For the Cold and Snow Weary, Keep Calm and Winter On Projects, DIYs and Recipes, good for your mental health and your tummy! Find recipes to make your own mulling spice, dish up some delicious and hearty Chicken-Bacon Pot Pie, serve up a bowl of the best Winter Minestrone, feed the birds with three creative projects, build a snowman out of grapevine wreaths and more!
I hope you’re staying warm and cozy!
Snow and sleet covered the ground in all 50 states in the U.S. on Wednesday,
thanks to Winter Storm Inga’s sweep through the South and up through the East coast.
We received a blanket of 7 inches on Wednesday, a surprise after a forecast of a ‘light dusting’
and possible accumulation of an inch! Our snow is quickly melting with our warming temperatures today
and 50 – 60 degree weather this weekend.
To help you Keep Calm and Winter On, I pulled together some fun winter activities,
DIYs and recipes from the archives, that are good for your mental health and your tummy. :)
Click on the links for the complete post, DIY or recipe.
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For cider or mulled wine to combat winter’s chill
Ina Garten’s Winter Minestrone. . . .foolproof, hearty, comforting.
I can’t say enough good things about this soup recipe, but the proof is in the bowl!
Feed your feathered friends with a fun winter DIY!
An easy DIY using a bundt pan
Set a Snowy Day Table for the Birds
Winter Chickadee plates served on tree slice chargers and snowy goblets for a birdseed buffet
Snuggle up with a delicious book,
Home Made Winter and feast on the pages and Cardamom Cake with Whole Pears
A terrarium makes a fun winter DIY project to add a little green indoors. Easy and self-sustaining, and no green thumb required!
A winter survival snow cream cocktail based on the fun snow day activity & treat
A sweet treat for a cold winter day! Use any cookie as your base to build these fun melting snowmen
Build a Snowman or snow woman out of grapevine wreaths
A scarf, plastic pot top hat, greenery, wellies and garden tools decorate this snow woman by the Potting Shed
Winter gardening and dining with snowmen in the Potting Shed
Glass blocks give houses a little elevation and provide a surface for sprinkling rock salt for a snowy landscape with Johnson Brothers Friendly Village
Transition from Christmas to Winter and extend the twinkle season by adding some warmth and cheer in January with a tree decorated with snowflakes, icy branches and nesting birds
Cozy table for two by our Winter Nesting Tree
Serve up some comfort food with Patchwork Chicken-Bacon Pot Pie!
A no-fuss patchwork crust over a comforting chicken pot pie with the addition of bacon!
Our favorite chicken soup recipe for cold and flu season, aka, ‘penicillin-in-a-bowl’.
Comforting and ideal to pull out of the freezer when you have the sniffles, fever or feeling under the weather.
We keep our feeders filled year ’round but are especially diligent when it’s cold and there’s snow on the ground.
Watching the birds flock to the feeders is one of my favorite winter activities.
What are your favorite snow day activities and tips to Keep Calm and Winter On?
Thank you so much for sharing with us all!! As always so beautiful!
Lovely compilation, thank you for sharing.
Oh love love all your inspirations and I did a winter wonderland tree and of course it is not as beautiful as yours but hopefully will be better next yr and your snowman wreath and top hat is so adorable
Adopt me 😊🌹
Splendiferous post filled with a multitude of activities to provide entertainment and eating delights! A cardamon cake with whole pears is at the top of my list, then chicken bacon pot pie – oh, my! The birdseed wreath feeder will definitely be made with my little Benjamin, we’ve so enjoyed the birdhouse feeder project last year and again this year. Thank-you!
You have the most awesome imagination. Do you ever sleep? Most DIY blogs are uninteresting and I just skip over them but yours are beautiful and fun. And intermingled throughout are fun and tasty recipes. And the most fun are the fur babies. Love it.
Thanks Mary, I may have to make the birdseed wreath again, that was a lot of fun and so enjoyed by the birds. Just bought a 40 lb. Bag of the black oil birdseed at Tractor Supply for $14.00 on special, such a great price. Today we are supposed to get up to 36 (heat wave , ha), so I hope to take down the outdoor wreaths and greenery, before it gets really cold again. Homemade soup ingredients are on my grocery list! Happy Friday!
Beautiful! Love the snowwoman at the potting shed ~ very snazzy lady with her wellies! And what gorgeous pictures of the cardinals and the birds flocking to the feeder!
I love winter! Thank you very much for embracing this glorious time of the year and bringing us these gorgeous, warm and comforting images. Please know how much I appreciate the creativity you put into this beautiful blog!
Mary, your wonderful post makes our cold winter bearable. So many fun projects and fabulous comfort food. I think I need to get in the kitchen today and start baking. Happy Friday
Such a great post! Thank you very much!
One of my favorite activities is watching the birds but they are scarce. We are keeping our feeders full. I wonder if they are tired of this frigid weather and traveling a bit farther south. I keep thinking I am doing something wrong because my friends have birds coming. Really enjoyed seeing your birds. Love the buffet table with the chickadee plates and cup. Loved your wreath and snowman. Loved it all.
Your blog is awesome, it always makes my morning and puts a smile on my face. I love what you did with your front door with all the branches and the boots. I am from Southern California and would love a snow day one day :).
Oh my goodness, you have been blessed with such “cleverness!!” Love all your ideas and whimsy…not to mention all the beautiful ideas you share!
From a fellow Lake Norman Lover….
