The White Stuff

Make it a spa day. You don't have to leave home to pamper yourself spa-style. All you need is a little strategic shopping. On your list: essential oils, exfoliating cream and rose petals, if you want to go the extra mile. Set the mood with low lighting, gentle music and scented candles, says Trent Vernon, spa director of Capital City Club and Spa. Then slip into a warm bath with essential oils or soak your tootsies in a pedicure tub.

If you're blessed with a giving spouse, break out the massage oil and bully him or her into a back rub. Men, take note: "If you're really into the spa stuff, you could give your wife a foot massage with exfoliating cream," Vernon says. "Most women love that."

Your Inner Artist

Snap away. While Washington is bathed in white -- and the gobs of tourists are snowed out -- why not get your camera and take some snowscape shots? Just remember that snow may call for modifications to your camerawork, says Kelly Carr-Shaffer, a photography professor at George Washington University.

"If it's a sunny day, you have to deal with another reflective surface," she says. Whether you're using a digital or film camera, you can ensure white snow doesn't come out looking gray by overexposing the subject. (Either use the backlight condition feature on a point-and-shoot or the exposure compensation feature on an SLR, or single-lens reflex.)

Shaffer also recommends keeping your camera warm (put it inside your coat between shots) and dry. And head out in the early morning or late afternoon for photo-friendly lighting.

Make a masterpiece. It won't last once the weather warms up, but why not let the snow bring out your inner Michelangelo? Because snow sculpting is a process of whittling down rather than building up, you'll need to start with a big pile of snow, which you might find in the wake of the snowplow crew, Colorado-based snow sculptor Rob Neyland says. Or make your own pile using trash cans to carry and dump the snow.

Once you've found your mound, get to work carving. Gardening and kitchen utensils make the best tools, Neyland says. Plastic buckets and household containers are good for forming shapes that add dimension to your sculpture. "Anyone can do it," Neyland says. "Everyone has a little bit of art in them."

Burn something. We recommend a CD. It won't keep you warm, but at least your ears will be happy. Make a compilation of your favorite artist's work, whether it's the Best of Barry White or the White Stripes. Or go with other seasonally appropriate performers: Maybe Hank Snow? Phoebe Snow? Snow Patrol? Arctic Monkeys? Johnny Winter? Ice Cube? Vanilla Ice? Nah, not him.

Redesign a room. Always thought the couch would look better in the corner? And covered in faux leopard skin? Now's your chance. Pick a room, and give it a new look.

For best results, view things from a different angle, says Kathryn Carpenter, an interior designer and owner of Manassas-based Chardon Interiors. "We get so used to seeing things being where they are that we never consider them being used somewhere else," she says. So think about moving the antique armoire from the bedroom to the foyer, for example.

A Type-A Day

Tackle your taxes. So, you can't actually call it fun, but getting a jump start on your taxes can be oddly satisfying, if you're into that sort of thing. The good news: "A lot of the information you need you already have, even though you may not have" your W-9s, says Kate Walter, a senior tax adviser with H&R Block's Fairfax Circle office.

Your last pay stub, for example, lists your income for the year and your tax withholding. "You can basically do your return and then wait for the documents to get there" before filing, she says. H&R Block's Web site ( http://www.hrblock.com) has a free tool to help you figure out what you need.