* Staying toasty warm may be the theme of the day in your home right now, so let’s go with it! First, of course, is the indispensable programmable thermostat. If you haven’t installed one yet, now may be the time. You’ll love waking up or coming home to a warm house without wasting the heat (and dollars) while you’re under blankets or snowed under, so to speak, at work. Important news flash, however: according to The Daily Green, a whole pile of White-Rodgers programmable thermostats were just recalled. So be sure to check out the brand before you buy, and consider a professional installation from a local service pro if you’re not really sure what you’re doing.
* In our house, toasty means a nice fire, although folks debate whether it actually makes your house colder or if the fumes are bad for your lungs. You can get enviro-logs that are cleaner burning and made from cardboard waste, and you can see the whole fire thing as a time to make some special memories with your kids. We also like to take walks beforehand and gather pine cones to use as fire starters. Exercise, followed by sloth. That works for me.
* How about some toast with your “feeling toasty”? Check out the fun and funky toasters by the French designers I discovered on a blog called Hommit.
* French designers + toast = French toast = cute French cafe style breakfast nook with French doors! Don’t you see how my thought process works? And would you believe I got a direct hit on that when I search online from a blog named Decor Pad?!
* Want to really get the heat going? How about a home sauna? (Please note that in Finland the home sauna is considered a necessity, according to this blog.) (Or at least this is what you can tell the spouse when you start pitching this idea.)
*But what if you have no choice but to shuffle away from all this lazy decadence and get some work done? Oh, you’re gonna’ love this. A toaster pod office! I found this in the Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Natural Home magazine. It’s from a company named Sustainsia.
Find chimney sweeps to clean out that fireplace, kitchen remodelers to create a toaster-happy breakfast nook, and specialists to build your home office or sauna on Kudzu. As for the walk to find pine cones? You’re on your own. Dress warmly.