So many fun posts Mary, I need that Chicken Bacon Patchwork Pie in my life! The cardinal shots are wonderful!! Your snow is beautiful, we have learned that when our weatherman says light dusting it means at least 6 inches! We got more on the coast from Inga than my children got in Bham! So crazy, but we are celebrating today with a high of 54 🍾 Happy Weekend~
Jenna
Mary, your posts are always so beautiful, interesting, and inspiring. I’ve made many of your dishes and they were all delish! Will try the pot pie this weekend. Your photography skills are fabulous. This year has been so crazy–we’ve had far less snow here in southeastern PA than y’all down south. We only got a dusting on Wed. We seem to fall into a small area that doesn’t do too bad snow-wise, except for the every couple of years dump of 6 to 10 inches when a bad blizzard passes through. Even the county just west of ours (Lancaster Co.) gets more snow and colder temps. than we do here at the PA/DE line–strange. I truly do love snow though, just not tons of it at one time. I like the way it outlines all our hills whereby you can see beautiful images that are hidden with our lush summer greenery.
Does anything smell better than spiced cider? Honestly…I don’t think so! Such a beautiful post to enjoy on a very chilly winter’s day. This post is eye candy. Thanks, Sweet Mary, for taking the time to put it together for us!
Bonsoir, Toutes vos photographies sont splendides et me réconfortent avec cet hiver humide et froid ! Je boirai bien un peu de cidre épicé….Hum je le sens d’ici …La ville ou j’habite s’appelle Jouars-Pontchartrain en Ile de France et l’odeur vient jusqu’ici !!! hi ! hi!
Merci de me donner du réconfort et de la joie ! Bonne soirée
Catherine
Bonjour Catherine! Merci pour vos visites et commentaires. Je devais Google Jouars-Pontchartrain pour voir où il se trouvait. Cela semble si pittoresque et j’ai vu le Château de Pontchartrain quand je l’ai fait, tellement merveilleux!
Thank you for fabulous ideas for enjoying the winter months. Life is good today and I will keep calm and winter on.
Joyously,
Betty
I love those birds at the feeder. That Cardinal is a beauty.
Marion
Thank You for the recipes. I also have Johnson Brothers Friendly Village. I love them.
Joan
Thank You for the projects. You always display everything so beautifully.
Marilyn.
Wow, so many wonderful ideas! Thank you, Mary–I love your blog, it is one of my top favorites !! My Pinterest boards are full of your imaginative creations and crafts. And your table settings are beautiful. I’ve already used many of your suggestions and purchased so many items which you recommended, including the anti-theft handbags for my daughter and myself in preparation for her senior year trip to Europe. I can’t wait to go!!
P.S. I have had cracked thumbs which wouldn’t heal until I used Aquaphor Healing Ointment. Great product!
Thank you for your visit Gabriele. I think you have me confused with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/
Whoa…you’al got slammed!! Two inches here and HOPE we get some moisture…we are still low over a foot in the lake. Do you have an influx of seagulls?? franki
Hi Franki, Yes, The seagulls arrived a couple of weeks ago. We’re actually in “moderate drought” conditions. Mother Nature is schizophrenic! ☔️❄️🌞💦💨
So many great ideas that it almost makes living in the snow fun. But I know better. Your photography is amazing and I’m going to make the birdhouse feeders with my grandkids. Simple yet fun!
Great therapy for the cold and snow weary! I just wish I had half the energy you have! Have a great weekend. Great recipes and pretty pics. I’m just crazy about your bird pics and tablescapes with the bird theme as well as the grapevine snowman. Very cute!
Have a great weekend.
That pic of the cardinal on the snowy branches is pretty cool Mary! I can’t believe it will be 54 tomorrow…That’s like grilling weather:@) Have a great weekend!
I’m going to put a wool scarf on my wreath. Thx for idea
Thanks for this great compilation of ideas. I have pinned a couple for future reference. I already make that minestrone soup. It is the best and this is a reminder that I need to make some soon! I love your winter nesting tree. I have a small Christmas tree in an urn in my bay window – it only has white lights on it and nothing else. I decided not to take it down after Christmas. Not sure when I will take it down, but I certainly like the glow on a cold winter’s night. Adding snowflake ornaments, icicles, and birds is a great idea.
Lady, you are the best! What a terrific post – where do I start the pinning?! I had no idea all 50 states had snow this past Wednesday – wow! I hope ours is totally gone tomorrow, we’ll see. It’s packed on our flat streets where we live, but clear elsewhere around town. Wednesday was brutal, but we only had just under 5″. Have a great weekend!
Love this website!
Thanks for bringing such a bright view of winter, your tree, recipes and decor gives us a view of a beautiful snowy day. My favorite photo is the georgeous red cardinal surrounded by snow. A reminder of God’s gift.
Love your blog !
So creative with pretty vignettes!
Ann P.
Last week I asked you to send some rain our way, and we got it along with Tahoe snow! As always a lovely post. Thanks to your inspiration I am again decorating my house at a more detailed level. I am currently prepping for Valentine’s Day with shopping for much needed fresh supplies. It’s amazing how slipping back into lifestyle this puts a spring in my step. I had no idea how much I missed it!
Enjoy the snow, and stay toasty!
Made your chicken bacon pot pie tonight for dinner. It is delicious! It makes a large dish of pot pie so carried a nice covered bowl over to our elderly neighbor.while still hot. They are eating it now so wanted you to know that while we are going to have a blizzard tonight that our tummy’s are full and therefore we are ready for whatever the weather brings us fully loaded.
I’m so glad you liked it Alice and how nice of you to share with your elderly neighbors. Stay warm! ♥
Mulled cider! Yummy!!