NOVEMBER 2025
ISSUE 018
Weathering the Dark and Cold Months
Your dispatch from Mount Desert Island, Maine.
Let’s get into it. Here are some beloved things I do in the winter months to feel like this is a time of hibernation, restoration, joy and beauty.
Winter Hair & Skin Saves
It is getting COLD and WINDY here in Northeast Harbor. These products help me feel soft and glossy in the harsh Northeast winters, and I return to them time after time.
I feel like if these can work for me—a Californian with a tendency towards ultra dry skin and babyish attitudes about cold weather—they can work for anyone.
The key is: ABM, always be moisturizing.
Elizabeth Adren Eight Hour Cream— I smear this everywhere thats chapped. Nose, lips, knuckles)
La Roche-Posay Hydrating Gentle Cleanser
Purito Ceramide Sleeping Pack (I use this in the AM and PM)
Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream
SoonJung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream
Organic Jojoba Oil for your body
Kiehl’s Creme de Corps for your body
A Few of My Favorite Things
I have been leaning hard into lighting candles this fall, and especially love candlelight in the winter. Votives, candle sticks, pillars, scented or unscented, candlelight helps me romanticize these darker months instead of dreading them.
These are excellent beeswax pillar candles. They have a long burn time.
A rosemary bush inside. I potted a two gallon rosemary plant in an old terracotta planter I found at an antiques store in Ellsworth. It is currently sitting on a side table, happy as a clam, wafting the most lovely scent through the house. It also encourages me to cook with rosemary more, a lovely winter herb. Rosemary is also dog safe, so Saul is all set.
I got my beautiful one from The Sill.
Narcissus bulbs. The romance of bringing the outdoors inside where it's warm is one of my favorite winter traditions. This weekend I planted narcissus bulbs (also known as paper whites) in a large copper pot and in a beautiful soup tureen I found in Lincolnville. I like to forage pretty moss, soak it in glycerin (to help keep the moisture locked in) and arrange it around the bulbs so it looks like a lush forest floor. This brings me so much joy in the winter months.
I got twenty bulbs from Eden Brothers.
Linen spray. I really love the smell of Thymes Frasier Fir, I truly haven't found a good dupe. Of course the candles are lovely, but my new favorite thing is to buy the reed diffuser oil refill bottle (it’s the best deal– $35 for almost 8 oz, vs. $11 for 0.25 oz), pour about two tablespoons into a glass spray bottle (glass, not plastic, we gotta watch out microplastic intake) and fill the rest up with filtered water. I spray this on my bedding, my furniture, etc. It leaves a lovely, soft scent and last so much longer than the candle!
Tea light village houses. I bought these last year from an Etsy seller and love them so, so much. I whip them out October 1st because they're not holiday specific, which I love. They're beautifully crafted with thick card stock, and designed to look like townhouses in Amsterdam. The flickering tea lights come with the houses and cast a warm, comforting light. It’s a nice way to ease into the colder months while celebrating cozy season, not just the holiday season.
Here is the set I purchased on Etsy.
Winter Wardrobe
My winter clothing is all about warmth, comfort, and style.
My work from home uniform is a rotation of these silk pants from Donni (worth every penny, I take them from day to night effortlessly), and these sweats from Daily Drills, along with my favorite Nuuds white tees, and a sweater from my truly extensive sweater collection. I am slightly horrified at the amount of sweaters I own and am not allowed to buy anymore. Wigwam socks are an essential, as are these Ariat Fatbaby boots (they’re cheaper than Blundstones and much more comfortable).
When I have an outside meeting, or head to work at TSM or Good Wolf (!!!) I almost always grab these Pistola jeans (currently on sale), my Le Canadienne boots, and my favorite overcoat from COS.
My favorite J. Crew cotton pajama set is on sale!
If you were to get one sweater this winter, I highly, highly recommend this Nili Lotan. It’s the most worn piece in my closet. Size down.
An incredible investment coat for the Maine winters:
Rab Women’s Mythic G Down Jacket. Keeps me dry and warm in the snow.
This $30 scarf from Uniqlo.
Cold Weather Eats
Buckwheat Porridge (serves 1)
*Pairs amazing well with coffee or tea
In a saucepan, bring to boil, 1 ½ cups of milk
Add a dash of cinnamon
Once boiling, add ¼ cup of buckwheat porridge (I love and use this). Once the mixture is boiling, reduce to a simmer and stir consistently until its nice and thick, and most of the milk liquid has been absorbed.
Add toppings of your choosing. I like blueberries, diced pieces of apples, roasted sunflower seeds, walnuts, golden raisins, and a healthy pour of maple syrup
Butter Beans with Leeks and Parmesan
In a pan, saute thinly sliced leeks and one shallot with a big pad of butter or about 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add rosemary sprigs, generous salt and pepper. Cook until wilted and almost golden
Rinse your butter beans (I like this brand)
Add butter beans and 3 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
Reduce heat to low and let simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes, stirring occasionally. The beans will cook down to a thick, hearty mixture. Soup but not quite
Serve with some good toasted bread, lots of extra olive oil, and a big heap of grated parmesan
Creamy Coffee in a Moka Pot
Now that TSM is closed for the season, my supply of professionally made barista level coffee has been shut off. I am not a barista, but I do love good coffee. I use this Moka pot every morning. Sometimes the morning calls for the one cup, others the three cup.
Pro tip: if you add your little bit of milk or cream to the top compartment before the espresso brews, it will brew into the milk and create a lovely, steamed drink.
Wellness Shots (ginger, lemon and turmeric)
Like most of my recipes and ways of cooking, this one is very intuitive. I dont have exact measurements, but this is a ballpark. You will need a good blender (I like this one a lot) and a cheese cloth or nut milk bag. I store mine in these individual glass bottles and keep them in the fridge for months.
In a high-powered blender, add 6-8 large pieces of organic ginger root
Peel 3-4 lemons (more if you like sour), add these, whole to the blender
Peel 2 oranges, add these to the blender
Add a 2 inch nub of turmeric (ground is also fine, about 3 tbs)
Add 1 cup of water
Blend well
Over a large bowl, place a cheese cloth or a nut milk bag, pour the ginger mixture over the bag to filter out ginger skin and seeds from the citrus.
I store these in little glass bottles like these in my fridge. During these winter months, I take one a day to keep the doctor away
**They will keep for 3 months in the fridge
**Shake well before drinking
