I’m excited for Spring to arrive. So far we’ve had some sunny days, and my snow drops are coming up in the yard. Today I’m enjoying looking at “Lady Flora” and other spring-themed artwork.
QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:
- If you’re a coffee drinker, is it time to clean out your espresso or coffee machine? Run a cycle of hot water and vinegar through the machine? Take inventory of your coffee filters – need to add them to your shopping list?
- Made plans for your kids for Spring Break?
- Need to water any houseplants, or rotate them into the sun?
- If you have an overflowing personal email inbox, try to answer a minimum of 10 emails tonight.
TODAY’S PROJECT: Dining Room
Tonight I’m going out to dinner after work, so my Spring Cleaning project needs to be a small manageable one. I think I can do about half an hour of cleaning (enough for the windows, chandelier, dusting the table and taking down the curtains).
Remember that during Spring Cleaning, we’re not just cleaning. We’re sorting, repairing, maintaining, and improving. So if you’re taking down your curtains and notice they’re frayed, it’s probably time to take a look at your budget to see where you can make room to buy new curtains. As you’re dusting your baseboards, notice if any are chipped, scratched or stained and need to be replaced. Wiping down walls, look at how your paint job is holding up – is it time to repaint your dining room? Do all your dining chairs have their foot pads so they don’t scratch your floor, or do you need to replace some? Is your heater vent attractive, or is it time to think about replacing it?
Following is my list of things to do to spruce up my dining room before bedtime.
- 6 Dining Chairs – Sponge off seats, let dry, plus dust wood slats thoroughly
- Table – Move to mop underneath; dust thoroughly
- Floor – Mop wood, take out rug and beat dust out of it outdoors
- Curio Cabinet – Remove items, wash any dirty glasses, dust cabinet, replace items, try to de-clutter
- Chandelier – Dust, and replace two burned out light bulbs.
- Side table – Dust and repair broken leg
- Heater vents and baseboards – Dust and clean.
- 2 windows – Wash windows, and get inside the window sill to get it clean
- Curtains – Take down and launder tonight, rehang in the morning.
LOVELY BLOGS: Cafe Liz
This is just what I needed – a kosher vegetarian blog full of delicious looking recipes. Liz blogs about modern Israeli cuisine from her home in Tel Aviv. I can’t wait to try making her beet salad with labneh.
LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:
Decorating For St. Patrick’s Day (Theresa’s Comforts of Home)
Decorating With Green Flowers, Fruit and Flora (Shannon’s Shanonigins)
Dinner With the Contessa (Napa Valley Register)
DIY Cocktail Party Ideas (Sew Country Chick)
Do It Yourself Mardi Gras Cocktails (South Florida Food and Wine)
The Do’s and Don’ts of Throw Pillows (About.com)
Everything You Need for Spring Cleaning (Housekeeping.About.Com)
Milk Punch for Mardi Gras (Cocktail Puppy)
Plaid Cookies For Saint Patrick’s Day (The Decorated Cookie Blog)
St. Patrick’s Day Cookies (A Little Leaven)
hunts_aside
Hi. Just a quick thank you for being there. In January, after a long period of unemployment, I accepted a really stressful job – I'm the practice manager at a startup CPA firm, and it's tax season. Thank you for giving me a serene place to duck into from time to time and remind myself why I'm doing this. My ideal 'career' would be as steward of my (slowly being rehabbed) 1908 Craftsman home, embroidering bed linens and petting cats, but as you can see that's going to require a lot of capital 😉 All I can say is thanks for giving me a glimpse of home – even if it's not quite mine – in the midst of this chaos.
Carrie
Thanks so much, and congrats on your new job. This definitely is a frazzled time of year for anybody in the tax or accounting business! Hang in there.