Loads of inspiration from these two guys and although for me it is a tiny tiny bit early to go full on Christmas, when I saw this picture on their website I just couldn’t resist!

It took me a while to find this image but this is the one that says it best for me.
“Only the good die young” really applies here. Steve Jobs was 56 years old. Our generation has lost a genius.
And for anyone who doesn’t remember, Steve was fired from the company (Apple!) he co-founded back in 1976 only to form a new company Pixar (1995) which went on to produce the one of the most successful animation pictures to date – Toy Story. BTW, this is the first ever feature film to be made entirely with CGI. Of course in homage to Steve we had to buy the new iphone 4S which comes complete with a very cool new feature – the digital assistant called “Siri” – all voice control! A new way to remember things, a new way to keep lists! I just hope I don’t have to enunciate in that weird robotic way although they claim you don’t have to.
Either way, brilliant and highly innovative once again – thanks Steve and R.I.P.

In case you think you’re the only one dealing with a snowstorm check again! Not only did poor Martha end up in the hospital after one of her dogs head butted her but then she had to go home to this- a huge snowstorm at Skylands!

I think I would let this donkey give me a couple of stitches if this is where I lived! He doesn’t exactly look ferocious though does he?

Hell, my cats beat me up all the time but do I have this view?
Wonder why the water didn’t freeze on this pond – would make for some great ice skating and then you guessed it, Martha could make some of her famous hot cocoa! Homemade marshmallows anyone?

Maybe I’m not 100% jealous after all, although it’s not snowing now, this could look like a view of the San Juan Islands I have from my own backyard. Take that Martha!

Marc knows I LOVE Jamie Oliver and especially anything he does at his country house in England. I’m not sure how he found this Christmas special but he did and I absolutely love it – to me, this is the ultimate in Cozy! His newest TV series, Jamie at Home, takes place entirely at this country house where he often cooks outside either in a big old stone oven or sometimes on a little grill out in the woods. He picks vegetables right out of his amazing garden and uses all kinds of old vintage dishes. Just love it!

In this video he makes homemade pancakes with his two rarely seen daughters Poppy and Daisy. They are like right out of Central Casting, cute beyond words. He also did a turkey and leek pie which I will be trying out this week and letting you know how it turned out. Talk about cozy inspiration!!!
I wonder what Jamie’s doing for the New Year???

Apparently Martha Stewart recently had an unusual bit of spare time on her hands so she quickly left New York city and headed out to her farm Cantitoe Corners in Bedford, NY to check on things and have a bit of “me time”!

Martha’s first stop, the stables where she keeps her horses.

Martha has 5 Friesian horses from Canada named Meindert, Martyn, Rinze, Rutger and Ramon. Nothing ordinary for our Martha, Friesian horses are solid black, tall and quite powerful. Popular in the film industry they have been used in films such as Eragon, The Mask of Zorro, Alexander and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Martha gives Rinze some luv!

Put on the kettle? Gimme a break! Martha says she stopped by the “stable kitchen” (what is that, where they cook for the horses?) and was happy to see all her copper that she bought in Paris (like where else?) was highly polished. Can you imagine the heads that would have rolled had there been a speck of patina? Ouch!!!

Oh….this explains the stable kitchen – so she can host her elaborate and fabulous dinner parties!
I’m just so bored of my dining room!

Below the apple espalier. An espalier is defined as a way of training and pruning a tree or shrub to grow flat against a wall or free standing trellis.

The Chicago Botanist.com tells us “Espalier has a great deal of ornamental value — few garden scenes are more stunning than a blooming apple tree growing against a brick wall — but it’s also an effective technique for producing an ample crop of fruit in a small space. You don’t need an orchard to grow apple trees. A sunny wall, a special pruning technique, and patience are all you need to espalier an apple tree”.

But don’t worry, seems Martha additionally has an orchard full of “ancient apple trees”…

And plenty of not so ancient raspberries

So, a day on the farm with horses, apples, raspberries and chickens.

If that doesn’t help you to forget the big city I don’t know what will! I’ll be sure to keep you updated on Cozy Cantitoe Corners as Fall is around the corner and I can’t wait to see what Martha will be up to then!
(I sure hope these two chickens aren’t talking behind Martha’s back, they outa know better!)

Can you imagine waking up to this view every morning? Not the treacherous sky, just Martha Stewart’s gorgeous New York farm Cantitoe! And to think, this is the place where she had to spend her 5 months of house arrest back in 2004 (the place is so large she actually was limited to certain parts of it, can you imagine?!!). But lets focus on more pleasant things! Cantitoe is a 153-acre property she purchased in Bedford in Westchester County, New York in 2000 which Martha has been lovingly restoring and renovating, giving it the total Martha Makeover, wow wow wow!

The property, once called Sycamore Farms was first settled in 1784 and was named after Cantitow, the wife of an Indian chief named Katonah who lived in the region in the 1700s. And get this, apparently her neighbor is Ralph Lauren! Why do I find that so Not Shocking???!!! Like it would be Tara Reid or something? I think NOT!!!

When I look at that looming sky I think I would so have a fire in the fireplace and the kettle heating up on the stove (Viking, of course). It looks like the sky is about to burst, wow, thunder and lightning! Living in Southern California I have to say it’s been a long time since I’ve experienced that!

This looks like morning time on the farm. I can smell strong Italian coffee and maybe bacon and eggs frying in the kitchen….
The calm before the storm!

This looks like morning time on the farm. I can smell strong Italian coffee and maybe bacon and eggs frying in the kitchen….

Seems that Ms. Stewart has become a bit of a photographer herself crediting these pics as her own on her blog and she even tells us the camera she uses (a Canon EOS 5D Mark II). I think the shots are beautiful so I of course checked this camera out and it retails for about $2500-3000 smackers!). Guess I will not be rushing out to Samy’s Camera anytime soon…

Here is a shot of the front of the house. Wouldn’t mind having my lemonade or ice tea here, would you? And what a view it must be.

and below, can’t you feel the dew from the grass on your bare feet? Almost looks like a vineyard…

The photos are certainly gorgeous and what I love about this farm are all the different aspects of it. Apparently Martha’s new home is more like a small village, with a series of houses and out-buildings dotting the expansive grounds. When in town Martha lives in the 1925 farmhouse (the Winter House) a three-story structure fronted by a long porch and dormer windows on the third level. Next to the farmhouse is the property’s original abode: a 1770 Colonial house, known as the Summer House. There is also a nearby tenant’s cottage, where her daughter, Alexis, lives when she visits.

Horses naturally. Gotta give neighbor Ralph Lauren something to do when he stops by for a visit!

A gorgeous garden but I’m still partial to the ramble of Jamie Oliver’s…

Check out the link to her blog on her website to see more photos with lots of details of some of the flowers she grows (there must be hundreds maybe thousands of varieties!) and then vegetables too! Martha had a jump on sustainable (of course) wanting the farm to provide everything you need to eat or drink – vegetables, milk, eggs, meat, fruit, right there in those acres.
Heck, right now I’m happy to have a couple of flourishing zucchini plants!!! Guess I’ve got a long way to go…

For a really good story on Cantitoe check out this article from May 2006, lots of shots of the beautiful interiors too including her famous 3rd floor blogging /craft studio. Gimme a fargin break……

But bitterness aside I guess at the end of the day you have to admit, “it’s a good thing”….! I for one, would accept an invitation any day!

This post kind of speaks for itself and particularly refreshing coming from someone so famous…

Maybe the 4th”P” is to pass this on to someone you think could use it!i