Setting the Table for Easter Brunch

If you’re hosting an #Easter or #springtime #brunch, pick “a color palette that represents the season,” says blogger Stacy Ling. Use a garden as inspiration; many flowers are coming up in spring colors of yellow, purple and pastels. Bring the outdoors in with a festive floral centerpiece, and consider breaking out the special dishes. “And yes, you can totally mix vintage pieces with your fine China or other dinnerware,” she says. “Mixing things up adds more interest to the table.” You can always find decorative plates, vases, table linens and more at the #thrift stores supplied by generous #dontions to ClothingDonations.org. #EasterBrunch

Cooking Brunch for a Crowd

If you want to stage a good Easter or springtime #brunch for a crowd, stick to recipes that can be made en masse to feed lots of people. Breakfast casseroles are easy to make in bulk, and they range from savory egg bakes to sweet French toast. Anything eggy is a natural at #Easter time, and while egg prices remain high, deviled eggs are a homey favorite. “Looking to put seasonal produce to good use? Try the show-stopping carrot tart, crowd-pleasing strawberry muffins or wrap asparagus in bacon,” says The Pioneer Woman. “Just don’t forget to pour yourself  Easter cocktail.” #EasterBrunch

Look to a Thrift for Quality Tableware

Even the most seasoned chefs don’t always have the specialized cooking equipment a new recipe calls for. Home cooks who are missing an oddly shaped pan or dedicated fruit peeler should browse the shelves at the local #thrift and #secondhand shops supplied by your generous #donations to ClothingDonations.org. Thrifts can be a great source of the dishes, bakeware, tools and small appliances that designed to make #cooking a breeze. They are also a great source of the seasonal decorations, serving dishes and tableware that will make your Easter or springtime brunch a big success. #EasterBrunch

Spring Is the Season for Brunch

Fresh produce and sunny weather always puts The Organizing Blog in a #brunch mood. The good news is that you don’t have to go out and spend a lot of money to have a great brunch, Easter or otherwise. Pick up some early season vegetables such as asparagus, peas and morel mushrooms at the farmers market, add some eggs, and enjoy a delicious, fresh meal, Serious Eats says. Many recipes are easy to make and crowd-pleasing, so invite friends and family to your #springtime brunch fare to help shake off the last vestiges of your #winter #hibernation. #EasterBrunch

How to Shake off Your Winter Hibernation

The trees are budding and the first flowers of #spring are starting to pop up — depending on your location, sometimes through a lingering snow. But you may still struggle to get energized for the warm weather, having been in human “hibernation” through winter.

“Humans cannot actually hibernate, but in the coldest months of the year, many of us are drawn to something similar,” writes Katherine May in Wintering: How I Learned to Flourish When Life Became Frozen. “We want to batten down the hatches, preserve our energies, lay on fat.”

Now, it’s time to shake off that hibernation and meet the sunniest months of the year head-on. You can shed that winter weight, tackle long-overdue warm-weather projects and reinvent your outlook for the rest of the year. Here are a few ways:

Move your body. You don’t have to start training for a triathlon, but any activity that gets your blood circulating will help you snap of the winter doldrums. Get off the couch and commit to move every day, even if it’s just a short walk.

“Moderate exercise will release endorphins that encourage you to move a little more next time,” says Optimi. “If you can be outside when the sun’s shining, all the better. Sunlight provides a variety of health benefits you don’t want to miss, including creating your own supply of immune-building vitamin D.”

#Declutter and #organize. Not only can #decluttering get you moving, it can also lighten the psychological load of a crowded, chaotic space. Simply having less #stuff to gather dust will make it easier to find the things you do like and streamline your home life.

Contact ClothingDonations.org for a #free #donation #pickup, and that extra #junk will be out of your life for good. Your mood will brighten knowing that #donating lightly used goods helps fund programs benefiting the nation’s #veterans.

Deep-clean. They don’t call it spring #cleaning for nothing. Shake out the rugs, wash the windows and scrub the baseboards. A #clean, fresh-smelling and bright home is a more pleasant place to be; it will put the spring in your step and may even inspire you to let some fresh air in.

Whatever gets you moving, socializing and planning again after a long winter is fair game. Just know that you no longer have to bundle up, huddle on the couch and binge Netflix. Spring has sprung, so go out and take advantage of it!