FEBRUARY 3

      SETTING THE SCENE

      If you want great sex, think about creating a bedroom that’s conducive to intimacy, says Will Ross in The Wonderful Little Sex Book. “It doesn’t need to be elaborately furnished, but it should be uncluttered, have pleasing colors, and not be merely utilitarian; it should inspire a sense of beauty. The bed you use for sex ought to have a special, exotic, otherworldly feeling, almost evocative of an altar. There should be an air of reverence. Some people enjoy making love under a canopy, and you may want to construct one. Soft lighting is immensely helpful, and so is quietly pulsating music. When the whole room feels like a retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, won’t you relish the thought of spending time there with your beloved?”

       FEBRUARY 4

      GOOD BOOKS FOR SENSUAL PLEASURE

      In their book Tantra: The Art of Conscious Loving, teachers Caroline and Charles Muir make the following suggestions for a more meaningful connection: be love and nurture oriented, rather than goal oriented; be sure to give and receive, and remember to make love a dance. Other good books on sexual intimacy are Soulful Sex by Dr. Victoria Lee; The Art of Sexual Ecstasy and The Art of Sexual Magic by Margo Anand; and Sexual Secrets by Nik Douglas and Penny Slinger.

       FEBRUARY 5

      HOPS FOR A GREAT NIGHT’S SLEEP

      Hops is said to be mildly sleep inducing, while lavender induces a sense of well-being. Together they make a great sleep pillow.

      1 10-by-8-inch piece of muslin

      4 handfuls dried hop flowers

      2 handfuls dried lavender

      Sew up three sides of the muslin and add the hops and lavender. Slip-stitch the open end. Pillow should be relatively flat. Makes 1 pillow.

      FEBRUARY 6

      CLEANING SOLUTIONS

      Are you looking for assistance (the written kind) with cleaning every room in your house? Check out Jeff Campbell’s Household Solutions that Work or www.thecleanteam.com on the Web. Consumer Reports’ How to Clean Practically Anything is also great. If you want only nontoxic solutions, Clean and Green by Annie Berthold-Bond contains wonderful ideas that really work.

      FEBRUARY 7

      LAVENDER BATH POWDER

      This is a delicious treat after a long soak in the tub.

      1/3 cup dried lavender

      mortar and pestle

      1¼ cups cornstarch

      25 drops lavender essential oil

      small box and ribbon

      With a mortar and pestle, grind the lavender into a fine dust. Mix together with the cornstarch. Stirring constantly, slowly add the essential oil drops and mix well. Place in a beautiful box and tie with a ribbon.

      FEBRUARY 8

      HOLD A COOKING PARTY

      I love to gather a group of people to make something best done in an assembly line—cookies or tamales, for example. I buy all the ingredients, invite over neighbors or friends, open a bottle of wine, and cook, cook, cook. The time speeds by, the work goes quickly, and everyone goes home with a big pile of whatever we’ve made that afternoon. As far as I am concerned, a cooking party is the perfect blend of conviviality and cuisine.

      FEBRUARY 9

      THE COMFY COUCH

      What greater pleasure does life have to offer than a mid-afternoon Saturday nap on a comfy couch? Treat yourself to that delicious feeling you get when you know you should be up doing chores but instead are stretched out, luxuriating in doing absolutely nothing.

      FEBRUARY 10

      AROUND THE TABLE

      I have a strict rule which I will break only for real emergencies—that my family sit down to dinner together at the dining room table every night. I mean, if we can’t eat at least one meal a day together, why do we even call ourselves a family? It’s our together time, the four of us around the table—telling jokes, sharing the news of our day. No TV, phone calls, video games, or books are allowed—-just face-to-face interaction. One of the kids’ favorite dinnertime conversations is what I call “remember when.” Someone will start it: “Remember when I was two, Dad, and got the flu and threw up on you?” (The grosser the better for the kids.) “Remember when you where trying to hit the golf ball in the living room and broke Mum’s best plant?” The half hour or so we spend together eating, talking, and laughing is what I remember most strongly when I look back over my life.

       FEBRUARY 11

      SKIN-SOOTHING BATH

      Here’s a great bath recipe for the winter, when skin gets so dry.

      1 cup buttermilk

      3 tablespoons Epsom salts

      ½ tablespoon canola oil

      soothing essential oil of your choice, such as lavender or chamomile

      Combine ingredients and pour into the stream of warm water as the tub is filling. Immerse yourself and relax for ten to fifteen minutes.

      FEBRUARY 12

      FLOWER FRAMES

      You can beautify family photos by matting them with attractive colored mats and then gluing on dried flowers. A great gift!

      Mat frames

      Spanish moss

      dried flowers

      glue gun

      Find mats that fit the photos you want to frame. Arrange the moss and flowers in an attractive pattern on the mat, and then hot-glue in place.

      FEBRUARY 13

      THE DELIGHTS OF SCENT

      From time immemorial, scent has been used as an aphrodisiac. Time-tested fragrances include amber, ambergris, jasmine, lily of the valley, musk, myrrh, orange blossom, patchouli, sandalwood, and tuberose. Contemporary “erotically oriented” perfumes include Eau Sauvage, Magic Noire, and Poison, each of which contain some of these ancient aphrodisiacs. You might also try using essential oils in a diffuser in the bedroom or burning incense.

       FEBRUARY 14

      HEART PLACEMATS

      These lovely placemats will grace your table for months to come.

      tracing paper

      Scotch tape

      2 15-by-19-inch pieces of washable fabric, red or patterned with hearts

      thread to match

      straight

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