and it triggered the thought in my head about when we will receive our December patterns, so we’ll have time to do them before Christmas?)
We premiere the next month’s patterns at the end of the previous month. We gave the PDF info for March at the end of February. So you should be fine!
oh good golly! Just disregard everything I say, I seem to be losing my mind and my memory! For some reason I was thinking we began at the end of January — but now I realize that was the linky party and not the patterns. Sorry! I need to just rest from all the stress, for a very long time …
I have some old snuggly clothes that I can’t part with either. They’re like comfort food to me when life gets too crazy. I try to spend each weekend doing a little decluttering, it’s my form of therapy. I have to say I’m envious of your sweet little egg cups, what an adorable collection!
That’s all I ever wear! haha I love being comfortable at home.
Did your husband have a small part on Elementary this past week? If not … he has a twin in the acting world. :-)
Wishing you a great weekend.
I think that I have spent most of this Winter in my PJ’s..much more warm and comfy if we must stay inside so much..I have seen the old pansy picture in your photos before..Pansys are always one of the first flower I buy in the Spring..so so pretty..I think you know that I LOVE your egg cups..We are waiting for the storm also..seems they keep changing the amount we are expecting..Oh well..what ever it is we will just have to put up with it..again..sigh..
I had to chuckle. As I was reading your post, chagrined to see you’re having more snow in a couple of days, I scrolled down for comments and saw the bit that pops up on your previous posts called “More from Mockingbird Hill Cottage.” One of those featured from the past is, “We’re Having A Heat Wave.” Ah, the irony…
Well we could be room mates. Baggy pjs and comfy chairs are one of my all time fave things and many an hour has been lost looking at egg cups. I love quirky ones and would have so many if I wasn’t nagged about them all the time…I find I can use some as tea light holders which is a good disguise…
I love your outfit, and have many that are similar and I had no idea they weren’t fashionable. LOL they are in my neck of the woods. I finally had a few minutes to stop by some blogs, was great to read yours today :)
Hi Claudia, I drop in from time to time to read your lovely blog! Just wanted to comment about all the comfortable pj’s in today’s comments! Ha! Its a beautiful sunny 70 degree day in South Carolina with daffodils blooming out my windows! And what am I wearing? A warm flannel gown with big blue roses on it. I better get dressed and get outside before the freezing rain comes tomorrow!
I’m a big proponent of comfort..I live in sweats because that’s what I walk my dog in which is pretty much the only reason I’m dressed at all..Often I tuck my flannel nightie in to my sweat pants and throw a coat on..Ah winter..can’t get away with that in the summer time..6-8 inches of snow on it’s way..Happy Sunday..
Thanks for the inspiration today!
I love to snuggle up under one of those fleece blankets and crochet the day away when it’s cold outside! A cup of tea, some ginger cookies…ahhhh so comforting. :)
Wishing you a lovely day. :)
I totally agree about comfort clothes, Claudia! My go-to outfit is a pale (read: worn) dusty blue cotton jersey dress that reaches mid-calf, some patterned socks, and either a denim shirt or a cardigan worn over it. My family cringes to see me in it, but when I put it on, all’s right with the world! (Oh, and I think unsubscribing from email lists is one of the most liberating things you can do, frankly. Good for you!)