by Maria Luci, editor at Maria’s Farm Country Kitchen and Rodale’s
Spring is here! I repeat—spring is here! This is not a drill!
The official start of spring has arrived, and we’re so excited. What’s not to love about sloughing off of the extra layers and enjoying more hours of sunshine? Plus, with spring’s arrival come warmer days, chirping birds, and blooming flowers. The season is Mother Nature’s time to preen and a time for us to bask in her beauty—perfect reasons to rejoice in its coming.
So with that in mind, here are 8 ideas for celebrating the season:
- Fill your home with flowers. One of the most beautiful things about spring is the abundance of flowers. A wonderful way to celebrate the season is to grow your own organic flowers, filling your garden with bright and colorful petals and then in turn, filling your home with their beauty. Grab all the vases you can find (jam jars work well!) and pick and arrange to add pops of color, fragrance, and joy to your home.
- Make your yard a haven for cute critters! Get ready to welcome back the birds, bees, and butterflies by creating a haven for them in your yard. For backyard birds, put out bird feeders and birdhouses. Have a pond nearby? Think about helping out the ducks with this Duck Nesting Box. In fact, I’m sure the neighborhood owls would love a nesting box, too! Help the bees by setting up a beehouse, and attract some of nature’s most beautiful birds and butterflies with hummingbird feeders and butterfly biomes. And if you’re looking for a little spring magic, set up a fairy house…then sit back and enjoy the view!
- Get composting and gardening. Composting might not seem as “exciting” as some of our other spring celebration ideas, but it will help Mother Nature by reducing the amount of waste that gets sent to landfills and by reducing the amount of water and fertilizer you need to use in your garden, which sounds pretty joyous to us. Begin the process with a kitchen composter to collect your scraps. Once the container is full, empty the scraps into an outdoor compost bin. (Not sure how to get started? Check out “How to Start a Compost Pile in 4 Easy Steps.”) Then it’s on to your garden, where getting your hands back in the soil after the long winter will help rejuvenate your body and mind… Plus, that’s where all that compost benefits your spring flowers and eventual summer vegetables, allowing them to grow big and beautiful, naturally!
- Spring clean your beauty routine. Spring is the time to switch to lighter makeup and lotions. And while you’re switching things up, it’s also the perfect moment to sit down and think about what exactly you’re putting on your skin. Make sure any products you begin to use are free of toxic chemicals, such as diethanolamine (DEA) or parabens, and instead stick to earth-, animal- and people-friendly organic and natural beauty products.
- Make deviled eggs and throw spring a party! Nothing says spring like deviled eggs at a garden party. Throw up a “Welcome Spring” banner, invite your friends, and ask them bring their favorite spring dishes. Whip up some iced tea and perhaps a punch, and you’ve got yourself the perfect celebration of the season!
- Swing from a tree! Little in life is more freeing and revitalizing than an afternoon spent outdoors swinging, relaxing, and enjoying nature. Bring out a good book and sandwich, and you’ve got the perfect spring (or should we say “swing”?) day.
- Stargaze. On the next clear and dark night in spring, snuggle up in a soft sweater and look to the stars. (Check out cleardarksky.com to see the best days to stargaze in your area.) Stars will be twinkling lights, while the planets will emit steadier light, and satellites will arch across the sky. Stargazing is a wonderful way to relax and be in the moment. And of course, if you see a shooting star…
- …Make a wish for spring and summer to come!
Happy springtime!
Maria Luci is the manager and editor at Maria’s Farm Country Kitchen and content creator and editor at Rodale’s. She grew up in Virginia, but now lives in Philly with her husband, a black cat, and a giant Aloe plant named Big Al. When not writing and editing, she’s usually cooking up organic recipes or running—or eating when she should be running.
Hi Maria Luci, Thanks for all the great ideas. I love to watch the butterflies return each year. On a different note…has anyone let you know, or have you noticed, that people are using your blog to advertise their business?? Just today I had 4 emails from Maria’s Farm Country Kitchen, all from previous years, and the new added comments were from auto insurance companies offering cheap rates. Occasionally, one will appear that goes on and on but makes no sense. I suppose there is no way to stop them from doing this, but I did want to mention it just in case you haven’t noticed it. I hope this won’t stop you from sending us more blogs as so far the people doing this don’t seem to be getting nasty or mean. Thanks again for all you and Maria do to keep us informed and entertained!! Alice
Thanks, Alice! I believe those must be spam comments from posts you previously commented on. If you clicked the “notify me of follow-up comments” button you’ll get emails whenever a new commenter posts on an old story. We’re trying to limit spam comments but they keep coming in! Thanks for pointing this out.