I’m a summer girl through and through. However, as much as I love the warmer months, I must admit that fall and winter bring out the homemaker in me and that is who I truly am. My home takes center stage in Autumn.
This post may contain affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more here.
When the days get shorter and the temperature begins to drop, my nesting instincts bubble up to the surface. Furniture shines and smells of lavender beeswax. Hearty soups and stews bubble on the stove. Rooms take on a cozy glow with lit lamps, candles and twinkle lights. Housekeeping tasks ignored during busy summer months begin to take priority on my daily to-do lists.
One of my favorite things to do when it begins getting dark early is to make sure the house is softly lit and welcoming when David returns from work. I make sure the porch light is on and turn on the little lamp on our entry table. I go through the house turning on lamps and plugging in twinkle lights. I light candles and turn on a diffuser or two. I may choose a CD to play on the stereo (yes, we are old school and still play CDs). If I know he is on his way I’ll make us both cups of tea to sip as we catch up with one another. You can read more about my “Welcome Home Ritual” here.
I’ve made myself a list of cozy, home-y, autumn/winter things I want to do and thought I’d share my list with you.
10 Cozy Home Activities for Fall and Winter
1. Bake homemade bread. I used to bake bread regularly. I have a wheat grinder, plenty of wheat, and a really nice Bosch mixer which allows me to mix several loaves worth of dough at once. This is a habit I want to re-establish. Because honestly? Nothing makes a house smell better than bread baking in the oven.
2. Unless it’s chocolate chip cookies. My recipe is so good I could literally eat a dozen in one sitting. I don’t. But I could. One thing that helps me with that control thing is to freeze the dough and just bake a few at a time. If that’s not enough incentive to finally clean out my freezer to make room, I don’t know what is.
3. Which leads me to the next thing on my list – clean out and defrost my freezer. I saw a great idea on YouTube for organizing a chest freezer. You separate items into stacking recycling bins with handles. I bought a set months ago so the only excuse I have not to do it is poor time management. But I really need the extra space for those extra loaves of homemade bread and chocolate chip cookies!
4. Continue my ongoing decluttering and household organization project. I did a 30 Bags in 30 Days decluttering project back in July and got rid of a LOT of stuff. I’m ready to do this again soon. In fact, if you’d like to me to do this as a blog challenge let me know.
5. Get out a puzzle to start working on. My family thinks it’s a bit silly but I refer to autumn as “puzzle weather”.
6. Set up a hot cocoa station in the kitchen. We have a dedicated area for coffee and hot tea year round. It’s time to get out the hot cocoa supplies!
7. Get ready for crackling fires in the fireplace. I’ll remind David to order some firewood and get it stacked on the back patio. Last year I bought a very large metal basket for firewood to keep on the hearth but so far all it’s held is a collection of magazines and our Cards Against Humanity game. David coughed all last winter following a very bad chest cold so we didn’t light even one fire. If I can avoid my usual winter asthma attacks and he can stay well, we’ll have fires this winter!
8. Finally learn to crochet! This has been on my to-learn list for several years now. I have all the supplies. I just need to do it.
9. Paint. Not walls or woodwork, although some areas of the house could use it. No, I mean actually use that easel and oil painting supplies I asked for and received for Christmas last year. I got so far as prepping a canvas and that’s it. I did some painting many years ago and really want to get back to it.
10. Create a new daily, weekly and monthly cleaning schedule. And actually use it. It will include some FlyLady elements but be tailored to our lifestyle and my preferences. Let me know if you’d like to see it when I’m done.
I’m sure I’ll think of more but that’s a good start for now. What about you? Does a change of seasons bring out your inner homemaker?
More LWD posts you might enjoy:
Returning to My First Love ~ Homemaking
How to Make Your Home Cozy For Fall
Create a Homemaker’s Puttering Basket
Homemaking: A Personal History
Great post. I would love to see your new cleaning schedule!
I’ll try to get it posted here on the blog next week. 🙂
Sounds like some great plans. I hope you do end up doing those things. I can’t crochet, but can knit.
I love the smell of baking bread, and agree that Autumn makes you start thinking of cosy indoor activities. Puzzles and crafts are great things to do during Autumn afternoons, and October through March just begs to contain cocoa.
Oh, and… Yes. I want to see your cleaning schedules. I’m nosy like that. 😉
I love other nosy people like me. 🙂