"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant." - Anne Bradstreet
I guess it’s about time that I take after my Bradstreet ancestry and appreciate the coming of Spring.
This quoted line might have originally been written as an analogy for the reward of overcoming adversity, but it’s also ironically fitting of the Bradstreet clan I grew up around a couple hundred years post AB’s colonial times. Very much the gardening enthusiasts, the earliest hint of warmer weather would send my mother and her three sisters into a tailspin of delight. They would quite literally need to line up one of them for flowerbed-pruning duties anytime they’d leave their house for more than a day.
Maybe because it was always so obsessed over, or maybe because it seemed so tedious to me and with little to no return, but at a very young age I defiantly swore off ever being so consumed over something as dull as flowers.
It was cool to tell the boys: “Don’t ever waste your money on flowers for me. They just die anyways.” There was some edge to being THAT girl. Much to my younger self’s disdain, I’d soon go from ice cold to melting at the sight of a fresh bouquet walking at me through the front door.
It started when I was planning our wedding. I was forcefully thrown into this world of learning what blooms in which season, or what greenery works best with what pedal, and where to bring them altogether in a way that would best accent your overall look. I still found it equally as frustrating and I didn’t think I’d ever care but wow, it looked good when they were done right. I gained just the faintest of interest.
And it was when I first DIY’ed centerpieces for our engagement party (fake flowers, btw), that I realized I might even have a thumb for this too.
Several centerpieces, wall hangings, even Christmas wreathes and winter garland runners later, and HELP! because now I get a thrill from walking the aisles of the various craft stores several times a season just to keep up on the latest and most certainly necessary décor.
< Insert here a 2011 tweet of mine that read, “Off me if I ever become one of those ladies that browse Michaels on a weekday for fun.” >
I could only be so lucky if my line of work required Wednesday afternoon trips to Michael’s and now I gloat when I get a Friday evening free to roam the store after a hard week.
I blame it on owning a house. It’s still bitterly cold here, but I was just innocently scrolling through Instagram stories when I saw a realtor friend posting from a florist shop with the text, “Almost here!” and it excited me. The next story was a light, sunny, California house of one of the many C-list celebrities I shamelessly follow. The rich hues. The brightness. The cleanliness. I suddenly wanted all of both of these stories- give me my clean, bright house and let me add those pops of color!
And here I am, for the first time, in the dead of winter (my favorite season) with a flutter, an itch, for spring. I’ve caught the feeling. A feeling and one of those, “am I becoming my mother?” moments.
Maybe it’s the five-day head cold speaking, and the abundance of tissue boxes and water bottles scattered around me as I lay under a heavy blanket with the curtains closed dark. Let me breathe.
Maybe there’s an assist owed to the emails and texts with flash sales and discount codes to my favorite online boutiques. Or maybe it’s even the first bridal shower invite I got in the mail yesterday. Are we already planning our attire for 2020? Yes, and I am here for it.
I am here for the revival that is Spring. And this otherwise all-black-everything girl is ready for the colors that come with it.
Muted colors, of course.
Give me the greens but with a balance of ivories, and the blush and pale denim blues. Velvet. Throw in a metal. A sharp black somewhere too- either in a thin picture frame or a flower stand. Yes, that’s my kind of Spring. Sorry, Anne.
Shed some layers. Clean out the clutter. Minimize to Refresh. Start new.
Something about New Year’s is so empowering. The month of January is then so exceptionally long though, and February is typically just as dreary, that it’s all too easy to fall off your momentum in the very first two months of the year. But maybe while January 1st is for making your resolutions, it’s actually after the lull of the winter months that we can take advantage of Spring as a rejuvenation of these goals.
A few things I like to do to kick off my year the right way are:
Declutter both my living and mental spaces.
UNFOLLOW, UNFOLLOW, UNFOLLOW. Is there any way better to #newyearnewme than to unfollow the negativity from your life, both literally and figuratively? Does that aunt or uncle post the most ludicrous and least credible political memes that just make your blood boil? You don’t need to defriend, but give them an unfollow, and do it in that very moment that it irks you. It’ll feel so good when you finally do and you’ll soon forget what it’s like to scroll social media questioning half of the people in your life. You can always search for them later when there’s the one-off occasion that you’re in the mood to be a keyboard warrior on someone’s Facebook status.
Shop your own closet. Go hanger by hanger- “Does this excite me?” If you wouldn’t buy it now, toss it to the floor. Be really cutthroat. You can always refill your closet gradually with pieces you actually want to wear. Too often, we let things build up because “it isn’t my favorite, but it still works in a pinch.” How often are you in that pinch? And do you truthfully go for that piece when you are? Keep up on your laundry instead so there’s always a desirable option. Shouldn’t your closet be ALL favorites anyways? Let it! Then go through the pile(s) on your floor and decide what can be donated and what should be thrown right in the trash.
