5 Low Cost Ways To Cure Cabin Fever

Winter in the Northeast can be beautiful.  When the snow falls there is a calm quiet across the landscape.  Even a storm with blizzard conditions can be beautiful, as long as  you are prepared with whatever you need to make life comfortable for you should the power go out and the roads become impassable.

This winter has had its share of storms and blizzards.  The day after a storm is often sunny, a blessing in that sunshine is a known mood booster and it also helps to melt the snow.

Even so, there are times when even the most enthusiastic lover of winter gets cabin fever.  When I feel a bout of cabin fever I choose from one of my five favorite cures.  

Shop the Garden Catalogues

Make a cup of your favorite hot beverage.  My favorite is hot chocolate with mint. I add a healthy dollop of whipped cream on top.  During January the seed and gardening catalogues arrive.  Browse the catalogs, making note of what you would like to plant in the spring.  Take special not of new varieties, the growers are continuously developing new varieties that are often stronger and flower longer.  Place your order early to insure your selections are not sold out.

Search Back Issues of Favorite Magazines

I have a stock of back issues of magazines on gardening,  I pull out a dozen or so magazines and start browsing.  I am always pleasantly surprised when I come across an article I had forgotten about but had enjoyed when I first read it.

As I search through my back issues as sometimes I look for articles on specific topics.  This year I am determined to make a formal herb garden so I am searching and marking articles about how to plan an early American herb garden.

Tune into the Internet  

Search the world from the most comfortable and favorite place in your home.
Chat with friends on Skype, make new friends by exploring new sites and joining in the discussion of topics dear to you.  Update your Face Book page, send those messages to friends that you just never seem to have the time to send. Browse vacation spots and find new activities and places for the family to enjoy during spring and summer.

Move the Picnic Inside

 

Gather the family together and develop a menu for a family picnic.  Include favorite summertime foods and beverages.  Be sure to use a summer cloth on the floor and remember to bring the beach ball.  Add some summertime tunes for a lively sing-a-long and you will quickly find yourself transported to a warm and happy place.   Using summertime candles like coconut will add to the summertime fun.

Turn Your Family Room Into an Art Gallery 

 

Gather newsprint, markers, crayons, scissors, glue, and old magazines.  Have each family member make a collage of their favorite season.  Include in the collage, favorite activities, foods, places, clothes, and whatever else expresses why that season is their favorite.  Older children can help the younger ones.  Share the collage with the family. Leave the family art work on display for the next day or so.  You will be surprised at the continuing interest in the art work of other family members!

Till Next Time, Stay Well, Stay Happy

www.antiquesattheirongate.com

auctionmom80@gmail.com

This Week at Mass Hort: February 3, 2015 - auctionmom80@gmail.com - Gmail

This Week at Mass Hort: February 3, 2015 - auctionmom80@gmail.com - Gmail

Celebrate Mardi Gras with This Easy French Recipe for Kings Cake

The Kings Cake is well connected with the traditions of Mardi Gras.  A Mardi Gras party is incomplete without a King Cake.

The tradition of preparing King Cake originated with the French in the 12 century.  In the 1800s French settlers in Louisiana continued their tradition of King Cake.

Today the tradition extends well beyond the New Orleans, Louisiana borders.


King Cake may be ordered from one of the many bakers in New Orleans, Louisiana, where they will ship directly to your house.  This is a fabulous option for those of us who cannot attend Mardi Gras.

A second option, one which I am trying this year, is to make your own King Cake using one of the many recipes available online and in Southern cookbooks.

This is the recipe I selected.  Looks simple enough and traditional, as well.

A small baby made of porcelain or plastic is often baked inside the cake or place on top.  According to tradition, the person who finds the baby will enjoy good luck and is responsible for hosting the next party.


Cakes are decorated in purple, green, and gold according to tradition.  The colors represent the royal colors on the crowns of the Wise Men.



Purple signifies Justice
Green signifies Faith
Gold signifies Power

King Cake represents the three kings  who brought gifts to the Christ child.  The Mardi Gras season
begins January 6.  Mardi Gras Day, also known as Fat Tuesday, is always 47 days prior to Easter Sunday, the day before Ash Wednesday.

So even if you can not attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans, hosting a King Cake gathering in fine Southern tradition can be just as fun.  Bring out your treasured china and stemware.

Host your first King Party and enjoy!

Till Next Time, Stay Well, Stay Happy

auctionmom80@gmail.com

www.antiquesattheirongate.com

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