I was looking at my calendar tonight and realized it is 1 week away from Thanksgiving. In our area of the country, it's cold a few weeks before Thanksgiving. I don't ever remember a snow fall near Thanksgiving, but definately
we have had temps in from the high 30's to low 20's. We have been going through
our clothing to see what fits this year, what can be passed on to others, and I am creating a list of items that the children need this year.
Ravi needs a coat, and he found a parka at Target that he likes. It sort of goes
along with the Harry Potter (Hogwarts) scarf that I made him last year.
I'm planning to finish up a hat for him in the same yarn, and all that is left for him (after a coat) is a pair of mittens. I'm actually planning on making these
Recycled Mittens for all three of the kids. They look easy enough to make in an afternoon.
Ravi needs a pair of new shoes and some warm socks too.
Lakshmi has literally grown out of everything this year, from her summer clothing to her winter clothing from last winter. She also doesn't have a coat, and I saw these cute parka's at Walmart for $35 each. Lakshmi wants the predominately black one with purple and Priya wants the predominately purple one with black.
Lakshmi still has a hat that fits, that I made her two years ago.
In addition to all the woolens, Lakshmi needs jeans, warm pants, long sleeved shirts, PJ's, warm socks and some tights. I'm really needing a client right now (or more like 2 or 3).
Priya is due a new hat. I made all three kids "holiday" hats about 3 years ago, and they are definately getting on the worn side. I have some nice wool yarn that I can use to make Priya a hat, and that is the plan. Or, I might make a hat to go with her mittens, from the same recycled wool sweater. Maybe I could swing a scarf as well. It's so easy to put together those things once the wool is felted. These are basic sewing skills.
Priya has tons of jeans handed down from Lakshmi, but I need some patches for the knees. That should be easy enough, to iron on some patches and back them up with some finishing stitches. She just needs to be warm. Priya needs long sleeved shirts too, along with tights, and both girls need shoes.
I have a winter action plan for staying warm this year. First I remind the children to wear warm clothing every day. When outside, they have to wear hats and gloves, and button up their coats. I allow them to wear double socks if they want to. Priya has a habit of doubling up her clothing. She is very thin, and I imagine without any fat to insulate her, it is hard to stay warm.
The kids beds each have several sheets and blankets. They can wear a sweater while sleeping if they want to. It's not just keeping the kids clothing on and keeping them warm while outside or while sleeping, but the house needs extra care in the winter.
I have observed the movement of the sun in relation to our house. The sun rises in the east, and that just happens to mean that only one room gets direct sunlight in the morning. We take care to open the blinds in that room as soon as the direct sun light comes through the window. I position the blinds so the sun shines on the floor. This just happens to shine down our dark hallway, and warms up the house from the side all the way into our living room, and lights up the one bedroom, the hallway and living room. It is very cheerful looking in the morning and day time because of that and our house is definately easier to heat up because of the morning sun. If you have any windows that open towards the east, it is best to have the blinds open during the morning (as long as the sun shines through those windows).
Once 3:30pm comes, I check the window, because usually the sunlight on the east side is past the house, and cold falls on that side of the house. We try to remember to close the blind at that time, even though it is still daylight outside. This helps keep the warmth in the house, which was pouring in all day. In the mid to late afternoon, the sun pours in through the two kitchen windows for about 1 1/2 hours.
I watch the clocks to make sure I open the windows. We get alot of sunlight in the kitchen and dining room all through the day, but this is the only time we get direct light, which helps heat the room. Just before this light moves away, I close the blinds and turn on the small heater in the kitchen The kitchen stays warm all evening and night. The temperature in the house drops to 67 or 68 at the coldest part of the night, and rises back up to 70 or 71 in the morning.
We only have one heater in our house presently, and our house is 1500 sq. ft.
We have one large room which we do not use, so we keep that door shut at all times. It is basically used for seasonal things, so there is no need to heat it.
If your kitchen and living room is facing east, then you will be able to warm up those rooms adequetely in the morning through mid-afternoon, that you may not even need a heater like we do. Working with nature instead of against it is very important. When you open your blinds in the kitchen for easternly facing space, the sun will heat up your floor, and in most cases the floor will hold the heat. This is great on feet.
Many people in northern locations use window blankets. These are easy to make.
They require 4 layers of material. You can use cloth, plastic, cardboard and another layer of cloth. The cardboard can be cut to fit the window exactly. If the other three layers are applied by using staples (power is fine) you can simply place the "blanket" in the window, and leave it there. This is particularly good on windows where you don't need light to come into your house.
And The Renewable Energy Site for Do-It-Your-selfers has complete instructions on building Insulating Thermal Window Shutters out of simple things like cardboard and aluminum foil. Check that out here: http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/CardboardShutter.htm
However, if you are going to be taking advantage of the powerful rays of the sun during winter, from the east, you may want to make these,
which allow the sun to penetrate the window, yet keep drafts out, and heat in.
You can find the instructions on these and other simple but effective projects for keeping your house energy effecient here - http://www.builditsolar.com/index.htm
Lastly, make sure you replace any felt on your doors, as this will keep away the drafts. Often however, drafts come in under the door (as well as pest). I have taken a very inexpensive pillow case (size king) and stuffed it with a large but old towel. When the towel is rolled up and place inside the pillow case, you can simply lay the draft "dodger" in front of your door, snugly, and you will notice a difference immediately.
My final advice is to try to keep in mind that heat sources from cooking can really make a difference. Try to plan out your cooking so that you can benefit from the heat. While using a crockpot is energy saving, using your oven is very helpful for giving a cool room a warm boost. The temperature in winter begins to drop around 3:30 - 4:00pm in the afternoon. Baking your bread at that very time will make the most of your ovens abilities.
If you have a wood burning stove (that you are heating with) you can cook on the top of it if it is hot enough. At the very least, you can place a casserole dish filled with water on top, and allow it to hydrate your house.
Don't forget that energy is lost from your extremities the fastest. So keep your head, hands and feet covered if you keep the temperature in your house below 68 degrees.
I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving next Thursday with your friends and family, and may your days and nights be warm!
Jyotsna
