Skip to main content

Preparing for the Fall and Winter [North East Living]

BB09DDAF-00E0-4638-9126-E356C78388D1

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Living in the North East means you get to enjoy each and every season fully. We have sunshine and clear skies, heat, humidity, dry spells and droughts. Bitter cold, blustery days, snow flurries, blizzards, down pours, thunderstorms, and I’ve even experienced lighting and thunder during a snow storm. Its actually pretty fantastic that we get to taste each season and enjoy its deliciousness, for a time. 

Of course many of us are preparing our homes for holiday gatherings with festive decor and what not, but today I wanted to share with all of you how I as a homemaker am beginning to prepare our home for the seasons ahead, aside from just decor. 

– I try to be mindful weekly and be as intentional as I can in regards to meal planning and prepping, however I do struggle in this area and I’m not always on the top of my game week to week. But, theres something about fall that really gets me motivated to spend more time in the kitchen. Maybe it’s the cooler temps and the thought of warm comfort foods. I can’t say exactly why, but I take the extra motivation and run with it. With cold weather coming I tend to be a bit of a homebody and I hate driving in the snow. So I use this time to really start stocking up on essentials. Making sure my pantry and freezer are well stocked. I also like to make soups ahead of time so that I have something already prepared to heat up for a quick meal. 

This year I’m working on homemade Christmas gifts. I’m going to be making beeswax candles, hand balms and bath salts. I’ve been playing around with some different recipes so far I love this bedtime [calm balm]

I melted my beeswax, olive oil, and almond oil together in a pyrex measuring cup [set in a shallow pan of water on the stove.] Stirring with a wooden stick until completely melted and liquified. I poured it into the container added my essential oils, stirred and set to cool and harden on the counter. 

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

and this creamy hand balm for those dry cracked winter hands.

I used the same process as above. 

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

I’m also going to be making some sore muscle cream for my husband for those long days spent out in the cold and some beard balm for my brother. I’ll be sure to share those recipes once I have come up with a recipe I love. 

– I like to sort through the closets, especially the boys and take note of what we have and what we need in regards to winter gear. The grow so fast they haven’t been able to use their winter gear for more than one season. One year I didn’t do this, assuming we could just reuse what we had, nothing fit either boy and we had no snow clothes, no snow boots and a huge snowstorm headed our way. Needless to say we borrowed boots from a neighbor and ended struggling to find any stores that still had winter gear in stock. 

– Spend some time baking, now is a great time to start thinking about holiday desserts. Try some new recipes ahead of time so you’ve perfected it in time for your holiday gatherings. I also like to make some cookie dough batches a few weeks before I’m going to bake. Get most of the hard work out of the way. It gives me time to sit back and relax with family. 

cropped-e5f469d3-650a-4a2e-b80c-dcc5a0d13bd1.jpg

– Get outside, enjoy the beautiful Fall days. We love picking pinecones from our trees and different leaves on our walks. Do a fun craft with the kiddos. We just made these cute little noodle necklaces and the boys just giggled with excitement the whole time.

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

– Do a bit of deep cleaning. I think the change of seasons is always an excellent opportunity to rearrange furniture, dust all the nooks and crannies, and give everything a good washing. 

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

What are some thing you do to prepare for the Fall and Winter season? I’d love to hear about your rituals and rhythms. Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Blessings,

Bree 

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mind the gap: Fit IKEA MALM over a tall baseboard

I forgot one thing when I ordered the MALM dresser : The baseboards in my apartment are very tall and very wide. So, when I installed it, I had a 4 cm gap between the wall and the back of the cabinet which was not aesthetically possible for me. As it is not possible to cut the back of dresser at the bottom to leave room for the tall baseboard, I decided that MALM should be raised. And it was much simpler than I had imagined. You’ll need: A MALM dresser (mine is a 6-drawer chest) Six oak bed legs (I think five would have been enough, but while I was there …) 6 mounting plates A piece of plywood the size of the bottom of the cabinet (I went to the hardware store next door, it cost me less than 5€) Screws White adhesive edging tape How to raise the MALM dresser above a tall baseboard Place the MALM upside down. Fix the plywood onto the underside of the MALM with screws. Predrill holes for the leg screws (if you have the same baseboard problem as me, make sure you measur...

How to Document the Home Building Process

Building your home is a unique experience filled with stories you will never forget. There is also important information you need to remember if you build, even after you settle in. Whether it’s for your family or for future renovations, documenting your build is an important part of the process. Keeping track of your documents and making sure your family stay in the loop can help you stay organized and make sure you remember everything about your build. Not sure how to stay on top of all of the details? Document the process with these simple tips so you can always look back on it fondly. Collect this idea Use social media and involve your friends. Image: Kroiss Development Keep friends and family in the loop The home building process is exciting and your friends and family will want to be included. In fact, you’ll probably find that your new home becomes a popular conversation topic. You don’t need to personally keep everyone in the loop. Instead, you can find ways to keep ev...

Brighten up: A reading lamp the book lover will love

We already had a MAGNARP table lamp in the living room, but we were missing a reading lamp next to our couch. For a standing MAGNARP floor lamp, we didn’t have space. And the available other IKEA lamps were not for our taste. I already saw solutions with FRÄCK , so I decided to make my own wall mounted reading light, fused with MAGNARP. Here goes: IKEA items used: Steps for an IKEA wall mounted reading light: 1. Take apart both sets. 2. Cut the power line of the MAGNARP to be able to pull it out from the pipe. (Cut at both ends of the switch) 3. Cut the pipe. Besides the threaded part which goes inside the bulb socket you I will need approximate 5mm. 4. Cut M10 thread on the pipe’s end, and drill over the thread inside the main plate with M10 as well. 5. Bend the mirror’s fork as seen on the picture. 6. Mark the holes from the bent fork onto the main plate, and drill holes. 7. Make the electric work with a new switch. (I laced it inside the arm before doing so...