The maples around us are bright red and yellow; Even the oaks are starting to change. The ferns are rusty gold all down the path to the beaver pond.

We’re stacking wood and planning for winter’s bacon.

The whole world smells of October.

Inside the house, we’re shifting furniture and hanging curtains – getting ready for winter. The Pld Farmer’s Almanac predicts a warm, mild, snowy winter; the new Farmer’s Almanac predicts colder than average weather with abundant snow. Not knowing which to trust, we plan for the worst.

But really, even if it’s as bitterly cold as last winter, that wasn’t too bad! It’s not like we have pipes to freeze or anything!

We are insulating gaps and stocking up on essentials, but a huge part of our winter preperations involve making the house a cozy place for four people and a dog to live in close quarters for months of limited outdoor time.

In the spring, summer, and fall – our porch and yard can act as a huge extra room for quiet reading or loud play. In the winter (especially in those bitter, January days), we’re all inside together.

Creative space-shifting can make it oh-so cozy though! I try to make sure the kid’s beds are little nooks of comfort for them, with books in easy reach, and maybe a little spot for tea.

This year, we’re focusing on beauty a bit more with my delightful ‘new’ table! (I’ll be using the old one as a counter again…as it was originally intended). And freshening the air and energy of our cold weather home with an abundance of houseplants!

Right now, I have only a couple houseplants..but more are on their way! (Perks of having a mother who “needs to divide up” a whole housefull of plants! Thanks, mom!)

Other plans include building shelves to hang off the lattice, purging all to toys that just get dumped out so the kids cand find their favorites, bringing the tub back inside, and possibly getting me a secondhand desk and chromebook! Freelancing will get way easier when I don’t have to do 90% of my writing on my phone!

**Tell me! How do you get your house ready for winter?**