Evenings at Our House

We all have our little routines, don't we?

Things we do pretty much every morning....and usually an entirely different routine in the evenings. 

Mornings are hectic...lots of little chores to be done before I head out to work for the day. 

Evenings are precious, meant to be savored. 

That feeling of pulling into my driveway, unlocking the kitchen door, and starting the evening routine - pure heaven. 

I'm home. 

First things first, I take care of the furbabies. They always need kisses and cuddles....and to get outside to do their business. 

Off come the boots, on go the slippers. Hang up the coat and the handbag, unpack the work tote and the lunch box. 

Then I take care of the fire in the woodstove. I use my woodstove as my primary source of heat all winter long. It saves me a ton of money in oil, but of course is another thing that needs constant tending. I open the flue, stir up the embers, toss in some kindling, and get the fire going again. 

I wander around the house, turning on all my little lights...I adore soft lighting and candles in the evenings. The only place I have a bright light on is in the kitchen while I'm chopping...so I don't lose a finger!

I trim the candle wicks, light the various candles around the house. A little music on Pandora....always something soft and relaxing. 

The dishwasher needs unloading, the furbabies need a little treat. They are ridiculously spoiled, no doubt. 

If we're not going out, it's time to begin dinner. More often than not it's something that's cooked in my big red pot. I seriously LOVE that pot!

Once dinner is on, it's usually time for a cocktail or a glass of wine. I keep a lovely selection of spirits around, as I never know what I'll be in the mood for that evening. 

I relax with my cocktail in my chair next to the fire, getting up to tend to dinner from time to time. If my sweetie is over, we'll chat and watch the news together. If he's not, I'll listen to Pandora or read a book.

The pups always want to play when I'm trying to wind down after my workday....but that's to be expected as they slept all day long! They pull out all their toys....squeak, squeak, squeak!

When dinner is ready the table gets set....always with linens and candles for the evening meal. Paper napkins are fine for breakfast and lunch but evenings are for linens and candles. 

Sometimes it's just the two of us for dinner, sometimes our little family grows to 6, if the girls have their boyfriends over. Either way, it's always wonderful to gather around a home cooked meal. 

After dinner, the kitchen gets a good scrub. There's just something so satisfying about seeing a clean kitchen after the evening meal is done. Even if there are a bunch of pots and pans drying on the counter, it's still quite the sense of completion...the chores of the day coming to a close, the evening is winding down. 

I might be a little weird, don't mind me. 

Pretty much every night ends like this....the pups have gone to bed, and I'm left to tidy up all the cute little messes they have left behind. 

I wouldn't have it any other way.