There’s a certain point in the year when it gets very tricky to live in Oregon. Our fall is lovely. Winter is crisp and invigorating. And then, well, the grey moves in and it lingers forever. I fear the grey has officially arrived. The rain is on and off today. Every now and then the sun breaks through for a few glorious moments but for the most part it is….well….gloomy.

To survive, I’ve found you have to alter your mindset. You have to embrace the grey. Sure, sunshine and mild weather would be nice. But there’s something to be said for cups of steaming tea, burrowing down into an old comfy sweater, snuggling with your kids in a warm bed, or stitching quietly to the sound of rain. I have to start preparing myself mentally because this grey, well, it sticks around until June. That’s a lot of tea people.

The good news is that my last Christmas present is almost stitched. Thank goodness! I’ve found myself noticing all the clutter and dust floating around the house and I feel a burst of house cleaning/organization sneaking up on me. I’ve also started eyeing the walls and musing about paint samples. And the yearly urge to bake bread is also niggling at the back of my mind. Nesting, cooking, cleaning. Yup, the grey is definitely here. Bring it on!