A bowl of clementines from Trader Joe’s sits on my kitchen counter, ready for snacking. They won’t need to be refrigerated – they will get eaten up quickly!

I don’t want to spend all day today cleaning. I’m going out to a movie tonight, and I’d like to read a book on this rainy day. So other than my daily vacuuming and a quick folding of some towels fresh out of the dryer, I’ll just do a small project today.

I know I’m going to spend tomorrow baking in the kitchen, so I think I will get the kitchen tidied up in preparation for making it totally messy tomorrow! I am not ready to do a full-out fall kitchen cleaning (that comes next month). For now, I want a clean, clutter-free, cozy atmosphere to work in. So I’m whisking through the kitchen and my former breakfast nook (which is now a sitting area) making everything look nice.

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

• We’re ust past mid-month. Look over your calendar for the next two weeks. Any birthdays you need to celebrate? Special occasions? Appointments you need to make? Letters that you should write?
• Plan something to do this weekend just for you. If you can steal two hours, treat yourself to a movie (whether by yourself or with a friend) or a long book-reading session. If you can only steal one hour, try a hot bath or a quick shopping trip errand by yourself or a walk alone. If you can only carve out 15 mins for yourself, try dancing to two fun songs, or sitting in complete silence, eyes closed, relaxing.
• Today is Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement.
• Any friends you haven’t seen in a while that you might like to socialize with tomorrow? Call them up today so they have plenty of notice.
• Need to check your supplies of pet food? I was getting a bit low on cat food so made a quick trip to the store to remedy that.

TODAY’S PROJECT: Kitchen Tidying

I’ll start by lighting my Mexican Pumpkin candle, and I’m glad there’s a “Deadliest Catch” marathon going on that I can put on my kitchen TV for background noise while I work. I’m going to skip mopping the floor in here since it will get floury tomorrow, but I need to wipe down the counters. I’ll be trying to make as much counter work room as possible for tomorrow’s cooking fest, so some decluttering is in order. I need to unload the dishwasher and then fill it with dirty dishes, then scrub the kitchen sink.

I’ve kept up with my regular Sunday fridge/freezer cleaning habit, so I only have one shelf to clean today. I’ll have a nice sorted, organized fridge to work with tomorrow.

Taking out the recycling and checking my fruit basket for moldy food will tidy up this corner nicely.

I’ve got to find a way to declutter this counter. I’m trying to prioritize things that get used every day, and put away other things that are used only once a week or so. I’d love to find a way to put my oils, vinegars and cooking sauces up off the counter. Some of them get used every day (the olive oil) but I never know what I’m going to need until I start cooking dinner. The shelves above the counter aren’t strong enough for the weight of so many bottles, but my pantry is too far away and too deep to make storing oils there convenient. It’s a dilemma!

My orange kitty can’t decide which chair is his favorite, so he sleeps on all three. That means I have three chairs and three pillows (which he leans up against, naturally) to clean cat hair off of every day, not just one. Sigh.

I like to have these chairs clean and ready to go in case I sit down with a magazine while waiting for something to bake. Or you never know when a friend will drop by and enjoy a cup of tea, keeping you company while you cook.

LOVELY BLOGS: From Moon to Moon

This blog specializes in finding very interesting bohemian-style decor pics from around the Net. Currently posting about swimming pools, a house called Casa Consuelo, and bohemian bedspreads.

http://frommoontomoon.blogspot.com/

LOVELY FOOD: Dean & Deluca’s Orchard Collection

I might have to break down and buy myself this lovely Orchard Collection from Dean & Deluca. The chocolates are heart-shaped, and the harvest-themed fillings sound so tasty – apple/almond marzipan? Yum!

LOVELY KITCHEN: Le Creuset’s 2 New Colors

So far I haven’t succumbed to the mystique of Le Creuset. Quite simply, I can’t afford it, I don’t have the cupboard space for it, and I honestly don’t often enough cook the types of foods you’d need these dishes for. But I can totally see why people crave and covet and collect these pots and pans. Sur la Table has just introduced two exclusive new colors, Cassis and Lilac. I have to admit I am drooling over the cassis, but it wouldn’t look right in my rust-orange themed kitchen. So that helps me resist the temptation. I bet a lot of Le Creuset fans and lovers of purple are delighted to see these new colors!

LOVELY SHOPS: Mibostudio

This Etsy shop sells PDF files that let you print out and create adorable paper crafts at home. The Christmas Creatures are so adorable, and I think they’d make a great kids’ holiday party tablescape. What cute papercraft! I’d love to see something for Halloween.

Mibostudio, on Etsy

LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:

A Visual Guide to Apples (Epicurious)

Coffee Cake Muffins (Baking Bites)

My Summer in a Jar (She Who Eats)