Getting set for winter--how do you get ready?

As the days get shorter I always find myself itching to retreat to my bed as soon as I get home from work. I'm not the world's biggest fan of winter but I do enjoy the fall and I'm making the most of the fall season to get my house in order for the winter.

For the last couple of weekends our house has been a hotbed of cooking. This weekend we made baked beans, meatloaf and sweet potato soup--all with portions assigned to the freezer for the nights to come when I know I won't have the energy for cooking after work. This coming weekend I plan to make and freeze some parkin (gingerbread), more baked beans (I think this is a British craving!) and some green chili pork (mmmmm).

I've been trying to tidy up the basement, clean the green moss off the decks (bought a new power washer to help with that) and get the yard in shape: the pruning is already done but leaf blowing is still on the list. And we need to get some more wood in, but I expect I'll be paying someone else to fill the wood rick this fall as I don't feel like loading and offloading my truck.

How are you getting ready for winter? What helps you prepare for the colder months?


Here in the deep south, USA, fall and winter are the time to be outside. It's so hot here in the summer. I've been doing some yard work. Will have to prune and trim soon. Going to try and plant some new rose bushes before the first frost. Deck staining next week. Cooking up a storm. I love fall breads and muffins. Then trying to walk more..... since, you know, all the muffins....

I have my de-icer at the ready…I hate the frosty mornings when I’m working as I’m scrapping the car off at about 6 am if I don’t have my spray gun ready! I have my big mittens which slip over my gloves or I can’t use my hands easily at 6 degrees C and below. Shovel, spare warm coat and blanket also packed in the car boot! (shh don’t tell anyone but they’re still in there from last winter!)
Biggest change for me this year is that I won my battle to cut my hours from 12 to 9 hour shifts so will be finishing most days at 5pm :slight_smile: this means I can cook myself a proper meal in the evening and even drop in to the gym for a swim or spa to ease my upper back pain.
…Bring it on winter I’m ready!!

We're a couple weeks away from the outer front wall of our house being gutted and rebuilt, so most of our energy is going to finishing the basement cleanout in preparation for that. Luckily most of the work will be done on the basement level, with our front door only taking a day out of the two weeks.

Other than that, we've been too busy to do much else. Here's my list of to-do's:

- Cook and stock freezer with: chili, butternut squash soup, black bean soup, pumpkin bread, banana bread, and gingerbread. I'm hoping to do another round of applesauce as well, since my kids seem to have demolished our freezer stash of that already!

- Clean up yard and put lawn furniture in garage.

- Go through kids' rooms and purge excess toys, clothes, etc. in preparation for kids changing rooms when the destruction/construction is finished.

- Cover windows with bubblewrap to help insulate.

- Make / gather Christmas gifts and plan Advent activities.

- Have kids try on snow clothes and boots to make sure everyone has things that fit - hit up thrift store for what's needed.

- Stock up on tea and spices for mulled cider.

I’m tired, just reading Nym’s list. I hope all of that construction goes as smoothly as it can (destruction and construction are never smooth, but hope for the best)! Give us an update when you can.

I'm not ready for winter yet, ooops....but I am ready for Halloween and trick or treating!!!! Happy Halloween, everybody!

Well, we had high hopes of a faster home sale and already be moved from Wisconsin to Florida by now, so my first task was to unload half the POD we already had packed to find the Winter coats that got packed :(

I can understand the sleeping though! Once the sun goes down I'm ready to follow it no matter how early, or late, it may be depending on the time of year. I also rise with the sun, so the Winter stinks having to get up before the sun and it seems to make all the aches and stiffness SO much worse compared to my eyes just opening on their own and say "Oh, look, a beautiful dawn!"

Basement is nearly done. Kids and husband will take care of the yard this week. I need to get supplies and find a good day to do the cooking, but my health has been lousy lately.

I have three acres here and lots of work that needs to be done. Hubby is getting ready to start cleaning up some storm damaged trees around the place which usually means that I will be driving the truck and hauling the brush with him. I am also working on my garden this year. We are planting a few new fruit trees and I would like to get a raised bed garden started at some point, so that I can plant it this spring.

Wow--three acres is plenty to care for. Good luck getting the raised beds in for the spring time. That's a terrific idea!

Farmfresh said:

I have three acres here and lots of work that needs to be done. Hubby is getting ready to start cleaning up some storm damaged trees around the place which usually means that I will be driving the truck and hauling the brush with him. I am also working on my garden this year. We are planting a few new fruit trees and I would like to get a raised bed garden started at some point, so that I can plant it this spring.

I had my snowblower tuned up, and we've been slowly getting the yard cleaned up for winter. We have been tearing an old shed down, and trying to get the spot ready for the new shed, I'm stressing over it because who knows when we will get a pounding of lake effect snow, I just hope the shed is ready because I don't want to have to shovel the snowblower out before I use it!

As it's getting dark earlier all the sudden I feel the need to quilt and crochet, too. It's odd, but winter is craft time, yay!

Probably just adding a single bed this year. I already have lots of containers that I garden in.

I guess I'm late for this one, but we start bottling this week. blackberries, chokecherries, oregon grapes, Various must from wineries in the area. We may have enough for the winter. Bottled the Whites last week.


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tntlamb said:

I guess I'm late for this one, but we start bottling this week. blackberries, chokecherries, oregon grapes, Various must from wineries in the area. We may have enough for the winter. Bottled the Whites last week.

WOW, I am impressed with all of you industrious folk ! I havn't done jack squat, but I have enjoyed reading your progress. I am just happy that winter is here. I know it makes some of us achy, but at least I am not achy AND sweaty !