Cabin Fever

We're in the middle of a cold spell.

The kind of cold that goes right through your winter coat and boots

and chills you to the bone.

The kind of cold that keeps you inside your nice warm house.

The kind of cold that drives mothers crazy when their

children develop a case of cabin fever!

Pictured above is a handcrafted board game made for Mildred,

Norman, David, and Bruce by their father and dated February 14, 1939. 

 (The names and date are carved into the back of the game.)

I imagine the father of these children created this

bored game

to cure a bad case of cabin fever.

I picked up these celluloid deer when we made a pit stop

on our way home from Minneapolis yesterday.

I suppose they're considered to be Christmas decorations,

so they were clearance priced especially for me!

And since we're talking cabin fever, I thought I'd share some photos of

our rustic, one-room cabin-in-the-woods.

Okay, toy cabin in our back yard. 

I picked it up for a song last summer at Staples Mill Antiques in

Stillwater, MN.  As you can see, it needs a new window, but

look at the charming detail on the gable end!

Maybe both windows need replacing. 

 By the looks of the frost on this

window, it's not very energy efficient!

The porch has a hand hewn post.........

....and the front door drops down to access the interior.  I'm planning to cut

the door in half and hinge the doors on both sides to create a more

welcoming facade.  I may even cut out window openings and add some

trim detail along with door handles. 

  Lets take a peek inside, shall we?

It's furnished with a table and chairs for two, a buffet, and a chandelier

 that needs to be hung from the rafters.  It's got a nice wood floor and exposed wood walls

 typical of a rustic northern cabin.

 

This is a familiar sight if you've left your car on the wrong side of the street

 during calendar parking months.  If your car isn't towed away, it'll be plowed in by

the city snowplow operator, leaving you stuck in the snowbank.

This was the temp outside today during the warmest time of day.

*FYI, my SLR camera functions just fine in below zero temps.

My feet were toasty warm in my Mukluks,

but my hands quickly froze, even in my warmest gloves.

We've learned to dress in layers in our cold climate, and I've got

four new sweaters to choose from that arrived in the mail just last week!

Aren't they adorable?!

They were crocheted by my friend Tracy of Crow's Feet Chic and were just part of a package

filled with a variety of hats she made for our grandchildren for Christmas.

Thank you Tracy!

  If you remember, we just celebrated our family Christmas

 this past Saturday.  Our oldest daughter gave birth to their second

child on December 26, and our youngest daughter works every other weekend,

 so this was the date that seemed to work best for everybody.

We weren't stricken with cabin fever, but half of our family were

sick with one virus or another.  Our son-in-law Jeremy woke up with

the upper respiratory virus that was passed to him by our daughter Julie.

Their 19 month-old son, Mack, came down with a case of stomach flu, and

our 2 year-old granddaughter Finley was still recuperating from

her stay in the hospital earlier in the week.

  Little Maggie slept in her mama's arms,

 oblivious to the chaos unfolding around her.  

Lots of hugs and kisses shared between the rest of us

 and you've got the perfect recipe for catching the virus you haven't

been infected with........yet.

We all managed to have a good time in spite of the

germs trying to spoil our celebration.  :@

It's a good thing I picked up this teapot for $11 at the same place I

found the vintage deer.  I think I've got a touch of the stomach

flu and a cup of tea is just what the doctor ordered!

  

How do you cure a case of

cabin fever....

or an upper respiratory infection.....

or the stomach flu......

or a sinus infection.....

?

Here's to better days ahead!

Vickie

*I'm joining the parties at:

Knick of Time Tuesdays 

Common Ground Be Inspired Friday

Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Nite Special