We have all been at home for a long time now. Have you been doing quarantine-inspired stuff around the house? You know what I’m talking about:

• Make banana bread (check)
• Make bread (check)
• Make that fluffy coffee (I haven’t tried this yet; I worry that it might be too delicious and take over my life)
• Clean your closets (at this point, I only need the clothes in my sweatpants drawer, but I might regret getting rid of everything else, so I’m holding off)
• Take an online class (check)
• Crafts (check) *more about this later
• Gardening (check)
• Marie Kondo your whole house and garage (Ay caramba! No way!)

The list of possibilities is endless really. I’m sure that I’ve missed some good ones.

I haven’t done anything major, but I have done a few little things here and there that have really made a big difference in how I feel about my home. For me, when I finally break down and do something that I’ve been avoiding, I know that it was worth it because I feel taller when I’m finished.  I know, it’s a little strange, but there is no other way to describe it.

For me, sticking to little, bite-sized projects is key. When I think of a big project that I’ve been wanting to magically take care of itself (like reorganizing the kitchen), I get a feeling of dread that quickly leads to anxiety and avoidance. So, I have been thinking about my kitchen reorg as a bunch of small projects. Sometimes I do one a week … or less, but it’s not so overwhelming. In that spirit, reorganizing the kitchen became:

• Clean the refrigerator (like where you take the shelves out and wash everything)
• Move the coffee maker
• Find a place to store the ice cream maker (even though we use it a lot, it doesn’t need to live on the counter)
• Clean the cupboard under the sink
• Find a new home for that silver tray that has been living on the counter for the past XX years
• A bunch of other stuff that I haven’t started thinking about yet

Even cleaning the refrigerator was tackled one shelf at a time. It doesn’t matter that I did it slowly, I still felt taller when I was finished.

I’ve also made some progress with consolidating/organizing/purging some of my other clutter catchers. Sometimes, just moving whatever doesn’t belong out of a particular location is enough to jump start some sort of resolution to the issue, like when I collected the various piles of books from the various locations around the house into one, big pile in the middle of the living room. I may have had to stare at it for a week, but one day, motivation took over and I organized the whole mess (including re-homing many).

Anyway, I was feeling relatively productive and accomplished about staying home until I saw this story about an artist who is painting flowers ALL OVER her home. It is so whimsical and happy. I mean, look at those doors!

I don’t think that I’m going to start painting flowers everywhere, but I do think that I will keep trying to find little ways to make the most of my home. How about you?  Have you tackled any around-the-house projects?  Did you feel taller when you finished or is that just me?

The post Around the House appeared first on Cynthia Gellis.

This tradition is celebrated in a secular manner in Western and Central Asia and the Caucasus.  It grew out of the traditions of ancient Persian religions such as Zoroastrianism (the first monotheistic religion) in which an important concept is the connection of people to nature.

I remember celebrating Persian New Year (Nowruz) at my grandmother’s houses when I was growing up.  The highlight was always the haft-sin (pronounced “haft-seen”) table.  This is a display that is set up in advance of the new year which contains seven (“haft” in Farsi) items which begin with the letter “sin.”

• Sabze – literally translates as “greens.”  For the haft-sin display, sabze is sprouts of various beans and grains that are grown in/on dishes on the table.  This symbolizes rebirth or renewal.
• Samanu – a sweet pudding made from wheat germ.  This symbolizes wealth and fertility.
• Dried fruit/Persian olives (senjed) – symbolizing love.
• Vinegar (serke) – symbolizing the patience and wisdom of age.
• Apples (sib) – symbolizing beauty and health (an apple a day!).
• Garlic (sir) – symbolizing medicine.
• Sumac – a Persian spice.  This symbolizes the sunrise of a new day.

Other items that tend to be included in the display are:

• Candies (sweetness)
• A mirror (reflection)
• Candles (light)
• Painted eggs (fertility)
• A bowl of water
• Coins (prosperity)
• Goldfish (life)
• Hyacinth (grown from bulbs, not cut flowers)
• A “book of wisdom” could be a religious text or a book of poetry or literature

Food is a big part of any Persian celebration and Nowruz dinner is no different.  In addition to the usual assortment of different kinds of pollo (rice) and horesch (stew) of there is a certain pollo that traditional to eat for the new year made with these little tart berries and I want to say orange peel and almonds.  Fish is always served.  And kuku sabzi – a sort of herb frittata.

There are lots of other traditions that are part of Nowruz celebrations as well:

• You are supposed to do a big spring cleaning before the new year – all the rugs, the windows, etc.
• The Wednesday before Nowruz is a celebration called Chanar Shanbeh Soori, which translates literally to “Red Wednesday.”  On this night bonfires are lit to beckon enlightenment and happiness for the new year.  It is traditional to eat super delicious Persian noodle soup – ash a reshteh – which I am now thinking that I need to find a recipe for and make (it is seriously SO delicious).
• On the new year, children are given gifts of fresh bank notes (new money) from elders.
• Thirteen days after Nowruz is called Sizdah Bedar (“nature’s day”) which is celebrated by having a picnic.  This is also when the haft-sin table gets cleaned up.

On that note, I would like to say, “Eid-eh shoma mobarak” (happy new year to you) and wish you happy spring!

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