A Cozy Evening At Home

It has been either stormy or cold this week. The last two days have been so cold. It was 29F degrees as I drove to work today. Despite wearing a down vest to work, I could not get warm all day. It was so nice to come home, put on the heat and cuddle Liesl. After being so cold, I decided I needed comfort food, so I made homemade macaroni and cheese for dinner. It was so delicious and was the perfect dinner on a cold night.

As always, it was a very busy week. It was even busier than usual since it was a short week. I am grateful to have tomorrow off. It was nice to have this evening to just relax. My hands were still a bit cold so I did not stitch. I spent this evening looking at online freebies, stitching blogs, and designer web pages. It was nice and relaxing and I am really inspired to stitch some beautiful things in the new year.

I am reading "The White Queen" and learning alot about the War of the Roses. The White Rose was the House of York. I am looking forward to reading "The Red Queen" about the House of Lancaster. This period through the reign of Henry VIII is a fascinating time, full of drama, power marriages, and politics. The monarchies of Europe during this time were all interelated. I did not realize until lately that Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife was the daughter of Queen Isabella of Spain (the financial backer of Christopher Columbus.) I was telling my friend on the phone tonight that I need an org chart to keep all of the royalty straight. My friend told me that she actually has one and will make a copy for me. Wow, what a fascinating time in world history. I also only recently found out that the Tower of London was also a palace in addition to being a prison. My daughter recently returned from a trip to London and said that she actually saw the spot where Anne Boleyn was beheaded at the Tower. Yikes.

Well, I just saw on the news that it is supposed to get really cold tonight. I have a little dog who is already snuggling. However, tonight we remember in our prayers those who do not have access to shelter or warmth tonight. It will be below freezing, and I am so grateful that I have been blessed with shelter, healthy food, warmth and the love of a small dog, but I have a heavy heart as I think of those who need the same.