Seattle is having an extended summer, though we have gray rainy mornings. My heater hasn’t been on for the last week or so, unusual for September evenings. It was 80 degrees yesterday, and last night I dragged a fan back out from the garage so my bedroom would be cool enough to sleep in.
It feels weird because I geared up for autumn – I want to bake, but it’s too hot in my kitchen today. I want to light a fire in my fireplace, but that would be silly. Yet I’m wiping my puppies’ muddy paw prints off the kitchen floor because they’ve been playing in the rain today!
QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:
- Check your fruit bowl – anything that needs to be thrown out? Something tasty you can enjoy as part of your lunch or dinner today? Need to make a trip to the store for some fresh fruit, maybe some tomatoes?
- Two days into the week, how is your carpet looking? Need to vacuum a room or two today? I’m making myself vacuum both sets of my stairs today, a much-hated but much-needed task.
- What are you doing for fun this weekend? Today’s a great day to make plans so people have enough advance notice to join you in an activity.
- Do you keep a diary or journal? Do you need to update it with your adventures from the past weekend? It takes me only ten minutes to update my diary usually – the hard part for me is carving out the quiet alone time to make a cup of tea, sit down and actually reflect and write.
TODAY’S PROJECT: Dusting
In addition to my daily maintenance tasks that I do in order to keep my house in its normal condition (vacuuming, a load of laundry, emptying or filling dishwasher, emptying a trash can, and wiping down counters) I do one project every day. Today’s project is dusting.
I’ll start with my pictures, paintings, mirrors and artwork or anything else hanging on the walls. Several of them are visibly dusty, so that’s what sparked my attention to this particular project today.
Next come the four televisions in my home (living room, family room, bedroom and kitchen). I won’t just wipe off the screens, I’ll dust the sides and backs too.
Last, I’ll dust my two curio cabinets, two nightstands, the hope chest in my bedroom, DVD bookcase, Blu-Ray bookcase, four bookcases, one coffee table, and two end tables. I’m skipping the window sills as they get cleaned at the same time I do the windows, and they don’t look visibly dusty right now.
I’ll finish by dusting my three standing lamps, six bedroom lamps and the lamp in the family room.
I expect this project to take just twenty minutes out of my day, and I think it will be quite pleasant actually, traipsing around the house rubbing my beautiful wood furniture (or tacky bookcases, as well!) with lemon-scented spray, while I listen to music I’ve put on in the living room.
LOVELY BATH & BODY: Caldrea’s New Scented Hand Products
I’m not normally a fan of sandalwood (too hippie for me, maybe?) so I was surprised how much I liked Caldrea’s new sandalwood rice flower scented dish soap. I won’t be buying any for a while, as I’m currently using the Method Home shown above. But maybe when I run out! There’s also a matching sandalwood rice flower hand soap and hand lotion.
Caldrea Sandalwood Rice Flower, at Sur la Table
LOVELY BLOGS: The Seasonal Home
This blog is by the author of “Creative Family Traditions and Ideas.” The blog’s focus is on decorating for holidays and sharing joy. Currently posting about decorating garden planters for Halloween, making a lovely gift basket for a new baby, and using apothecary jars in your home decor.
http://seasonalhome.wordpress.com/
LOVELY DISHES: Crate and Barrel’s Sushi Servers
Do you make and serve sushi at home? I couldn’t resist picking up eight of these red sushi servers. They’re lacquered wood, so you have to hand wash them. They hold just two bite-size slices of sushi rolls. I’m tempted to serve mini cheesecakes, mini tarts or other small desserts on them after a regular non-sushi dinner party, too.
LOVELY WEBSITES: Jetiquette
An airline professional’s website encouraging passengers to take the Jetiquette Pledge: “I am committed to making travel a more civilized experience for myself and others by exhibiting polite, courteous and considerate behavior to all I encounter when traveling.” Interesting stories on airline industry news, passenger behavior, and travel tips. There are also some podcasts, and a newsletter you can sign up for.
http://www.dearskysteward.com/
LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:
Cleaner for the Environment, Not for the Dishes (NY Times)
Decorating With Apothecary Jars (Everything Fabulous)
Fall Cloches, Apothecary Jars, and All Things Pretty (DecorChick.com)
Oprah to Reunite “Sound of Music” Cast for First Time in 45 Years (Entertainment Weekly)