Toss the old. Is your coffee table or ottoman tray still collecting holiday catalogs and winter décor magazines? Throw them away. By now, you should be plenty decorated for the rest of winter. You don’t need expired inspiration at this point. Look forward to what you will do for Spring. Keep your spaces clean and minimal in the meantime. You can’t refresh with the old holding you back.
Organize to best prepare.
The kitchen is where efficiency matters and where inefficiency is painfully obvious. Is there anything that isn’t working as it should? Are there new tools you’ve seen that would solve the interferences with your everyday cooking and prep? Would one new gadget do away with a collection of old, useless ones? Invest in the new and throw away the old that is just taking up your in-demand real estate. Then look for smarter ways to store these tools in the spaces you have. While you’re at it, look for ways you can be eco-friendly, too. Maybe it’s reusable zip loc bags. Maybe it’s cloth napkins and micro-fiber towels instead of paper. Less trash is liberating, in more ways than one.
Get current. Does anyone else still get so much snail mail on top of the endless amount of spam emails? Maybe I need to unsubscribe. But if you’re anything like us, we have stacks upon stacks of mail to go through at any given time. We aren’t yet those people that open their mail every night like adults. Instead it’s weekly, or even biweekly, and then you’re getting repeats of the same $25 due to your doctor because for whatever reason your in-office copay didn’t cover it (am I right?). Take the time to sit down and go through those piles. Get current with your most annoying bills. Go into the new year knowing you’re not bringing any 2019 late fees into it. Get rid of those expired holiday promos and CVS coupons too- you missed it. And if no one’s asked for their Christmas gift receipt yet, toss those too. They can deal with store credit at this point.
Budget accordingly. Once you’re up to date, you can get a good handle on your upcoming expenses for the year. You should know by now what weddings and trips are coming up- do you have hotels booked? What will travel cost you? Will you need to register your car this year, and in what month is your inspection up? Are there any house projects or landscaping you want to do this April before summer? If you feel comfortable and can keep up with it, write out a monthly budget (or an excel sheet, like me). If not, just go through and make a mental note or scribble down what looming financial obligations you have by the month or season. Don’t be caught off guard.
Refresh with pops of color.
Succulents are cute and can fit anywhere. They’re also fake and $8.99 at HomeGoods. Or go for the real ones but make sure you have a husband like Shane that will water it for you every two weeks when you’ve let it start to die. Stock up on a handful and throw them in random corners of the house that need brightening.
Pillows on pillows. I have pillows for not only every season but almost every half season; because November to January is a much different feel than January through March. If you’re smart, you’ll buy the inserts and have the changeable covers. If you’re not so smart, your guest bedroom is a great landing spot for the odd mix of colors and patterns to all hide together in their offseason. Bring in some light pastels for the start of April. My current fav is a carry over from last year, a soft blush, and absolutely anything goes with off white or taupe. I also change my kitchen hand-towels and area rugs with my pillows. It’s a problem but at least I own it.
Nothing beats fresh sheets. Bring in a lighter color if you went dark over the winter. Swap out the down comforter for a lighter duvet, or we even make do with quilts and toss blankets for the warmer months. I do like to keep our bedroom pillows a neutral or white that works year-round.
Orange might actually be the new black.
Orange is officially in. I repeat, to my high school self, orange is FINALLY in. You made it! Whether it’s a soft, muted tangerine, or a bold, burnt orange, it is here, and it is poppin’. Find ways to incorporate this hue as a compliment to a neutral. Feeling loud? Pair it with hot pink.
Short suites are also in for 2020. While you probably won’t catch me in a blazer with Bermuda length shorts like they suggest, I will absolutely go for a clean-hem short-short with a strappy heel when possible.
The minimalist look is (thankfully) still here, and black will always be THE black, so don’t fret if your little heart is still as dark as your mascara. Wear that black (and starch white) for a fresh, and always sleek-y clean look.
“Hip Hop Brunch” at Ledger, in Salem
Break out of hibernation with a bubbly brunch.
The best brunch is when you have a few months’ worth of work, family and husband drama to gossip about with your girlfriends over sparkling champ or a crisp sauvy. Try Sonsie on Newbury Street or Ledger in Salem. Make it last and take it into a Sunday Funday if it goes there.
Sonsie, Newbury Street, Boston
With so much cheer to this next season, who can’t get on board with Anne Bradstreet? Yes, girl, give me all the Spring reward for my harsh Winter of overeating, overdrinking, and oversleeping under my 17-pound weighted blanket. Is that not what she meant?
