I’ve just returned from barn and coop chores… IT IS COLD OUT THERE! The guys stocked the feed room in the barn with more hay this morning so that if we’re whopped with a lot of snow any time soon, I’m ready. I also gave the chickens fresh bedding and the rabbits fresh hay. I’m still getting eggs from the hens, in part because I do have a flood light in their coop which gives them just a little warmth. Many people don’t believe in providing heat but I just don’t feel right about it when it’s 0 degrees out there. I do keep it moderate, hence the low watt flood light instead of a heat lamp, a trick one of the guys at the local hardware store told me.
This is the time of year when I take a look around the place and see what needs sprucing up, organizing, a little bit of change, some throwing out. So… I’ve glanced around the kitchen….. Have you ever paid much attention to the lighting in your living space? The right kind of lighting can make all the difference as far as atmosphere. While it might be tempting to put BIG light in areas that you will be working… I find it annoying and unsettling… i.e. florescent overhead lights for work spaces in the kitchen or recess lighting in ceilings that makes you feel more like you’re under surveillance. Yuck. Right over my kitchen sink.. where I spend a lot of time!…. there is a beautiful window with a big granite shelf. The lighting for this area is that recessed lighting I mentioned above. I hardly ever use it because it’s stark. I rely on the kitchen island pendant lights behind it and they just weren’t giving off enough light over at the sink. If you can believe it, it never dawned on me until last week that I could plug in a very small lamp on that shelf because there is an outlet…. right there… for that purpose! My grandmother did this and my mom has a small lamp at her sink window too. What a lovely glow it casts on the kitchen in the evening. We keep it on all night as the night light for the downstairs area too.
Little touches like this can make all the difference – warm lighting downcast with soft shades.
I also cleaned up the hallway between the two kids rooms upstairs. The old blue dresser that was against the hall window is now out of the picture and the once stark walls are now filled with artwork and photographs from the kids and I over the years. I also found these beautiful little glass and metal votives at Pier 1 and set them on the window. The small hallway is now open and colorful instead of cramped and stark.
It doesn’t have to cost much to bring a new vitality and warmth to the atmosphere in your home. All it takes is a fresh perspective. During these cold winter months when we are in more than we are out – why not take a look around and do a little tweaking. It’s good for the soul. Got some tips or tricks of your own? Share with me in the comments section –
