Long winter nights

Sometimes, the short winter days and long, chilly nights can be depressing. But, with a little thought, I think some of the sadness can be prevented.

I like to meditate on my blessings, and I have plenty of them. I also like to make sure there are enough lights turned on to drive away the darkness that comes way too early in the day.

Another thing I do is find indoor projects to busy myself with. For instance, I found some pretty curtains on the clearance shelf the other day. Only $7 each for a 40" by 84" panel. I got those and two $1 curtain rods. For $15, I dressed up my dining area! I used one of the curtains over the back door, which is 15 pane glass, to help block some of the cold air.

I also found a panel to match my living room curtains and put it over the front door - again to help block drafts. I looked online for curtains and while I know that at this time of the year, order fulfillment is a lot more rapid, I still like bringing home things from my shopping excursions and being able to use them right away,

On my days off, I like to bake quick breads using winter veggies such as sweet potatoes and acorn squash. I also bake up extras of these veggies for the freezer so I'll have them on hand for quick meals. Baking warms up my kitchen and sends delicious aromas wafting through the house. This brightens my spirit even if I don't immediately consume the item. (Although you just can't beat a freshly baked sweet potato hot out of the oven and slathered with butter and brown sugar!)

I have a bread machine, so making wonderful home made bread and rolls is just plain easy. The smell of yeast bread baking is a great comfort aroma. I don't even buy commercially made bread anymore. I can have what I want anytime. I just store extra loaves and rolls in the freezer for later.

There's something very comforting about engaging in these home-body activities.

Technorati Tags: winter