Do you think I could leave the grocery store without picking up a six-pack of the new Mike’s Hard Spiced Apple to try at home? Bah, not a chance!

Now it’s November. How the year flies by! Thanksgiving is 25 days away, and Christmas is 55 days away. Think about things you might want to get done this month regarding these upcoming holidays.

Last month we thoroughly cleaned and organized our kitchens. This month it’s time to reap the rewards of our hard work. Time for parties, gatherings, holidays, visitors, and impromptu game nights.

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

• Today I’m changing out the D batteries in the three Maglite flashlights I keep ready. (One is in my car, one is under my bed where I can reach it in the night, and one is by the back door, used for finding black dogs in the yard on dark nights). My flashlight batteries are still working, but I want them to be at their very best, super powerful selves in case of emergency. D batteries are expensive, so I’ll save out the ones I’m removing from the flashlights and use them for other purposes, as they still have some juice left in them. I’ll prioritize brand new batteries for my three mission-critical flashlights that I depend on working perefctly at a moment’s notice.
• Pay rent/mortgage and bills.
• Look over your calendar for upcoming birthdays during November. Mail cards, send gifts, or send flowers to anybody on your list for this week.
• Make doctor, dentist, salon, groomer and vet appointments for yourself, pets and family members for the upcoming month.
• Are you attending any plays, musicals, concerts or symphonies this winter? Buy tickets now if you haven’t yet.
• Remove any Halloween decorations, keeping up Thanksgiving and fall themed ones (unless you’re the type of person who enjoys having Halloween decor out for months or year-round!) Store your decorations safely away in a well-marked box. Leave anything that still looks autumn-related: my pumpkins are staying out and so is my orange tablecloth. Keep burning your Halloween candles, they’re a great fall color. Plus, if we don’t burn them up, we can’t go shopping for new Christmas candles!

TODAY’S PROJECT: Dining Room

I’m saving up to buy this Arts & Crafts style Larkin rug for my dining room, which is a bit echoey due to the wood floors. Sort of a shame to cover up such a lovely rug with a table and chairs though!

Let’s get our dining rooms ready for the upcoming holiday entertaining season! I’ve chosen this project today not only because I typically do this on November 1st, but also because I’m throwing a small “Election Night Results” party and serving dinner here.

Whether or not you are throwing Thanksgiving at your own home, you’ll want a clean, organized, enjoyable dining room to eat dinner in. You might throw impromptu cocktail parties, or have friends over for a soup-and-salad meal. Maybe you’ll do late-night or rainy-day crafts, spread out on your table.

I was a naughty girl over the weekend and I cluttered up my dining table with some eBay merchandise I was photographing and sorting. I didn’t put it away when I was done, so that’s the first thing I have to do this morning.

I’m washing my dining room windows. Fortunately I just checked my velvet curtains and they don’t need laundering. Just a good beating with my broom to get some dust out.

I’ll vacuum, then sponge off my beige upholstered chairs – it takes about 1 minute per chair. I’ll dust the table, windowsills, and baseboards. I’m going to dust the wood slats on each chair, then dust the outside of the curio cabinet that sits in my dining room. The inside of the curio cabinet is dusty, so I’ll wipe down the glass windows and quickly dust the wood shelves.

Don’t forget your light fixture or chandelier – mine is dusty and needs some lightbulbs replaced. Climbing on a chair and dusting this is the most time consuming part of this project today, I think.

The last part of my project is thoroughly mopping the hardwood floors, using an almond-scented wood floor cleaner. When I’m done, I’ll put a clean dark brown and teal harvest-themed tablecloth on the table. For table decor, I’ll set out a long wooden candle holder that has eight holders for tea lights. I don’t have any fresh flowers today, but I will after my Trader Joe’s visit today. I want my table to be pretty, but simple and not cluttery, so I’m not putting a bunch of sparkly fake pumpkins or grapes or whatnot on the table today.

I’ll finish by spraying a pumpkin-chai scented room spray around the room. My guests will eat fondue, soup and salad tonight on a clean table in a restful room.

LOVELY BLOGS: Making It Lovely

Follow Nicole’s progress as she transforms her century-old bungalow into a lovely home. Today she’s posted a fabulous before-and-after picture of her basement, which recently got completely cleaned out. Inspiring! She also shared adorable pics of her daughter’s Halloween costume, and ideas for a modern country dining room.

http://makingitlovely.com/

LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:

Bomboloni – Italian Doughnuts (Aurelio Barattini)

Taste Testing Pumpkin-Flavored Yogurt, Doughnuts and Smoothies (Slate)