In-Between Winter And Spring Things!

In-Between Winter And Spring Things!

It’s that ominous time of year in Utah where any real threat of more heavy winter storms isn’t too likely, and yet there’s still a definite cold chill to the air outside, the skies are mostly overcast and gray and everything seems a bit drab from the melting snow and resulting mud and debris exposed underneath…it’s just all rather blah!

Come this time of year, I guess it’s always good to remember that…

“No winter lasts forever, no spring skips its turn!”  Hal Borland

With this thought in mind, I say we should all heed this wise advice…  Beating The Winter Blah Funk!

• Coats vs. Jackets!  I never understood the differentiation when I was growing up and my mom would say, “It’s too cold for a jacket go get your coat!”  To my young mind they were one in the same…both very restrictive to being able to really play outside!  Now I understand…come this time of year, at least for the most part, heavy quilted, “puffer” coats can be set aside and gladly replaced with lighter weight jackets!  Yay!

I love the Marmot Precip jacket I purchased for our trip to Germany last fall, and have found it’s the perfect in-between winter and spring jacket, it also comes in a great assortment of bright, spring colors!  (MooseJaw or BackcountryMountain websites often sell them at a discount too!)  

If you want to nix a jacket altogether, I think all the fun sweater coats that are available now are a fun option too.

My daughter living in New York introduced me to the unique clothes at Mango stores.  They have some fun sweaters for sale online now.

• Happy Shoes and iTunes!  Perhaps one of the best things about this time of year is that it is finally getting warm up enough to be outdoors on a more regular basis.  So grab that spring jacket, your gym shoes, (you might even want to invest in some new colorful ones) and some upbeat music and get outside.  There seems to be nothing better than going for a brisk walk or run this time of year when the weather is nicer–rather than spending another monotonous hour on a treadmill!

Acics footwear is perfect if you like your athletic shoes to have some toe room; and the new “Meat and Candy” record by Old Dominion, is my in-between winter and spring music pick, it’s such a fun, eclectic mix of songs that will have you singing along as you head outside!  

• Delightful Dishes!  I think a fun way to brighten up your in-between winter and spring season is to add a few colorful dishes to your usual place settings.  If you shop around, (another good thing to do this time of year) many kitchen and boutique shops have some fun odds and ends dishes on great clearance sales.

Anthropology’s clearance section always has a good mix of fun bowls on sale.  I picked up a few to use for new cereal bowls, but I have also seen them used to hold jewelry and plants!  However you to use them, they are sure to give you a much needed color boost right about now!

• Fresh Scents!  I love the saying, “Spring: the music of open windows.”  While it might still be a bit too chilly outside to open up your windows for very long, that doesn’t mean you can’t get a jump start on some fresh scents of the season…along with a little spring cleaning too!

Besides being a great cleaning product, Mrs. Meyer’s lemon cleaner gives your home a subtle, fresh scent that will sing spring to you!  

And while we’re on the subject of lemons…

Luna lemon vanilla protein bars are a perfect treat to help you feel more energized now–it’s like a little spring party in your mouth!

I suppose the best thing to remember during this in-between winter and spring time of year is that if we didn’t have winter, spring might not be so anticipated!

“No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow!” Proverb

What kinds of things help you beat the in-between winter and spring blah funk?

–Mary