MONDAY MUSINGS | FEBRUARY
READING: A Ghost in the Throat BY Doireann Ní GhríofaLISTENING TO: Tudor herstory podcast by jessica faulknerWATCHING: counting down the days to a new season of love is blindWEARING: vintage samantha taylor "Sheep COttage" sweaterGO-TO RECIPE: Tomato Crostini with Whipped Feta
ROMANTICIZING RITUAL
February has a lovely charm about it: it’s a time when life feels softer, slower, and a little cozier. We find it’s the perfect invitation to romanticize the little things and bring more beauty and intention into our daily lives.
For us, romanticizing life is about finding joy in the small moments that make up our everyday rituals & routines. It’s lighting a candle during dinner, adding an extra blanket to the bed, or brewing your morning coffee in that mug that just feels right. These tiny details aren’t just about improving aesthetics, they make your day feel better and they make you feel better.
Romanticizing your rituals isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing what you already do with intention and care. It’s swapping the travel mug for a ceramic one when you’re at home. Lighting a candle while you journal. Adding a sprig of greenery to your dinner table, even if it’s just takeout. It’s how we turn our routines into moments that feel sacred and fulfilling.
Here are a few of our favorites ways to romanticize our rituals this month:
✨ Make space for moments. Take a few extra minutes in your morning routine to enjoy your coffee, listen to soft music, or sit by a sunny window. (This is my absolute favorite way to begin the day. After the pets have eaten, the dogs and I go back to my room where I’ve built-in an extra hour in the morning to savor my coffee in bed and play my favorite game on my iPad before I get ready for my day. I call it “girl time” and it’s become one of my most cherished rituals.)
✨ Elevate the ordinary. Upgrade your everyday things: eat on the inherited china, use linen napkins instead of paper, drink your favorite sparkling water from a wine glass, slip into your coziest loungewear & slippers when you return home, do your shopping with a gorgeous wicker tote. Start celebrating every day instead of saving things for “special occasions”. (I literally have listed: “find a wicker tote” on my thrift list for the year for this very reason! Wandering around my local grocery store and being able to stash my groceries away inside a tote instead of a borrowed basket feels like the perfect way to elevate an ordinary grocery trip.)
✨ Engage your senses. Think about textures, scents, sights and sounds. Pause and pay attention to the natural world around you. Look for the beautiful. Listen for birdsong as you walk to your office. Fill your interiors with comfort & warmth. A cozy blanket, flickering candlelight, and a soothing playlist can make everyday moments feel special. (Think about the tasks and hobbies you’re doing everyday. Curling up with a book, why not wrap yourself in a cozy throw. Cooking dinner, why not turn on a classic playlist then dim the lights for a more intimate vibe.)
✨ Connect with yourself. Try journaling, meditating, or even talking to yourself first before you reach for your phone or speak to anyone about decisions. Trust yourself. You know the way. (As I’ve been working to build a better relationship with abundance, I’ve learned abundance cannot exist without gratitude as you cannot expand if you don’t appreciate what you already have. Creating a practice of gratitude has made me more aware of all the little things that I’ve taken for granted and helped me recognize that most of what I’ve been searching for has been either inside or right in front of me all along.)
✨ Create an after-work routine. Consider how you want to spend your time. You’ve given 8+ hours a day to your job. Structure a routine that will help you transition from the workplace to your home and leave you feeling accomplished & fulfilled. (This year, I’m making more of an effort to listen to my body & intuition rather than follow a set schedule. Some days this means I come home from work and spend 30+ minutes cycling or strength training to expel excess energy. Some days this means I come home and take a bubble bath before an early bedtime. What’s helped immensely is having a pre-made list of habits & hobbies I enjoy and can choose from to fill my own cup depending upon how I’m feeling in that moment.)
✨ Set the tone. Examine your reactions to what’s occurring around you. Change is a part of life, and while much of that change is out of our control, what is within our control is how we perceive and accept what’s happening to and around us. When you begin to seek out and create positivity, you begin to see the world in a better light. So look for a reason to smile, compliment a stranger, enjoy what makes you happy. It might not cure all your worries but it will make the everyday a little easier. (Something I try to do with C is to tell each other one good thing that happened that day. Because no matter how small or insignificant it seems, it’s those small good things that make your day.)
✨ Wind down. Dim the lights for a cozy evening & spritz lavender on your pillow or invest in an essential oil diffuser. It’s these small details that can transform the mood of your space. (Part of my personal evening routine includes filling an essential oil diffuser with lavender and turning on the sunset setting for ambient lighting. The scent and the light create the loveliest atmosphere to help me to wind down and end my day.)
Rituals, when romanticized, become the anchors in our busy lives. They remind us to slow down, notice the beauty around us, and treat ourselves with care. When we focus on creating moments of warmth and joy, it has a way of making everything feel just a bit better.
“For us, romanticizing life is about finding joy in the small moments that make up our everyday life. It’s lighting a candle during dinner, adding an extra blanket to the couch, or brewing your morning coffee in that mug that just feels right. These tiny details don’t just make things look good, they make your day feel better, they make you feel better.”
shop our favorite ROMANTIC RITUALS below!REWRITING OUR STORIES . . .
With January behind us, we’re feeling even more energized about the year ahead. 2025 is shaping up to be a transformative year for Breezy Acres Design, and we’re excited to give you a glimpse into what’s happening behind the scenes.
One of the projects closest to our hearts is our Signature Collection a series of pre-designed room packages inspired by our six signature styles. These will offer a curated, approachable way to bring the Breezy Acres aesthetic into your home with ease. Whether you’re looking to refresh a space or start from scratch, these thoughtfully designed packages will provide everything you need to create a harmonious, timeless interior.
Beyond that, we’re also working toward something we’ve dreamed of for a long time: a handpicked selection of vintage treasures, carefully chosen to infuse your space with timeless elegance and add a touch of history to the story of your home. This will be a natural extension of our design philosophy blending old-world charm with modern sensibility. In the coming months, we’ll be sourcing beautiful, storied pieces that embody our ethos of intentional living.
And while we aren’t ready to spill all the details just yet, we’ll leave you with this hint: something special is taking shape. Something designed to inspire, to immerse, and to offer a new way to experience Breezy Acres Design. If all goes according to plan, you’ll see the first glimpse of it by the time the seasons shift again. Stay tuned!
As always, this "Monday Musings" series is our way of keeping ourselves accountable, sharing the journey with you, and savoring the process. Thank you for being here as we build something truly special.
Here’s to falling in love with the little things