Winter Projects

Who else leaves for work at dawn and gets home at dusk?  Winter can be rough on the psyche. 

There’s so much I want to do, but I barely have time to collect eggs and check the chickens’ feed and water before dark sets in.  I’ve got closets that need organizing, skills I’d like to learn, recipes I’d like to try, craft projects I want to attempt and so on.  It’s hard to find the energy or the gumption to get going when I’m at the office all day and don’t get my daily dose of Vitamin D from the glorious sun.  Here are some of the projects I'd like to tackle this winter while we're cooped up inside, counting down the days until Spring.

First let’s talk about organizing.

I have three different closets that need tackled.

The closet at the end of the hall.  I love this closet.  It holds our extra sheets and blankets, my small stockpile, and just about anything else that needed a home and this closet had room for.

The bedroom closets.  I have a few totes that need emptied from when we moved in (last February!) and misfit items that I need to sort through.  We’re hoping someday soon these closets will hold our new children’s clothes and toys.  This stuff has got to go!

The pantry.  I’m lucky enough to have a small pantry off the kitchen.  I’m lucky enough that Hubz installed some shelving in said pantry.  I’m lucky enough to have acquired all types of goods – foodstuffs and otherwise.  Now, if I were only lucky enough to have a professional organizer in the family or a Jeanie in a bottle.  J
 

Crochet.  My sisters do it.  Hubz’s sister and Aunt do it.  Why can’t I?  I tried it once, but got too frustrated with my uneven stitches and promptly gave up.  No one wants a lopsided potholder.  Here are some of the beauties I’ve been lucky enough to get from Hubz’s family. 

 

How great would it be to make something like this myself or to crochet a dinosaur or a doll for a newly adopted child?  I need to learn how to crochet.  My sister helped me pick out some needles (are they even called that?), a little instructional booklet and some yarn.  I’m really hoping to devote some time to learning this skill.


Sewing.  I can do it.  I’m not great at it though.  My Mother-in-Law gifted me her Mother’s Singer sewing machine several years ago and I need to become better friends with it.  I have some crafty ideas for fundraising for our adoption and I really need to get moving on them – either to find out they are super cute and will work great or discover they’re terrible ideas and I need to do something different.

Recipes.  Who else has a folder full of recipes you print out, write down and save that you’ll get around to making… someday? 

I know I’m not alone on this one.  I want to find a good bread recipe, perfect my roasted chicken, make mozzarella cheese that’s actually edible, re-create our favorite takeout foods and try some new light recipes from all these healthy cookbooks I keep picking up at yard sales. 

Winter is officially over March 20^th.  I better get busy.  Ooh..it’s a leap year.  That gives me one extra day!

Who’s with me?  What kind of projects do you want to tackle?

I'm linking up with the Homestead Barn Hop.