QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:
- Refresh your home: Open doors and windows to let in sunshine and fresh air. If you have air conditioning or central air, do this later tonight when it’s cooler anyway. Even if you have a ventilation system, there’s nothing like an open (preferably screened) window to let in a breeze you can feel on your skin.
- Is it time to think about back-to-school shopping yet? Maybe time to make a list of what your child will need?
- Run upstairs and look at your dresser (or whatever large wooden piece of furniture you have in your bedroom). Find two items that doesn’t belong there (or more, if you have time). What could be removed to prevent a cluttered look? Put the item elsewhere, recycle it, throw it or give it away, or try to sell it on eBay/etc. (List it immediately so you won’t forget!)
- Have you made and enjoyed a fresh fruit smoothie lately?
- Do any quick work that needs doing in the kitchen. Microwave wiped inside and out? Stovetop wiped? Counters cleaned? Floor mopped? Dishwasher loaded or unloaded? Sink scrubbed?
- Social plans made for tomorrow night and the weekend? Need to call anybody to make plans? Any friends or relatives you haven’t seen for a couple months?
- Need to wash your car this upcoming weekend? Mine is looking quite dusty and dirty.
- Have you enjoyed fresh summer berries in the last week or so?
TODAY’S PROJECT: Home Maintenance: The Little Things
Today I am working on several annoying little things that are easy to get done in a few minutes, but that I seem to put off for far too long. Want to peek at my list?
- Fix broken screen on my patio door. I have the crimping tool, rubber and new screen, so this should only take 5 minutes.
- Replace dead outdoor light bulb on back patio.
- Put up new curtains; clean and put away fall/winter curtains.
- Change batteries in two toys I keep for visitors’ children.
- Tighten screw and hinge on loose kitchen cupboard door.
- Wash dirty feather duster and let it dry in the sunshine and breezes.
- Remove annoying old plant hanger from upstairs living room, using a screwdriver. Then spackle/paint the two holes it will leave behind.
- Cut hairs out of vacuum brush. (Yuck!)
- Fix sagging curtain rod in downstairs living room.
- Call paint recycling service and schedule an appointment to get rid of old paint cans.
What are some annoying home maintenance chores you might want to get out of the way today and this weekend?
LOVELY BLOGS: Stylish Cuisine
Diane, blogging from Manhattan, loves to cook. Unfortunately, her four boys don’t have adventurous palates. She shares her recipes (and her husband’s gorgeous food photography) for things such as Italian Lentil Salad (I want to try this one soon!), pomegranate and mint sorbet, and Key Lime Pie Ice Cream. I like this site so much, it’s going in the permanent blogroll on the right.
LOVELY FOOD: Exotic Citrus Truffles
I just spied one of these adorable lemon-shaped truffles at a chocolate shop. I didn’t want just one, I hoped to find a box, so didn’t pick it up at the time. I’m excited to order a few boxes of these to give as hostess gifts as I travel this summer. Not everyone appreciates key lime and citrus flavors though, so I will gift carefully.
Exotic Citrus Truffles, at Moonstruck
LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:
DIY Summer Camp (Brown Paper Packages)
Ice Cream Sandwich Recipes (Katie Brown)
Orange Custard Cream Cupcakes (With Milk and Flour)
Key Lime Pie (Taste for Adventure)
7 Ice Pops That Break the Mold (CHOW)
Sour Cherry Streusel Cake (Cookbook Shelf)
Strawberry Bruschetta (The Boys Made Me Do It)
10 Ways to Jazz Up an Outdoor Summer Dinner Party (AZ Central)